Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-17
RAILROAD
MACHINZSTS
ON STRIKE
GOULD LINE BREAKS CON-
TRACT WITH UNION
Trouble May Extend to Other Systems
Throughout the Country, Ac-
cording to Labor
Leader

DENVER, March 16.-At 10 o'clock
today 1900 machinists and boiler max
ers and members of kindred trades
working in the Denver & Rio Grande
ships went out on strike, in response
to an order issued by w. j. McQuee-
ney, representing the machinists' ma
tional organization, after final con-
ference, at which Manager A. c. Ridg-
way of the railroad refused any con-
cessions.
1.-The strike will ultimately spread to
every road In the Gould system ana
affect roads all over the United
States" said Mr. McQueeney. There
is every indication that the struggle
will be long one and the hight nara
one"
The strike is the result of an order
posted by the road a month ago aDro-
eating all contracts with the unions.
Since that time numerous conferences
have been held by the men and the
company, but 1t was impossible to
reach an agreement.
Twenty-Five Hundred Men Affected
In addition to the Burnham shops in
Denver. where 300 men struck, the fol-
lowing cities are affected: Pueblo,
Grand Junction, Salida, Alamosa, Lead
Vile, Minturn Gunison, Chama, Ridg-
way in Colorado, and Salt Lake, Ogden,
Helper, Thistle, Bingham, Tucker and
Green River in Utah.
Machinists, boilermakers, blacksmitns
and helpers in all of these trades, pipe
men and apprentices, went out regard
less of whether they were AFFILIATED
with the organizations or not. Some
of the car men went out and it is ex-
pected that all of them will strike
later. In all about 2500 men Will be
involved, 1t is said.
The Burnham shops were practically
tied up today, but the company's Off
cials say they will fill the places of
the strikers as rapidly as possible. They
believe that with the large number of
men out of employment they will have
no trouble in getting enough expert
enced men to keep repairs going at
least for two weeks, when they believe
they will have all positions filled.
Object to New Rules
Leaders of the men state all of the
employees would rather go elsewhere
than work under the rules forced on
them by the company. Deputy sheriffs
were sworn in today and will guard the
shops in Denver and be sent to other
points on the road. The union leaders
assert that there will be no violence Of
any kind by the workmen.
Briefly, the new shop rules will re-
suit in the abolition of the nine-hour
day, doing away with all overtime for
Sundays and holidays, graduated
scale of wages, refusal to recognize
men as union men or members of or
ganizations, the payment of all en-
ployes according to individual merit,
regardless OF maximum or minimum
scales, and the right to change the shop
rules at will.
All of the Gould roads probably will
be involved in the strike before it is
ended. At a recent meeting of the ma
Z chinists of the Gould roads held in
Kansas City 1t was unanimously voted
TO call out all the men on the Missouri
Pacific, the Iron Mountain Wabash
and the Texas Pacific If the officials did
not deal with them as members of the
organizations.
Declare for Open Shop
The ultimatum of the company was
posted on February II and stated that
after March the Denver & Rio Grande
railroad would conduct it's business un-
der strictly "open shop condition,
would refuse to recognize any commit
tee or any organization of union men
and would reclassify the wages and pay
the men on a strictly individual basis
The union men contend that in spite
of the repeated declarations of the
company that wages were not to be
reduced, that Is the main motive back
of the trouble. Had the strike been
called last September 5000 men would
have been called out, but nearly 5000
men have been laid off since that time.
c. S. Schlacks, vice president of the
Denver & Rio Grande railroad, has
gone to New York to confer with the
higher officials. Officials of the COM
pany in this city refuse to make any
statement today.