The San Francisco call., 1907-06-25
Operator Gives
Side of Men In
Telegraph Strike
BY G. w. OFT
Operator Postal Telegraph Compal

opera tor Postal Telegraph OOufyahs
The public has been furnished with
statements by the officials of the West
ern Union and Postal telegraph COM
panies and by the ofncials of the COM
mercial telegraphers' union. Why not
hear from one in the ranks-profession-
ally speaking, a keyman? The operator
actually working a wire is in better
position to speak intelligently on the
situation than all the telegraph ofti-
cials in the service.
First of all, it should be understood
that this fight is being waged against
the Postal telegraph company, and not
against the local division officials. The
operators formerly in the Postal COM
pany's service and now on strike know
full well that neither the chief oper-
ator the district superintendent nor the
general superintendent has 1t in his
power to grant our demands on the
company. There is no Ill feeling exist
ing between these officials and the op-
orators. 1t is to the executive officials
in New York that we look for consid-
GRAFTON and adjustment of our griev-
ances.
We are ffghting> for an increase Of
our salaries, the ratings now in effect
being notoriously small and wholly in
adequate. Perhaps one can best appre-
ciate the value of an operator when
such a crisis confronts us as the pres
ent one. Mind you, only the CONNER
cial operators in San Francisco are out.
Conditions would be far more serious
were we to call out the leased wire
and press operators No such action is
at present contemplated, because no
public business is being handled by that
class of operators.
The question arises IN discussing the
merits of this strike: What Is first
class operator really worth to the
Western Union or the Postal telegraph
company" A local official in conver-
sation with the writer stated that
owing to the Importance Of kilograms
handled the services of operators were
Invaluable to the companies-that is,
no fixed value could be placed on their
work.
Almost every citizen of San Fran
cisco is ready to admit that the street
carmen are worth SO a day. The law
requires that a carman have at least
two weeks experience before he be
allowed to run car That time pre-
sumably, is sufficient to thoroughly ac-
quaint him with his duties. 1t is
very seldom, indeed, that an operator
can become proficient enough to COM
mand salary of $SS paid by the tele-
graph companies short of five years
experience. In the schedule recently
presented to the companies we asked
that operators working first class cir
cults receive salary of $40 month;
that men employed on second class
wires be paid s95 a month and that
third class wiremen get SIS a month.
This was refused in New York by
the officials of both corporations. The
writer believing himself to be con-
servative at all times in all things, is
willing to admit that there are certain
instances wherein the companies would
not be justified in paying the SIS rat
ing and very likely our executive
committee would have been willing to
concede this. But there can be no
doubt of the business of our demands
in the other two classes.
1t is needless for us to discuss the
cost of living in San Francisco-every
one is aware of the exorbitant prices