Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1911-05-05
STRIKES CRIPPLE
BIG INDUSTRIES
Ten Thousand Men Walk OFT at
Chicago.
MAY INVOLVE 10000 OTHERS
Thousands of Railroad Men Go Out in
Pennsylvania and 5000 Machin-
lists in New York-Clashes
in Paris.

Chicago. The beginning of
strike which threatens to become ma
tion-wide was inaugurated here when
ten thousand men employed in five
industries quit their Jobs, and it is
most probable that a like number will
be added to their ranks within the
next few days.
The strikes inaugurated involve the
railroad, building, metal trades and
brickmaking industries. The underly-
ing causes were demands ranging from
higher wages, shorter hours. recogni-
ton of union, and jurisdictional dis
putes to internal discussions over vari
Gus union claims to various classes of
labor.
Maintenance of way employees on the
Chicago terminals of six railroads
struck, following the refusal Of the rail-
road general managers association to
grant demands for higher wages and
standardization of the wage scales.
Strikes were called of brickmakers
in yards from Evanston to Blue Island
and Chicago Heights, machinists en-
| ployed by the Otis Elevator company,
and a force of electricians and ma
chinery movers in sympathy with the
machinists. The building trades work
ers are on strike as result of the
jurisdictional fight carried on by the
United Association of Plumbers against
the International Association of Steam
| filters
In addition, the strike of machiniSts
against the Otis company threatens to
ternmakers, iron molders and other
| members of the metal trades depart
ment of the American Federation of
| Labor in all parts of the country. A
force of 10000 freight handlers, who
are demanding higher wages and rec
! ognition of the union, also threatens to
strike unless their demands are grant
| ed. Officials of the union appealed to
| Charles P. Neill, United States COM
missioner of labor, for mediation and
arbitration under the Erdman law.
| Cleveland, o. = Thirty-five mar
bic settlers helpers, at work on
new building, quit work as demon
! stration Of sympathy for Chicago help
| ers who are on strike
| Pittsburg, Pa. = Without further
warning than might be gathered
| from conferences of committee with
| the railroad officials last week, the
shop men of the Pennsylvania railroad
on the Pittsburg division, extending
from this city to Altoona, Pa, went out
on strike. The officers of the unions
assert that about 10000 men are out
The unions affected are the Brother
hood Of Carmen boiler makers and
helpers, sheet metal workers, the In
ternational Association of Machinists
and Laborers, and the Federal Labor
union, an organization of foreign labor
ers about railroads, all of which are af-
| filiated with the American Federation
| Of Labor.
The cause of the strike is the allega-
ton by the toilers that, in it's ro-
trenchment policy, the railroad dig
missed men that were active in their
unions. . e@z
New York.-Six parades of work
men, to the number of several
thousand each, strike of 5000 ma
| chinists, and walkout of few hun
dred East side bakers and shirtwaist
makers were the chief events of the
May day celebration here
The machinists are striking for an
eight-hour day.