The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-15
A TEST OF UNION.
Santa Fe BOilermakers Will
Force the Issue.
Attempt to Force Recognition
Of Organized Labor.
MR. e. r.. KYLER TALKS
Executive Officer Says Strikers
VIII Win.
Hen on Gulf Line Not Yet
Called Out.
IIR. E. r. KYLER TALKS

The members OF the Brotherhood of
Boilermakors' and Iron Shipbuilders'
union intend to make the present strike
against the Santa Fe a test case to
force recognition of the union by the
railway company.
e. r. Kyler, representing the execu-
tive committee of the union. is in To
peka to direct the strike. and he de-
cIares that from the point of view of
the union men the strike against the
Santa Fe viii result successfully for
the union
Within the past seven months, says
Mr.. Kyler, the Santa. Fe has turned out
103 hrebOxes at the Topeka shops for
use on the Santa F7e coast lines.
For the bOiermakers on the east end
to allow work to be carried on here to
be used on the west end where the
bOilermakers are on a strike, would be
suicidal We viii not permit our men
to do work to take the place of the
work which ought to be done in the
shops of the coast lines.
"All the men are out at all the shop
points on the east end of the Santa
Fe system with the exception OF five
men at Fort Madison and one man
at Las Vegas, together with the men
who are working in the Topeka shops.
1--WE have not called a strike of the
men on the Gulf lines, but we will
call the men out at the CleOurne
shops if the company sends work to
that point to be done for the other
localities of the system.
Work has been picking up in the
east, and more than eighteen thousand
bOflermakers have recently been put
to work who have been idle during
the winter. For this reason we be-
lieve the Santa Fe viii find it hard
to get men to supply the places that
are now vacant
The local union has established
picket line about the local shops and
win endeavor to influence all the non
union men who did not go out on the
strike to leave off work.
No Violence Anywhere.
No violence has been reported from
any of the shop points of the Santa
Ee in connection with the strike of the
members of the boiIermakers' union,
who We're employed by the Santa He
railroad.
The strikers maintain that they
have the whip hand and viii be able
to force the railroad company to rec
OgniZe the union, ana the railroad Of
dcials say they regard the incident as
being Of no Importance and liIKen the
power of the boilermakers to the old
story OF the small dog that tried to
whip the big dog.
makers union, claims to have infOr-
nation indicating that all the boiler
makers employed by the Santa Fe be
tween Chicago and Albuquerque are
out with the exception of one man at
Las Vegas and five men at.Fort AIadi- |
son.
Other reports indicate that there are
no men out on the strike at the shops
at Fort Madison, Argentine and En-
pOria-
Reports received this forenoon in
dicate that the following number of |
men are out at the various points on
the line:
Topeka ..-..... .... .. So
Las Vegas --...- .-.....-....... 2
ttsttOu L 2 /
Ia Junta -..-.-.... ...... 81 /
The above figures include helpers. !
apprentices and handy men as we'll as
the skilled bOflermakers At the To- /
peka boiler shops it is reported today /
that So men are out and that about |
1A0 men are still at work
OF the % men who are not at work !
today it is understood that 35 were dis I
charged and about % additional men |
went out on their own responsibility
1t is understood that the figures Of the I
men who are out at the various points /
include the skilled boilermakers as well
as the helpers, handy men and appren-
uces. and the skilled men form less
than half the whole number
Controversy About Work.
The striking boilermalzers maintain /
thatltts contrary to the principles of the
union TO do work at the Topeka shops
Whlcn they claim should be done in the /
Sh0pS OF the santa Fe coast lines and
which they say is not now being done
IN the coast lines shops because of the
fact that the union bOilermakers are ont
on strike at those shops
{ is understood that the railway men
take the position that there are certain
classes Of work which is done i'm To
peka because it is more economical To
handle all the work of the system at
one point rather than to have three sets
~ ielellllleIy s ly ntted for that particular
H4AQ OF work distributed over the svs
TEN IN as many different localities
The Topeka shops are the LARGEST
shops on the Santa F'e system. vV7a,5
tne recent addition to the shODs vas
Du1t IL was given out that a o0ns57s~
able amount of work would he 9oTe = 1
the Topeka shops for the system Iiree
as well as for the Santa. Fe lines nro7,e,
When the Santa Fe began burnin5
OIL In the engines on the coast linas 2
suitable hreboX was necessary. The
Santa Fe has been CONVERTING f,a 80
burning engines for the coast lines -
Oil burning engines at the Topeka
This is one Of the classes of ,-o~,-
to which the union men on the easf
end are objecting. Officials of fLe
road, however, declare that it was fbe
1ntehLlon OF the company to handle this
work at Topeka as long ago as about
two years when all the engines on the
system were reassigned to different
divisions It IS understood that ma
chinery for this particular work was
installed at the Topeka shops for that
class of work
Don't Like Premium System.
The union men object to the intro
duction of the premium system Of
working the men in the machine
shops. They assert that it is simply
disguise, and that in reality it is the
piece work" system. It is against
the principles of the union to work
under the piece work" system.
The employing company asserts