Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-08
OPERATORS
ON A STRIKE
TELEGRAPHERS WALK OUT OF
WESTERN UNION
TROUBLE is oUTGRoWTH OF
NORTHERN AFFAIR
Discharge Of Los Angeles Man at Re.
quest of San Francisco Strike-
breaker Precipitates
Clash


the entire night force including chiefs in
the offices of the Western Union Tele-
graph company, walked out on strike
few minutes after starting time, $50 last
night.
The operators say the day force almost
to a man will 1oir them today, making
the tieup practically complete.
Superintendent f. II. Lamb says the
service is not badly crippled and that he
will have all the men he needs in few
days.
"You see we have a pretty good force
here now and tomorrow most of the day
men will report for duty" said Mr.. Lamb.
1--WE do not anticipate serious difficulty
in filling the places of these few men who
have acted so hastily" continued the Of
fetal. II have no idea what the trouble
is about. The men have not told me
about their acts. 1 do not know whether
the union has anything to do with this
affair or not. / only know the men
walked out without giving minutes
warning. We will have all the men we
want in two weeks, then these fellows
will be out in the cold"
A number of the telsgraphers entered
the operating room a@ Mr.. Lamb was
taking. They were allowed to take their
typewriters and depart. Asked regarding
the typewriters Mr.. Lamb said: Yes, the
operators own their typewriters. We own
the instruments. The machines. you see,
are of various makes and the operators
prefer to buy their own machines.
1.-THE trouble will be all over in day
or So
TeIegraphers Hold Meeting
Immediately after the walkout the
operators went to the Hollenbeck hotel
and held a meeting. The chairman OF the
meeting gave brief outline of the trouble
and announced that the strike was not
authorized by the Commercial Teleg-
raphers' union and was in no way con-
nected with that body.
This is purely a personal affair with
u.s." said the speaker. Among our num-
ber are men who have not Joined the
union. To a man the night force LETT the
operating room. We are here tonight be-
cause human endurance was exhausted
The taunts and insults heaped upon our
men by San Francisco strikebreakers
were unbearable. You, gentlemen, VINO
are not operators cannot IN the remotest
degree understand the humiliation our
men have been subjected to. No mans
word was taken against the word OF q
strikebreaker at West Oakland. Day after
day and night after night we worked
under conditions which made every hour
torture. Our men have been discharged,
I'D after another, and no man is safe.
We have borne up under these condltlons'
and the coolest and sanest man in Los
Angeles was not safe on wires running
to the northern city.
eat some point we had to make a stand.
Superintendent Lamb has told us our
word would not be taken or believed as
against the word of non-union men and
women in Oakland
10 ND
are not worthy of being called men.
''Why. if you members of the press
want to know how hot they made 1t for
union men on the Oakland wire l can tell
YOU that one hour on that duplex womld
make hell seem like an icy plunge at
Nome"
Tell of Grievances
The trouble in the local office is direct
cutgrowth of the recent strike at san
Francisco.
According to the statement made by
strikers last night a woman in Oakland
caused the strike in Los Angeles. Ons
of the men said:
Mrs. Sadie Nichols, fourth rate
onerator who had never been allowed to
work a heavy traffic wire. was put on
the first Los Angeles circuit during tne
strike. After the trouble at Oakland mad
been readjusted the first class men among
the strikers WHO IGlulilSb W "StH
not permitted to return 10 the Los All
geles circuit.
owing to the woman's extremely quar-
relsome disposition, her incompetency, IN
ability to either send or receive ana her
insulting remarks, life was made unpear-
able to men in the Los Angeles ONCE
Three operators have been discharged on
this womans request. Great hardshlp
has been worked TO local telegraphers ana
h,,,,a ltotf
Chief Operator Involved
1.-TWO weeks ago John e. Ryan, a Los
Angeles telegrapher of many years eX-
perience and first class ability was as
signed to the Oakland wire for rev
hours relief. Ryan is known to be cooi-
headed and easy to get along with. lie
had been on the wire scarcely half an
hour when the woman at Oakland COM
ploined, and the Oakland chief asked Ry-
ans removal.
Mr. Nye refused to remove Ryan from
the wire. Traffic was stopped. Nine op-
orators and the night chief then made
written statements to Superintendent
Lamb about the Nichols woman. We
begged him to do something to improve
affairs. Mr.. Lamb came to the wire and
after listening to the wire admitted the
woman was incompetent. No trouble oc-
Cured that night
"Night Chief Operator Elmer e. Nye
was worn out with the trouble He made
a personal appeal to Superintendent
Lamb, asking that the woman be taken
off the Oakland wire and a capable oper-
ator be substituted.
Superintendent Lamb talked very fair
ly about the matter, stating he would
do all he could to ameliorate conditions.
He suggested that Chief Operator Nye
take two weeks vacation with pay and
said he hoped to have the trouble ad
justed by the time Mr. Nye returned.
yesterday Mr.. Nye went to the cashier
to draw his salary for the two weeks
He was told there was no money for
him.
Ryan was discharged without a min
ute's notice at o'clock yesterday. At
$3.50 the boys walked out. We are in the
fight to win. Somewhere we must make
a stand for our rights and this is a good
place to begin"
Ryan Makes Statement
II regret the trouble has come about
over my discharge 1 tried to do my
work without any friction. 1 have spent
twenty-five years of my life in the service
of the Western Union. have never been
discharged or had any trouble with the