The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-27
Traction Company and
 Men in Trouble.
UNION PREPARES DEMANDS
Officials Refuse to Treat With Committee of Organization.
EmpIoye. May Go to work This Morn Ing as Union Men, and Precipitate strike Involving Street
 Car system.

At a meeting of motormen and con ductors of the Montgomery Traction Go. which adjourned at S:15 o'clock this morning it was decided that all of the men would go on strike at 12 o'clock today unless the company acceded to their demands
 Briefly stated the men demand rec ognition of their union. IS cents an hour as the minimum wage scale. and 25 cents an hour for overtime, with . nine and half hour day and the right to regulate the hours of work.
 With the initiation of number of new members at this meeting. by which all except twelve or fourteen street car men are now in the union, and the re- fusaI of the company to recognize the union, the situation is stringent
 In view of the fact that the union men claim twenty employees have been discharged because of afiiliation with the organization, 1t was said that the course of the car men would probably be to report in body for duty at the car barn this morning, each announc- ing at the same time that he Is mem ber of the union, and if the company should decline to put them on cars, this, in effect will be a strike. < At least 100 car men gathered in La- Dor Hall on South Court Street at o'clock this morning, after completing their days work. to attend the meet ing which they regarded with so much importance. They met under the di- rection of their organizer, S. K. Flena- ing. local telegrapher. who is act ing as organizer under authority from labor headouarters. When the men left the hall, after o'clock. several of them expressed the hope that strike would be averted.
 Would Not Recognize Union.
 The difrerences between the street car company and the car men seem to lie altogetheF in the fact that the company declines to recognize union or hold any communication with such an organization.
 The situation became acute yester- day morning when sixteen employees were marked up" and told to report to the office. The greater number ct the men never appeared at the oniee and their places have been filled. Pre- yious to this, on separate occasions, the services of four employees had been dispensed with by the company.
 The union men claim that the ern- uloyes have been discontinued in ser vice because they joined the union and their discharge. therefore. was productive of rancor In the hearts oi their co-unionists.
 On the other hand. 1t is learned the company holds the car men were not discharged because they belonged 10 the union, but because their services were unsatisfactory and it was bet 4etr for the company's service to the public. It Is pointed out that there were men among those discharged who were not affiliated with the un- lon at the time.
 The company, 1t seems, is stauneh in it's refusal to recognize the unl,es which policy has been successfully nursued by the owners with their nroperties in other cities. So far az ss known. no demands have ever been made or the company for anytnins' and even the car men joining the union have been satisfied with their treat ment by the corporation except pos sibly, in the matter of hours.
 Wages Now Paid the Men.
 Since the local street car lines were taken charge of by the present own CTS. the wages of the men nave been steadily increased under adverse CIT cumstances, it is said, until the street car man now receives fourteen cents ner hour for his first six months ser vfce after which he receives nIteeh cents per hour until he has served B wear. when his wages are increaseo eo S'~tsar cents per hour After he has sarvsd three years he gets eighteen couts per hour.
 The Ilnion men claim that they now have III members out or l4O car men employed by the company. It has, however. never been reliably stated whether all of these men would go out on orders for strike
 rha scane of mysterious actions, growing out of the situation, was on (,ourt Square, where numbers or street car men were congregated throughout the afternoon and early night. ..,,.. strained about o'clock. when an al- tercation ocurred on the Square be- tween 8. K. Fleming, Secretary of the local Photographers union' ana Joe Peoples, well known street car man, who has steadily declined 10 enter .ne @ union. Peoples struck Fleming in the face with the palm of his hand i'm dieting no permanent injury.
 The latter preferred charges against Peoples and tho street car man was arr rested by Patrolman J. l.. Jackson on an accusation of assault and battery. Peoples made bond for his appearance before the Recorder this afternoon.
 The trouble, 1t was learned. grew out of n statement made by Fleming that Peoples had declared his intention of entering the union and going on a strike if such should be ordered, which statement the car man refuted.
 Union M New One.
 S. K. Fleming Is said to have been the mover and organizer of the union of the street caf mon in MontEomei y. Local No 454, Amalgamated Associa- ton of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America, has been perfect ed only about a month, although for a long time the Telegraphers' secretary, is is said, has been urging the organ ization. A meeting, 1t was learned. was held Monday night at the resi- dence of the Secretary on South Court Street but what was done was mol given to the public.
 The officers of the local are: M. A. Minto. president; A. L. custin. vice.