The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-08-13
NEW YORK UNION
OPERATORS QUIT
THEIR KEYS
TeIegraphers Cut the Empire
City's Connections
ASSOCIATED PRESS MEN IN IT
Montreal, Pittsbure. Buffalo and Wash
ington Men Also Strike. New Eng.
land Expects Tieup.

NEW YORK, Aug 13.-All the union
telegraph operators IN the main aud
branch Offices OF the Western Union
aud Postal companies In this city ATE
ON strike. aud New York Is practically
cut Oh from telegraph communication
with the west aud south. The strike II
expected 10 extend to Boston aud all OF
New England.
when the Western Union Office strike
was declared the strikers say more
than three fourths 81 the force on duty
walked out The officials Of the com.
pany declare that OF 4OO men aud wo
men on duty sol remained at work,
but they will not allow an inspection
VI their operating rooms.
The signal to the Postal operators
was given boy y T. Martin. one Of the
leaders of the union. who stood up at
his table In the big operating room on
the twelfth noor and blew u whistle.
There we're $50 operators working At
the time. ffty Of them women.
The exodus vas almost unanimous.
Nine men aud three women remained
~ work The strikers marched out Of
the building and across 10 city Hall
park. where they held an iupromptu
mas meeting. There was no disorder
NJ either place.
Following the strike In the main Of
hcos orders were given 10 the impOr
tant branches. In the Wall street dis
trlct otnccs more than ~ per cent Of
the men on duty walked out when the
signal was given. All branch Offices In
charge Of union operators were clOsed
AZ fact no the news OF the strike reach.
ed them.
A Phlladelphis report says that the
Postal Telegraph company Operators
went on strike following the operators
In New York.
Thus the strike OF the telegruphers,
which. originating last Friday Ia Los
Angeles and directed against the West
crn uuion company. has gradually
spread eastward. reached New York
city. where THREE spontaneous walk
outs followed In rapid succession.
These were directed against the West
err Talon. the Postal Telegraph com
pany and the Associated Prvss. Ia the
latter Instance the strike was the first
against the news organization aud was
fairly general throughout the country
west OF New England With the stop
pihg u work by a majority % union
/ operators here a situation unparalleled
has followed The telegraph business
though by 40 means tied up IL seri
0u,ly handicapped.
Unexpectedly aud when Il had been
generally supposed that no action
would b. taken locally pending a con
fcrsnc. % Labor Commissioner NELL
with influential labor representatives
u Chicago un Thursday neat the un.
Ion operators decided 10 strike In the
0ince u the Western Union. In expla.
nation IL was said by the strikers that
tire. discharged employees had called
at the once Tor Wages due and had been
treated with scant courtesy. An hour
or ~ later the men IN the main Office
~ the Postal Telegraph company walk
81 out. In this Instance Il was said
that union man had been asked 70
work d wire manned In another city by
q nouuniun operator. While these
strikes appear 90 b. In violation 81
the understanding reached by the local
executive officers ~ the union sunday
Immediately following the walkouts
officers ~ the union declared that the
strikers will receive the support Of
their Organization. n was added that
secret understanding was reached
sunday through which authority was
given a. the local employees OF the
two telegraph companies 10 20 out any
time that their Interests seemed 20 dc.
mnnd immediate action. although Fri
DAY had bcen named ~ the day lack
ing u settlement
The strike against the Associated
Press begaD last night II II distinct
from the other strikes. NJ the Associ.
ated Press controls rs own leased
wires and the operators are In the al.
rect employ of the news organization.
Though no demands had been made
recently by the men, the strike had
been forcshadowcd.
General Manager Stone received the
hrat intimation Sunday night that the
telegraphic force Of the association
was likely 10 formulate demands
These took form sunday night and
were put into the form Of n petition.
which reached Mr. Stone Monday
morning The petition was signed by
many Of the telegraph operators Of the
Associated Press throughout the coun
try and In brief requested n reduction
IN the hours Of service and an Increase
OF wages.
At Montreal between twenty-five and
thirty operators IN the Great North.
western Telegraph company's Office
struck in sympathy with the operators
Ia the United States.
Al Pittsburg one hour after the night
force had reported for duty whistle
was blown In the Western Union Office
and all members " the union left their
keys. Fifteen men had been dlscharg
cd during the day for refusing TO work