The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-16

alone.
There Is no idea" he said. "of a
strike. You will not strike against the
safety OF your own homes for that is
what strike would be. But you have
got TO improve your condition. and you
will seek every avenue to do IT," He
reminded the nremen Of President Will
sons message TO the A. F. OF L. conven-
ton In Buffalo. and said that no one
need hesitate in allying himself with an
organization which the President praised
SO highly.
No Danger From Voters.
will the voters stand for IT." he
asked. We'll. we can take a chance,
for most of the voters are workingmen."
President Guinness's final word to the
men was:
Deliver this message to the brothers
In the fire houses. They need fear
nothing. We are going to have full
publicity In the morning through the
newspaper that has SO greatly be-
rrtended us In the last six weeks. Zap
piause.1 IL It falls to my lot to have
my head chopped of 1 will live through
II. Greater men than I have lost their
lives In good lights.
Go back and tell the other men d.
rectly what has taken place here. Don't
listen to rumors. You know tho facts
once more. you men need fear nothing
III necessary you can all 60 out and get
Jobs In the shipyards."
Men of OIL Cities in Union.
The firemen, OF ninety-one American
cities have been unionized through the
international Association Of Fire Fight
ers New York makes the ninety second.
Among the other cities are Chicago, Phil
adelphia- st Louis, Boston, Pittsburg.
San Francisco. Los Angeles, Cincinnati,
Newark. Washington. Seattle, Jersey
City. Kansas City. Kan. and Kansas
City. Mo-; Portland. Ore. St. Paul.
Louisville. Columbus. Ohio: Oakland,
CAL; Memphis Scranton, Spokane.
Lowell. Cambridge. Tacoma. Albany,
Yonkers, Schenectady. Norfolk, Va. !;
Somerville. Mass st. Joseph, Mo. !;
Utica Troy. Peoria, East St Louis, Ill. {;
Halyoke. Mass; Charleston, s. c.;
Springfield. ILL.,: Chattanooga, Tenn !;
Mobile. Sioux City. Little Rock Pueblo.
Col, and Davenport, Ia.
In substantially all these cities, &C.
cording to labor representatives. the fire.
mon have been able to better their lot
through membership In the great labor
obtained the two platoon system, in some
higher wages. and in some cases both.
There have been no strikes for a strike
In hre department has been deemed
intolerable by city governments Fire
lighting is highly skilled profession. It
takes about four years to make a man
really competent TO meet any emergency.
There Is. OF course. no floating sup
ply OF this class Of labor. No city has
more firemen than II needs. and in case
OF strike It would be impossible to get
hremen strike breakers, for there are no
such persons.
1t Is said that in none OF the cities
whore the fremen are members of the
American Federation of Labor has a
strike even been threatened. BY the use
the firemen have been able to negotiate
with administrations and gain at least
compromise without threats.
FOR about two years agents OF the
American Federation OF Labor have been
trying to get the New York hremen to
Join. Until recently their overtures were
resisted. The officers Of the Uniformed
Ftremen's Association OF Greater New
York would not even let the A F. OF l..
spellbinders talk to the men.
UniOnists Finally Welcomed.
II It had not been for the aggravating
conditions in the department that have
appeared this year and the failure of
the Hylan administration to give any
assurance Of favorable response to the
petition for better wage the unionists
would stll be knocking at the door in
vain. But few days ago they sounded
the New York fremen again and found
them In receptive mood. Representa-
t!ves OF the International Association OF
Fire Fighters talked to the executive
committee of the New York association,
and under the circumstances their appeal
sounded so convincing to the committee
that It recommended to the delegates OF
the entire association tho action which
was taken last night
Before the agitation for a 10 per cent
salary Increase was formally launched
the firemen were disturbed by depart
ment order cutting their recreation time
in half. Instead of a day of In FIVE, or
six days of a month. they got a day
in ten, or three days of a month, begin
ming. July /.
From the standpoint OF Commissioner
brennan and Chief Kenlon this reduc-
ton was justified. The department has
become SO short handed through the
draft. designations. retirements and in
hoihtg " SSi LAG" tiltli thdt tiio
had to double up and do the work Of
those who had gone.
The firemen insist that II the city had
raised the salary scale and made II
worth while for men to stay in the de-
partment and new men to come in there
would have been no such emergency.
Nevertheless. when they were assured
that the elimination OF half OF their
days of was necessary as a wartime
measure and were asked to be good
soldiers and keep on the Job they as
scented.
Meanwhile their superiors organized
the volunteer system. whereby enough
patriotic citizens are supposed to devote
a night each week to fire duty to re-
lieve the regulars OF incessant duty.
This system Is still on trial. 1t was
started on July 1 and is in the expert
mental stage. The firemen rather thought
that at the outset they would receive
assurance that after a certain definite
time their one day of in five would be
restored. but they have heard nothing
along this line.
One Day on in Ten.
Under the present schedule each fire.
man passes at least twenty hours a day
on duty. living and sleeping in tho fire.
house. with four hours of for meals II
he lives near enough to his home to go
back and forth. and the tenth day he
may pass with his family. This sched-
ule is what the resolution adopted last
night refers to when It says "the uni
formed firemen find themselves working
under conditions that existed when the
paid Fire Department was organized in
1865" 1t was abandoned long ago in
favor OF the day in five system, and