Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1907-08-09
men AGAIN ...si.I'R!|Ik(
ENTIRE CHICAGO FORCE on ON
ORATORS, Walks OUT. " ,SsN
los ANGELEs sTRIKElScAusEE.
viii Not Work With spI- unionis,.
/ IL Wsst-- ysse,1kkSSSMay KEN
Y II vi v 90 Jtnvc wee. tgs R IN MI

\ Chicago, Aug N 9.,-r The telegraph
operators empljyed Nv the Western
Union lip Chicag went on q strike
last night III III O'Clock, The troubl.
was precipitated vby the Los Angeles
strike which was inausurated two
days agO.s NJ It fss s,,t;it3 81, 3ssit# gEai Y
Y Last night, the, N local executive
heard OF the Com niercial photographers
uni3n met and passed resolutions re-
alesting the men to refuse to work
With the non.union operators, employed
In Los Angeles. When the men were
notified Of this step all operators EN-.
ployed in the overland division of the
local Office refused to work any longer
with the non-il1iion men. on the other,
end OF the wire. ijts E8iiI!Y q Illg
4, When this ann uncement was made
Night Chief Harry Price ordered all
who refused to work to leave the of. I,
Ace. He then went into other diyi.
sions and requested the men. to go
into the overland division. In every
case, he was met with a refusal until
seventy men had been sent home.
The grievance committee OF the union
called on Mr.. Price and notified him
that unless every. man was reinstated
by midnight every union man in he
Office would be called out. -.
This demand was refused and
promptly at midnight by pre-arrauge.f
ment, a whistle was blown and every.
operator employed in the main office
with the exception Of six wire and
loop chiefs, including Night Manager
Price, and his two assistants left
their keys and with a round of cheers
filed out of the Office. The men EN-,
ployed by the company at the various
morning newspapers had been notified
Of the contemplated strike and they
also quit work.
night stated that the day force EN-
ployed by the company, most Of whom
belong to the union, would refuse to
go to work this morning. This will
also incluCe all branch Offices through
out the city.
The national officers of the union
spent all day in an effort to prevent
the crank and file" Of the organization
from taking matters in their OWE
hands and calling a strike. The men
for weeks have maintained a sulen
attitude toward the company. The
Chicago force was dissatisfied with
the basis of the settlement reached
at the time the strike in San Fran
cisco was called off Ever since then
they have been visiting the offices Of
National Secretary Russell seeking
information Yesterday his Office was
crowded all day long with operators
looking for news regarding the pro
gress of the peace negotiatioN in
the west, but were given little salts
faction.
81 am waiting to hear from Presi
dent Small. Until ! hear fpsJer,
can say nothing" he saidk 49,,
Such, replies, together wit fact Y
THAT the men believe, according t.
their own statements, that President /
Small submitted to defeat at San
Francisco, was what prompted the
executive board of the local union tc
take action. 1t was under these con 4
ditions that the strike was called with
out sanction of national officers. After
the men had quit work, Secretary Rus
sell refused to talk about the con
troversy except to say that the meE
had taken matters in their own hands
and undoubtedly felt that they were
capable OF handling their own at
fairs. 6
Secretary Ulrich Of the local union
said:
"The men were tired Of conditions
under which they were working and
could stand it no longer. When the
additional insult Of asking them td
work with non.union men in Los An
geles was put upon them, they re
fused to stand itand quit work. They
could get no information of the situa
tion on the Pacific coast from oul
national officer, SO we decided 1t was
up to us to take care Of ourselves"
When General superintendent Cook
of the Western Union was Informed o.
the strike he declared that he was
unable to say anything that would %
of any interest, and that he could
not outline the action the company n
would take until tomorrow morning
A. . q A~ lEncI 'rsiI