Evening journal., 1907-08-22
GRIEVANCES OF
THE OPERATORS
President Small Of the Union
States What the Men De-
mand Of Companies
CLAIMS THAT WAGES
HAVE BEEN REDUCED
BY THE JOURNALS special wire.

BY THE JOURNALS Special Wire.
CHICAGO. Aug. With talk Of
arbitration next Saturday IN New
York President Small. OF the tele-
graphers' union. in an interview to-
dav. said he thought the public did not
perhaps understand the real griev-
ances and real demands Of the strilI-
ing operators.
Our demands of Importance are;
81 An S-hour day
"2 Equal pay for equal work as be-
tween men and women.
"S. Fifteen per cent. increase in
wages.
a. Companies to furnish type
writer's.
'5. Abolition OF blacklist.
I'm the matter Of wages" he con-
tinued 1--WE claim the companies have
by system Of grading steadily re-
duced wages for the past twenty-five
years. In an office like Chicago junior
operators are started az S25 per month
and work FOR nine to twelve hours per
dav While the maximum wage pail
in Chicago is SSS per month. very few
yet this and the pay averages about
$50 per month. In a city like Cleve-
land the average is about $40 per
month. We claim that this is far too
for skilled men. MANY of them with
families, to live in the present period
OF high prices.
mo Tests Of Skill.
1T is almost impossible for an oper-
ator in a low grade to get into a high
grade without throwing up his job
and going to another city There are
no tests of skill or any other standard
by which grades are fixed. II has
all depended upon the local manager
who could make a better showing in
y expenses by keeping men in the low
grade.
The experience OF Secretary Russell,
of the telegraphers' union, is typical
He began i'm Chicago as a Junior al
$50 per month. BY throwing up his
job and going to Rockford he got $40
per month. He returned to Chicago
and managed to get $50. With still an
other move TO Topeka he managed TO
make $50 per month and finally he re-
| turned TO Chicago az $50 Such a
Z system nut premium on tourists
I and works AGAINST the steady married
h man who settles down .n one town.
"How would you fix Grades?" he was
asked.
Various suggestions have been
made about this. such as a rising
| scale BY years of service. as Is done
in the case of railway telegraphers OF
examinations at certain intervals tC
test the fitness Of applicants. We be-
i iieve, however, the best way would be
to pay according TO the capacity OF
the wire TO which the operator is as
I signed. Grades could easily be fixed oi
so much for a man working a wire
averaging 800 messages per day"
Grades could easily be fixed OF 50
much for a man who works a wir,
averaging 300 messages per day s.,
much for a man handling 200 message,
per day, etc. In this we think ther,
should be no discrimination between
men and women. Thirty per cent. o
telegraph employees are women. b.
keeping them in the lower grades thel
have rarely been able to make mor'
than $40 to $50 per month.
= President Small would not express al
: opinion as to what the New York com
b mittee might do. but he pointed ou
that the strike has been absolutely or
derly. but at the same time there wal
no weakness I'm the union ranks. HI
thought the public could see their de
mande were responsible, and as sooI
as the companies saw IL In the SAINT
light the strike would be settled.