The Detroit times., 1910-07-23
Engineers and Firemen
Not Likely To Join Strike

Not Likely To Join Strike
IF the striking Grand Trunk train
men are banking much on getting the
engineers and firemen To join them
In their fight against the railway at
the present time, they are doomed To
disappointment" said Pullman car
conductor at the Brush-st. station.
The engineers and firemen sympa-
thize with the trainmen, OF course, but
IL would be nothing short OF suicide
for them to strike just now. They are
working under an agreement with the
IGrand Trunk, and TO break that would
mean their exclusion from railroad
work forever. The Grand Trunk would
never take them back again, and no
other road would hire them, either. A
railway has no further use for man
who violates an agreement with II.
So, under the circum stances, the train
men have no possible show OF getting
anything more than moral support
from tho engineers and firemen In
their present trouble
| The engineers and firemen realize
their position i'm the matter, and from
talks | have had with a number OF
them, 1 can assure you that their or
ganization doesn't plan to strike.
| In spite OF this mans view OF the
situation, there Is a strong belief In
some sources that the engineers and
| firemen may strike. Their agree
ment ends within two weeks. The ar
gument is also advanced that the en-
gineers are afraid that II the Grand
| Trunk wins now Il may cut the pay
OF enginemen.
| Trainmen Go II Alone.
| The trainmen themselves, contrary
to reports, do not expect the engineers
and fremen to join them In the strike;
all they expect from the engine crews
| Is that they attend to their own duties
exclusively and give the strike-break-
ers no help In running the trains. The
trainmen have every confidence In
| themselves TO beat the Grand Trunk
and Wabash without the help or the
engineers and firemen. They don
expect to make much OF a showing
against the roads SO long as they stick
TO the running of nothing but passen-
ger trains.
II Is when the roads attempt TO run
| the freight trains that the strikers
look for the companies to have trou-
! bic. The strikers don't plan any move
OF destruction or interference; they
are confident that the strike-breakers
will produce enough destruction by
their inexperience to bring consterna-
! ton to the heads Of the roads and pile
up enough cars in the ditch to keep
auxiliary crews busy and hospitals full
as long as the strike lasts.
Take 1t from me-" said one Of the
leaders Of the striking trainmen. the
| Grand Trunk and Wabash will find
they are up against the worst strike In
years when they try to move their
freight. IL IS hard enough for regular
| trainmen TO run trains without col
| lisions, and when inexperienced men
] like the ones now taking our places
try TO operate them, there will be the
worst kind Of destruction. Property
will be destroyed to the extent OF
thousands CT dollars and many lives
will doubtless be sacrificed. In view
OF these inevitable happenings, I can
not see how we can lose this strike
OF course, the companies may fight on
in spite of the loss of life and prop
erty, and eventually beat us. but we
all expect they will cry Enough be
fore the destruction goes on very far
However, come what may, We are
In the tight TO the finish. We feel that
we are fighting for a just cause and
right ought, certainly, to triumph We
arc The poorest paid railway men in
tao country today, to the shame of the
Grand Trunk We cannot blame the
Wabash so much, because that road
| is under a running agreement with the
Grand Trunk In Canada and cannot
ray any more wages than the Grand
| Trunk.
| "Why, just think-the Pere Mar
uuette has agreed to pay the standard
| of wages We are fighting for. Now, II
| q little road like that can AFFORD &c
pay its men decent wages, isn't IL q
disgrace on the Grand Trunk when
Il pleads ina II cannot pay the same
scale as the Pere Marquette? 1t Is
really not a question OF the road
! ability TO pay what we want; IL IL
lust stubbornness on the part OF the
MANAGEMENT which has kept the IN
crease from us and forced on the
strike"
Trainmen Well Organized.
The trainmen have completed per
feet organization within the past feN
DAYS and are now prepared to give the
Grand Trunk and Wabash struggle
of indefinite length The local situa
ton Is In charge of E. p. Curtis. vice
president Of the Order Of Railway Con
ductors. who comes from Smithfield
Tex: Thos. Dodge. Cleveland, vice
president OF the Brotherhood OF Rail
way Tralnmen: ]. f. Connors, vice
president Of the Switchmen's union
and Martin Carey Port Huron, chair
man of the conductors grievance com
mittee. The headquarters OF all but
Connors are at the Hotei fuller. Con
nors is at the Morgan house.
The striking tTainmen In Windsor
and other Canadian points are plan
ming to lay before the Dominion rail
way commission a complaint to the
effect that The Canadian railway Law
is being broken by the Grand Trunl
and Wabash In manning its trains
with men who are said TO be incom
petent TO run trains. The same move
was planned by the Michigan strikers
but thus far nothing has been done In
the matter. The Windsor strikers are
also taking active steps to aid the I'm
migration inspectors in keeping GU