The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-11
PERATORS ASK
FOR MORE PAY
Salt Lake Union and Employees
Present Schedule and Work
ing Conditions.
TWO MEN MANNING WIRES
MANAGER AND CHIEF ONLY
ONES ON CIRCUITS.
TWO MEN MANNING WIRES

Demands were made last evening on the
Western Union Telegraph company's To-
cal office by local No. 30 of the Com
mercial Telegraphers' Union of America.
A communication and scale of wages
were presented by a committee to Mana
ger A. w Long of the Western Union
office. The communication is approved
by the president and secretary of the To-
cal union and consequently is a demand
by the union, representing the men, as
well as the men themselves. Manager
Long. at 5 o'clock had not yet had time
to read the communication OF consider the
scale, both of which are somewhat
lengthy documents
Il have been pretty busy said Mr..
Long. and have not had time 10 look
this paper over. 1t was left with me
this afternoon 1 will read it over and if
/ deem it worthy of consideration, ! viii
forward it by mail 90 Superintendent
Leonard at Denver
Ask for Increase.
The chief points involved in the scale
are an advance Ill wages. The maximum
for operators, it is represented. shall be
SO and the minimum $50, with a second
class of $50 The minimum for chiefs
shall be. according to the schedule. Sll0-
Working hours are to be eight hours for
straight days. seven for split tricks,
seven and OIe-half for straight nights
and seven hours in the computing Of
overtime.
The proposition is made to classify all
operators. OIL rather. all circuits, so that
men may be paid according to the circuits
which they work There are many other
conditions stipulated, but one of the chief
bones Of contention that was present in
some of the former demands in eastern
and western cities the furnishing by the
Two Men Working.
Mir. Mcdonald. our chief operator. and
myself. are the only two working. We
are clearing up on our business having
sent the last message an hour or 50 ago.
We arc taking business subject to indefi-
mite DELAY.
At strike headquarters in Federation of
Labor hail all was serene. President
Palm expressed the unqualified opinion
OF the men TO be that they would wiz.
1t Is time the operators were getting a
little something for their work. said Mr..
Palm. '"The Western Union company pro-
NOTED Colonel ClOwry because he was
TOuted rs a dividend maker. Maybe ~
is delivering the goods, but If he Is. he is
taking il out of the pockets Of the opera
tors. ] believe fhe elimination of ClOwry
would settle this whole thing in double
quick time
Our people are keeping away from
TIE Western Union office and off the
streets and away from the saloons. II
We have any talking 10 DO we come here
TO do it. We hope to be able TO secure
nea0QlaHAefS more centrally tDEateus bIL
thus far We have failed to find suitable
rooms.
The Defense Fund.
'Our defense fund is in good shape,
although we have no money to waste. W.
hope 10 be able to carry everything
through without appeal. Most of our
people have been preparing for this strike
and have little money saved. All oar
men reported on strike duty at the hail
this morning
the Western company is gripsacl5ing' bus
mess between Ehere and Ogden. The Oc-
den office is open and some sort of serv-
ice may be had out of it. Messages ara
received there and brought to Salt Lake
for delivery and distribution
mostly. The train service between here
aid Ogden is so frequent that It is easy
to Get messages from there and To send
messages from this place 10 Ogdel TO be
forwarded. We have word that tic MATS
arr being used for distribution in the sur
rounding towns
At the Postal Telegraph company's Of
flee additional men have been employed
To handle the increasing business. We
are in good shape here said Manager
d. McNiCOl and we have succeeded in
working off our business up to this time
We worked all night on it and We
are pretty well cleared up now.
we are accepting business subject to
delay for only three places-Chicdgo. New
Orleans and Kansas City. The rest of the
offices are open. 50 far as I know. There
was d report that New York would go
out at { O'Clock. but it is after now,
and ] haven't heard anything more about
il.
There will be meeting of the tele-
graphers union today.
rhe strike headquarters reports that the
Western Union operator at CGbre IS ont
add that Eiv business is suffering ssri-
easily by reason of that fact CObre being
the relay point for Ely. No other office
Immediately adjacent is out.
The Operators Demands.
The following is the communication
from the operators to Manager Long:
"A. W. Long. Manager W. L. Tel Co,
city:
Dear Sir-The members of the Com
mercial Telegraphers' Union of America
and biographies in the employ of your
company. located in the city of Salt Lake.
by their duly appointed committee. who
have been given power to act herewith
present To you a schedule of wages to
govern salaries paid to them by your
company. beginning the LIST day Of Sep
tcmbeT. 1907. and to continue for d period
Of one year from said date
''In presenting the said schedule per
nit Us to call your attention to the facs
that but one increase of salary has been
granted TO the teegTaphers by Your COM
pany for q period Of twenty years and
that increase but 10 DeT cent. was re-
Gently granted: telegra piers in your en-
nlOy have been inadequateiy paid for
their service for many years and il is
with the desire to make their employment
more efficient. stable. steady and rcmu-
HeTative and thereby prove beneficial 10
your company. and render to the public
much better service than it has hereto
Continued on Page ;.