New-York tribune., 1903-03-05
FORM UNION WITH RUSH.
OBJECT TO SCHEDULE.
Fifteen Hundred Manhattan Rail
uay Employees Organise.

Employees in the transportation department
Of the Manhattan Railway Company organized
a union yesterday in the Harlem Building.
No. 10 East One-hundred-and-twenty y-ffUh-st-
Meetings were held all day. and addressed
by William d. MahOn OF Detroit. president Of
the Amalgamated Association OF Street Railway
Employees OF America. and by Herman Robin
son, district organizer IF the American Fedora
ton Of Labor.
Mr. Robinson said last night that while the
men had grievances the question of d strike had
not been considered. The men Were simply pay
ing 81 each and enrolling About midnight he
gave out this statement:
The purpose Of this meeting Of eleyatsd ate -; en-
ployes to-day IS to institute division ~ the Man
haitian Railway company my enPoEes MeInn@Tf m m h,ye
They Will continue coming here as they go on dtS.
A messing was held tonight at which officers
were elected. and there viii he members "f the
the exncutive board viii receive Statements Of the
employees Of the different departments u there
are. the executive board will hear th"m and take
| The organization itself will he completed in
under way
| There rush OF men all day the head
| quarters and last evening the hall crowded.
| Mr.. Robinson said at a late hour that about
| fifteen hundred had been enrolled. He
| calculated that the employees numbered about
sixteen hundred. This includes ticket sellers.
| gatemen. conductors guards and trackmen
About all in the eastern division Of the elevated
| road have Joined. only few on the West
/ Side are out. One of these, a conductor, has
/ positively refused to join.
| Mr.. Robinson said that all talk Of strike
| was premature. The meeting was simply to
| organize. He declined to make public the list
| of officers. saying it had not been completed
| If there were grievances they would be laid
before the executive committee He wished it
understood that the were opposed to a
| strike, or anything that would interfere with
public travel; but they had complaints to make,
and probably they would be made known to the
| managers of the elevated road in due time Mr..
| Robinson said the question Of increased wages
had not been broached-
| 1t is understood that one Of the chief griev-
| ances is over the schedule. which requires
the men to make six trips in day OF ten hours.
| This, the say, is impossible They insist
| that they cannot make the trips in less than
eleven hours The old schedule five trips.
This gave a little time for luncheon The men,
it is also reported want advance Of - cents
a day The guards now receive 81 50 and the
conductors 81 So.
| For about two months the organizers OF the
union have been at work The Eastern Division
was organized in December, when work was
begun on the West Side. Now both have been
| consolidated.
1t is denied that the elevated road organlzatlon
has been affiliated with that of the surface lines
| II they toIn issue it will mean an organization
| oF about five thousand men, There IS repoFteu
| to he much opposition to the union OF the sur
| faoe car men and two hundred are said to h1Ne
| been discharged within a few weeks on many
| charges. ,..,e,
| Mr. Robinson said he wished 1t underStoou
| .ba+ tho elevated road men were opposed 10 d
strike. -. ,,o,- ,,,,io, saw
| +bat orpanization in the past has heeh pic pic
| ticaIIv ont of the question. OWING 10 9SSe- S
| of espionage maintained by the rdII"eS 80 =! :
- For a man to express his DelleI III d
i,nion of any sort looking toward d DtIIeI ~ -
| in wages OF hours of labor. the ''r SSi - -
| meant to lose his place TheE de' E - ~ -.
and always has been sort or 'lnduS'IIai - -
| lice to report any sign II dlScohteHl d0 i'4
| "a tod nv an effort to organize
TT Robinson made a long search for ten men men
| Who knew how to keep their own counsel Il1 %
| prepared a letter of instructions anu sen , y
| earh explaining what was necessary u C,.4 DCeoIl
| = member Of the AmaGamated society OL oC -. -
| Railway Employees They we're 10 ioI aI, ~ ~
| injtfatiOn fee as earnest OF SOoo lsltII- ~
| RObinson SAYS the response was . diIIoSC IN u
| staDtaneous and that the ten men, dcllH6 Lily
| bis instructioIs each made CdreIul sedFCH IuI
| three other men to help them Inc endleSS CldiiI
| Drocess reached 9O per cent OF the HleL-
Crane the assistant manager OF the Nd l.
| batt. ~ sid Yesterday that the company hdCl
| mIt received any complaints from the men anu
5iI not know anything about their plans ne
- tbere had not been any TAX OL COuLSL
| -. ,,,-cr wages or other questions