The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-12-16
WAGE INCREASE
TO BE ASKED
Railway Trainmen and Conduct
ors' Officials Meeting in
Chicago Today
STRIKE MAY Be THE OUTCOME
However, No WaIk-out Could Occur
Until March list at Least, as Mo-
tice Would Have to Be Civ
en- and Vote Taken.

Chicago, ILL.,, Dec. 16.-Registered at
the Lexington Hotel today are nearly
all of the leading officials and mem
bers of the executive committees Of
the two powerful labor organizations,
the Order of Railway Conductors and
the Brotherhood of Railway Traln-
men. Tomorrow these officials are TO
hold a formal meeting to canvass the
vote of the railway employees I'm the
eastern territory on the question of
demanding wage increases and con-
cessions as to hours of work. with
the alternative of a general strike in
the event of a refusal on the part OF
the railroads to comply with the de-
mands. jFt.
That a demand for general wage
increase will be made is certain, and it
is the general opinion among those
well informed as to the situation that
the railroad companies will refuse 10
comply with the demand. This does
not mean, however, that a gener II
strike will be declared at once. The
demands of the employees will be in the
shape of thirty days notice to open
existing contracts, so that no confer
ences can be held with the railroad
managers before January TO- at the
earliest. If the managers should re-
fuse a conference. or reject the de-
mands, the laws of the two brother
hoods require that the matter be again
submitted to a vote of the men. which
the labor officials say would require at
least fifteen days. When a strike vote
has been taken another conference
with the managers must be sought, 50
that II would probably be the begin
ming of March before any actual strike
could take place.
Should the threatened strike take
place it undoubtedly would become che
of the greatest struggles i'm the his
tory of the labor movement in Ameci-
ca. All OF the operating employees on
the eastern roads would be involved 1T
the outset, except the engineers and
flremen. who have organizations of
their own. The strike would affect all
of the thirty-two railroads east OF
Chicago and north OF the line of the
Chesapeake q Ohio.
10 to 30 Per Cent Advances.
The list of demands TO be presented
by the two brotherhoods comprise fif-
teen articles and various sub b-dlvisions.
The first nine articles relate to the
details of pay for freight and passen-
ger conductors, freight and passenger
brakemen. baggagemen, and fiagman.
These call for advances of from 10 to
80 per cent over the wages now paid.
1t Is demanded that not over ten hours
be required for a days work in any
branch of the service. and thar
overtime after ten hours shall be paid
for at pro-rata rates.
one of the demands that the rail-
roads are almost certain to resist s.
that which stipulates that deadhead-
ing in freight or passengGr service
shall be paid for at full ,ra for the
class of service in which the men are
regularly engaged. This means that
where a trainman or conductor ends
his run at a point away from his next
point of departure and deadheads' as
il Is known in the service, back to his
starting point, he shall receive the
same wages for the run so made as
he would be paid If he were on regr-
lar run. In the same connection the
demand Is made that trainmen running
with light locomotive or a locomo-
tive and caboose shall receive fun
wages.