Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-21
BUSINESS MEN
MAKE STATEMENT
Tell Over Their Signatures What
Occurred at Recent
49,
Conference.
What Mr., Wattles Said for Com
pany--Mr. Pratt's State
ment for Strikers

The undersigned having been present AZ
the meeting OF the executive committee OF
the Business Mems association on ssptsm-
Der II, take this means Of giving to the
public an accurate statement Of what oc-
CURED before the executive committee rela-
tive to the impending street railway strike.
Mr.. wattles, representing the street rail
way company. and Mr.. Pratt, represent
ing the union. appeared before the commit
tee. MIR. Pratt Informed the comn,iItee
that what he was demanding OF the street
railway company was a document in the
form Of a contract, to be signed by the
officials Of the street railway c. npany on
the one side and certain Officers OF the
union on the other. He produced a pro
posed draft OF such contract which he
said had never been presented to Mr..
Wattles or to the street railway company.
This was the same form of contract which
was subsequently published In the papers
Of Sunday morning, September 10 Mr..
Pratt stated that an increase In wages was
asked, but that. II the figures named in
the proposed contract were not fair. he
was disposed to negotiate further On that
oubtNNAH AAt dASb oAhAfu AAhA WV ~
a contract covering the question Of
schedules of runs and hours Of work.
Mr.. Wattles then informed the commit
tee that when the union was organized
here about seven years ago those who
Joined it were at first suspended from
their employment. but we're
reinstated upon the express promise that
TIM ,,,fnp yyo,,II not Mt nav tfu,a demand
Of the company any cOnt:a;t with the
union as such, or other contract or agree
ment making a distinction between union
and nonunion men; that at the same time
the company promised its nonuhion en-
ployes that it would not, at an time, make
any contract with the union, the effect Of
which would be to discriminate in its man
ner of treating with It's union employees and
its treatment Of It's nonIuion men. Mr..
Wattles said that the question whether the
company should keep its word with its
nonunion employees was not Il matter that
he could submit TO arbitration. tic further
stated that within the Last six years the
company had made three voluntary ad-
vances in wages, and is now paying 10 It's
conductors and motormen the Highest
wages paid in any city of the class or
Omaha, where conditions are At AL similar.
anu NlhA IL ldu paul III AlAo ~ bN@'N'S
depression, as high wages as any other city
under similar conditions, notwithstanding
that for many years the ~StocKho.1ers re-
ceived no dividend whatever. lie said that
the present conditions OF business ana IN
come would not permit an Increase OF
wages at the present time and enable the
company to make necessary replaCemtnts,
preserve it's credit and keep the service up
to the required standard; out tlat - Is The
---- - IA 80 the n Nv N NnnEa
further ad-vancements in wages whenever
conditions of business will warrant the
same. He then offered to give - every
employe, whether union or nonunlon man,
a written statement over mis- signature as
president Of the company, containing the
following specific promises and pledges
Il. Whenever the conditions OF business
will warrant an increase Of pay, such in
crease will be made.
20. That in their treatment Of employees
there shall be no discrimination whatever
between union and nonunion men.
30. That every specific complaint respect
ing treatment, schedule Of runs. hours OF
work, or other matters relating to the
working conditions, which shall be brought
to the attention OF the company shall re-
ceive consideration, and the cause OF COM
plant shall be removed, II possible with
due regard to the efficiency OF the service
Mr.. Pratt then said that, While he and
Mr.. Wattles were not far apart on mat
| tiers Of substance, what he wanted was a
contract rather than a statement from the
company. His proposed contract was then
examined i'm detail, and he stated that II
It were entered into it would be signed by
certain officers OF the union. He was asked
to point out any promise or agreement
contained in the proposed contract to be
performed by any one except the Street
Railway company, and he admitted that
there was no such promise In tine proposed
agreement.
The controversy thus narrowed down, for
immediate purposes, to whether, all OF
the promises and agreements being on one
side, the document to be signed should be
in the form of a written declaration by
the company to all OF It's employees or
In the form Of a contract with the union,
thereby ignoring the non-uniOn workman.
As the making of such a contract would
be a breach Of faith on the part of the
Street Railway company toward It's nom
union employees, and as the demand for II
was a breach OF the promise of the union
made at the time the union employees we're
reinstated In their employment II was
unanimously resolved by the executive
committee OF the Business Mems associa-
ton that the asBociCti lion approve the at
titude OF the street Railway company,
and would give that company It's support
in the event that q strike should be pre-
cipitated. This action OF the ami
was unanimously endorsed by
a general meeting OF the association on
Sunday afternoon.
Upon the conclusion of the executive
committee being made known, Mr.. Pratt
left the meeting saying that he would read
TO the men then assembled at the Labor
Temple, without comment, the letter which
MIR. Wattles had on the day previous ad-
dressed to a certain prominent union labor
man OF this city, which contained, In sub
stance, the same assurance which Mr..
Wattles had made to the executive COM
mittee.
Signed this Goth day OF September. lSa.
SAMUEL REEFS.
President Business Mems Associates.
d. ]. O'BRIEN,
DAVID COLE,
FRANK w. JUDSON,
GEORGE II. KELLY,