The daily sentinel., 1914-07-24
WHY RAILWAY
STRIKE LIKELY
The Enginemens Committee Make a
Statement of Their Contentious
to the Public.

To the public: Enginemens Com
mite state their contentious.
The attention of the public Is re-
spectfully called TO some facts in con-
nection with this controversy. Out
Of every one hundred engineers pro-
noted. exceedingly few enter the cab
OF a locomotive as a regular passen-
ger engineer, and not many become a
regular freight engineer thus indi-
eating the terrible rate at which the
work Of selection cuts into the great
numbers OF men who seek employ
ment on locomotives.
This rapid work Of elimination is
brought about by the exacting phys
ioal examinations that men working
in engine service are subjected to. to-
gether with the large per cent that
are killed and manned. and those who
find themselves unable to withstand
the hardships and exposures of the
service
increased responsibilities have pill
ed upon the engineman in proportion
to the sizes and weights of engines
and trains and further eNactions by
way OF improved safety appliances
Wftch have also added to the labor
and responsibility of the englneman.
/ ~ 80 fA' hhN'AAN VI tue bl0tk SIGNAL.
and other appliances. many railroads
have introduced a system of SUNRISE
tests that add materially TO the al
ready nerve-raClliug work of engine
men. In this connection II should
understood that enginemen do not
object to such practical tests as will
demonstrate their efficiency and
their desire to observe the rules
These increased burdens. together
I with the greatly increased cost OF
Z living. were the causes that induced
the enginemen in the western terri
tory to make certain requests upon
the managers of the western rail-
roads. These requests carried mod
crate increases in rates and some
improVement in working rules that
I have for their purpose the standard
iZation of wages and working contli-
tons, which were to be revisions and
additions to the present schedule and
rules governing enginemen i'm the
western territory. When these re-
quests were submitted to the mana
gers of western railroads, instead of
meeting their enginemen and handl-
ing these requests as had been the
custom In the past, they terminated
all agreements in the western terri
tory and submitted a counter-propo-
sition that had for its purpose the
complete revolution of the system Of
I compensation and the rules govern
ing the handling of men that had re
! qulred mere than thirty years to
build up,
The committee of enginemen met
the oommittee of general managers
in early February and several months
OF conference followed, in which the
| propositions Of both sides were dis
cussed. In these conferences the
general managers committee was not
only unwilling to grant a single re-
quest made by the engiuemen. but
were SO insistent upon enforcing the
obnoxious rules that there was moth
ing left to do but to break off nego-
tiatious and place the whole matter
before the enginemen and ascertain
/ through their EXPRESSED vote their
acceptance or rejection Of the propo-
sition of the general managers COM
mittee. This having been done. the
vote OF the men is practically unani-
nous in their rejection of the general
managers proposition.
Much as locomotive enginemenn
deplCre a strike they gave this
Unanimous expression in the honest
H'AtSi tu"t t"e NeaA me ol tnelf or
ganiZations and the wages and condI-
tions that had required thirty wears
TO build un wis at stake. and that
this strike vote was their only wea-
non of defense against an impendIne
disaster in the form Of sweeping
Production in pay by the elimination
of rules long in effect, and the in
PRODUCTION of working rules that
would make possible abuses that
would be unbcarahle
The mon feel that they are not
only entitled to maintain such condi-