The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-23
81 CITY EMPLOYEES
FIX RAISE DEMANDS
Twenty-eight Women Dele
gates Appear, but the Old
Leaders Are Absent.
SOME FEAR HYLAN WRATH
1920 a Year Advance Asked on
Salaries Above 5000; $3.50
on Lesser Pay.

man and woman on the city payroll
now getting more than 5000 a year and
an advance of $3.50 for those now get
ting 5000 or less will be requested Of the
Board of Estimate by the Municipal
Employees Association. This was de-
cided upon last night in a meeting in the
Municipal Building, from which many OF
the delegates absented themselves be-
cause, owing to Mayor Hylan's stand
against "agitators'' for more pay. they
were afraid they might lose their Jobs II
they went
Among the absentees were the two
original moving spirits in the organiza-
ton, George Stansheld and Samuel
y Prayer, clerks in the Department OF
Charities. One of them sent word that
he would be there II the comrades in
, sisted but that it would be at the cost
Of his place in the city service. The
Charities Department, the head Of which
is Bird S. Coler. was not represented at
the meeting. Nor were Bellevue and
Allied Hospitals.
DR.. T. Bayard Collins, head of Belle
vue's employment service, was one or
the committee appointed Friday to draw
up salary schedule. He met Sunday
with the committee, but sent word yes
terday that owing to the attitude of the
city administration of which they had
not been aware whss the Municipal EN-
ployees Association was formed, they
had decided to withdraw.
In the meeting, which WIS supposed
TO be a gathering Of two de- gates from
each city department there was much
talk of intimidation" and the twenty
eight women and twenty-four men who
braved the wrath of City Hall by putting
in an appearance were described as EN-
ployees who were not cutters"
Hugo v. wittenberg. a clerk in the
finance department who was elected
temporary chairman of the association
in place of Mr.. Stansfield, and Thomas
w. A. Grove Of the law department,
who was made temporary secretary,
gave this pledge, voiced by Mr.. Witten-
berg: Under no conditions OF circum-
stances will either of us quit"
Not Afraid of "Potentate."
Alexander Cooper, chief clerk In the
office of Michael f. Loughman, Superin-
tendent of Public Works for Manhattan
Borough, said to Mr.. wittenberg: you
are the right stun. You have the true
ring and no Mayor or potentate in New
! York or out Of it can get you to quit"
Later Mr.. Cooper said: II do not be-
lieve that the two gentlemen who are
said to have been kept away by intimi-
dation (Stansfield and Prager) will stay
away very long. We mean to show the
Mayor of New York that neither he nor
any other power can take from US our
inalienable rights
The delegates thought they were to
meet in the assembly room of the Mu-
nicipal Civil Service Commission on the
fourteenth floor of the Municipal Build
I ing. The elevator starter said he had
mt tAI oV,I La
them so up. Mr.. Cooper then invited
them up to his own office. where they sat
on tables or stood up during the meet
ing. Some of the delegates got as far as
the main floor corridor, but did not ven
ture further. They said frankly that
while they were as much interested as
ever In a living wage" they were
scared by the Mayors denunciation of
agitators and his order to department
heads to abolish the jobs Of trouble
makers" after January l.
Mr.. Wittenberg said that the trouble
with the association was that 1t attained
such an impetus that 1t went too fast
ito suit some people" who had now
threatened the dismissal of those who
continued to discuss higher wages for
city servants.
II believe he added, that the chief
executive of the city is in earnest and
that reason Mr.. Stansfeld and Mr..
Praeger were advised to lay low for a
little while to avoid having their official
Z heads decapitated. The rest of US have
decided to go on without them"
1t was reported that the salary COM
mittee was in favor OF fiat 25 per
cent. increase for all city employees.
1t was urged, however that a scale
would have better chance Of accept
ance.
Lower Paid Need Raise Most.
-If we sought justice" said Abraham
Bailey OF the Tax Department, I'VE
would demand 100 per cent. but we
know We can't get it. II you show that
your heart is with the man who is on
the lower wage, the Board Of Estimate
will be more attentive"
Mr.. Bailey referred to the Civil Ser
vice Forum, the organization which has
asked for 10 per cent. for employees
how receiving more than $4,000 and 20
per cent. for those receiving less than
$4,000. He said he had no confidence
In <
Tchare are lots of psychic phenomena
attached to this thing" the temporary
b, chairman added.
y Eventually the task of deciding how
the appeal could be most inoffensively
presented to the Estimate Board was
NuSteu u a tOHHlltle6 maze up OF
Miss Reilly, Mr.. Cooper and Mr.. Bailey.
Toward the end Chairman wittenberR
said he believed the Mayor did not have
this association in mind when he in
weighed against agitators. but those or
ganizations affiliated with the American
s Federation OF Labor.
THE old organization" he said, Saws
this one Is controlled by some one be-
hind the scenes; that Stansfield and
4 Praeger are puppets that It is a Repub-
llcan plot; that it is backed by some
administration official. But the truth Is
that all We are concerned with here is
getting a decent living wage. / chal-
lenge the Mayor to produce a single
taxpayer who will defend the Board of
Estimate If 1t denies US living wage"
The upshot was that a new salary
committee was appointed consisting OF
Albert Owens of the Department of
Plant and Structure Abraham Bailey.
Thomas Grove, of the Law Department
Cornelius Murphy, of the Street Clean
Ing Department, and Miss Catherine
, Reilly of tho Manhattan Borough Pres
dents office. This committee made the
recommendation as reported above, and
II was unanimously adopted by the DEL
egates. Mr.. Grove explained that the
Increases asked for represented about
one-half of the advance in the COST of
living. Mr.. Cooper suggested that Mr..
Wittenberg be the one to present the
petition. very humbly." to the Board OF
Estimate.