Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-11
WALKOUT EFFECTIVE THIS
MORNING, $4,000 MEN QUIT
JOBS UNION CHIEFS HOLD.
Company Heads Deny the
Service Crippled-Big
Wire Systems Hit.

SulCd6Oy IllsS IL hC he-
ton wide strike of union COM
mercial telegraphers, called by s..
]. Konenkamp, international presi-
dent of the Commercial Telegraph
ers' Union of America became ef-
fective at z o'clock this morning,
Central time.
The companies against which the
strike is called include the Western
Union Telegraph company, the
Postal Telegraph company, the
American Telegraph and Telephone
company, and a number of smaller
telegraph companies in various
parts of the country.
Union officials estimated that
$4,000 telegraphers would leave
their keys during the day, and that
on June 16, more than 100000 cleo
tricaI workers would join the
strike, while officials of the tele-
graph companies asserted that no
such number of employees were in
volved. Western Union officials sal
that only a few of their employees
were memebrs of the Commercial
TeIegraphers' Union of America,
and that business of their lines
would not be materially effected by
the strike. The issues involved in
the strike include the right to or
ganize and bargain collectively,
wages and working conditions.
President Konenkamp establish
ed headquarters here and announc-
ed that he would direct the strike
from this city.
Begin Peaceful Picketing.
From a meeting of telegraphers
early this morning, peaceful pick
citing" was decided upon, and at Z
O'Clock pickets were placed around
the general officers Of the COM
panies in the city.
Leased wire operators were not
involved in the strike, but Mr..
Konenkamp said that it might be
necessary to call them out in order
to win the demands made by the
commercial men.
A dispatch from Omaha, Nebras-
ka, early this morning, which stat
ed telegraphers serving in the
Western Union and Postal officers
walked out at midnight, was later
denied and it was said by officials
of the companies that none of their
employees had quit work.
Coast Company Settles.
At Los Angeles, Calf, it was an
nounced by L. P. Marshall, first in
ternational vice president of the
union, that operators of the FEEDER
al Telegraph company, a Pacific
coast corporation, would not be
ordered out, as a verbal agreement
satisfactory to both sides had
been reached.
Operators of the company have
been treated fairly" Mr.. Marshall
said, land have been ordered to
stick to their jobs"
Expect 200 in This District.
Soon after the hour set for the
men to strike, Mr.. Konenkamp said
that it probably would be two or
three days before the full strength
of'the strike was known. Reports
indicated, he said, that men were
going out steadily. He estimated
that in this district, comprising
Illinois and part of Indiana and
Wisconsin, about two thousand
Western Union and the Postal com
panies would strike. In Chicago
alone by tonight he expected 500 to
1000 would be out
An hour after the strike began
the Western Union officials here
said that they had not been
affected. They showed a news
paperman through the operating
room, where many men were at
work.
At strike headquarters it was
said that the effect of the strike in
Chicago would not show before
noon, owing to the varying hours
that the day shifts come on duty.
The Postal officials said that they
expected ltheir older men to stick,
but that some of the younger men
might go cut.
Mr.. Kopenkamp received a re-
port that the electrical workers in
New Orleans had gone out and that
telephone girls there would prob
ably go out in sympathy.
Police Interfere.
Pickets at the Postal here asked
other employees to quit in sympathy
with the operators. There was a
small disturbance in which police
interfered. Policemen told one
picket that they would give him
two hours to get out of town. Some
Western Union messengers an
nounced that they were on strike.
General superintendent of the
Postal E. w. Collins said two hours
after the strike had begun that
about 80 per cent of his men here
were out, mostly the younger men.
He said that there had been some
intimidation.
10000 Ont by Night
Conflicting claims of union lead |
ers and officers of commercial tele-
graph companies made uncertain al |
noon today the extent of the nation
wide strike of telegraph operators, |
but Representatives of the workers |
maintained that the
of strikers would reach Co., !
900 by nightfall.
1.-TWO thousand seven hundred |
workers will be on the streets by 4