Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-08
STRIKING MECHANICS REPLY
They Take Issue with President Burt on
Piece Work System
SAY IT is A DtLUslON AND A SNARE
Argue that Company Does Not In
tend 20 Pay Employees one
Cent More Than "a -
Obliged to Pay.

Obliged to Pay.
The following appeal to public opinion
has been addressed to The Bee on behalf Of
the striking Union Pacific machinists and Is
given publicity as they request:
OMAHA, March 6.-To the Editor Of The
Bee: The striking mechanics Of the Union
Pacific railway are persuaded that hitherto
they have had the sympathy and good will
Of all impartial men in all the cities and
towns through which the line runs, and
outside. They prize very highly that good
will, and they mean to hold II until the
struggle ends in the winning Of their
contention, IL Il lies within their power to
retain It. At all events they intend to de-
serve It. They wish, therefore, TO reply,
through the columns Of an Impoverished
press, to articles which have appeared re-
| cently in certain weekly papers in Omaha
and perhaps elsewhere. These articles bear
every appearance Of inspiration from the
corporation headquarters; and inspiration,
we know, is profitable to the inspired, in this
as in other matters. We make no com
plant, only we desire to direct attention TO
the fact.
1t has been said that Mr.. Burt and those
higher than him have nothing but the kind
licst intentions toward their employees IN
Offering them piece work; their only pur-
pose being to pay every man what he Is
worth, instead OF paying every man, as
| under the present system, the same wage.
They do not intend to lower the average
wage, but only to grade it according TO
individual ability!
THE aaap,fnU1v fair nTatpngp Is false in
fact, as any man of ordinary intelligence
can see at a glance. Would the officers
OF the Union Pacific railway, bright and
| able business men as they are, care TO
plunge their road into a strike that is cost
ing so much, Just for the sake of paving
/ the best mechanics more and the poorer men
less than they are securing now, without
in any way lowering the average wage OF
/ the entire body?
Whatever any one may think Of Mr..
Burt. no one can fairly call him a fool, to
war on his men for a sentiment that is
costing the road heavily, even II he cared
nothing for what IL is costing the men.
Mr.. Burt has entered deliberately into this
contest for the express purpose Of lower
ing the general average of the wage paid
to the employees Of the road.
As to the Premium.
But does he not offer a premium, a guar
anty that no man shall earn less than
he has been earning hitherto, II the men
will only consent to the piece work sys-
TEN. while he is perfectly willing that the
best, most skillful men shah earn more?
Yes, but again Mr.. Burt is not a fool.
That premium offer is a transparent de-
vice. first to get the men to consent at
the outset to the piece work system, and,
after 1t had continued for awhile, to with
draw 1t after he has bent the men to his
will. Mr.. Burt is not foolish enough 10
continue his premium offer for a day longer
than it has served his purpose. No sensi-
Bile man could expect him to do so. Were
he to continue the premium, so long as
he continued IL he could not reduce the
operating expenses of the road. Indeed
II there were any mechanics on the road
who could increase their pay under the
piece work system, the increase, whatever
1t might be, would be at the cost Of the
road. Mr.. Burt, we all know, does moi
intend to earn his salary by decreasing
the dividends OF the men who own the
road and hire him. He intends to increase
the dividends by lowering the operating
expenses. The piece work system is the
method, or one OF the methods. by which
he proposes to do that. That is to say
by it he means to lower the wages of thu
men. That is one purpose Of Mr.. Bur
and Of the men who stand behind him
They know II. We know 1t. The public
ought to know 1t. But that is not the mali
purpose. We shall come to that late
Fast Man to Set Pace.
But II is said that piece work is tn,
only fair way; that under its operation
every man will get just what he earns, nj
more, no less. Let us see. That would b.
true. or partially true. provided prices wer,
fixed sufficiently high. and maintained, 70
a skillful mechanic could then make