The sun., 1918-08-25
600 CAR MEN OUT,
STRIKERS ASSERT
Third Avenue Surface Lines
Crippled Below Harlem River,
Union Contends.
SEEK TIEUP IN THE BRONX
Fight Made for Right to Or
ganize After Several Men
Are Discharged.

At a meeting attended by 500 striking
motormen and conductors or the Inird
avenue surface lines in Lyceum HAIL.
Eighty-sixth street and Third avenue.
la st night It was announced that 2b per
cent of the company's Service below
the Harlem River had been put out OF
business by the action OF the union men
in abandoning work. II was asserted
that 600 of the 2.400 employees on the
runs in that section Of the city were out.
An effort is to be made to induce The
Bronx employees to abandon their runs
at another meeting, to be held In Ly-
ceum Hall at 2 80 o'clock this AFTER
noon. The union leaders assert that
they are rapidly gaining strength and
that the company's action in discharg-
ing members of their organisation Is
contrary the spirit Of President VIII
sons decia-e (. IN Of the right OF work.
ers to organize.
The fret trouble between the strikers
and motormen and conductors who nave
remained at work occurred at west
125th street and Amsterdam avenue last
night when half a dozen OF the former,
wearing blue and white buttons In their
lapels. attacked Richard A. Rodenberg.
a motorman living at 366 West Fifty
nth street. after he had left his car at
the West 12eth street barns.
Reserves Scatter Strikers.
Police reserves were called and scat
tered the strikers They arrested man
who described himself as Patrick Keen.
n motorman, of 2lO0 Eighth avenue, and
locked him up in the West 12bth street
station on a charge Of disorderly con-
duct
DR.. Carroll of the Knickerbocker Hos
pital answered an ambulance call and
said Rodenburg probably had frac-
tured right shoulder. He refused to go
to the hospital and was taken home
Rodenburg was being badly beaten
when Patrolmen Sullivan and Singer
forced their way through the mob and
rescued him. He was unable to identity
any of his assailants. he said. Police
posts in the vicinity OF the car barns
were doubled last night.
Traffic on the various lines of the
Third Avenue surface car system was
affected materially yesterday by the
considerable number of men who quit
work during the day.
The system employs about 1000 men.
At a meeting held on Friday night,
with Patrick J. O'Brien. second vice.
president of the Amalgamated Railway
Employees OF America. presiding. 1t was
announced that 500 men WERE to quit
yesterday morning and that by night
every man employed on the system
would be out
Only 200 Ont. Says Maher.
Shutdown yesterday. however, found
O'Brien incompietely justified as a
prophet. Enough men had quit to dis
turb tho service. but about two-thirds Of
the carr of the system were still run
ming. although on Third avenue itself
the cars were about ten minutes apart
O'Brien and his lieutenants issued
statements during the day setting the
number of men who had gone out at
1000. Edward Maher, Jr.. vice-presi-
dent and general manager of the road.
insisted that not more than 200 men
were missing from duty.
day." he said. for the good of the
service. Some others, less than $50.
appear to have Joined them. since they
have not turned up for work. There is
no strike. No demands have been made
on the company by any labor organiZa-
ton. The men who have quit describe
themselves as locked out and say this
is not strike but a suspension.
don't know who locked them out unless
| they locked themselves out, and the dis
tinction between a strike and a suspen-
sion Is too subtle for me to grasp"
To this O'Brien replied that no de-
mands had been made upon the railroad
officials except that they recognize the
union and that they had refused to
recognize II.
II understand" he declared. that the
road plans to discharge 1000 men be-
cause they belong to the union. About
1000 have walked out as a protest
against this attitude. 1t is question
of recognition OF the union, and II there
is a strike it will be because of the
determination of the men to uphold the
proclamation of President Wilson which
supports the right Of employees to Join
lal