The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-15
STRIKE ON B. R. T. Is
POSTPONED BY MEN


officials asserted that there were FIVE
thousand men and women present Such
n view of the hall as could be got from
| the door made this estimate seem very
/ much exaggerated. Though reporters
: were excluded from the meeting on the
| ground that II was an executive session
! of the union, several secret service
operatives, stenographers from the office
OF United States Marshall Powers and
police were In the hail.
When the unions met their dispute
with Lindley NJ. Garrison, receiver in
| charge of the property. was practically
where It was at the beginning OF the
| agitation. During tho day there was
I notable diminution OF strike talk on
| the part of the officials OF the Anal
gamated Association of Street and Elec-
trio Railway Employees. Sentiment
among scores of the employees, particu-
| larry those not AFFILIATED with the union.
was palpably against a strike.
| This was particularly plain among
/ the women employees of the road.
Only two or three of them appeared at
last nights meeting. Those with whom
reporter for THE SUN talked on the
| platforms and In the trains were dis
posed to be bitter against the element
desiring trouble.
| women inc
Most Of the girls do not belong to
the union" said one woman guard.
''They tried to form union among us a
| while back. but the people at the head
| OF II were all foreigners. We thought
they we're anxious to get us off the road
so they'd have the Jobs for the men, and
very few of us Joined. Wen give our
| job TO any mon that has a gold chevron
| on his left ,Seve-but not to any one
| else. particularly those that don't talk
| English and stayed home to make money
while the boys went TO war"
Another woman guard declared that
strike at this time would fall with great
Hardship on the women.
at would mean one OF two things for
them,' she said. "They would have to
| go back to working In factories Or go
into offices at So and $40 a week, where
| they're now making from 500 to $35 on
| the railroad. Some of those that have
| been promoted to conductors are getting
as much az $40 week. We don't object
to the union. Wen Join the right kind
| OF a union. And IL there Is a strike
! don't suppose we'll be 'blacklegs.' But
| We hope there won't be any strike
The first OF the meetings OF employees
| last night resulted In a definite post
| ponement OF action. This was the meet
| ing OF the signal men in Empire Hall,
\ Broadway and Ralph avenue. Generally
| speaking, the signal men are demanding
the same scale of wages as that paid to
| their bretheren on the steam roads, an
increase Of about 80 per cent. The sig
nal men are already treating with Mr..
| Garrison through O grievance commit
| tee of three employees.
This committee reported to last nights
meeting. which was presided over by
| national officials OF the union. that Mr..
Garrison had offered them one slight
Increase which was rejected and another
somewhat more generous one within
| the last forty-eight hours
! Opposed to strike mt Present.
| Though the committee recommended
! that this offer be rejected also, J. L.
! Smith, chairman of the grievance COM
! mittee. asserted that 1t was highly i'm
probable that the men would vote to
strike tonight. He said they would
! wait at least for few days.
James Vshey, general counsel of the
| Amalgamated Association. arrived here
| from Boston on his way to Washington
yesterday and spent most of the day in
! conference with the officials In touch
with the y. II. T situation.
! p. J. O'Brien. second vice-presIdent
| or the Amalgamated. said yesterday af-
! ternoon after three conferences at the
| last hlsht were TO be for both union and
| non union men. Nevertheless. men
posted at the doors of Arcadia Hall re-
| CURED every one to show an admission
| ticket or his union card In the Anal
gamated. Those who had neither were
asked II thew wanted to Join the union.
! Those unwilling to Join were not ad-
mitted.
In this connection several veteran en-
1 MI Of
! deal OF indignation outside OF Arcadia
Hall They produced circular letter
! inviting them TO the meeting. When this
was not sufficient to get them in and when
they were asked TO join the union sew
| eral OF them walked away from the hall
denouncing those In charge.
| AT O'Clock, the hour set FOR the
meeting, there was but handful of
men in the hall. Across the street and
on the sidewalk there were perhaps 500
| men. many of whom were waiting for
the national and local officials OF the
union 10 arrive before entering
Before going to the meeting Mr..
| O'Brien OF the international association
! made II plain thar there would be no
/ strike this morning.
I'm not talking strike" he said, land
! ] never have talked strike. The execu-
tive committee and the representatives
OF the Amalgamated Association will
make their report to the men tonight
! and only after We have talked 1t over
will We be able to predict what our fu-
| ture course OF action will be-"
| During the day II was announced from
| Mr.. Garrison's Office that n committee
| OF shop employees. regardless OF the
union, had asked the receiver to con-
! slider their appeal for an increase in pay
1 and better working conditions. In ac-
condance with his declared resolution to
| treat with the employees as such though
| not with the union as representing them