Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-12-11
GIRLS JOIN CRUSADE To
ORGANIZE WHEELING WORKERS


That the union girls of Wheeling
have Joined heartily in the movement
to organize the wage workers OF
Wheeling was made manifest at the
meeting of the General Committee last
Wednesday night when Miss Kathryn
Councilman, Miss Margeret Armbrus.
ter, Miss Kathleen Kenney, Mrs. Kath-
crime Hoff, Mrs NJ, Vaas, Miss Emelia
Drummer, Mrs. Harry Boord and Mrs.
Rose Quigley favored the committee
by their presence.
They came as the representatives of
Tobacco Shippers Proteetoratei Union
No. l, and were heartily welcomed by
the male delegates. Talks were made
by Chairman LaFlaIn and Delegates
Hilton, Bartlebaugh, Sprouse, Craig
and others showing the necessity of
women's participation in the organiza-
ton movement, and these were respon-
ded to by Miss Councilman, Mrs. Boord
and others.
The ladies promised to give their
best assistance and to start off by Visi-
ting the Laundry Workers at their
next meeting and endeavoring to in
terest the girl members of that organi-
cation to a greater extent in the move.
ment. It was brought out that thous-
ands of women and girls are working
in the Wheeling district under wage
and con, atoms that are far below that
which could be secured through the
protection of unionism, and against
which they are helpless because of
the ladies' have Joined the movement
r. 10
looked for.
Permanent Organization
At the next regular meeting of the
committee, to be held in the Electrical
Workers hall. 1139 Market street, a
permanent organization will be formed.
It is earnestly desired that al this
meeting all delegates be present.
Experience Meeting
The gathering resolved itself into an
experience" meeting, various dele,
gates rising and giving brief accounts
of what their unicns had done for
their members. Delegate sSRrp1ce Of
the Firemen said:
Stationary. Ftsssseis
Before the union was organized
here iremen worked in the Wheeling
Electrical company plant IL hours a
day for $780, and the first year after,
organization an increase was secured
Of rs cents day with a reduction in
the hours from II to g."
Iron Workers
Delegate Bigelow of the Structural
Iron Workers, gave the same testi-
mony and added that his union would
heartily support the women workers,
although they were not afraid of the
women taking their jobs" The pic
ture of women in this hazardous occu-
patton brought a noticeable ripple.
: Street Railway Men
Delegate Clyde Bartlebaugh of the
Street Railway Men said that women
were taking the places of street car
conductors, and he wanted to see or
eganization spread among them to pro-
tect the women and girls in labor.
Before street car men were organi-
zed said Mr.. Bartlebaugh, they work
ed IA or Is hours to get the pay for 9.
Today take a car out at $50 A. M.
and am through at $3.50 P. M. Wages
have been raised from 10 cents per
hour to maximum in Wheeling of
% cents. We have secured legislation
which gave the moterman vestibule
front to protect him in the winter
weather, and now we have them to
protect US in the summer from the
rain. In the beneficial way our OF
ganization has done more for its mem
bers than probably any other; we pay
death benefit of as high as $l050.0e
and a sick benefit of SIS per week.
Printers
DELEGATE Chambers of the Printers
said The Typographical Union took
the unorganized printer who was get
ting 50 for ten hours and gave him So
for hours. We maintain a home tE
aged and superannuated members, a
tuberculosis sanitarlum, sick and
death benefit and pay an old age pen
sion. No member of the Printers I'm
ION need ever fear that age and dis
ease will bring poverty and misery
to him and his
Railroad Trainmen
Austin McGrail said he belonged to
an erganization that had done more
for its members than probably any
other. I'VE pay $3.50 per month
dues which seems high until the ex-
Ira hazard of our occupation, for
about 81 of that is paid back every
month in benefits to injured and killed
members. Before the union was or
sanized trainman got $1.40 per day,
and the day was as long as it happened
to be; even Sc hours. Today he gets
$3.50 per day of ten hours, and as high
as SO cents per hour. He used to use
hand brakes, too, possibly because the
management thought that made him
strong. We can't get a closed shop
IN our line, for railroaders get killed
on so fast that we always have to be
taking on new men, but when a man
works six months at our trade we gen
orally induce Nm to join the union.
We need him and he needs US. As
one Illustration of the value of organi.
'-zation in our line might mention the
wage agreement just concluded with
the Pennsylvania and other eastern
roads, which brought to the members
an increase from to Is per. cent, to
falling Hs6,0O0,000 more in wages pei
Year" a. SO
Laundry Workers as
We have already noticed an i'm
prOv6ment in; nsiS.3 .cordi3in,Ss cold