The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-01-07
STRIKE ON THE ELECTRICS

The Barre & Montpelier Electric
Railroad has been tied up by water,
snow, and various other things, in the
past, but never until Sunday did
the trolleys cease to whirr because of
a strike. People who waited in vain
for their accustomed car, on that day,
finally came to the conclusion that
the strike limited at in Saturday S
Journal was in reality on and stayed
at home or walked. One car came
out of the barn early Sunday morning
and made few trips between Barre
and this city.
The causes of the strike are well
known. Early in the fall the con-
ductors and motormen as individuals
asked the company for an increase of
pay. This bought no favorable re-
suits and on Dec. 90, they made a de-
mand for an increase from fourteen
and three-tenths to twenty cents an
hour. This time it was not as in
dividuals but as the Amalgamated
Association of Street Railway EN-
ployes of America, Division 242. that
the move was made. The committee
signing the demand consisted of Con-
ductor W. d. Murray and Motormen
A. B. Guyer and @. f. Paramore, all
old and popular employees of the road.
These men were called to headquarters
few days later and summarily dis
charged. In response to the demand
the company offered to make the fol-
lowing scale of prices: First year
men $40, second year men 81, and
third year men $12, per week. The
union took this proposition under con-
sideration and refused to accept it,
believing that it would not increase
wages above the present rate.
F. E. Weed of Lynn, Mass, repre-
senting the National Association, came
last week to look over the situation.
Saturday night a meeting was held
and as result strike went into i'm
mediate effect.
The strikers desire that the public
shall know their position in the mat
ter and to that end have issued the
following statement.
The question under discussion is
the demand made by the men on Dec
ember 23, the text OF which follows;
That in the operation of the lines
of the company. both parties hereto
agree that all business shall be Grams.
acted directly between the properly
accredited officers of each party here
to.
1. That all regular motormen and
conductors and barn men shall receive
20 cents per hour, and for all extra
men, working five hours or over, the
wages shall be 20 cents per hour, and
for any time less that five hours the
wages shall be 20 cents per hour
2. A days work shall consist of
10 hours for motormen and conduc-
tors and for all barn men shall be 10
hours.
g. If any man is laid off or dis
charged or any grievance arises be-
tween the parties hereto which cannot
be amicably adjusted between the
Il
officers of said parties, the same shall
be submitted to arbitration, consist
ing of three disinterested parties one
to be chosen by each party hereto and
| the two thus chosen shall select a
| third. Immediately after this board
of arbitration is formed, they shall
meet and each party he given an op-
portunity to submit their evidence
and the finding of a majority of
such board of arbitration shall be fl
nal and binding upon both parties
hereto.
4. All men shall have their respec-
tive places on the list in accordance
with their age in service, thus giving
the Oldest man in service the prefer.
ence of position.
3. That where a man is suspended,
and after thorough Investigation if il
is decided that he is not at fault, he
shall be paid for all time lost at the
same rate of wages he woald hav,
earned had he been working.
This agreement and the pIovisioni
thereof shall continue in force ant
be binding upon both parties hereto
for one year from the date of being
signed.
today. Cars on the Barre line ar,
running on schedule with Burlington
and Rutland conductors and motor
men but, both in Montpelier and Barre
very few people are patronizing tn
cars.
The committee appointed at the di
rectors' meeting yesterday, consistin
of II. A. Hoar and II. X Bush Q
Barre and L. j. Deavitt of this city
and the strike committee met in r. A
Hoar's office at ten O'Clock this morn
ing are still in session. 1t is hope
and believed that some agreement wi
} be reached soon.