Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-16
TROLLEY STRIKE WENT ON AT MIDNIGHT

All of eastern Connecticut that ha ! depended for transportation upon tn
 trolley cars of the shore Line Flee
 today (Wednesday) or taking advan tage of such other means of travel al are offered. The Atrfke of the ern
 pioyes of the road, involving conduc
 station. men. but not ririemen. wen l into effect at midnight 7 day wher 1 the last cars com pleted .aeir runs tl the barns. About 800 men are out. 1 Decision to cali the strike at mid second International vice president oi the An1algamated Associatt n o1 Street and Electric Railway Em ployes, after conference In this city at ii o'clock Tuesday morning with Manager M. c. Stfatton of the Shore Line. Accompanying Mir. O'Brien to
 the conference vere tne members of
 the joint committee of the trolley Clone of Norwich. R. H. .Donohue of Norwich, J. ". Martin of New Lon don. Joseph Murray of Westerly and J. G. Robertson of Saybrook.
 Both sides to the dtfhuulty issued statements after the conference, the troIleymen putting the blame for the strike into the company because of its refusal to arbitrate acc ling to an agreement made in June, 1918, while President Perkins said that he posing to the men to take the case before the public in an endeavor to secure such changes in rates and pa as would make it possible for the road to grant the demands of the men and continue operations in way to satisfy the patrons of the road.
 President Perkins also announced that the road would make no attempt to run cars.
 Contrary to a general belief among -he public that the company would be obliged to operate one car a day in order to hold it's charter. President Perkins stated on Tuesday when asked about this that there was no such requirement.
 The men are striking to gain their demands for a new wage schedule to .ake the place of that in force for the l ast year un to June 1st. The new wages asked are s4.25 for an s-hou- lay for the first three months of em- ,loyment. $4.50 for the balance of the 1rst year, and $5 per day after one year. .The old scale was 36 per hour l lour for the first 60 days. 37 1-2 cents ! or the balance of the first year. 39 1-2 ,ents for the second year, 40 1-2 cents I, or the third year, and Al 1-2 cents 1 hereafter.
 Conditions under which the strike | s being carried on make 1t a novel ! me in history of difficulties over kag- 1 IS between employers and employed | Financial req sons alone are given as ] he reason why the company cannot |, srar1t the demands of the trolleyfnen !, Ind no claim Is made that their de- l hands are considered exorbitant or | lnjust.
 Possibilities of trouble during the l conduct of the strike seem to be pre- .luded by tn d3mpanys announce | nent that it will shut down the road | nd not attempt to operate cars. Both 1 tides seem determined to sit down | md wait it out to see which can stand | t the longest.
 Jitney men and auto bpsses will no oubt fill in on the demand for trans !: 'ortatio nar1d it was reported Tues l eep their charges on the fare to New london down to trolley prices. It re- 1ains to be seen how long it will be | efore some of them will yield to the to gouge the public by the costing of the rates.
 It was also reported that a fleet of uto busses had been waiting in bridgeport for this strike to be de- Jared and would rush here to reap the arvest they expected,
 The Central Labor Union held it's agular meeting Tuesday night in Car enters hall at which the question of 1e trolley strike was brought up and 1dorsement of the action of the troll
 
 Statement by Employees of Road. ] After the conference Tuesday morn g had decided the committee upon , llling the strike. they gave out the flowing statement: If
 Norwich, Conn, July 15, 1919. z Q the Public: IT Now that the Shore Line company f Is tried to make it's case clear to you $ rough the columns of the press. I ease let us give our side of the con- ( oversy, so that you may judge for ( ourselves which is the more plausible. T When we entered negotiations on C ay 26. 1919, the company refused to I F we an increase to the men employed by 1 i em on this system. We. on our part, i ged them to make some kind of an S fer so that we would have some basis
 which to work. as we knew that if t ey persisted in this stand the pub p
 would be without service. The fl is property have exerted every D cans in their power to avert a tieup c the trolleys, even going so. far as to is quest the trustees of the NJ P. Plant t, tate, through Mir. Perkins and MT. V ration, to make us an offer or to go e
 arbitration, which were both re- W sed, as you saw in the public state O mt of both on July 2, 1919. st We had another conference on July fe 1919. at which our international vice n esident. P. J. O'Brien. was present, d at this time a verbal agreement v arbitrate our differences was made Lon we were to draw an agreement to fa pirate, which we presented to them
 July g, 1919. thinking they had en- ti ed this agreement in good faith, but to