The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-29
Officials ofHarriman Lines Refuse to Meet Unions 4ssg Ultimatum
STRUGGLE TO BE OF
 VITAL IMPORTANCE
The Railroads Are in Good Shape :,
 Withstand Prolonged Strike. ssg ,s All the Preparations t Made

Chicago, September 2s.-A strike on the
 Hartman railroad lines involving s5,ooo
 shopmen is inevitable. according to the five presidents of the interna tional unions 10 which most of the men belong. The
 strike call was issued upon the word being
 received from the officials who have not
 yet agreed on the hour.
 According to the same authorities the | contemplated struggle to a great extent l will determine the future attitude of all railroads in their dealings with employees | The shopmen say they will strike not le-
 cause of any dissatisfaction with wages
 n6i. conditions of labor but to establish the newly organized federation Of shop | employees as a means of negotiating dis l putes between employers and employees The railroads refuse to recognize the
 federation because they say it would mean practically placing all operating affairs in the hands of the federation and would turn railroad management into confus- ion.
 Climax Reached | Things reached q climax when Julius Kruttschnitt, vice president of the liar riman lines, reiterated determination not to meet the federation. ! J. w. Kline, president of the Interna-
 tioasl Blacksmiths and Helpers anicn. | communicated this decision to other union | nesds and then ordered statement hat
 a ser.ke would be called as soon as tho
 day snd Gou- could be agreed upon. It was said later three of the five union heads including the machinists, hitherto l the chief restraining forces, were agreed l to call a stike Saturday not later than
 midday
 l With talk of an immediate strike came also news from New Orleans that rioting was anticipated. In New York it was | said a reorganization oe -sis railroads af-' l fected was being conducted secretly with | a view of making MT. Kruttsehnitt | member of the board of directors and sx- | tending apparently his power. | MT Kruttschntt. in refusing to treat with the men. denied that they have any grievance and intimated the unions have | sought to institute measures to end har. monious relations.
 Roads in Good Shape
 The railroads are in good shape to witop \ stand a prolonged strike It is declared
 they have been employing men in all the
 large centers of population for months,
 and have long list or men redoy 'o
 take the places of strikers.
 1 Dispatches from the shops in California
 | state that most of the big railroad shops are enclosed by fences that will serve as stockades and insure perfection to la borers
 1 Possible action of the railroads is said 1 to be indicated by the Illinois Central I railroad at New Orleans and Memphis | in obtaining federal injunction restrain l ine striking clerks from interfering with | interstate commerce through picketing or other means.
 l Five unions will be affected directly by | A strike order These are the Interna-
 tional Machinists. the Blaclksmiths and l Apprentices, the Boilermakers, the Sheet | Metal Workers and the Carmen. In addition, four allied trades, the steam filters, painters, copper and brass
 workers and clerks may go out. Unions Favor It All of these unions have voted in favor 1 of a strike as an alternative of not get | ting recognition of the federation l The strike vote was taken several | months ago, but action was deferred oW- | ing to the refusal of the machinists to 1 support the strike. This objection was l removed in Davenport this week when the machnists. in convention assembled, | placed power to act In the hands Of their international officers. | | by labor struggles already in existence | in the south There the clerks ano l freight handlers, althought not directly concerned in the federation fight, nave 1 been out for week.
 The Missouri Kansas and Texas car
 men walked out of the shops of the southwest terminals. The New Or leans Brotherhood of Railway Freight Handlers of the Illinois Central and Yazoo and Mississippi Valley railroads | quit work at midday.
 More Strikers 1 The firemen of the Georgia and Florida railroad added further con fusion by issuing an ultimatum that they will strike within Fl hours unless certain wages and union conditions are agreed to.
 r Union officials spent the hours Tn comforting over the public wires, ana 1 if was by this means the strike decision | was reached
 i Presidents Kline of the blacksmiths and M OSullivan of the sheet metal | workers were here, President . ocohheli
 of the machnists was in Davenport N | P. Ryan, head of the carmen, and J. A. Franklin, president of the poiier- | makers, were in Kansas City. | Each of these, according to state-' ment made by one, will notify the mem hers of his own trade as soon as the time and hour for the Walhout dre | agreed upon The men will then be notified of the hour and the strike will | then begin automatically l Mr Kline said tonight: l "We have had a reply from Mr. | Kruttschnitt and it was not satisfac- | tory. MT. Kruttschnitt insists that the l trea tment of the men is such that he 1 wonders why they should want to | strike He does not see why they in- sist on raising questions on new is
 sues.
 | '''rhe men stand on their former po- sition They will not recede. The mat 1 ter of wages is an after considerations
 The men are simply demanding the
 right to deal with the railroad as an unit meeting them on equal terms | "The Missouri. Kansas and Texas line men arc out and the blacksmith union refuse to work with non-union men at l their shops in Dennison, Tex, Sedan Mo- Parsons, Kas., and San AntoniA Tex. | IT believe that the impending strike will spread to all roads in the west las fast as the roads refuse to accept the federation. There is crisis be-
 tween labor and capital, and it will have to be fought out. l The position the road takes is arr bitrary. MT. Kruttschnitt writes If wages and the splendid pension sys- | tenn of the Hartman lines He says ], nothing of the objectional physical ex- | aminations the present record system . CONTINUED ON FACE 8