Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-07
HOW STRIKE VOTE
IS CARRIED OUT
Railway Age Gazette in An
Editorial Shows Where Points
Have Been Overlooked

Although scattered reports from
various parts of the country indicate
that many of the engineers, firemen,
conductors and other trainmen are
not in favor of strike" says the
Railway Age Gazette. in an editorial
in its current issue, lit is evident that
the officers of the brotherhoods of
train employees are not neglecting any
precautions to insure the result they
want from the strike vote they are
taking.
After having so worded the strike
ballot as to give the employees no op-
portunity to vote on the question of
arbitration, and as almost to preclude
negative vote regarding a strike, the
executives of the organizations have
issued instructions for the purpose of
preventing any of their members from
indicating that they are satisfied with
their jobs by refraining from votin4.
The circular letter of instructions for
the taking of the strike vote, issued
to the general chairmen, local chair
men, lodges and divisions of the four
brotherhoods, and signed by their
chief executives, includes the follow
ing (words in black our own):
Duties of Chairmen
" 1T will be the duty of all general
and local chairmen to use their best
efforts in securing a full and COM
plete vote. 1t should be understood
that all members holding seniority
rights or actually employed in service
affected by this movement will be re-
quired to vote.
In taking the vote, the local
chalrmen will insist that the person
voting read the ballot before signing
same, but under no circumstances will
he be permitted to take it away with
him. After signing the ballot, have
him detach it, place in envelope, seal
same and deliver it to the person
authorized to take the vote, who shall
write the name of the person voting
on the outside of the envelope. No
influence should be used to induce him
to sign one way or the other.
Caution to Members
Members will undoubtedly be ap-
preached by officials and others for
the purpose of gaining information.
All members are cautioned against Civ
ing out information or discussing the
questions involved
"In spite of the naive instruction
against using influence" the Gazette
continues, ut is not strange that strike
votes taken under such conditions
usually demonstrate such remarkable
unanimity The ballots on which the
employees are asked to sign a promise
to throw up their jobs, in the pres
ence of a committee chairman and
WilLOuI hloSdoSlib ZIG QueSIiOHS III
vclved, reads as follows: 7 have per-
sonally read the foregoing statement
and believe the request for an eight
hour basis day with time and one
half time for all overtime worked in
all except passenger service a just de-
mand, and hereby authorize the chief
executives and general chairmen of
the B. L. E, B. l.. F. & E., o. r. c.
and B. r. T. to act as my agents or
attorneys in dealing for a settlement
of these questions, and If the said
chief executives and general chairmen
are unable to otherwise effect set
tlement satisfactory to them, hereby
cast my vote (for or against)
STRIKE
while it is, of course, possible for
an employe to vote that the demand
is Just and to authorize the leaders
to represent him, while at the same
time casting his vote against q strike,
it is apparent that no such result was
contemplated when the ballot was
written"