The San Francisco call., 1906-08-20
oouttnurd from Page l. column 4.

the pay based upon old and less diff
cult conditions. and shorten the hours
o. labor to point. at least. safeguard
ing the public from the dangers Incl
dental 10 exhaustion Of those in charge
OF your cars.
-Four months having passed without
any sign On your part of q purpose to
be equitable without petition, we now
submit TO you two proposals, namely:
TRAFFIC on CARS DOUBLED.
-'FIrst-Yve request that you pay each
OF your platform men SO a day from
the first day OF September next, and
that your other employees who are mem
bers Of this union be given a pro rata
advance of wages.
''Second-We request that beginning
September / next you reduce 10 eight
hours the work day OF the members Of
this union who are in your employ
p in support of the first request this
may in conservatism be said: You are
operating about one-half the number of
cars in use prior 10 April Is; you are
collecting almost the same number OF
fares per month as prior TO April IS;
you continue 10 employ the old-time
car crew-two men TO a car; you con-
tinue 10 pay these men the old wsge
rates. 1t must be clear to you. for II is
matter OF common knowledge. that your
platform men are, in handling twice
the traffic per car handled in the old
DAYS, working harder than their con-
tract with you ever contemplated.
You are not keeping within the
spirit OF your contract. You violate
that contract every day Under cover
OF a general disaster. you have been
and are overworking US IN an extreme
degree without paying for the over
work. and this Notwithstanding that
you daily pocket large sums by reason
OF that overwork. You ought to pay US
some part OF the money earned for you
by US through our excessive work,
through such excess as we never un-
dertook TO give you for the wage agreed
upon Three dollars q day for the
heavy labor put upon us in handling
the enormous traffic you force your few
cars 10 carry seems moderate pay. We
wish only moderate pay in these stormy
times.
WORKING DAY TOO LONG.
1T is true that the recent advance
OF rents and commodities has made
our wages give scantier life for US
than before April IS. but we suggest
this TO you not as in itself giving us a
right TO a higher wage rate before the
expiration Of our bargain period. but
that you may. as q matter of justice,
take IL into account in making UP your
determination concerning the other
considerations we here set forth. As
our employers we think you ought to
have an interest in our welfare, and so
ought TO count In our favor now the
unfortunate shrinkage of our wages
when measured by the prices we must
meet
And what we have said of overwork
OF platform men hold in varying de-
grees, as TO all others for whom this
union speaks.
In support of the second request we
submit that it is not 1air to us and
cannot be eNcusable to the public that
we be overworked to the point of ner-
vous exhaustion no matter what you
may in the end be willing to pay for
our time. Most OF your employees,
members OF this union, have for years
been working. much longer per day
than the great body of other workers
in this city. and whatever might have
been said by you In earlier days justi-
flying the denial OF our repeated appeals
for the usual American work day, we
think you can offer no justification for
the inordinate work day when it is
coupled with the recent and present
extravagsnt toll filling up. the hours of
that unreasonable work day.
Men should not be driven to utter
WEAKNESS as we are being driven in
any occupation. but we represent that
as matters stand not only is there a grave
wrong against Us but a graver wrong
against the thousands who travel on
your cars, for the safety Of the public
cannot be assured by carmen tagged
almost to the degree OF breakdown by
excessive toll
Requesting prompt reply, we beg