Arizona republican., 1907-06-22
OPERATORS
 PASSED OUT
The. Strike an ACtuality at
 San Francisco
So Far 1t is Confined to Commercial Business. The Public Warned.

den San Francisco had another strike added to the list this afternoon when the telegraph operators employed by the Western Union and Postal Com panies left their keys at 3:30 and walked out of the offices. Three short blasts from police whistle gave the signal and at the sound the operators rose from the tables. put on their coats and quit their jobs.
 Since the fire the main office of the Western Union has been at West Oak land. where 150 men and women were employed. In San Francisco the office has about twenty operators employed. and the branches. twenty more. The Postal has sixty operators in the main office in San Francisco. The employees of both companies with the exception Of one in each office stopped work al the signal.
 The operators in san Francisco and Oakland were dissatisfied with the let ter from President Clowry of the Western Union. published yesterday. and insisted that their demands for a 20 per cent increase in wages should be granted. President Small of the Commercial Photographers Union ar rived yesterday and after considering the situation ordered the strike unless the increase was granted. Both the Western Union and Postal officials de- cline to grant the increase or consult with the union. They expressed a willingness to consider and act upon any grievances presented by the em- ployes as individuals. but this was not satisfactory to the men.
 The superintendents of both compa- nies have nothing to say about the strike. The- state that the matter will have to be adjusted in New York. and have simply issued d notice to the public that messages will be accept ed subject to indefinite delay
 President Small will remain here and advise the strikers. So long as an attempt is not made 10 bring in opera tors from outside points. the strike will be purely local for San Francisco and Oakland. If. however. the companv- attempts to bring in outside men. the operators in other cities will be called out in order that the strike may be confined to San Francisco and oak land. It is announced that operators In other cities will be permitted to work on the wires with so-caIled ''un- fair" operators in San Francisco and Oakland, who did not go out with the strikers.
 The trouble that eliminated today has been brewing a long time. An increase of 10 Der cent granted by the telegraph companies a few months ago did not satisfy the employees of san francisco and Oakland. They claim that the increased cost of living since the fire makes 1t imperative that they should receive larger increase They claim that they cannot live upon the present scale of wages So far. only the lines handling commercial busi- hecc are affected by the strike The press operators will remain at work
 A statement signed by General Ssl- perintehdent Jaynes. applying to all operators remaining on duty during the strike has been posted in Western Union offices. It reads as follows.
 All operators will be paid their reg uiar salaries as a bonus and all ser vices will be computed as extra on q basis of seven hours per day or night. Operators and other employees working in West Oakland will also be furnished Tree meals and lodging"
 In the main San Francisco office of the Western Union tonight there are only two men working Ordinarily about ten are employed at night. Since the fire the Western Union has main tained its principal operating room in Oakland. In this office about one hum dred and fifty operators are employed Tonight there were fifteen at work. including the chiefs.
 The Postal company tonight had five including the chiefs on duty out of A total of sixty usually at work. General Superintendent Storror of the Postal tonight said: "The Postal company has always paid the highest wages for commercial operators. We are at all times willing to consider any fair proposition of our employees. The local telegraphers have asked for an in- creas of 25 per cent in addition to the ten per cent raise granted by the com pany a few months ago. This we consider exorbitant; it would practi- cally mean a salary of SPA per month. instead of $99, which we now pay"
 Mir. Storror would not venture a pre- diction as to the length of the strike, but he intimated that if it were con- tinued a considerable time operators would be imported to take the strikers places. Asked about a strike bonus, Storror said one would probably be paid later on, but he is not prepared to say how much it would be.