Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-01
STATEMENTS FROM BOTH SIDES
Men Demand Advance Of Six Cents an
Hour and Other Concessions.
MANAGERS OFFER TWO CENTS
charge Made that Employees Refused
to Arbitrate Differences.
STRIKE BEGINS AT SIX O'CLOCK
President HnwIcy says Men Demand
Only What is Right ana Resret
inconvenience to Public
VIII Tie Up Traffic.

VIII Tie Up Traffic.
ST. PAUL Nov. 3O-After Fifteen dave 90
negotiating between the Switchmen,s linton
Oh North America and the Joint committee
ol raiIroad managers representing thirteen
i"lroads OF the northwest. a strike involv-
ing z5U switchmen became effective M a
O'CLOCK tonight The men are emnIoved
py the various railroads running west ana
horth OF St Paul from Lake SupeIior 20
the Pacific coast and unless speedily set
ueu VII mean a serious interruption to
traffic "
Inc tlrst effect Of the strike was n sharn
bulge In the price of wheat in the Cblcago
grain market late today As the roads On
tering the Twin Cities and Duluth ana su-
perior are largely grain carriers from the
west the prospect Of long interruption 10
THIS traffic will mean something.
Statement for Railroads,
Iohlght both sides to the dispute issued
statements. The railway managers, com
mittee issued the following, addressed 20
the public: THE railroads OF the north
west recognizing that the public is an
interested but unrepresented third marty in
the controversy with their swItobnar
through the committee which has been
/ conducting their negotiations, desire IN
place at the disposal O fthe public the
following facts in connection with the ne
gotiations:
The switchmen in the northwest terri
| tory made simultaneous demands on thir-
teen railroad companies centering in the
Twin Cities for an increase in wages ana
certain changes in service conditions. Al
the suggestion of f. T. Hawley. presidSnt
/ of the SVitphnapfo lint %
lea, the organization Of which the SWITCH
men of the northwest are members. ar
rangements were made to conduct tn enego-
tiations in one conference.
In the conference the railroads were
represented by a committee of ten man
Tagers and the switchmen by f. t. Hav,ley
land other officers Of the switchmen's
Union of North America.
Demands of Men.
The demands Of the switchmen were
for double pay for Sundays, holidays and
Overtime; an advance Of 60 cents per day
lof ten hours in the wages of switchmen.
switch tenders, towermen, engine herders
and assistant yardmasters; amodification
of the rule providing for the payment Of
penalty in case of failure to permit
switchmen to secure their meal in the
middle of their shift at a stated period
which contemplates double pay in cases
where 1t became necessary to work a por-
.tlon of the meal hour, and the elimina-
tion Of the physical examination and the
age limit placed upon switchmen entering
the service
Five conferences were neld in St Paul
in which the switchmen in no detail rel
Iceded from their demands, which, If con1
iceded, would have entailed an additional
expense upon the railroads for switching
service of from 40 to as per cent.
offer of Companies.
"The managers committee offered the
lswitchmen an increase of 20 cents per day
of ten hours in the rates of pay Of switch
men employed in the territory west of
Havre, Mont, on the Great Northern rail-
way, and west of Billings, Mont, on the
Northern Pacific railway; the differental
in that territory for switchmen having
obtained for about two years.
Further concession was declined for the
reason that the rates Of pay of switchmen
were increased over 10 per cent in Novem-
ber 1906, and because the rates at that
time established had not been reduced dur
ing the period of business depression which
! followed.
! 1.-The attention of the switchmen was
called to the fact that IN 1906 the switchmen
were granted a larger percentage of in
crease than any other class of employ es
in train service, At the present rates the
wages of the switchmen average over 500
per month.
"On November 23, 1909, in submitting it's
final answer to the switchmen, the man
ayers committee assuming that the
switchmen Joined in the desire for an ami
cable adjustment Of the questions under
consideration, suggested that the demands
be submitted to arbitration under the pro-
visions OF the Erdman act. The switchmen
declined TO accept this suggestion, and in
their final written answer TO the managers
committee made the statement that the
committee begs leave 90 state that It will
not submit to arbitration under any cir
cumstances.'
Move Toward Arbitration.
The statement then recites that on No
vember %, after discussion Of the pro-
posal to arbitrate under the terms Of the
/ Erdman act at the suggestion Of President
Hawley, "a joint telegram was addressed
, to Martin A Knapp Of the Interstate Com
merce commission, and Charles p Neil,
United States commissioner OF labor, ask
, ing them 70 act as medistors under the
: Erdman law"
Continuing, the statement says!
, Monday, November %, was selected as
, the day for conference between Messrs
Knapp and Neil and the representatives OF
the railroads and swtchmen at ST. Paul
About November p before the confer
ence with Messrs. Knapp and Neil had
begun despite the understanding reached
in the conferences that mediation under
the Erdman act should be evoked and
without the knowledge OF either the mana
gers committee or mediators. strike
order was issued by the switchmen's COM
mittee directing the sYitchmen OF the thir-
teen northwestern railroads TO cease work
at p. m, November 80, in the event that
their full demands had not been eoncedd
This violation OF good faith so embar-
rassed the negotiations that successful me-
diation became impossible and led TO the
demand OF Messrs. Knapp and O'neill, ad-
Iaraaaad 10 hnih the ma nanr..l nornrnItt.a