Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-04-30
STRIKE AT STATION
Freight Handlers Want More Pay Business Badly Crippled
 Last Night and To-Day.


 had grown tired of waiting for tn,
 promised increase in wages iron
 $1.60 per day to $1.75. The mel
 refused to return this morning ant
 though about 50 men were brough
 to this city to take the positions o the strikers. there was nothing do ing, as the checkers not only refused to work with the new corners but
 also demanded a raise from $1.S5 tt $2.10. In all probability the check
 CTS, who hold the situation in theil
 hands for the time being, would re lceive their demand if they would re.
 turn to work. but up to the noon
 hour they claimed they would not la.
 bor with the green men.
 Everything was in confusion at
 the freight station this morning and
 though there was large number ot men in the vicinity, there was nc
 trouble and there was very little chance for any, because of the num- Der of policemen and detectives that were on hand ready to quell any dis turbance that might arise. Superin- tendent of Police Beach spent the greater part of the morning there as did Lieutenant Dodds, Detectives Kennaugh, Keegan and Colesanto land Officers Simon Mccarthy, R. Kiersted, Martin Moore and John Bergin. The strikers declared they ho vi of ,,t1 lence and asserted that if they could not win the fight by peaceful meth ods, they were perfectly willing to be the losers.
 Assistant Superintendent Joseph H. Dunn of the Consolidated. talked with the strikers several times dur ing the morning and at length told the freight handlers that $1.65 was the maximum pay which they would receive for the present at least. The strike, according to the men has been breeding for some time. They have been working for $1.6O and have asked for $1.75. They said this morning that they were to have been given definite answer last Saturday and when this was not forthcoming they agreed to. wait until yesterday. According to their statements, Freight Agent F. L. White and As- sistant Superintendent Joseph Dunn were to have given decision last week, but again they were put on. Last week the men found in their en- velopes pay for six hours overtime, which brought their weekly roll up to $10.56. The men declare that MT Dunn informed them that would not know until Thursday whether they would receive the six hours overtime this week. Meantime he wanted us to wait until Saturday for a definite answer in regard to the regular raise in pay" the men went on to say. When Mir Dunn did not come to town yesterday we decided to quit and at 1 o'clock we came to the con- clusion that we would do no more work until we had been given defi- mite assurance of raise. So from 1 until 4 o'clock we sat around the freight station at which time Mir Dunn came into town. After con- ference with him we saw that we could not come to terms, as he would not agree to give us only five cents a day more, bringing our pay up to $1.65. We could not see it in that light, so we decided to go out"
 Assistant Superintendent Dunn and Freight Agent White declared that the men were paid as we'll in this city as in other towns and that they had acted rather nasty in leav- Ing their positions. Mir Dunn was ioing his utmost to settle the affair md stated that if he were allowed ! few days he would inform the men whether or not their demands would | De complied with.
 Although Foreman Noonan, For ner Freight Agent Leary of this city md Freight Agent White worked | lard with a few bosses last evening. { was almost midnight before they | lad done anything like what they wished.
 This morning the freight began to ,ile up and though some of the team ters acted the part of freight hand- CTS. but after the checkers signified heir intention of quitting, there was lothing done for the rest of the morning.
 The checkers declared that they would not have anything to do with he new men even though their de- hand for an increase in wages was Though new checkers had ome from New Haven. up until noon our for some reason they had not cen asked to go to work.
 The of1icfals of the road were here. here and everywhere trying to bring rder out of chaos and judging from he determination of Mir Dunn. it is ifs intention to break the strike. 'hough he was hustling he was not [ all excited and though the freight Tas piled up on all sides of him about 1880 o'clock. he informed the strfk- 1g freight handlers that the most hey could expect was s1.s5 a day. It One of the checkers stated that hough in his opinion he thought the -eight handlers were a triie hastv evertheless he declared that they ere fully entitled to the amour, hey asked for. Just imagine" he Aid. what work they have to do in | his city. The freight $ heavier by 1 IT in this town than in most places. Ia ou must remember that this is the k, rass City. and I tell you the freight | I have to do more for their I ay in Waterbury than any other 'vn of equal size in the country. ( oreover. it is pretty hard in this age support a family on s1-so a day.