The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-07-01
RAILROAD WORKERS
VOTING ON STRIKE
Eight Hour Day Question Brings
Decisive Action ,,,-' Four
Brotherb Statah Sta; ahtstor;..
BALLOT DECIDED UPON
AFTER CONFERENCE FAILS
F, If Walkout Is Declared 400, 900
Employees In U. s. Will
Quit Jobs.

NEW 4OHh, July 1.-The four
:reat railroad brotherhoods are now
ballotlng on the question of whether
or nots to strike for an s-hour day
with fme and half pay for over
time work. More than 100000 men
will vote in. this referendum and
when the voting is completed the
chatrmen Of the general. adjustment
committees Of the four brotherhoods
will come 20 New York for the count
i ing OF the votes. The chaairmen and
the officers of the four unions will
meet in New York about, August 1
for the vote count and a second con-
Terence with the National Conference
committee representing the railroads
of the United States
The general strike balloting fol-
lows the unsuccessful efforts Of the
brotherhoods to get their demands
accepted at a conference that began
in New York City, June 1. The rail-
road managers presented counter
proposition that was not acceptable
to ts officers Of the brotherhoods, so
the conferees broke up after two
weeks of discussion.
Strike Sentiment Strong. =
appears
to be strong in all parts of the coun-
try, although the brotherhoods have
never been through a general strike.
The last big strike in the railroad in
dustry was in the summer of 1894
when the American Railway union,
headed by Eugene V. Debs, tied up
the railroads in the west for 50 days.
That strike waas the most bitterly
fought of any labor uprising in the
history of the nation.
Federal troops were sent to Chi
cago by President Cleveland to break
the strike. It was in this strike that
the workers of the United States saw
how completely the power Of money
had secured control of the courts and
all the machinery of the states and
nation. Governor Altgeld stood alone
in illinois in his determination to give
the workers a square deal.
- Whether the-railroad magnates will
call out the federal troops to drive
the strikers back to work, or wheth-
er they will be called into the militia
organizations Of the separate states
and ordered to run the trains like the
strikers of France were forced back
to work is more than any railroad
union official can predict.
Easy to Win Strike.
Grand Chief Warren S. Stone, of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers, says the railroad brother
hoods will be able to win the strike
with ease because the magnates will
DE unable to procure strike breakers.
There are not enough skilled men in
the nation to take the places of the
100000 brotherhood men if they quit.
The other officers of the brother
hoods, who will lead in the negotia-
tions with the conference committee
in about 80 days and who will lead
in the general strike, if there is one,
are President Austin B. Garretson, of
the Order of Railway Conductors;
President Carter, of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Firemen and Engine
men, and President w. G.. Lee, of the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen.
These officers are at their head
quarters now, waiting for reports of
the balloting on all the railroads of
the United States. They have made
it very plain to the railroad managers
that they will not tolerate interfer-
ence with any of the local chairmen
who are voting the men. Although
Elisha Lee, assistant general manag-
ero Of the Pennsylvania railroad, has
assured the brotherhoods that their
members will not be harassed during
the voting, close watch is being
kept on them. If railroad workers
are disseminated against there is a
possibility of strikes to avenge the
wrongs.