The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-05-23
DEMAND new WAGE SCALE
Street Ry. and Other Service Of Com
pany is Badly Interfered With But
Strike Fails to Develop Bitterness
Co. Ready to Pay But Cant

Public utility service in Kenosha, in
Guiding gas, electricity and the street
railway, was badly interfered with this
morning when more than hundred of
the employees Of the Wisconsin Gas
and Electric Company walked ont at
tor demand for increased wages. The
street railway service was entirely
shut off for several hours and opera
tions of other lines of business of the
company were badly interfered with.
The strike included the motormen
and conductors of the street cars, cleo
tric and gas plant and line workers
and a number of clerks employed in
the general Offices of the company.
Forty employees of the company,
mostly heads of departments, remained
at work and managed to keep the
service going in all departments save
the street railway service. Just after
nine clock two of the older motor
men employed by the company respond
ell to call TO keep service going pend
inc an adjustment of wage claims and
two ears we're put into service. Later
in the day other ears were put into
seivlce Uas5 g..e ssT,sco was decidedly
interrupted and irregular.
The walk out OF the men and women
employees of the company followed the
fling by the labor adjustment of the
Employees Mutual Benefit Association,
Of demand for readjustment Of the
wages paid to all employees of the com
pany in Kenosha. The railway work
ers asked that they be put on the same
scale Of wages as have been paid by
the Milwaukee company to the men in
that city. Other employees of the com
Tany asked for various changes in
wages and it was declared that the
average demand for increase was in tho
neighborhood of ten per cent. The
motormen asked that they be given the
thirty-fve cents an hour now paid by
the company in Milwaukee. They had
been receiving from twenty-five to
thirty-two cents an hour. The con-
ductoresses, who also walked out, ask
ed that they be given an increase in,
keeping with the adjustment plan.
Strike without Bitterness.
There was no display of bitterness
in the strike. The officials of the com
pany and the men and women employees
talked freely over the matter. The
employees held that they would like to
meet the demand for an increase. They
asked for time to work out some plan
for general increase in the compensa-
tion of all employees of the company.
General Manager D. E. Calendar
reached Kenosha from Racine within
few minutes after the strike had been
inaugurated. He brought with him
small company Of workers who took
care of emergency line work which was
made necessary by the storm during the
night. There was no attempt ON the
part of the striking employees to in
terfere with the work of these men.
Calendar Asks Time.
"We want it distinctly understood
that we feel no bitterness against the
railway employees or any of the other
employees who have gone out this
morning, said Mr.. Calendar. "We
appreciate the fact that it is hard for
them to live on the wages that they
are receiving at this time and we are
hopeful that we can find some way to
make a readjustment They should
have more money, but the earnings of
the company will not permit the pay
ment of more money. The people will
not stand for zone man cars, they
wouldn It ride if the rate of fare was
increased to six cents and there is not
money enough coming in to meet the
operating expenses of the railroad.
We first received the demand of the
employees through their COMMITTEES on
last Saturday night. They gave us ten
hours in which to meet it. 1t was i'm
possible for us to do it. 1t will take a
full two weeks to go into this matter
and find out just what the company
can OF can not pay for this labor and
we hope that the men and women will
consent to return to work and wait I'M
TIL this report is made. If this report
is unsatisfactory | do not know what
further the company can say. We are
trying to keep the various utilities