Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-14
New Method Announced.

New Method Announced
| The announcement that a new scale of
wages would be paid to the chauffeurs
was made in letter to them a short
time ago. When they read over the let
ter they were practically unanimous in
declaring that they were getting the
short end Of the horn and it was not
many hours before there was plenty of
| talk of a strike.
| Under the present scala of wages the
chauffeurs are paid 70 cents an hour and
the company furnishes the gasoline for
the machines. Under the proposed scale
the chauffeurs will be paid 20 per cent of
the amount of money they make for the
company and must buy their own saso-
line There is further provision in the
new agreement that the gasoline must be
purchased from the company at a price
which Will f1Uctuate as the market f1uc-
| tuates. The first statement of the COM
pany was that the chauffeurs must pay
the company II cents a gallon for-the
fluid, but later this price was reduced to
10 cents.
The drivers are familiar with the
amount of money that Is turned into the
company every day as result of their
work. and they decided that under the
as much at present. They regarded
the present pay as too small. and. there
fore, rose up in loud protest when the de-
tails of the new wage scale were made
known to them.
The result was that the chauffeurs held
meeting. talked the matter over for sew
eral hours and finally appointed a COM
nlfttee to present the views of the drivers
to the company; This committee is COM
posed of j. II. Bell of 20 o street north
west. Clarence Roman of 7jO 18th street
southeast, Alexander Bowes of 521 Ten
nessee avenue northeast, and Tom Mat
tingly of 523 9TH street southeast.
Conference With Manager.
This committee held conference with
j. Fickling, general manager of the COM
pany. Friday to present their protest
against the new arrangement. but were
told that the company was fully deter
mined to put the new scale into effect to-
morrow. The matter was argued for
some time and at length. The company
officials maintained that the proposed ar
rangement is similar to that adopted in
other cities. and that it does not mean
that the pay of the drivers will be cut
down.
The chauffeurs' committee maintained
| that the drivers could not earn as high
wages under the proposed method as they
are earning now, that their present pay
is not large enough, but that they are
willing to let the present rate stand. The
| conference closed with the declarations of
both sides that neither would accede to
the wishes of the other.
The chauffeurs held a meeting late
Friday night, which lasted for several
hours. AT that session the result OF the
conference with the cOmpanys manager
was announced and discussed and the
drivers reaffirmed their decision not to
accept the new method and decided to
IrtI th<o,. Il
strike of the chauffeurs may take
place tomorrow. when the new scale will
go into effect or it may not occur until
Thursday, when the chauffeurs' commit
tee hopes to meet the board of directors
| of the company. Some of the employees
are opposed to strike. except as last
resort and for that reason there is
possibility that none will take place un-
less the board of directors, at it's meet
| ing Thursday, refuses to continue the
present method of payment.
The new scale is the chief topic of con-
versation among the chauffeurs while
they waiting at the Union station for
| taXicab passengers, and nearly every
chauffeur there last evening with whom
d Star reporter talked protested against
the new arrangement One of Them
pointed out that he might be called to
| Georgetown from the station to take
passenger a few blocks and receive
! payment of 30 cents. On the 20 per cent
basis of payment it was explained he
would receive u cents for the trip, which
would not pay for the gasoline used in
going TO Georgetown and back again to
the Union station.
| Views of a Chauffeur.
/ The company will have to continue the
present wage SCALE said member of
the chauffeur's committee last night. 1T
| has had hard time getting experienced
men to operate their machines, and l do
not think it can get a good men as II has
now. if we should refuse to work at the
proposed scale. The new men would not
know how to run the machines would In
jure them, and increase the operating ex-
| penses of the company very much.
! Il think the company has chosen a very
| bad time to put into force new wage
| scale. Inauguration is coming on. and ii
will need the use of all it's machines in
the next few weeks All the present chauf-
| feurS but one are standing together In
the refusal to accept the new wage scale.
and we could tie up the company by
| refusing to work at the new scale. And
| think a tie-up of the company's busi-
ness for few days would have serious
| results for II.
| But the chauffeurs do not want to
! strike and will do only as last resort
! a strike Is a serious matter, because
d some of the men have families and have
little money ahead for such emergen-
cies.
| 'If the company puts the new wage
| scale into effect Monday the men will re-
fuse 10 accept payment under IT. 1t is