The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1919-07-14
STRIKE LOSSES
BASIS OF SUIT
Men Who Call Walkout to
Blame, Pittsburg At
torney Says.

PittsbuTS, Pa.-The worm some.
cent bystander" of labor controver-
sizes has hit back. The people want
il known that they. too. are parties
to every labor strike.
The employer may win or lose by
the strike. So may the cmploye.
But in strikes past the public al
ways has lost. Never a chance to
win. Never a chance to break
even. The public always had to
pocket its loss and hope il would
be long time before somebody
else rocked the labor boat.
What is the first suit of its kind
ever begun in America. IL not in the
world. Is that rled by Attorney A.
T. Anderson on behalf of the people
of rittshTrE who suffered losses
during the four-day strike Of street
railway motormen and conductors.
Losses caused by the strike are
estimated by Anderson to be s2.o35,-
000.IS. The IS cents. Anderson says.
represents his own strike loss. The
rest is to he operated among the
people who file claims of money lost
in the strike, the travelling public,
Owne:s of stores. street car en-
ployes compelled to strike, ana
others.
Anderson believes the persons re-
sponsible for calling a labor strike
are the ones responsible for losses
sustained by others. He says hum
dreds of thousands of persons had
to pay excess fares on railroads and
automobiles during the strike. He
would compel the street Garments
union to recompense them. He says
merchants lost money during the
strike by reason of the inability of
customers to get to their stores; that
business firms lost money because
their employees couldn't get to work,
or came late; that the stockholders
OF street railway stock lost money
because Of the strike. and that street
railway employees who shall show
that they were constrained against
their will and wish into voting the
said strike may collect damages
for wages lost during the strike
People who lost in the strike are
asked to file claims for the amount
The street carmen's union. its Of
rcers and members and the interna-
tonal organization. its officers. are
made defendant in Anderson's suit.
MS suit. ANDERSON believes, VIII.
il won by the public. result in the
Ming of similar suits on behalf OF
the people after strikes in 9th, r
cities. and may be directed at either
employer or striking employees. or
both.
Anderson alleges "some one is at
fault in permitting or causing the
cessation OF operation of the Pitts
burg railway system" and states in
his suit that such actions were and
are unlawful end wilfuI and in
fringed on and invaded the rights OF
business. trade and travel by citi-
zens upon the line OF the railway
company"
IL is understood one Of the chief
results Anderson hopes to achieve
by Ming the suit Is to have organ
izations engaged in public service
held liable for losses sustained nv
reasons Of cessation OF work or
strikes. 1t is claimed il labor or
carnations engaged in public serv-
zee are so held strikes affecting pub
NC SorNIct corporations will become
thing Of the past.
The courts have held" Ander-
son asserts. that the right of per
sons to quit work and induce others
10 do SO is necessarily subject to
limitation when employment is ac-
copied in a business charged with
public interest"