New-York tribune., 1906-05-14
FUNERAL STRIKE OFF
Heqrse Driuers Come to Terms
zlth Their Employers.

The Funeral Drivers Union ordered its mem-
bers back TO work in the small hours OF yester-
day morning. as told In late edition OF The
Tribune yesterday. an agreement having been
reached between committees OF the Funeral
Coach Owners Association and the Funeral
Drivers Union, which has only to be ratified by
the employers organization and the union. This
is generally regarded as perfunctory matter
as both sides were tired. apparently. OF the con-
troversy The employers held out till the last,
but eventually gave In and the drivers won
substantial victory. Whether the employers as
a body will ratify the terms remains 20 be seen.
but IL Is believed that they will The union win
meet on next Thursday evening to formally
ratify the agreement
Under the terms Of the agreement reached the
drivers who we're receiving S12 a week and
working fourteen out Of every twenty-four
hours will receive s14 week. and have twelve
hours off out OF every twenty-four. They viii
also get extra pay when they work after 10
o'clock at night and have twenty-four hours Off
with pay after every twenty-four hours OF con-
tinuous work
The agreement was reached at conference
in the Grand Union Hotel. beginning az O'clocb
on Saturday evening aud lasting until near
ly 8 O'Clock yesterday morning. The employers
committee consisted Of Charles Faulhaber. sec
retary OF their organization; John H. Fitzpat-
rick. William Connolly and Charles Naughton.
The Funeral Drivers Union was represented by
President William Ackerman. w. H Ashton, OF
the Liberty Dawn Association Of Coach Drivers;
Edwin Gould, chairman OF the Greater New
York Council Of the International Brotherhood
OF TeamsteFs, with which the Funeral Drivers
Union IS affiliated. and William Clark
Before this committee went into session a gen
era1 Of nA ho1T In,
other part Of the hotel. Some Of them were very
much averse 70 granting the demands. and there
was deadlock for a while. Then the two sub
committees were appointed and thrashed the
matter out for two or three hours longer. reach
ing the agreement which is to be ratified. The
employers subcommittee went to the members
OF the association afterward who were stlll
waiting and there was a deadlock, 10 looked
as If New York was In for long funeral drivers
strike
The two subcommittee went into executive
session again. and Gould representing the
drivers made a strong plea for peace. The fact
that there are twice manv funerals on Sun
day as on weekdays proved a very strong argu-
ment The Funeral Drivers Union was In ses-
sion az Murphy's Hail. 49th street and Eighth
avenue. and the strike was then declared off,
pending the ratification by the employers as a
body and the union.
Edwin Gould. chairman of the Greater New
York Council OF the teamsters. said yesterday
that he had no doubt OF the ratification OF the
agreement by the union He also believed that
the employers will ratify 1t this week judging
from the terms on which they separated early
yesterday morning.
The East 23d street and East S4th street
ferries. over which great many OF the funerals
passed TO Long Island were guarded by police
yesterday, but trouble took place It is esti-
mated that nearly two hundred funerals took
place yesterday. The official statistics OF the
city show that about thirty-flve thousand
funerals take place in year, which would be
an average Of nearly one hundred a day, but
twice as many take place Sundays as on
week davs.