The Oskaloosa herald., 1907-03-28
MEN AND ROADS
MAY NOT AGREE
STRIKE SEEMS INEVITABLE ON
ALL WESTERN LINES.
CANADIAN NORTHERN JOINS.
Forty-Three Systems Now Involved
Managers Say Unions Are I'm
reasonable, and Seem to
Favor Coercion.

Chicago, March 1.-THE Canadian
Northern railroad was today added
to the list of roads against which a
strike is threatened, making forty
three in all. The joint committee Is
in conference again today WITH appar.
emily little nope OF agreement.
Some of the unio1 leaders are urg.
ing the men to reject Increases ex.
ceeding ten per cent and other con
cessions already made by the carriers
The railroad managers claim that
the demands of the men are unreason,
able in the extreme and that the pub
lie would lot tolerate a strike at the
present time, in view of the very lib
eral concessions which have been
made to the men in recent months.
OF the eleven principal western
roads, that pay out yearly in wages
$224,000,0O0, the Southern Pacific
heads the list with a pay roll of $oJ,.
100000, and together with the Union
PACING forms the largest element in
the acute wage situation now pend.
ing. The two Hartman lines pay
out $12,COO,O0C a year more in wages
than the Great Northern and tne
Northern Pacific combined.
The Brotherhood OF railway Train,
men and the Brotherhood Of Railway
Conductors have rejected offers OF
increases which amount to about 1O.5
per cent, in addition to the higher
wages ranging from II to Is per cent
granted three years ago. The roads
represented in the recent conference
in Chicago, including Union and
Southern Pacific, the AtchiSon, Bur
lington, Northwest, St. Paul, Illinois
Central, Rock Island, ana others, of
fered 10 per cent increase in the
freight service, which means pracu-
cally an Increase of from Is to Is per
cent in helper and construction train
service, Notwithstanding Is per cent
increase in 1903 to the same men.
Passenger conductors were offered
$40 a month more, brakeme1 and
fiagmen IS, and baggagemen Sc C.
month increase. AS most of the pas
senger conductors are now paid $40
a month, the increase offered would
give to them $3.50 a month, with LAY
overs" of as mtcn as ~ and 4S hours
on the Union Pacific.
Other CONCESSIONS were made by the
railroads in allowing overtime to men
in the passenger service, and fixing
10 hours or less, 100 miles or less, tc
constitute a day The increase offer
ell in overtime rates was 10 per cent.
Overtime for conductors, brakemen,
flagmen and Engagement was to be
allowed on the basis of Is miles an
hour at 35 cents an hour; 20 cents
per nour for other trainmen. The
engineers were satisfied with increases
10 better, ia as good, as the tcainmen
AMI conductors have rejected.
Railroad managers say that an en-
tirely new spirit is manifest among
their employees under the present lead
ership of the unions. In place of the
disposition to meet the employers on
fair terms, the predominating ele-
ments now appear TO favor coercive
measures. An instance of this, the
railroad managers claim, is the pres
ent threat of strike to enforce thu
extreme of the mems demands. The
increase of railroad accidents due tC
lax discipline is also said to be a no,
ticeable result of the present leader
ship of some of the railway brother.
hoods.
Several of the railroad managers
have indicated that the increased
wages offered are the best that they
can make, especially in view of The
fact that with labor forcing wages up
and the state legislatures forcing
earnings down, the prospect of de,
creased revenues must be taken into
consideration.