The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-11
LOCAL TELEGRAPH OPERATORS STRIKE ANDL|NES ARE IDLE Nearly 100 Men Leave Keys and Business is Almost
 at a Standstill
MESSAGES ARE RECEIVED
 BUT SUBJECT TO DELAY
Managers of Postal and Western Union Companies Make State ments-Press Wires Are
 Not Yet Affected.


 geles. Cal. and which has been spread terday afternoon extended to ths local offices of both the Western Union an6 Postal Telegraph companies The strikers number nearly 100, including three traffic chiefs and check clerks.
 At the Postal a walk-out was pre- cipitated by the discharge of several members of the Photographers union for refusing to work d wire with Memphis. where the operators had been on strike |. since 80 o'clock in the afternoon. Inn mediate notice was taken of the action of the company in discharging these men and word was passed around the office. Upon learning that some of their number had been fired" several hot heads were for an immediate stampede, but cooler counsel prevailed.
 While blank bearing the query: "Will you work Memphis?" was being passed around by a chief a vote was taken by all employees and it was decided to call a strike at once. At 4:15 D. m., q whistle was blown as a signal for ring ing off' or marking the leaving time on a time-recording machine.
 The response was general scramble to see who should be first to register their finale. Only the manager, chief oper- ator traffic chief, wire chief and a auadruplex chief were left to do the work of seventy men.
 At the Western Union.
 At the Western Union the tie-up was as complete as that at the office of their competitor. Twelve men, including the day traffic chief, walked out in a hody at 4:45 The Western Union employees state that they have no particular grievance except that they would like an eight hour day. They also complain that their chief operator is not inclined to treat them with proper consideration.
 The Postal employees say they have no grievance locally, but that the issue was forced by the company in trying to make them work with men whom they considered unfair
 All day the operators at the Postal, which is the largest relay office in the south, were on the qui Yive for news from telegraphers of other cities. No Chicago circuits were maintained and only one wire to New Orleans was going, that being manned by chief. On this wire only about one-eighth the usual busi- ness was handled. The receiver at the New Orleans end was the superintendent of the New Orleans district. The only other trunk lines operated were the New York, St. Louis and Houston wires Cir tUorxaI with Da1- las and Memphis until strikes were called at those points.
 Caused Feeling of Unrest.
 Shortly after 10 o'clock in the morn ing bulletins began to come in saying that this office and that office had gone out. This naturally caused a feeling of unrest to prevail and the leader of the local telegraphers was requested to communicate with the general officers of the union in Chicago by long dis tance telephone. It was soon decided that if Postal men were forced to work with men whom teey classed as strike breakers a strike was imminent. The assertion of the Postal office quickly followed the discharge of several men. The strike of the Western Union men seems to have been more in sympathy with the walk-out at the Postal than any particular grievances of their own. They were furnished with all strike bulletins received by Postal operators and were ready to go as soon as they learned that their neigh bors were out.
 Last night mass meeting of strik- CTS and sympathizers was held at Union Labor headquarters in the Hood build ing on Twentieth street. There was d large attendance and all present cheer ed enthusiastically all references to the strike, both at home and abroad
 Committees to care for the financial end of the struggle were appointed as well as those for other duties. Face tious speeches in which the telegraph vernacular was employed by memb CTS made decided hits and the applause was vigorous. Another mas smeeting will probably be held Monday morning.
 Messages Still Accepted.
 Although the service of the two com panies is very seriously impaired, the offices are open and messages are bs- ing received and being delivered sub ject to delay" In large numbers.
 When the men left tn cir instruments the wire chiefs and managers of both companies took seats at the instru- ments and handled all of the messages possible yesterday afternoon and last night. The work on these men will of course, be very heavy but it is Be opinion of the manager of both com panies that most of the messages can be handled.
 The situation which is prevalent in other parts Of the country makes this possible. strikes in other cities are preventing the sending of very many messages to B1- nlingham, and on account of the same sit uation 1t Is not possible to get all of the messages out of the city unless they are received at the office subject to delay"
 Strike Came Without Notice.
 The strike here came without any mo- tee whatever, and will cause a great deai Of inconvenience Brokers, wholesale grain dealers and produce men, and the cotton concerns will have considerable trouble in getting quotations on the New Orleans markets. It IS understood that the New Orleans men in both companies have gone out also.
 through the Postal office than that of the Western Union. The local office or the Postal is the southern relay or distrih- uting point of the company. and the cloJ- ing of the office means that messages will be cut off from many of the great eastern cities. The office here is the largest and most important south Of Chi cago, being not only burdened with the business out of Birmingham, but likewlse with that of relaying those from other cities of the south and east Messages are frequently routed through Brming- ham to the great eastern cities, and this doubles and sometimes trebles the busi- ness of the office. For this reason not only Birmingham but quite number of