The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-05-27
ELECTRICIANS STRIKE MAY
PLACE CITY IN DARKNESS
Walkout of Union Employees of the Utah Light &
Power Company Is Ordered.
Clash Result Sudden Demand For Shorter Hours and Higher
Wages Being Rejected

: the details of a settlement at that time.
I We agreed to this Mr. Campbell did
/ not get away Monday and in the light
/ or subsequent developments we went
+ 10 MIN again this morning and demand
! ed an answer before he left.
We learned that after the document
had been presented the division en-
glneer, Mr. HonnOld, went to four men
I employed in the sub-stations and asked
them if they proposed to stand by the
company When they replied that they
were with the union, ne notified them
that they might go to the Office and get
their time. In other words, he simply
discharged them because they were
union men.
This action told US plainly enough
! that the intention of the company was
TO have us defer our demands until
later; in the meantime discharge all
union men and import others from the
east. For our own protection we were
forced to ask an immediate answer
Accordingly we went before him at 10
o clock this morning In the meantime,
TO attempt to avoid trouble, they rein
stated the four discharged men.
Strike Was Ordered.
When we went before Mr.. Campbell
and asked if he would treat with US,
ne refused to do it. We were ready to
meet them and effect an amicable set
Ielnent but they would not meet us.
We gave the company until noon to an
sWer. No answer came and the COM
mlttee ordered a strike"
Within few minutes after the walk
cut was ordered every union man was
on the street The Hnemen, trimmers,
metermen and station tenders stopped
right where they were and returned
/ their tools to the Office. The trimmers.
whose business it is to replace the car
bons in the street lamps, had completed
/ their work for yesterday, else the city
would have been in darkness last night
SO far as street lights are concerned.
It is possible that darkness may pre-
vail in this city tonight unless the
strike is settled today, because it is diff
hcult TO secure men to do this work,
it is stated.
Messages wero sent to the station tend
ers outside of the city ordering them to
quit work and come to this city to meet
with the union Reports were received
Provo and Cottonwood that the men
were out The power plants were
not closed down because the com
union employees take charge of them and
keep them going until non-union cleo
tricians could be secured.
Cottonwood Plant Running.
A telephone message from the plants in
Cottonwood TO The Herald stated that
everything was running smoothly there
last night under the nOn-uniOn men. The
transforming station at Murray, which
furnishes the power for the smelters
was left TO run itself, and the tender
came into the city. It Is an automatic
station and can run itself unless some
breakdown occurs, which would shut
down the SmelTerS- nOn-un1On man
was sent to the station last night.
The emergency plant in the city was
being operated by the engineer. and a
~a7of
N full operation in case of a general
shutdown. The plants in outside places
are being kept going by similar forces to
those employed here
The danger of a complete tie-up now.
IL IS stated depends upon the efforts Of
the union men to induce the nOn-uniOn
men to join the strikers. If this is ac-
COmplished the result is inevitable. Dur
ing the afternoon the strikers had pick
cts out at the various stations trying
TO Ders uade the substitute men to go
out.
I'VE propose to stay OUT said Sec
rotary TrusseII until we get some kind
Of a settlement, and we propose to keep
other men from taking our places if we
can. We win not use force. but viii en-
plOy all legitimate means
Manager Campbell's Statement.
As soon as the strike was called Man
ager Campbell called a meeting OF the
street car officials and the oficiais of the
power company at the latter's Office. They
decided to employ all the non-union or
-
and keep the plants running. until some
settlement could be made. Mr. Campbell
Immediately went to work securing men
in the city and elsewhere and sent them
out to the various stations as soon as
possible
Il cannot tell just what the result viii
be. said he We will make every eff
fort 20 prevent a shutdown and hope TO
be able to do so. The situation is serious
though, and we cannot tell just what may
result.
THE action of the union has been de-
Cidedly unfair to us. They came with q
demand that would require weeks Of con-
SideratiOn and insisted upon an immedi-
ate answer There may be things in the
demand that we can grant easily but il
IS not justice to the company to ask a
decision on such short notice. The result
was that we had 90 deny the demands.
As for their claim that four men were
discharged because they were union en-
ployes. I know nothing Of il at all. If
they were it had nothing to do with this
case. / have always made il a rule TO
listen to the boys and try to help them
along II * a surprise to me to see them
aC i'm this manner towards TIE COMPANY
AS for being opposed 10 the union and
not wanting 10 recognize it. we have
nothing against the union. and we never
ask our men whether they are union or
non-union.'