The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-14
SANTA FE STRIKE.
One Hundred BOilermakers in
Topeka Walk Out.
No Differences About the Wage
Schedule.
ORDERED FOR IL A. M.
Company Heard and Issued Sew
eral Discharges.
Men Object to Doing Work From
Western Divisions.
Also Asked Santa Fe to Listen
to Strikers.
ORDERED FOR IL A. M.
Also Asked Santa Fe to Listen
to Strikers.

one hundred Santa Fe boilermakers,
boilermaker helpers, riveters and
handy men went out on a strike at
1890 this morning. The strike had
been called for IL o'clock, but the
Santa Fe management had anticipated
the hour and issued a number of dis
charges at 1890, and as soon as the
men realized what was taking place
they laid down their tools and quit
work
There was no difficulty of any kind,
and the whole incident occurred with
out anything more marked than that
which usually attends the quitting of
work by a large body of men. The
strikers quietly packed away their
tools, picked up their dinner pals and
belongings. walked out of the gate
and home. A few loitered about on
the street, but most. of them went
home in preparation for the dinner
hour
The boiler shop, and for that mat
ter. the entire shops in Topeka, are
known as "Open shops; that is, there
is supposed to be no discrimination in
favor of union or nonunion men.
There are about $50 employees in the
struck. Between As and so union
men, the entire number employed,
were included in the number in addi-
Gon to some so men who We're not
connected with the union and who for
the most part represented the un-
skilled labor.
Technically the strike is sym
pathy strike; that is, there is no
trouble between the management of
the road and the strikers over the mat
ter of hours or pay at this point. The
men here are involved in the troubles
which were brought about i'm the
strike OF their fellow craftsmen on the
western divisions of the system.
The strike is a result of the refusal
of the Santa Fe to accede to two re
quests which a grievance committee
from the local Boiler Makers union
No 4 made. The requests are. that
the Santa E'e management should meet
the grievance committee representing
the boiler makers on the western end Of
the Santa Fe system who are now out
on a. strike and listen to their repre-
should discontinue sending in to the
Topeka shops repair work which is or
dinariy cared for in the shops on the
western divisions but which has been
sent here in part since the existence
OF the strike on that part of the sys-
TEN.
Wait On Mr. Purcell.
The trouble has been smouldering for
the past three months and finally reach
ed its active stage on Monday after
noon when a grievance committee wait
ed on John Purcell, superintendent of
the shops at Topeka and asked him to
make a reply to the requests made. He
was given "a hours in which to make
a reply. On Tuesday afternoon the COM
mitUee representing the boiler makers
waited on Mr.. Purcell for a reply Mr..
Purcell asked for more time A repeti-
ftOn occurred on the following day when
l7a On for rat fr,
their representations.
On Thursday afternoon the committee
appeared again for an answer Super
tntendeut Purcell met them and said:
ct have nothing to say" Seeing that
further effort was useless a meeting of
the union was called for Thursday even
ing The bOilermakers met with the
other unions who hold their meetings on
Thursday evening at the labor hall I'll
Kansas avenue Following the regular
business session the bOilermakers got
together and held a secret meeting at
which it was decided to secure the nee
essary authority from the grand lodge
at Kansas City for calling the strike a +
II o clock this morning The answer
came back this morning from Kansas
City by wire It is stated by the union
men that the information leaked out
through one Of the operators who caught
the message as it came through and
notified the Santa Fe authorities in time
for them to prepare the notification for
the discharges.
No Strike Says Purcell.
Superintendent Purcell who was asked
for a statement shortly after the strike
went into effect this morning said:
mere IS no strike. We have simply
laid OF 80 of the men. Work is getting
slack There is no trouble at all"
One of the prominent union men
who has worked for the system for
the past twenty years said. "They are
trying to get US in the same shape
that they have the machinists here.
The machinists were afraid to come
ont for principle and sold them
selves to the Santa Fe for its money.
They simply have been trying to get
US in the same position and when
they have fixed us they Will do it to
all the other departments in addition
viii sell my muscle, but can't feel
that can sell my principle also
They have been trying to Introduce
piece work They don't call it piece
work they call it premium work. but
1t is piece work all the same Tbev
are sending all of the repair work
from the western divisions to us here
in Topeka and making us scab uDoD
the repair work that they can't get
done out there with the help that
they have got 1t isn't right We
send our monthly contributions from
our wages to help the strikers out
there in their fight and then we aid
the Santa F'e by doing the repair work
from that part of the system to keep
those men out of employment. Thev
have been gradually getting rid of all
the union men in the boiler shoD. Just
a short time ago they discharged IL
of them and then hired nonunfOn
hands to take their place And most
OF the help that they have hired down
there In the places of the union men