Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-05
MEN
ARE ON STRIKE
TUNNEL WORKERS OBJECT TO
REDUCED BONUSES
General Adna r. Chaftee Declares
.Laborers Were Receiving More
Money Than They Were
Entitled To

Because of the reduced bonus sys-
tenn that went into operation June l.
from 125 to $50 miners and muckers
are on a strike at the Elizabeth Lake
tunnel of the owens river aqueduct.
The men at South Portal have been
out since the first day of the month
but the officials in charge OF the aque-
duct did everything in their power to
keep the matter quiet.
The strike is not organized. No de-
mands have been made on the aque-
duct department. When the new
bonus scheduale was published the men
at south Portal simply dropped their
tools and quit work. Some of them
sought other employment, but the
larger number are loafing around the
camp trying to make up their minds
whether or not to continue work.
Gen. A. R. Chaffee, the member OF
the board of public works in charge
of the aqueduct, declared yesterday
he would let the undecided men nave
another day or two to think about 1t
and then If they do not care to re-
turn to work other men would be Sc
cured to take their places.
"It will not make much dliference
If they rest another day" said Gen.
Chaffee last night.
Bonuses Accelerate Work
The rapidity with which the work
has been done on the aqueoutt mas 4te
been due in a large measure, to the
bonus system introduced by the board
of public works, at the suggestion OF
Chief Engineer Mulholland. Under
this system the engineer in charge
figures a certain amount of tunnel
must be bored to constitute days
work All boring over this hXed
amount is extra work and extra money
has been paid the men.
"Since the boring began more than
a year ago, the bonus has been 40
cents a foot for hard rock, said Gen.
Chaffee. "At this rate the men were
making larger monthly wages than, in
the opinion of the board of public
works, seemed justified and new
schedule was adopted beginning the
first of June. The bonus was reduced
from 40 cents to 80 for hard rock ana
25 cents for soft rock. The difference
amounts to about dollar or $1.10 a
day."
This new schedule is not confined to
South Portal, but is in effect all along
the line of the aqueduct
Men Make Large Amount
NIT. was dI ANci III
tai last night" said Gen. Chaffee, and
notified me the men were still at
work at that point"
1.-THE strikers have made no demands
of u.s." continued Gen Chaffee, in his
usual calm. cool manner. And if
they do they are not likely to be con-
sidered. We have come to the con-
clusion that we have been paying
higher bonus than is justifiable and
the reduction will stand"
City Auditor Mushet has another
explanation of the bonus system and
believes the men quit because they
were losing some very easy money.
At North and South Portals three
shifts a day have been worked. BY
a peculiar process of figuring to which
the auditor says he called the atten-
ton of the board, the men were ac-
tually getting three times as much
bonus as they were entitled to.
For instance, if with one shift the
measurements every ten days should
show ten feet extra of tunnel had been
bored. each of the ten men on the one
shift were paid at the rate of 40 cents
a foot or $4 for the ten days; with
two shifts the amount of extra work
would be 20 feet and twenty men would
each be paid at the rate of 40 cents
or SS for the ten days. With the three
shifts each of the thirty men We're
getting $12 every ten days. The fig
ures are not exact but are merely
cited as an example.