The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1906-10-17
RAILROAD CLERKS OUT.
Strike Inaugurated Saturday Affect
ing Road from New Orleans to
Ell PasO.-Estimated that One
Thousand Ten Are Out.
Object and Cause of the Strike as
Given by President Braggins of
the Order to the Times.
Democrat.

Saturday at 2:30 p. m. the Southern
Pacific offices here quit work. This
was in couformance with an order
from President Braggins of the Rail-
way Clerks Union declaring a strike
of the order from New Orleans to Ell
Paso. Almost 1000 men are out, %
at Lafayette.
President Braggins, according to
the Times Democrat of the IA, stated
in regard to the strike: that the re-
quests of the adjustment committee
were of a most moderate character.
They were. that it was desired to
discuss questions and effect an AMIGA
BILE agreemant upon a reasonable in
crease of pay: to effect rules to govern
clerks, placing them upon an equali-
ty with employees of other branches of
the service. they having been granted
the rights of seniority: right to APP
peal from unjust determinations
exemption from duty on Sunday and
legal holidays, and a definite number
of hours to constitute a days work.
This time schedule was suggested as
uine and a half hours for each day.
including an hour for luncheon for
Office men; and ten hours work for
men employed in the open air.
President Braggins also gave a
history of the strike preparations and
the efforts which had been made to
ward off a breach in relations be-
tween employee and employer. He
said: 81 arrived in Houston on Sept.
%, having been called there by the
adjustment committee of the clerks to
assist them in securing what we
deemed reasonable requests for our
members in Louisiana and Texas.
The committee was made up of the
following: L. j. Higgins, Algiers,
chairman; R.H. Broussard, Lafayette,
treasurer: L. D. Hart, Ell Paso, secre-
tary: members. G.. A. Terrell of Lake
Charles, r. r. Zeirlein of Beaumont,
J. F. A. Williams of New Orleans, and
F. w. Orr of Houston. These gentle.
men had been devising ways and
ear of securing recognition of their
body by the Atlantic system and were
in Houston trying to confer with
Thornwell Fay, vice president of the
Texas lines. On Oct. 3, the first letter
was sent to Mr.. Fay. No reply was
received. This requested that he re-
ceive the men as representatives of
the union to discuss the adjustment of
wages and adoption of rules for cleri-
cal employees. On Oct. 5, a second
letter was sent, but still no reply came.
The following day a third letter was
sent to Mr.. Fay, and that night he
sent his secretary to the hotel in
Houston, where the men we're. The
secretary left word that Mr.. Van
Vlack of Houston was out, and that
upon his return Mr.. Fay would take
the matter up. On Tuesday, Oct. 9, a
reply was received from Mr.. Fay,
which stated that the men had begun
at the wrong end in seeking their aim.
This stated furthermore that it was
the policy of the Southern Pacific to
accord fair treatment to its men and
pay them as good wages as paid on
other lines. but advised them to confer
with their local officials and bring
the matter up to him gradually, since
he had nc official cognizance of their
alleged grievances. 1t stated in con-
clusion that the men would be treated
as employees of the company and no
conferences would be held with out
siders. A reply was sent to this let
ter in which it was set forth that the
men had been faithful to their duties
for q length of time, ''and that in spite
of the fact that the cost of living had
been increased go per cent they had
been given no increase of pay, but had
had an increase of duty and a length
ening of hours of service" Mr.. Fay
replied to this letter in the same
strain as in his first reply, reiterating
that his company would be glad to
meet employees as employees, but
needed no advice from outsiders. He
closed with the statement, that if the
men did not desire to take the matter
up with their local officials in the
manper outlined by him in his first
letter, he had 40 further suggestions
to OFFER"
This reply did not suit the adjust
ment committee of the union men, so
ON Oct. IL the following letter was sent