The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-09
STRIKE LIKELY
To BE SETTLED
Disappearance of Louis Lynn
Clarifies Telephone Situation
and Makes for Peace.
SULLIVAN is COMING HERE
SHORTAGE OF MISSING BUSINESS
AGENT MAY REACH 5000.

Coincident with the disappearance
of Louis Lynn, the prime mover of the
recent telephone strike, which affects
Utah, Idaho and Montana, comes the
report from an authoritative source
that the difficulty between the line
men and the telephone companies is to
be adjusted. Word was received yes
terday by local union No. 81 from In
ternational Vice President NJ. j. Sui
livan that he would arrive in the city
Thursday. Pending his arrival, Robert
Curry, acting district president is in
structed TO act in case negotiations
with the companies are reopened.
The situation is Somewhat complcat-
ed by the strike of the telephone OPP
orators at Butte, which was renewed
The operators in that city struck on
June %, but agreed to go back to work
for ten days on the agreement that II
the strike of the linemen in the dis
trict was not settled in the meantime
the strike would be renewed. A sat
isfactory agreement was not reached,
and the operators walked out again
yesterday morning. AS soon as Mr.
sullivan arrives, it is expected that
an agreement will be reached where
by all the men now out on strike will
return to work.
Lynn in Bad Standing.
Louis Lynn. the district president,
who I'D until the last week has been
acting as business agent for the local
and district unions, was not in favor
with either of the telephone companies.
Since his disappearance with a portion
of the funds of the union, he is, of
course, eliminated from the hight
in CT limo
with the companies, but also with the
international officers, who contended
that the present strike of the inemen
was called by Lynn without authority
from them.
AS soon as it was learned by the
companies that Lynn had left town
and that he was no longer authorized
10 represent the union in any negO-
tiationS, indirect oVertureS of peace
were made. The employees showed a
willingness to respond to these offers
SO that a permanent settlement of the
strike is practically assured. The prop
osition that is now being considered is
a temporary adjustment of the differ
ences, while the management of the
companies and Mr.. Sullivan, represent
ing the union, are negotiating terms
whereby the strike will be finally set
tied. The terms considered are said
10 include a permanent arbitration
clause which will be beyond misinter
probation, providing a scale of wages
for the men commensurate with the
increase in cost of living and earnings
of the company and arranging so
that this scale may be fixed by the
board of arbitration.
The Butte Situation.
In Butte a circular issued by the
Rocky Mountain Telephone company
last Friday was distributed among
the business men of that city
reviewing the telephone situation and
stating that it was probable that the
company would be forced to discOn-
tinue telephone service in that city
should the operators walk out on July
8 On the walkOut of the girls yester-
day morning, the city of Butte was
without telephone service. With ref
erence to this walkout, in an interview
yesterday, General Manager D. S. Muir
ray said:
Our operators at Butte were called
out about ten days ago in sympathy
with striking linemen at Salt Lake
and elsewhere although a contract
with the operators union had been |
arranged by the Business Mems assO- !
citation of Butte to run until Jan. 1, !
1905 When the operators went out, !
went to Butte and met with the Bus |
mess Mems association and the labor !
committee, and the labor committee |
agreed to put the operators back at
work for ten days pending negotia- |
tions. said these negotiations would |
be through F. ]. McNulty, grand pres |
ident of the International Brotherhood |
of Electrical Workers. Mr.. McNulty |
telegraphed a few days ago that in /
stead of being here when he had ex- 1
pected he could not reach Salt Lake |
until July s, today. The operators at |
Butte did not see fit to continue work |
until he should arrive and arbitrarily |
closed down our business there leav- /
ing the company no recourse. The only |
dealing that can be done must be /
through the grand president. and, as /
we cannot control his movements, the |
action at Butte seems most unreason-
able. Our exchange at Butte is closed, /