The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-11-08
RAILROAD
ENGINEERS
To BALLOT
STRIKE VOTE A Nj o N G
ENGINE DRIVERS ON
81 RAILROADS
WORK CONDITIONS AND
WAGES ARE INVOLVED
Prolonged Conference With
X Managers Of Railways Results
In Disagreement

Chicago, Nov S--A strike vote Will
be taken among engineers OF sixty
one railroads west. south and nortll
OF Chicago, including the Illinois Cen
tral. following termination of the ne
botiations between the roads and
grand officers of the brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers, which had
been in session since September 20
Inference In wage increases OF ap'
pioximately per cent, and alteration
Of working conditions stood between
the negoitators.
Grand CHIEF Warren s. Stone Of the
Brotherhood. who has been leading
the railroad men in their demands,
said he believed the strike vote wouid
be unanimously IN favor OF suspen-
sion Of work and that the engine meu
would have expressed their desire by
December TO- Immediately thereaf-
ter. h said, an opportunity would be
given the railroads to meet the orders
and If they favored that opportunity
within ave hours every engine west
uf Chicago, In all branches OF the
service would be stilped, the fires
drawn and out of the thousands OF
Cubs would step every driver on duty
The representatives of the engine
men in the twenty-flv conferences
which ended without results, were Z
Warren s. Stone. grand chief; Ash
Kennedy, F. A. Burgess. u. Corrigan,
M. w. Meade and r. f. Willis, assist
ant grand chiefs Brotherhood OF Lo'
comotiye Engineers.
Their negotiations received the adj
vice Of fifty division managers of the
Brotherhood who directly represented
the smaller councils of the order
Railroad officials. as follows, heard
the engine drivers demands.
wv. B. Scott of the Union Pacific;
n. e. Ward of the burlington lines;
+. c. Batchelder, of the Chicago Ter
minal, Baltimore e Ohio; w. A. Dur
nam, Of the Missouri, Kansas & Tex
as. G. H. Emerson, of the Great
Northern; 4. ]. Foley, Of the Illinois
Ce ntral; f c. Cox. of the Atchison,
Topeka e Santa Te; Grant Hall, OF
me Canadian Pacific III. j. Simmons,
of. the III Paso G. Southwestern and
A. w. Trenholm, OF the Chicago, st.
Paul. Minneapolis & Omaha.
The question arose over the diff
afence the engine men had in con-
ference In Dtroit. Mich, last spring.
Ar q three weeks session, it was de-
cided that the existing scale, in ef
feet since February, 1907, was unsatis-
factory. and that working conditions
mad been imposed by railroads wnish
vhould be eliminated. The grand Ollie
ers were named to meet the railroads
and present the demands.
The general working conditions oil
which the engine men complain in
clude, among other things, the fol
lcMlng:
Drivers Of the maliet compound en-
ai,,es. which practically is work o.
fyHo engines. and entail corresponds
Iugiy greater responsibility ana ga
pability, receive the same wages q
other drivers OF high-power engines Of
much lesser capacity.
Engineers wish to be relieved OF
the toll Of preparing their engines Tor
trovel and of caring for them afEer
runs.
Switching time should be paid for
on a different basis.
The magnitude of the wage ques
ton is evidenced by statement by
the employees that TIL. Z per cent wage
difference now standing between th'
drivers and the railroads means ap-
Uroximately $2,s00,O0o Year. the
cost of alterations OF the WORKING
..conditiors. miner considerations in
she conference, would be less thaf
safl.000, Ii was asserted,