The San Francisco call., 1904-06-08
MANY HANDLERS
ARE IMPORTED
Southern Pacific Claims to
Have Nearly a Full Crew
Working in Freight Yards
STRIKERS REMAIN FIRM
No Attempts at Violence Are
Made, but Pickets Induce
Many Recruits to Desert

An open meeting of the Interior
Freight Handlers and Warehouse
mems Union was held at their regular
HEADQUARTERS in the Alcazar building
last night and the question of the
strike now in progress between the
union and the Southern Pacific Com
pany was discussed
After the open meeting an executive
session was held and various members
of the organization and some of the
officials from the Labor Council ad-
dressed the meeting, explaining TO the
men some Of the minor issues upon
which some of the members were not
entirely clear.
The check clerks had been invited TO
attend the meeting, but only four OF
them were present. They are not or
ganized, but the entire body held a
meeting at noon yesterday ana py
vote Of 81 TO Is decided not 10 JOIN IN
the strike. Another meeting OF the
clerks viii be held to-day, at which the
question will again be considered. 1t is
stated that since the strike the wages
Of the check clerks have been advanced
from IS 10 SO a month, with promise
that the increase Will be permanent.
Reports were received from the pick
cts stating that freight was piled TO the
rooofs of all the sheds and that the ut
most confusion prevailed. 1t was
stated that three trains Of cars with
local freight were lying unloaded in the
yards and that in the West Oakland
yards many more trains were blocking
the tracks because there was not room
10 track them in the yards in this city.
Fifty new men arrived last night, but
il is said by the union that nearly one
half Of them were induced by the pick
cts not TO go TO work.
All of the speakers at the meeting
strongly advised the men against the
least act Of violence and the advice met
with hearty responses from the men.
The union holds that there are only
about 80 working in the sheds and
that with such a force Of inexperienced
freight handlers il viii be utterly inn
possible TO manage the traffic.
NO DISORDER OCCURS.
At the freight yards Of the Southern
Pacific. Fourth and Townsend streets,
yesterday and last night the only in
dications that a strike was on were
the groups Of men lettering in the vi
cinity discussing the situation. Eight
patrolmen and two mounted policemen,
under command Of Sergeant Mahoney,
patrolled the vicinity of the freight
sheds. but their services were not
called into requisition. About 2 o'clock
In the afternoon Captain of Police
reviewed the situation. AS he was
leaving he stated that he had no fear
that there would be any disorder.
The striking freight handlers have
established headquarters on Fourth
street midway between Brannan and
Townsend Here a large number of
them were congregated all day
and President Whisky of the union
spent the day there. In explaining the
grievances Of the freight handlers, he
said:
There are two questions involved in this
strike One is the wage ana the other the
hours Of labor. The latter Is subsidiary 20
the former We are paid by the hour for our
labor and the company reserves the right TO
name what hours we shall work. II freight is
Light We can only work two three hours
day, but when a rush comes We often. are
obliged to put in seventeen and eighteen hours
and faiure TO respond 10 an emergency
summons means dismissal.
Practically We are doing the same work
stevedores fer less than one-half OF the wage
received by them. Often a man is obliged TO
80 @"N.--s Ap1l0 . Nay a. 1Ae llosN -
haustinS kinds Of labor and then is called
upon the following morning TO resume work
for an hour or two, after which his services
are dispensed with for day two. The sys-
TEN is so arranged that Il scarcely ever hap
pens that one man can make $50 month
The very best workmen and the most desira-
SO month.
what We are contending for is fat day
rate snd pay for overtime. As long as We
must respond to any summons Of the company
we cannot undertake any other line OF work
without disappointing our employers But
when freight is slack We must loaf without
pay. In other words. when the company
wants US for an hour OF two il pays US; when
it doesn't want US Il keeps idle without pay
and without a chance 20 work at anything
else Stevecores work this way, but they
receive more than double the compensation we
-I-~I~
viii be satisfactory 70 both sides, I think
but we must either have a satisfactory fiat
rate . day or increased wages for this inter
mittent work.
COMPANY SECURING MEN.
Apparently the railroad company
was doing fairly well yesterday in the
matter u moving freight. The con-
gestion that marked the first day Of the
strike was visibly Iessened. Only shed
g, whence freight for the city it dis
tributed, seemed unduly piled up.
Nearly every train that came into the
depot brought from three to thirty-five
recruits to the men who are handling
freight in lieu Of the strikers. At )
o'clock yesterday afternoon J. c. Will
der. superintendent of the freight
yards. stated that he had about $50
men at work, which was about three
fourths Of his regular crew. He thought
number OF men at work to handle the
freight. even in the most crowded pc
riOds.
The new men are fed and bedded in
the freight sheds and have no neces-
sity 10 venture out among the strikers.
They have been recruited from various
places as far south as Bakersfield and
as far north as Portland. Most of them
look as though they were farmers.
There are various reports regarding
the compensation they have been
promised. One is that they are to re-
oeive 50 cents an hour, with board and
lodging and transportation each way
from the place from which they came.
Another is that they are getting 81 50 a
day fat, with board and a bonus of
3 cents for each day they work. The
railroad officials refuse to state what
inducements have been offered TO the
new men.
The check clerks, Of whom there are
about fifty, are the most pampered
anUTRTTGEHrrrfm