Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-06-08
STRIKE
Of TELEGRAP HERS
WEDNESDAY
BY UNION HEADS
WaIkout viii Affect Western
Union, American and Postal
With All Associated Gable
and Telephone Companies,
HUNDRED THOUSAND
MEN WILL BE OUT
Many Outside of Union Ranks
Claimed By Konenkamp To
Have PIedged Themselves
To Support the Strike,

tsF NcNN'No JOURNAL SPECIAL LhAshp WlNt
Chicago, June IA nationwide
strike of telegraph and telephone op-
orators who are members of the Com
! mercial Teegraphers' Union of Amer
lea was ordered today to take effect
next Wednesday morning at a. m.
| standard time The order was issued
| at general headquarters of the union
here on telegraphic instructions from
| S. j. KonenkNmp, International presi-
| dent, who was in Pittsburgh on his
way TO Chicago,
The strike order Is declared effec-
| tive against employees of the Western
| Union Telegraph company, the Amer
ican Telephone and Telegraph COM
| pany and the Postal Telegraph and
| Cable company with its associated in
| stitutions.
| 1t was estimated here that the
strike would affect between 10000
and 10000 individuals Of whom
nearly $4,000 were said to he mem
| bors Of the union. outside of the union
| rants, it was said, many wire work.
| ers had pledged themselves to sup
| port a strike.
The decision to call nationwide
strike was reached by President Kon-
| enkamp after spending several days
| In Washington where he had directed
| strike of union employees in ten
southeastern states. That strike fol-
lowed a strike OF telephone workers in
| Atlanta where telephone employees
were sad to have been discharged
because of union affiliations althouh
the Southern Bel! Telephone conf
pany denied that union membership
had been the basis of any discharges,
The Strike Order.
A strike vote was taken recently
concurrently with the International
| Electrical Workers union.
The strike order was as follows:
IAN Telegraph and Telephone En-
ployes:
"A strike is hereby declared to take
effect Wednesday, June II, 1919, at
8 a. m. standard time. against tho
Western Union Telegraph company
the American Telephone and Tele-
graph company. the Postal Telegraph
and Gable company its associated in
stitutiors, including the MacSay and
North American companies, and
against telephone companies where
our members are employed.
rs. j, KONENKAMP,
international President"
Accompanying the strike order were
lengthy Instructions to members in
which members employed by concerns
not affected by the order were in
structed to aid in making the strike
effective. This. 1t was explained,
meant that such employees of other
concerns would refuse to handle tele-
graph and telephone messages elassed
as commercial business,
i Canadian members of the union, 1t
was said. would refuse to handle any
commercial business originating in tho
| United States or directed to any point
within this country
Commercial Messages Barred.
| Railway telegraphers also would
refuse to handle commercial business,
it was declared, as result of passage
! of resolution at the recent convention
of the Order Of Railway Telerr pliers
4 in st. Louis, declaring that such hpsj-
ness would he banned BY employees %
that organization in the event Of a
strike
In Chicago. it was said at union
| headquarters more than 1000 wire
workers would be affected The Com
| mercial Telegraphers union was born
here IN 1902, President KonCnkamH
declared weeks ago that postmastr,
| General Burleson, who had taken over
control of the wire systems. refused to
grant the employees increases in wages
demanded and that unless the union
was recognized and the men given re-
! lief from the high cost of living
strike would be inevitable. Mr. Kon-
! enkamp will return tomorrow to di-
rect the strike.
| A. c. Cronkite. general manager Of
the Western Union IN Chicago, when
| told of the strike call, said it would
have no effect on the company h. re.
THAT won't affect our employees
! he said, and when told that the union
officials said more than 1000 men
would be affected here, added that's
bunk"
Carlton Belittles Strike.
| New York, June THE nation
wide strike of telegraph and telephone
| operators. ordere by s. j. Koneu-
kamp, international president of the
| Commercial Telegraphers Union,
will amount to nothing" according
to statement tonight by Newcomb
! Carlton, head of the Western Union
Telegraph company
THE Western Union would like to
assure the public that there will be
no delay in handling their messages"
said Mr.. Carlton. We will maintain
a full force at all our offices, and the
small number of union employees who
obey the strike call Will not affect
| the character of our service or its
continuity"
| Disregardng the south, where he
said only 300 of 10000 employees were
on strike, Mr.. Carlton declared ex-
tension of the walkout to the rest of
the country would bring few recruits
| to the ranks of the strikers
Mr.. Carlton said the company had
questioned all its employees as to.
whether they would obey the call and
that 147 out of the 2S, 900 in the ter
ritory to which the strike was to be
extended had replied they would walk
out. These had been discharged MIR.
Carlton said, not because they were
union men, but because they had said
they would quit when directed to do
so by Mr. konenkamp