Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1909-12-16
DEMAND WAGE INCREASE
Members of the Order of Railway Con-
ductors and Railway Trainmen
Want More Money.
CHeraId Specially

Chicago, H., Dec. 16.-Registered at
the Lexington Hotel today are nearly
all of the leading officials and mem
bers of the executive committees OF
the two powerful labor organizations,
the Order of Railway Conductors and
the Brotherhood of Railway Train
men. Tomorrow these officials are to
hold formal meeting to canvass the
vote of the railway employees in the
eastern territory on the question of
demanding wage increases and con
cessions as to hours of work, with the
alternative of a general strike in the
event of a refusal on the part of the
railroads to comply with the de-
mands.
That demand for a general wage
increase will be made is certain, and
it is the general opinion among those
well informed as to the situation that
the railroad companies will refuse to
comply with the demand. This does
not mean, however, that a general
strike will be declared at once The
demands of the employees will be in
the shape of a thirty days notice to
open existing contracts, so that no
conferences can be held with the rail
road managers before January 20, at
the earliest. If the managers should
refuse conference, or reject the de-
mands, the laws of the two brother
hoods require that the matter be again
submitted to a vote of the men, which
the labor officials say would require
at least fifteen days When a strike
vote has been taken another confer
ence with the managers must be
sought, so that it would probably be
the beginning of March before any
actual strike could take place.
Should the threatened strike take
place it undoubtedly would become
one of the greatest struggles in the.
history of the labor movement in
America. All Of the operatipa
pToyes 5n the eastern roads would 6el
involved at the outset, except the en-.
gineers and firemen, who have organ
izations of their own. The strike
would affect all of the thirty-two rail-
roads east of Chicago and north of
the line of the Chesapeake & Ohio.
The list of demands to be presented
by the two brotherhoods comprise
fifteen articles and various sub-divi-
sions. The first nine articles relate
to the details of pay for freight and
passenger conductors, freight and
passenger brakemen, baggamemen
and flagmen These call for advances.
of from ten to thirty per cent over
the wages now paid. 1t is demanded
that not over ten hours be required
for days work ON any branch of the
service, and that overtime after ten
hours shall be paid for at pro rata
rates.
One of the demands that the rail-
roads are almost certain to resist is
that which stipulates the dead-heading
in freight or passenger service shall
be paid for at full rates for the class
of service in which the men are reg
ularly engaged. This means that
where a trainman or conductor ends
his run at point away from his next
point of departure and dead-heads, as
it is known in the service, back to the
starting point, he shall receive The
same wages for the run so made as
he would be paid if he were on a reg
ular run. In the same connection the
demand is made that trainmen run
ming with light locomotive or a loco
motive and caboose shall receive full
wages.