Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-09-22
Increase in Pay Of Two Cents
an Hour is Demanded of
Company by Employees
HUGE FAIR CROWDS THERE
Decision to Go Out Reached at
Great Meeting Of Men Without
One Dissenting Vote

Detroit, Mich, Sept. 20.-Fifteen
thousand employees of the Detroit
United Railway Company went on
strike at $40 o'clock this morning
and no street car Is running in the
city. The men get %, Is and %
cents an hour. They ask Is and 80
cents an hour.
Last night the leaders of the local
street car mems association took up
headquarters In Knights of Labor
Hall, Fort and I'd streets, and as soon
as crews finished their respective
runs they marched to the hall. Just
as dawn was breaking hun
dreds of the men, still wearing their
uniforms, came marching in every
direction toward the hall.
Practically all of the men were at
the meeting this morning." said one
of the men. "Only about fifty were
absent. There was not dissenting
vote on the strike proposition
Trudge to Work
Out through the great factory dis
tricts in the north, east and west
end a great army of working men
trudged down the center of the
streets this morning on deserted car
tracks. In vague way it was un-
derstood that a strike was under
way. Shouts came from those who
had been through the business cen
ter and had heard the news. From
mouth to mouth word was passed.
Factories that on ordinary days
swing shut their doors with the
warning blast of the whistles kept
the gates wide open until late hour
waiting for the struggling workmen.
State fair officials were out early,
anxious and worried about the con-
ditions at the fair grounds. With
the big fair under way only two days
and with thousands of people ex-
pected today and all the rest of the
week, it means to them great loss.
The men are asking for raise of
2 cents an hour, and when the COM
pany at one point in the conference
asked whether the union would con-
slider thirteen-hour day at the new
schedule they offered to try the hours
for thirteen days, and at that point
in the negotiations the matter was
dropped. The action stood good in
yesterdays deliberations, but the
company declined to accept it and
insisted that if the question of wages
was to be considered at all the men
must accept thirteen-hour schedule
without trial.
Scale Of Wages
The wages at present are % cents
an hour for men who have worked
less than six months, rs cents for
those who have worked less than
eighteen months and % cents for
those who have worked more than
eighteen months The increase which
the men ask would make the maxi
mum wage 80 cents and the mini
mum Is cents.
Out of the 2,400 men employed by
the road LOO are members of the
association. The remaining 700 are
men who have been employed by the
company for less than ninety days
and who are not entitled to men,
bership until they have worked that
length of time. The men assert,
however, the 700 will go out.
Detroit has not had street car
strike since 1891, when the men
went out because the company would
not recognize their organization or
grant their demand for an increase
of 3 cents in their schedule. The
trouble lasted only two days and was
a victory for the men.