Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-08-10
FEDERATION BACK
OF PAY INCREASE
Membership of New Railroad
Mechanics Council Is Now
Six Thousand.
ALL SHOPS ARE COVERED
Companies Willing to Deal With In
diVidual Unions as in the
Past.

Chicago, Aug. 1O.-The ambitions
of the railway department of the
American Federation of Labor to
perfect an Organization of the rail-
way mechanical department en-
ployes is declared by railway officials
| to be responsible for the recent de-
mands for higher wages and improv-
| ed working conditions which have
been made on a number of the big
railroad systems.
The plan of the federation depart
ment, which was organized at Den
yer three years ago, is to form a sys-
TEN federations of employees in the
various shop trades to conduct wage
negotiations with the arrangements
of one road at time. The separate
organizations which exist in each
shop now act on wage questions.
This is the practice being followed
on the Hartman lines, which have
been confronted with general de-
mands by the shop men; also on the
Illinois Central and Rock Island,
which have been asked for confer
ences. Several other roads have
uldQS ScLJlclIcnIS III Tic ldbI lew
months as a result
RAILWAYS ABOUT To FIGHT.
While the railroads do not regard
the prospect as serious at present,
and expect no further developments
for two or three weeks, 1t is admit
ted that they consider the demands
of organized labor have gone far
enough and that they intend to take
a firm stand before yielding further
in wages or contracts
The railway department of the fed
GRAFTON now comprises 5000 or T.
900 members, and has organized on
1S roads thus far, both in the east
and west Its chairman is H. B.
Perham, also president of the Order
of Railway Telegraphers of st.
Louis, and A. B. Low of the MAIN
tenance of way employees organiza-
ton is secretary.
THOSE ENROLLED.
Car workers, machinists, boiler
makers, blacksmiths, switchmen.
sheet metal workers and steamfft-
ters are embraced in it's member
ship.
a committee or federation" COM |
posed OF representatives OF each OF |
the various organizations, to present |
united front in dealing with the !
managements of the Individual |
roads. The Union Pacific and South
ern Pacific have declined to deal
with the federation, but have ex-
pressed a willingness to meet the |
representatives of the regular organ
izations as in the past, and it is de-
clared the next move is up to the
men. No definite threat of strike
has been made thus far. with the ex-
ception Of a minor walkout in the
shops at Houston, Texas.
LIKE BUILDING TRADES COUNCIL.
"It seems as If they are trying to
work out an organization among the
railway shop men something like the
building trades organization in Chi
cago," said a railway executive, so
that one department could reinforce
its demands by calling upon the
other departments for sympathetic
action 1t is easy to see that ser
ious situation might be created II
such a plan were carried out. Con-
ditions in one branch of work or on
different roads are so widely differ
ent that they should not all be han
died together"
While the officials OF the various
roads have discussed the situation in
formally the subject has not been
officially by the General
Managers association.