Denver labor bulletin., 1916-04-08

OF the Wabash. The officials refused to
give us contract, giving as an excuse
that there were more brakemen on the
road than switChmen. This was never
claimed by any other railroad. But the
offices OF the officials from the super.
intendent to the president, We're open
all the time to adjust differences with
the one exception that the company
would not make contract. Prior to
1912 the officials always told our com
mittee that they had no contract with
anyone but merely agreements. In 1912
the Brotherhood OF Trainmen, thru their
general chairman, signed a contract for
the yards.
Trainmen Work for Less.
'In 1910 we established the present
Chicago standard OF wages and it was
applied to practically all the railroads,
with the exception of the Wabash,
which, in 1912, signed with the Trainmen
for second and third class pay at below
the standard we set two year before
that.
"In the month of November they took
a poll OF the system and it showed that
6S per cent OF the men signed their sig
natures that they wanted the switch
men to legislate for them. Yet a con-
tract effective the first of January OF
this year promised IS per cent Of the
men in the yards TO the trainmen and
in that agreement they classify nine
yards below the standard set by the
Switchmen's Union in Chicago six years
ago.
'Tn Detroit the newspapers have told
of the great eight hour movement. They
promised the Switchmen an eght-hour
day for ten hours pay with time and
half for overtime. Yet the Trimmer
signed this contract for one year-to
1916. Two years ago they granted n
penny an hour increase for switchmen
and it was to run until the first Of this
year. when the agreement with the train
men in which IS per cent of the men were
guaranteed to that organization would
go into effect despite the fact that this
would force the men to join an organiza.
tion obnoxious to them and ono which
would compel them to work at a rate
below the award granted them. There
is not another railroad of this North
American continent that has a percentage
agreement for railroad men with the
b. r. T.
Fighting for Majority Right
"1he reason the Wabash has signed
keep the yoke of oppression on the
switchmen and keep them at work at a
low rate of pay. We are fighting for
the right of the majority to legslate for
themselves and in opposition to a plan
where the minority in yard has elected
to have contract to make the majority
in the yards work below the standard of
wages. Is there any sincerity in a
scheme of that kind which would make
the men in Kansas City, st. Louis, Chi
cago, Toledo and Detroit, which are the
great switching centers, work for less.
There is no sincerity, no justice, in n
move of that kind.
Switchmen Help Others.
'Tn 1914 the B. R. T. in Chicago had
grievance. They took strike vote and
were turned down by the general man.
ager. When / arrived in Chicago the
last word had been said and it was III
to the B. r. T. to strike. If they did
strike it would involve 1000 of our mem
bers. In two hours and thirty minutes
the general manager settled with the
b. r. 7. after / told him that our men
would go on strike to back them up.
In 1914 Vice President Whitney of the
b. r. T.. told an audience in the Chi
cago Masonic Temple that if the B. R. T.
claimed the credit of that victory they
would be ingrates, and he declared,
pointing to me, there is the man who
saved the day.
"In December, 1915, there was a strike
on the belt railway of Chicago of the
engineers and firemen. We had ma
iority of the men, but when they struck
they didn't consult the Switchmen's
Union, but our men stopped work to n
man. Now in Chicago, Rickerts, who
said after the 1914 Masonic Temple