Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-11
UNION OPERATORS
THREATEN STRIKE
Labor Heads to Meet With Post
master-Gencral Monday
to Consider Case.
WILL NOT BROOK ANY DELAY
President Konencamp Declares
Matters Have Gone Too
Far to Stop Now.
WILL NOT BROOK ANY DELAY

WASHINGTON. August 1o.-Presi-
dent S. J. Konencamp, of the CONNER
cial Telegraphers' Union, is tonight
trying to hold his organization away
from the threatened strike Monday. at
least until Samuel Gompers. president
Of the American Federation OF Labor.
can see Postmaster-General Burleson
and put labor's view of the telegraph
situation to him straight and, forcibly.
"Mr. Gompcrs hopes to see the Post
mastcr-General Monday il the latter re-
turns to the city" said Frank Morri-
son. vice-presidcnt OF the American
Federation OF Labor. this evening.
The entire labor movement is vitality
interested in the telegraph situation,
and Mr.. Gompcrs will lay the matter.
as we understand It. before Mr. Burle-
SON."
President Konencamp was writing
his unions that with the assurances
that had been given and the confer
cnces arranged for Monday he thought
the strike threat harmful rather than
beneficial and declared that he would
not sanction the strike at this time.
However. additional unions were fir
ing In strike votes. and 1t looked late
tonight as though Konencamp might
not be able to control his orsaniza-
ton. Seattle. on the coast, had voted
to go out at noon Monday. and the
failure of the post office to curb the
Western Unions antiunion war had
been denounced in such vigorous terms
at meeting of the New York opera
tors that there was report here that
the New York operators might also
walk out.
SEATTLE FEDERATION
HIGHLY INDIGNANT
Seattlc's Central Federation OF Labor
sent telcsrnrns to David ]. Lewis. of
the Burleson wire control board. to
Secretary OF Labor Wilson and TO
President Wilson. declaring that the
$1,000 organized workers of Seattle
wcIe,EhiEhiyiih ind gnaht at the treat
ment OF the telegraphers and believed
that fhs' Ilattef's pntience had been
shamefully abused. The kilograms
were Joined in by the Mayor OF Seattle.
Unions at Savannah and New Or
leans wired that they would Join with
Atlanta in n strike Monday at 6 y. NJ.
ST. Louis and Cincinnati had already
so voted.
Konencamp to-day broke the silence
Imposed on him by Postmaster Burle-
son.
The matter has gone too far for
us TO go unhcard by the public any
longer" he said. I'VE have done every
M ri
tlcd for months.
The War Labor Board recommended
that our men discharged for union
activities will be reinstated by the
Western Union. Presidcn. Wilson
wrote letter to President Carlton.
of the Western Union. asking the
same thing. The Presidents labor pol
icy covers every demand we have made.
We are lined up squarely with him.
Refusal of the Western Union to ac
ccpt his policy. end failure # any au-
thority to enforce 1t, bring us to the
pass at which We now are
UNION MEN DECLARE
-HIsY ARE WITH PRESIDENT
Executive officers of unions closely
associated wi'h the Commercial Telc-
Sh--h VI <hiSiiSt a. Y III thS
city in touch with the developments.
Among them are L. j. McNulty. of the
International Brotherhood of Elec-
'ricians. and II. b. Perham. OF the
Order of Railway .elegraphers.
After conferences among themselves
and with Frank Morrison. President
konencamp wrote the wire control con
mittee t'day. pointing out that the
War Labor Board and President Will
son both h:.d passed on the Justice
o the tcleSraphers demands. and that
now, after months. the post-onice was
asking his men to wait further in
definite time while 1t made new in
ves;igation. Meanwhile, the families
OF the locked-out union men were in
rags and starving. He asked blanket
order Of reinstatement against the
Western Union, suggesting that il
there were disputed cases these might
be the subject Of special invesisa-
ton.
As the Postmastcr-General was out
OF the city, no action was taken on
the letter. No action can he taken
until Monday. when the Gompers-
Eurleson conference is expected. But
these Will both come after the time
set by the Southern locals fer their
strike.