The San Francisco call., 1906-11-04
RAILWAY MEN MAY
co ON STRIKE.
Unless Demands Are Met
Entire System of Southern
Pacific Will Be Tied Up
CAUSE OF FRICTION


There nre many Indications that the
Southern Pacific will have strike on
its hands next week which will prob
nbfy extend along it's entire system.
The bInciSsmfths and helpers In the
employ of the company want better
conditions. The international organf-
xation sent Organizer A. G. Allison 10
the coast to take charge of the mat
ter. He, in conjunction with Fifth
Wee President 1. J. Furey of TIE inter-
national union, has been trying to hold
a conference with the officials of the
company. They have been Joined by
committee representing the cities OF
Tucson, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Oak
land. san Francisco and Sacramento.
There were two men from cnch of the
foregoing places. This committee
waited upon MT. Small, superintendent
of motive power of the Southern Pa
cifc, last Wednesday and asked for
conference. This was refused Again
the committee called upon Small In
Oakland on Friday and was again turn
ed down.
Finding that any attempt at meet
ing was fruitless the men representing
all the blacksmiths and helpers on the
road sent an ultimatum to Small that
if no conference was granted before
next Thursday morning at 8 o'clock,
every man within the jurisdiction of
the organization would be called out
STRIKE DEPENDS ON SMALL.
1t will depend altogether on Small.
If he Will show disposition to treat
with the men a strike can be averted,
but il he remains in his present frame
of mind the men will quit work SIM
ultaneously. The men are asking for
an agreement similar to the one the
boilermakers and machinists have with
the company Should a strike come
about 250 men would walk out in Sac
ramento alone. 1t is said that the
men on the entire system will act as
unit on telegraphic order from Or
ganizer Allison and Vice President
Furey.
Recently the general committee of
the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen
waited on the general manager and
division superintendents of the South
ern Pacific to represent that owing to
the increased cost of living, aand the
onerous conditions of employment that
the schedule of compensation should be
revised and an Increase of pay granted.
The Order of Railway Conductors
and the Switchmens Union of North
America are lending their efforts to
aid the trainmen and yard helpers.
DEMANDS ARE GENERAL.
The demands of the railroad work
ers are general. They claim that the
slight increase which the company
granted in October to the yardmen in
San Francisco and Oakland was made
quate, and moreover that the restric-
tion to the yards named was not just.
Demand is registered that the increase
should be material, and made appli-
cable to the entire system.
The men claim that the Southern
paoifo hondlad In, Co E,ro
ing the month of October, 1906, 1853
cars, an increase of 5000 over the
handling in the corresponding month
of 1905. Again, 1t is asserted that ow-
ing to the congestion in the entire
system and the lack of power and help
the men are overworked and taxed to
the verge of physical exhaustion In
stances are cited where trainmen are
out for ten days, and permitted, on
return to San Francisco. to rest only
ten hours.
WANT MOUNTAIN SCHEDULE.
The grievance committee contends
that the mountain schedule now in
force at Butte, Mont, should be rec
ogniZed by the Southern Pacific sys-
tenn. This schedule allows thirty-four
and thirty-nine cents per hour, the
former for day and the latter for night
service in the yards.
1t is claimed that the company can
not get men to perform the work for
the wages of the existing schedule. The
unprecedented prosperity of the COM
pany, it is asserted, justified an in
crease that would bring from other
sections of the country a sufficient
number of workers to perform the
work that should be done. Every in
terest in the State is suffering by rea-
son of the company's inability to han
! die the traffic. Farmers cannot get
| their hay to market, and merchants
cannot get their goods. The over