The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-25
POLL OF G. n. men
It Is Now Up to Them to Say
Whether They Will
Strike.
The Officials Have Refused Their
Consent to the Double Head
err Agreement.

+ The polling Of the Great Northern
trainmen on the question Of striking will
begin tonight and will take about ten
days. The vote will be taken among
/ /, 500 men before a decision is reached
Negotiations between the grand Off
GERS and committees OF the trainmen and
the Great Northern officials closed yes.
terday without a settlement. After dis.
cussion of two hours General Manager f..
E. Ward announced that 1T would be I'M
possible for the road to sign a schedule
containing clause which eliminated
double header trains. AS this was the
only point remaining at issue, the gath
ering speedily dissolved. Tonight the
members Of the committees will go home
and await the decision Of the men as to
whether the action of the committees is
to be upheld. = f
Within fifteen minutes after the con-
ference was called yesterday all questions
but the double header proposition were
settled. The company granted the re-
quest for the u and Is per, cent increase
In salary asked by the men; also the
adoption of the Chicago scale OF yard
wages. H..
The following are statements by Mr..
Ward by the trainmen's officers.
Managers Statement.
cat a conference held to-day between
the grand officers Of the railway brother
hood and the general committee OF con-
ductors and trainmen and myself, an
agreement was reached upon all points
at issue, except the so-called double
header question. The demand Of the men
is that double pay be granted for double
header trains of more than thirty cars,
or as an alternative that the company
agree not to run any double-header trains.
The Great Northern runs practically no
double headers except in mountain dis
tricts, where helper engines are used to
help trains over heavy grades. The men
do not object to such use Of helpers, and
there is therefore no question at issue
between us and our men except their de-
| mand that a clause be inserted In our
schedule agreeing to pay double pay or
| abolish double heading.
1.-THE reason the company objects to in
sorting such a clause in trainmen's sched-
ule is that it permits the employees to die
tate III a matter not affecting any interest
of theirs and in way that may very
seriously affect the company's ability to
economically operate its property. It is
not a matter Of any consequence to any
trainman how many engines pull a given
tonnage. TO pay man in Montana twice
| as much for a given days work as a man
| in Minnesota because the Montana man
| rides in a train hauled by two engines and
| one engine would be rank injustice to
| the Minnesota man and would arbitrarily
lllCIcdSc tAc COIIlPdAy d1fCcIuJ AA6A1 Ca
pense because of the topography of the
country. .<>'
| 1.-The men make no claim that the work
on a double header is worth twice as much
as the work on train hauled by one en-
CINE. They frankly admit that it is their
desire to prescribe rates that will make
| it necessary for the railways to- employ
the largest possible number Of train crews.
| The fact that this concession has been
granted on other lines where double head
ing is a common practice, is not good
reason why it should be granted on the
Great Northern, where practically no
double heading is done.
! '"rhe Great Northern has spent many
millions Of dollars. in purchasing heavy
| power and in reducing its grades so that
double headers would not be required and
large trains could be hauled by one en-
CINE, and it is still spending large sums
for the same purpose. The demand of the
men is for the right to dictate the make
company reserves the right to handle
The matter has now gone to vote of the
men on the line. I am satisfied that they
will vote against strike on an issue
where neither their wages nor conditions
of service are affected, and where to wiz
is to lose, for if they strike and win
they lose the time it takes to: win THE
strike, and after it is won they have nj
material thing not already granted tt
them. ': - : - -
IF. e. Ward.''