The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-24
WILL NOT TREAT WITH
 THE FREIGHT HANDLERS
CONSoLIDATED,S POSITION Ex- PLANNED BY SUPT. SHEPARD.

Men by Striking Violated Agreement
 and Cannot Now be Relied on-Tean-
 sters Now Declare They VIII Go Out
 in Sympathy Unless 0mciaIs Consent
 to Meet Committee of the Strikers.
 New York, May 2s.-At a meeting of representatives of the Teamsters' and Freight Handlers unions late tonight it was decided that unless the officials of the New York, New Haven and
 Hartford system consent to meet a
 committee from the strikers early to- morrow the teamsters will go out in
 sympathy with the freight handlers. President Curran, of the Freight Handlers union, said that unless the Irailroad officials agree to meet com mittee of the striking freight handlers
 by o'clock tomorrow morning a gen.
 eral strike of the freight handlers .em- ployed by the company would be or
 dered. This, MT. Curran said. would
 involve every freight handler in every
 department of the railroad freight ser vice
 This statement followed the refusal to-day of General Superintendent Shep- ard. of the company, to meet delega- tion of strikers that called on him at
 the Grand Central station.
 Representatives of the several unions
 affected by the strike, headed by Pres Iident Curran, of the International Order |of Freight Handlers and Warehouse
 mems association, went to the Grand Central station to meet General Super intendent o. M. Shepard, of the New
 York, New Haven and Hartford rail- road. After waiting half an hour Pres lident Curran was admitted, but the |others remained in the waiting room.
 Curran was with Superintendent Shep- lard for about an hour. When he join- led his associates 8 heated argument Iensued. Finally Curran turned away with the remark: Well, if you don't like the way I am running this thing I'll go back to Chicago. I'm not stuck lon the job, anyway. You want to act like lot of fools. You brought me on here to adjust your differences and I'm trying to do it.
 He refused to make any statement as to what passed between himself and Superintendent Shepard Superintend- ent Shepard. however, talked readily.
 He said: T do not recognize Curran in any way. shape or form. I only know him as MT. Curran, and received him as an individual. neither recog Inize him nor his union, nor any organ ization. Ills asked me. as the repre- sentative of the railroad, to re-employ the five hundred odd men who volun- ltarily left our employ These men were
 working under an agreement dated
 March 2s, and binding for one year. It Twas made with each individual, and it stipulated distinctly that if there was any grievance it should be settled with the man next superior, on each side, the employer and employe. If they should lcome back voluntarily now would have nothing to do with them, either las individuals or collectively. They voluntarily broke their word with us.
 When you can't rely on mans word
 he Is no good. They have forfeited all lclaim to any recognition whatsoever from us, and won't get any" The sound steamers left New York on scheduled time tonight, and all of them, it was said, carried considerable freight
 The freight clerks and the marine firenen were also represented at the meeting tonight About thirty dele k. D,.Ns Iident Curran. 5S,O00 employees, were there. MT. Curran says that the dele
 gates from the other unions pledged
 their seupport to him for a sympathetic strike at the moment he should ask for it.
 President Curran added: "A sympa- thetic strike will only be adopted as a Hast resort If the railroad company
 wants fight we will give it to them. "