Strike bulletin. (Clinton, Ill.) 1913-1915, 1913-08-19
Men Are Not Returning to Work.

la view al the fact that officials OF the com.
fany have repeatedly made statements through
the press that no etrke exists on the Pefe Mar
quette. also that conditions are normal, We,
the striking employees ui SAID railroad at Sag
iuaw. issue the following statement,
)ui at approximately 5l4 organized men
VIII" went un strike MAY - at the Saginaw
,h"p>. We can report but single desertiun
thereby reiutIng the statements made from
time To- time by +. NJ. officials that the men
are descrting and returning to work
out oi approximately loo men who went
| on strike ON the Pere Marquette lines IN the
state oi Michigan, our records show but seven
do>trtions to date. still further rcfu,Ing th.
statements made by officials from tune To tim.
that many men are deserving and returning to
work
We desire the public to know that the r NJ
officials representing the receivers had stated
tn the shopmen> committee prior To the strike
that an increase IN wages impos sible ow-
lng to the financial condition af the road they
have since the strike granted very substantial
increases to the engineers and tIrrmcn
Since the inception ot the.ostrike repeated
eii"ri> upon the part ot the men on strike.
their representatives and the mayor, OF Grand
Rapids and Saginaw with committee al city
o"unellmen OF the above named cities and the
L NJ officials and the striking employes'
Grand Lodge representatives for the maohinsts
met Mr. J. II Alfred and Sup,. Mulhern at
Grand Rapids. May 80, but hs request Tor a
conference was declined Grand lodge repre-
sentative fof the boilefmakers feQueste a con-
ference by communication June }, which was
also declined. A commune alton Tom the
men and their representative on June IA also
met with a refusal
On June IL at Lansing. and June IL at De
,roit. respectively personal application by the
mayors and committees of city councilmen of
Saginaw and Grand Rapids, with the city at
torney from Iona failed to secure a confer
ence ior the striking employees
On July 81, Assistant Secretary of Labor
Lewis Freeman Post Of Washington. ID. {. en-
dcayorcd Ia secure meeting with the = NJ
officials for the grand lodge presidents of the
crafts on strike which also met with refusal
Considering the numerous efforts to secure
a conference and the persistent refusals OF the
officials representing the receivers we cannot
but feel that the =. NJ officials are opposed to
an amicabe settlement of the controversy. We
at this time emphatioally state that the striking
employees have always been and are now, ready
to meet the officials of the Pere Marquette
railroad IN conference for the purpose Of bring
my out a satisfactory settlement of this strike.
Since the inception OF this strike, we. the
striking employees. have endeavored at all times
to comply with the federal injunction which
tion of the strike. but of which We had no
Official notification And we cite two instances
where striking employees have been charged
with contempt. one resulting IN conviction
before Judge Tuttle at Detroit. and the other
IN an aoquittal before Judge Sessions at Grand
Rapids
Authorized by the executive board through
the secretary. w Mckay.