Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1914-08-05
CAUSE OF THE
IMPENDING STRIKE
(Fron Saturdays Daily.)
published By Request.J

Out of every one hundred engineers
promoted, exceedingly few enter the
cab of a locomotive as regular
passenger engineer, and not many
become a regular freight engineer,
thus indicating the terrible rate at
which the work of selection cuts
into the great numbers or men who
seek employment on locomotives.
This rapid work of elimination is
brought about by the exacting ply
steal examinations that men working
in engine service are subjected to,
together with the large per cent
that are killed and MANNED, and
those who find themselves unable
to withstand the hardships and ex-
posures of the services.
Increased responsibilities have
piled upon the engineman in pro-
portion to the sizes and weights
of engines and trains and further
exactions by way of improved safety
appliances which have also added
TO the labor and responsibility of
the engineman. With the advent
of the block singal, and other ap-
pliances, many railroads have intro
duced system of surprise tests
that add materially to the already
nerve-racking work of enginemen.
In this connection it should be I'M
derstood 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
with the greatly increased cost of
living, were the causes that induced
the enginemen in the Western Ter
ritory 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
have for their purpose the standard
ization of wages and working condi-
tons, which were to be revisions
and additions to the present
schedul and rules governing en-
ginemen in the western territory.
When these requests were sub
mitted to the managers of western
railroads INSTEAD of meeting their
enginemen and handling these re-
quests as had been the custom in
! the past, they terminated all agree
ments in the western territory and
submitted a counter-proposition that
had for its purpose the complete
revolution of the system of COM
pensation and the rules governing
the handling of men that had re-
quired more than thirty years to
build up.
The committee of enginemen met
the committee of general managers
in early February and several
months of conference followed, in
which the propositions of both sides
were discussed. In these confer
ences the general managers COM
mittee was not only unwilling to
grant single request made by the
enginemen, but were so insistent
upon enforcing their obnoxious rules
that there was nothing left to do
but to break off negotiations and
place the whole matter before the
enginemen and ascertain through
their expressed vote their accept
ance or rejection OF the proposition
of the general managers committee.
This having been done. the vote of
the men is practically unanimous in
their rejection of the general man
ayers proposition.
Much as locomotive enginemen
deplore a strike, they gave this I'M
animous expression in the honest
belief that the very life of their
organization and the wages and
conditions that had required thirty
years to build up was at stake and
that this strike vote was their only
weapon OF defense against an i'm
pending disaster in the form of
sweeping reduction in pay by the
elimination of rules long in effect,
and the introduction of working
rules that would make possible
abuses that would be unbearable.
The men feel that they are not
only entitled to maintain such con-
ditions and agreements as have been
demonstrated to be necessary to
prevent abuses, but that they are
entitled to some relief from the in
creasing hardships that are con-
stantly coming to them through the
introduction of heavier power. and
greater exactions on the part of
operating officials
The last general wage movement
of the engineers and fremen in