The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-20
MEN SUFFER
 FROM STRIKE Twenty-Five Suspended
 by Coast Line. SIX WoRKMEr 1UURE MANY Othsr Laborers Depended on Black
 smiths for Work. nefssaI of Company to Grant Demands tsa Few the Cause of Treabi<
 Which May Anees Frfsy .,s Employes.
;H WORKMEN 1UURE MANY

AS the direct result of the strike of the six blacksmiths employed in she Montgomery shops of the Atlantic Coast Line Railway last Saturday, twenty machtnists and i've boiler makers employed at the shops were sus- pended yesterday morning. because oI lack of work to keep the entire forec employed. Unless the strikers are ra- placed at an early date, the force will be cut down to running repair forcs. and some forty or fifty mem will oe thrown out of employment
 A month ago the blacksniths en- ployed at the Atlantic Coast Line shops made a demand on the management for an increase of one and half cents per hour for a ten-hour day. This would mean a flat rate wage of 35 cents per hour or $3.50 per day. Tn4 demand for the increase in pay was made for laborers of this class.
 The management considered the de- mand of the men, as whole, out of reason, but agreed to grant the request in part. A proposition was made to the laborers to grant the demand for two of the six who did the heaviest engine work
 This offer the men refused to accept, however. and the blacksmtths duit work Saturday noon.
 Master Mechanic W J. McGee has made every effort to replace the men, but up to last night had not succeeded. with the result that d number of mel: are now without employment Unless the situation Is soon relieved, an addia tional number of the workmen who is- pended on the work of the blacksniths. will be laid off until the places of tue strikers can be filled.
 Master Mechanic McGee has be sa with the Coast Line at the Montgom- cry shops four years. Speaking of the strike and it's effect on the other work men at the shops, Mf. sacGee said
 Up to the time of Nhis tronbie tho Atlantic Coast Line was employing from forty-five to fifty machinists eight boilermakers and six black smiths, more men than are employed by all the other railroad shops in Mont gomery Combined. On account of taa walkout of the btaeksmfths, we have not work for all the machihists assd boilermakers, an1 it became fiecessary J to reduce the force. we suspended twenty-five men yesterday, and unless the places of the striking men are soon filled the Coast Line viii reduce the shop force to a number suficient to handle only the necessary work. Tiiis, of course, means much to Montgomery
 The Coast Line has always. to my knowledge. made every reasonable and possible concession to their employees This recent request of the blael.- smiths the management did not cofsid- CT reasonable and would rot grant it. Such of the dc. Fhand as was reasehabie the manage4 ment was willing to grant They d. ways try to do what is right and re- yret to make the reduction :n the f0fcs among the men who were not inpll- cated or coneernsd.
 Tt was evident that the biackshiiths did not consider the welfare of thsir fellow mechanics in the action whitii they took. Some of the mechRfiies ia the differeft departments talked to the men and tried to show them the efs fects of what thsy were about to do buA they would rot listen to reasoii.s
 The master mechanic is hopeful hs will be able to supply the places of the men who went out, without having to lay of any other of the men employed at the shops. According to his state IIients,. the Coast Line, up to about two months ago, paid more to the men em- I5loyed in their shops than any other railroad company in Montgomery. At that time the Western of AlabainS Railroad raised the wages of some of their shopmen to that received by ths Coast Line employees.