New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-09
WHITE WINGS CO ON
STRIKE OVER NIGHT DUTY
Street Cleaners Quit Last Night,
Following Defiance by Mayor
in the Afternoon.
MORE PAY WANTED, ALSO
Reports from Stables Show Gar
bage Collectors in All Parts
of Greater City Refused
to Go to Work.

4 strike was begun by $500 drivers
/ and helpers last night when the 10
o'clock rollcall was sounded in twenty
! five stables of the Department of St.
Cleaning
This action came as the climax to
| threats OF a general strike among the
men of the department. owing to dis
satisfaction with night work. the hours
they are asked to labor and the amount
they receive for that labor. The drivers
and helpers. with the sweepers and
stablemen, are organized as Local No.
6JS of the international Brotherhood of
/ Teamsters, and the strike was decided
upon at a secret meeting held in
/ Murphy's Hall. 49th street and Eighth
avenue, on Sunday evening.
! George Prescott. business agent of the
union. said last night that if an attempt
were made to fill the places of the
strikers with sweepers $500 sweepers
will go out in sympathy.
The drivers and helpers will not work
tonight" he said, "and will report for
work tomorrow morning mt the regular
hour for day work. If they are put on
night work they will remain on strike
until their demands are granted.
Reports showed that the strike was
widespread in its area, declaring that the
men in The Bronx, Manhattan and the
distant points of Brooklyn had refused
to go to work when the rollcal sounded.
Men Quit in Brooklyn.
| In Brooklyn three hundred drivers
failed to report at the sixty-five stables
| throughout the borough at the night
/ rolcall. Groups Of disconnected men
| gathered in the vicinity of the stables
and discussed the situation, but at
tempted no violence. Patrolmen stood
guard all night al the stables, prepared
for any emergency Ninety men of
/ Stable A, which takes in the WallabOut
Market section Of Brooklyn. remained on
duty, and it is thought that they will be
able TO care for that section
1t will not be known whether the re-
naming 2lO men Of the total force Of
600 in Brooklyn will go on strike until
the morning rollcall is sounded this
morning
The first indication that the men were
in an ugly mood and that the strike
would not be without violence came last
night at Stable c., No A Hamilton
street, where a number OF strikers at
tempted to place pickets outside the
building Three patrOlmen of the Madi-
,a nil
that they would have to move on. and
the strikers, grumbling and angry. in
yaded a saloon and proceeded to make
merry.
The patrolmcn entered the place and
ordered the men into the street. This
caused a storm of protest, the strikers
suIlenly rescnting the interference Of the
police. In the midst of the hubbub one
Of the strikers shouted: "Ill shoot you"
This was sufficient for the police, and
they Immediately drew their revolvers
and charged the strikers.
In the mean time one Of the patrol
men had called the reserves, but 10y the
time they came down the street on the
run the street cleaners had scattered
into the side streets.
Commissioner Edwards said last night
that he could get plenty Of men who
were willing To do "A fair days work for
fair days pay. and he was authorized
TO start i'm with new men. He con-
tinued:
Il will begin tomorrow to hire men,
-. ,t..I ,.ft hoe
left matters in bad shape, ! believe that
b. the end Of tomorrow night we will
have cleared away most of the accumu-
lation of ashes and garbage. The sweep
ei ; will not he put 10 work as drivers.
will get new men,
He denied emphatcally that while the
Mayor wanted night work he was willing
TO abolish IT, Both were i'm accord as to
niCht work, and il would not be abol-
ished. He said it would be useless for
the strikers to apply for work this morn
ing. They would not be put to work.
"strike if You WISH" Says Mayor.
William H. Ashton. general organizer II
the international Teamsters' Union, ac-
companied by a delegation from the union
men among the sweepers, stable men and
hostlors in the Street Cleaning Department,
saw Mayor Gaynor Yesterday afternoon
and i'm diplomatic language told him that
they would strike in case their demands
for the return Of the day system Of col
lection cf garbage and ashes were not met
The MAYOR heard them through and then
I'm language which had none Of the circum
locution OF diplomacy i'm it told the dele
cation 10 go back and say to their fellows
that their demand could not be- granted
and that they could strike just as soon as
they thought best.
Then the Mayor wrote a letter 20 Com
missioner Edwards. i'm which he expressed
the desire that the men be oil'ciliy nollhed
tbat they could quit as soon as they likeG.
t,t they must understand that none Of the
strikers would ever get back into the en-