Denver labor bulletin., 1918-06-29
PARIAH AMONG u. S. COR
PORATIONS IN DEFIANCE
OF GOV ERNM ENT.
Discharge of Employees for Join.
ing Commercial Telegraphers
Union Is To Be Basis for d.
Court Action and Vigorous
Prosecution Expected.

Following an appeal to President
Wilson. in behalf Of discharged en-
ployes Of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, James r. holland,
secretary Of state. and w. L. Morris
sey, labor commissioner. are prepared
to submit to District Attorney Foley
all facts in connection with the un-
lawful discharge of operators for join
ing the Commercial TeleRraphers
Union Of America.
The telegram to the President of
the United States accused the West
ern Union of wilful violation Of the
Colorado nnti-coercion law, and asked
the chief executive to prevent further
eurtailment Of the rights and liberties
Of American citizens
For more than two months Commits
sioner Morrissey has withheld action
against the Western Union. n COM
pany that is now looked upon as n
United States corporations; n COM
pany which has not only defied the
war labor board. but calmly turned
down the President. who appealed to
IL to do its share TO prevent industrial
strife during the period Of the war.
y An Inhuman Corporation
A few days after the Western Union
had received the urgent appeal of the
President TO permit its men to join
a lawful labor organization. the COM
pany in Denver discharged n young
man who was the sole support Of n
widowed mother and who refused to
be coerced into returning his union
card. and rcpudiate the telegraphers
organization In letter to the head
Of the telcgraphers in Chicago.
The dismissal Of the Denver en-
ploycs Of the Western Union is the
most aggravated case the state labor
commissioner has had TO deal with in
years. and believing that the Western
Union would agree to permit its men
union was formed in Denver early in
April.
Violated State Law.
An open meeting was held in the
Club building, officers were elected
and arrangements made 10 conduct the
affairs of the local in n conservative
and business-like manner. In less
than week after the open meeting
the local officials Of the Western Union
began TO weed out the men who had
the courage to attend the gathering
and attach their name to a union
card.
F. NJ. Nelms, 500 st. Paul street;
II. A. Beglcy. 1882 Gilpin street, who
has since died; Harold II. Grabow,
4531 West Twenty ninth avenue, and
C. p. Garry, 4540 West Thirty-third
avenue, were dismissed the latter part
of April. In each case Chief Operator
Myers Of the Western Union informed
Nk,N kuI 1AA
for "unsatisfactory service"
In the case Of Nelms II wns proved
that the operator had been given an
increase Of $40 per month on April 1.
because his ability had been under
rated by the company when he went
to work. The chief operator ad-
mitted that his work was so good
that he was entitled to the increase.
Discharged Man Dies.
Nelms asked for n clearance card
from the company after eight years
service, but was refused. In an afii-
davit he states, as do other discharged
employees, that there was no doubt
that he was let out for attending a
union meeting.
In the case Of Begley, II is shown
that on May 4, when he reported for
work as Office messenger, he was
called to Chief Operator Meyers desk,
told that his services were not salts
factory, and given his time.
Begley was taken i'll shortly after
presenting his complaint to the labor
commissioner and died following
brief illness.
A week before Harold II. Grabow
was discharged for Unsatisfactory
service" He was called in by Night
Chief Operator Lyons, who notified
him that he had requested an increase
in salary. The voucher received by
Grabow when he was dismissed car
ried this increase, yet the company
had the unmitigated gall to notify
him, as II had the others, that "un-
satisfactory service" was the cause
Of his being detached from the pay
roll.