The Washington times., 1909-02-17
Employees of Terminal Com
pany Walk Out in a
Body.
NEW WAGE SCALE
CAUSE OF TROUBLE
Livery Teams Are Used to Carry
Its Contracts at Union
Station.

with all the formaIIty and decorum Of |
deliberate assemblage, hfty-four chauf-
Ieurs employed by the Terminal Taxicab
Company today went on strike within
a few hours the company had pressed /
forty single and double livery teams In
to S rvice and was endeavoriug TO car
Ty oar its contract with the Washing
ton Terminal Company to transport
passengers and baggage about the city
The taxi drivers appeared at the Of
fees of The company at $50 this morn
ing. the usual hour for reporting. They
literally walked right in, turned around
and walked right out again, only stop
ping 10 place a written resignation upon
the desk or Superintendent Marshall.
The resIguati0us were on printed forms
supplied by the grievance committee,
which could not effect d compromise
with General Manager FicLlug.
Cause Of Strike.
The men are striking because Of "a
new wage scale put into operation last
Monday under which the men receive
20 per cent of their collections and sup
ply their own gasoIeHe, instead OF get
ting ~ cents an hour and gasOIeue free
under ths old scale.
They declare that they cannot make
a living under the new wage scale The
company assert that tine men VINO want
10 work can make "a good living, and
the only ones who viii lose are those
who spend their time ''joy-riding."
No Excitement.
The strike was the most quiet. order /
Iy and peaceaLIe Iayin~ of that has
ever been seen I'm the city. There was
not even a muTmUr OF excitement and
the garage even yet is cast ia the deep /
est gloom and quiet.
The chaUneurs walked ia this morn /
ing in the usual manner and turned /
iu their designations as they each morn /
ing previously had turned in their time
slip
linen they dispersed. going 70 their
homes OF going out looking for Job.
Tn d. few minutes the garage was empty.
lgr the FIRST time lu mauy months the
chug OF the machines did not disturb the
stiffness OF the early morning In tWOs
and IhTCes the men stroued around 70
the company s. DLIee= at llJl Vermont
avenue turned iu their storm coats
and badges. bade farewell 10 the office
force there and departed.
no Trouble Expected
The men say today that they have
no intention Of interfering with the
company or of obstrgotiug its business.
"We have no particular interest in
the matter said one of the commit
teenen. cas- we have simply terminated
our connection with the company. II
there is any man vino can support him
self. much less a family. on the new
wa gs scale offered by the company he
can certainly feel that he is at perfect
liberty 90 take our places, SO far as we
are concerned our union, although
newly organized, numbers in its mem
bership all the cLaudeurs iu the city
except those in private employ, and
the company can get no competent men
10 take our places even IL they should
increase the wage offered u.s.
L. was declared by company officials
today that the new wage scale, 20 per
cent or all collections, the men 10 pay
for their own EasDleue, was made neCes-
-ar- 8v the conduct of some OF the men
whom the company found IL impossible
Jl.c0Ut-0l IL was said that III paying
them e. fiat rate of % cents an
hour Il. sC-le I'm operation until two
days ago. t.. company had TO pay men
while they were out skylarklng and
't0y riding The practice could not
be controlled, ana the company could
not keep tap. The new scale was
adupLe- - a merit system.
Can't Earn Living.
that 1t is impossible TO earn a living
working on the 20 5er cent basis. They
say that frequently they have to stand
hour after hour wIthOu- getting a fare.
but that the company mas tab on them
every minute they ere out OF the
garage. There IS a UcSet check system
by which the time IS kept.
The men were repres ented in their ne
Hn ID. HqHa
mlttee OF four. of which John II. Bell
is chairman The other members were
Clarence j.. KuLImau. Thomas ". Mat
ungIr, and Albert a. Boaz. At $50
O'Clock the committee called upon Man
ager EirkIiuE and asked him if tie
company stood pat upon the new
scale They were given an answer In
the affirmative, and left Later the
committee distributed among the men
/ the resignation form which they had
had printed The rs-ieuatIouS were
made out end turned ln this morning.
The form IS as follows.
"Jere TicdnE.
General Manager
Terminal TaXlcab Company.
Dear Sir: / hereby resign my posi-
liou as chauffeur with the Terminal
. TaEicaU Company, To take effect from
this date. February II, 1909.
signature"
Officials Cheerful.
General Manager J. FickIug. when
seen at TIE c0mpauy.s garage this
morning seemed to accept the situa-
Uan uhIGsophIaauv and to regard the
future as cheerful
..Tne Terminal TaElaab Company"
me said. "wu not be at all damaged
by the Joss OF fits former cbaunaurs.
Already we have seven OF our thirty