The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-25
TROLLEY EMPLOYES
INSIST ON WAGE
INCREASES
Big Meeting at Worcester Was
Held Last Night
COMPROMISE is REJECTED
Berkshire System Men viii Be Gov
erned by Action at Worcester
and Springfield

Springfield, Mass, May 25.-The
Worcester Trolleymen's union, follow
ing the example Of the Springfield
trolleymens union Thursday night un
animously rejected the new wage
agreement offered by the Worcester
Consolidated lines and Endorsed the
action of the New England trolley
mems joint conference board at Hart
ford Wednesday which insisted upon
fat rate of 80 cents an hour for all
motormen and conductors on all lines
in Massachusetts, and Connecticut,
directly or indirectly under the innu-
ences of the New Haven railroad.
The action of the Worcester troll
leymen last evening places the troll
leymen on all lines controlled by the
New England investment and security
company in Massachusetts and the
| New Haven railroad in Connecticut
on record as opposed to the compro-
mise wage scale submitted by the
new agreement which is to be entered
into by the trolleymen and the Wor-
cester Consolidated, the Springfield,
the Holyoke, Northampton and the
Berkshire street railway companies.
The action of the Massachusetts
trollymen's unions was taken in con-
junction with the action taken by
the trolley lines affected in Connect
cut, all Of which rejected the com
promise rate of 271a cents an hour
and demanded fat rate of 80 cents.
/ The action taken by the Massachu-
catto apd ronnootio,,t froiIavnnap in
wolves approximately 1000 employees.
The action taken by the Worcester
trolleymens union last evening was
considered very important by all the
other unions in Western Massachu
sets. The Worcester union is the
largest in the western part OF the
state, having almost 1000 members.
and is considered the most influential
body in the present wage controversy.
The entire situation practically hing
ed upon the action which 1t took last
evening. Had the men accepted the
agreement, 1t would have meant that
all the other unions would sooner or
later have passed favorably upon the
compromise agreements offered them.
AS it now stands, the action of the
New England trolleymen's joint con-
ference board has been unanimously
sustained and the wage dispute is
now up to President l.. S. Storrs of
the Connecticut Consolidated proper
ties and President ]. T. Harmer OF
the New England securities and In
vestment company. At the meeting
of the joint conference board in Hart
| ford Wednesday II was requested that
a meeting of these two officials and
the conference board take place not
later than Monday for a considera-
ton OF the demands made by the I'M
ions for an increase in wages and a
change in working conditions. Both
these officials were requested to reply
yesterday, and although 1t was not Of
ficially given out, 1t is understood that
the boards request for conference
has been granted.
The conference board will insist
that the same wage scale be in force
among the men employed on all the
street railway lines operated under
the New Haven road. Since all the
employees on these lines have rejected
the proposition to make the maximum
wage 27Is cents an hour.