Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-17
TRAINNEN VOTE ON STRIKE
Conductors and Brak,m Of Fsrty-Thrss
Railroads Casting Ballots,
RESULT WILL Be KNOWN NEAT THURSDAY
Fifteen Per Cent Increase in Pay and
Reduction I'm Hours n the De-
mand the Managers
Have Rejected.

Z Disturbed by national and state legisla-
lion. court decisions and executive DEGREES
ell tending toward greater restriction of
power, reduction OF rates and squeezing out
OF watcred stock, western railroads, al
ready overwhelmingly behind in their
motive power, unable because OF the enor-
nous volume Of traffic, to meet the de-
mand for freight cars, are facing a new
problem which promises some difficulty IN
solution. This complication is nothing
more or less than a threatened strike Of
the trainmen.
Brakemsn and ccrtuc.ors. members OF
the Brotherhood or Halfway Trainmen on
forty-three railroads west Ct Chicago
practically every line north and south to
the Pacific coast, are now ballotlng on a
referendum system on the proposition Of
strike OF no strike. the issue being a raise
of Is per cent and an "eight-hour schedule"
which the allied railroads have declined to
grant. The vote is to be completed by
Thursday, March q, and canvassed IN
Chicago. The result will be announced i'm
medately.
This information comes directly from
trainman employed for over twenty years
on one Of the great roads entering Omaha.
It came also from the secret session Of the
tralnmen's grievance committee held at
the Murray hotel recently, when ~ Mar
shall chairman, Of Galesburg presided,
and fifty representatives attended. At that
meeting the men finally discussed the
situation and decided that a strike seemed
Inevitable.
Trainmen Arc Confident.
1.-THE railroads will have to make some
concessions they do not want to make"
said a member Of the brotherhood. dis
cussing this situation. 1--WE have gone to
them the last time. They have given US
I'd understand further negotiations for bet
ter pay and hours is useless. They at
tempted TO soft-soap the press Of the coun-
try with the impression that the recent
conferences Of the managers at Chicago
resulted mutually satisfactory. They knew
better. We do not want to strike but we
cannot put up with present conditions.
The numerous wrecks over the country
argue for less time for trainmen; the enor-
NOUS increase In railroad revenues and the
cost OF living argue for more pay for the
trainmen. with the entire west begging
for more freight cars, business tied up
tracks congested because OF n lack OF cars
ell due to the heavy trafc-there is no
way out OF this situation than to submit
II to arbitration and get an early settle
ment. A strike cannot be afforded.
ITO show you what business the Union
Pacific, for instance is doing on its single
track here in Nebraska, It has forty-six
freight trains in the chain gang-that is.
first In, first out; three locals besides TWEEN
ty-one passenger trains. Does that look
like busness7 And yet they cannot meet
the demand for traffic.
What the EiEht-HOur System IL.
THAT eight-hour system we ask for is
this: We want to draw nay for all over
twelve hours and thirty minutes. Now we
draw pay for all over fifteen hours and
forty minutes, the time It takes to run on
freight from Omaha to Grand Island.
There is very general sympathetic de-
mand over the country among people not
trainmen for less work Of men on trains.
1t has been demonstrated that the over
worked trainmen have been unavoidably
the causes of wrecks, disastrous to lives
and property.
1--WE have not. been unreasoning or over
demanding. We are a conservative set of
men and we are going into this thing
thoughtfully. We are anxious to have It
submitted TO arbitration and believe the
railroad managers will have to come to
that issue, for the country simply will not
stand for a strike that will tie up business
any more than It is already"
The division head Of the trainmen on
each division is canvassing the men and
these returns viii be forwarded to the head
Office at Chicago, where the result will be
made known March p.