Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-07
Thorpe Replies Tartly to
Mayor Meals Statements

In discussing Mayor Meals recent
interviews John j. Thorpe vice presi-
dent of the Amalgamated Association
OF Street and Electric Railway EN-
ployes of America, and the local or
| ganiZer for Harrisburg's trolleymen
to-day said:
IF the employees do not want to be
organized, can you tell me how anyone
is going to organize them? On the
other hand, If they do want to be or
ganlzed, these tactics now being used
by Mr.. Musser and some of the city
officials are we'll calculated to scare
them from 1t. but they are not to be
probably means Is that the men do not
want raise in pay or, rather, the
company does not wish to grant it.
After five years of constant attention
TO business, If his health holds out and
he keeps his Job, a Harrisburg motor
man or conductor may get &c cents
per hour. The extra man will work
for p cents per hour. Barn and shop
men only get from 13 u cents per hour
TO about 10 cenus per hour. Consider
ing the cost of living in Harrisburg,
this is by all odds the worst record that
any company has got Why, it is a
wonder that the Harrisburg Railways
Company does not demand that a
man must pay them to be permitted to
work for such generous corporation.
1t is just about enough to starve to
death on, and III order to earn living
the men work overtime at disastrously
long hours.
These conditions would be impos-
slole when the men are organized, anu
that is one of the reasons why Mr..
Musser doesn't want his employees to
organize.
Il wish to say that we don't want
strikes. have done my best to avoid
a strike here in this city; my organ
ization always stands for arbitration
This has been and is a uniform rule
of our organization. When the COM
pany's reply was that there is nothing
to arbitrate-coolly informs us that
we have no grievances and they will
therefore consider none-why, then, of
course, there is nothing to do but
strike, which we were forced to do
here.
But wherever the union is we'll es-
tablished we don't have strikes. Both
companies and men have learned bet
ter. We have our joint conferences
and we make UP the best contract we
can agree upon, leaving disputed
points to arbitration.
What we mean by recognition of
the union is simply that the officials
of the company shall confer with COM
mlttees OF the men. Then we are will
ing that every question in dispute shall
be settled by arbitration. 1t doesn't
mean that the company shall have to
treat with us allen agitators, as the
company and others term us. Our
union laws insist that each COM
mittee shall be elected by employees of
the company concerned. We do not
come around unless the committee and
the company or management cannot
reach an understanding, and then we
come only in an advisory capacity.
Remember, also, that recognition
of the union does not mean a closed
shop. 1t still leaves the company free
to hire nonunion men. All it does is
to secure representation to the en-
ployes. When that is secured, arbi-
tratio nthen is possible. Until it is Sc
cured the employees are entirely out of
court.
Here in Harrisburg the men have
not only been denied representation,
but they have been denied the right to
talk about it individually among them
selves. Any union agitation, when dis
covered by the company, has been sup
pressed by the company. The funda-
mental right of free speech has been
made a crime and the culprits have
been sentenced indeterminately to un-
and starvation.
I'm a traction strike So per cent. of
the public general favors the strikers.
They do this because of the inhumanly
Ions hours railway men are known to
work. When another sort of working
man goes to work he often recognizes
the conductor on the car he takes.
When he comes home he recognizes