Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-19

only fair to the public that a statement should be made by the
officers of the company, in order that all interested may judge as
to whether or not the position taken by the company is fair and
just
q month ago, if a stranger should have inquired promiscu-
ously Of the men in our employ as to whether or not they were sat-
isfied with their treatment and the pay they were receiving, the
universal answer would have been that they were not only salts
fled but highly pleased. But there came among the men an organ
izer bearing credentials from the National Association of Anal
gamated Street and Electric Railway Employees of America. Meet
ings of the union we're called, and the men were told that if they
followed the advice of this organizer, he would secure for them
many concessions they did not now have. The men were solicited
and urged to join the union, and quite a number have recently
done so, but a majority of our employees do not belong to the union
and do not want to become members of it.
On August 31st a letter was presented to me by a committee
of union men in our employ, asking for a conference with the
Board of Directors to consider the execution of a written agree
ment with the union. On the same day a request for a conference
was made by a committee of the nonunion men in our employ.
The hour for the meeting of both committees was fixed at ten
o'clock A. M. on Thursday, September I'd.
The question as to the execution of a special contract with
the union was discussed, and the following facts were brought
out:
When the union was organized some ten years ago, the COM
pany opposed its organization and discharged the men who joined
it. AT a conference with these men, at which the national organ
izer was present, the statement was made by him that in many
cities where unions existed among street railway employees, a
part of the men belonged to the union and others did not; that
they always worked in perfect harmony together, and that the
only purpose in organizing a union among the Omaha Street Rail
way men was to promote their general welfare, and that no con-
tract would be asked or required OF the Street Railway Companym
case the union should be organized here. With this understanding
and agreement on the part Of the national organizer the opposition
to the organization of the union was withdrawn, and the men who
had been discharged were reinstated. While the union was being
organized the officers of the Street Railway Company were waited
on by a large number of their old employees and were asked to state
to these men whether or not the company would at any time enter
into any contract with the union whereby these old and faithful
employees, who did not want to join it, would in any way be liable
to lose their right or positions. They were positively assured
that no contract would ever be entered into by this company with
the union, that an agreement to that effect had been made, and
that every employee of the company, regardless of whether he be-
1onnoI 70 4ho uOiOn or not uOu1H aooiUa h Samof roafpa0t and
would be dealt with in the same manner as every other employee.
On several occasions since our company has been requested
to enter into a contract with the union. Al. such requests 1T has
positively refused to consider. Two years ago last March, when a
strike was threatened because of the refusal of the officers of the
company to violate their solemn agreement with their nonunion
employees, the question as to whether or not the Street Railway
employees were justified in calling a strike, was submitted to three
of the leading labor union men of the city, the then president Of
the Central Labor Union, MI. Charles Mcdonald, and the last two
expresidents of this body, Nj. Louis V. Guye and Mr.. John Poian.
After hearing the evidence presented to them on that occasion, one
Of their findings reads as follows:
SIN the matter of a written contract demanded on the part of
your organization, we find that inasmuch as an agreement was
entered into at the time of the formation of your local union, to the
effect that the company would not be required to sign such a con-
tract, we therefore recommend that said contract be withdrawn
But in spite Of the finding by these well known labor union
leaders, and regardless of our promise to our nonunion employees.
that we would not enter into any contract with the union, we were
again asked to sign a contract We have refused this demand and
shall continue to refuse it.
Outside of a few minor matters, such as taking from the COM
pany the right to discharge employees without the consent of the
unlon dhI OluNlhg Le company 10 reneVe ron duty Officers and
members of the Executive Board of the union whenever desired,
in order that they may perfOm any service required by the union,
and requiring the company to discharge any member of the union
who may by 1t be expelled, the only demand of any Importance is
that of an increase of pay. The present schedule of wages of con
ductors and motormen is p cents per hour during the first years
service, % cents per hour the second year, % cents per hour the
third year, "a cents per hour the fourth year, % cents per hour the
fifth to ninth years inclusive, and 26 cents per hour thereafter.
1t has always been the pride of the officers of our company
that we have at all times paid our men higher wages than other
cities, where similar conditions prevail to those in Omaha. During
the panic and depression from 1898 to 1900 our company paid the
flat rate of 20 cents per hour, while many other cities larger than
Omaha were paying 10 to 10 cents per hour.
On June l, 1908, our wage scale was increased as follows:
First year 20 cents per hOur, second year 81 cents, third and there
after % cents.