The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-11
POSTAL DEALT
SEVERE BLOW
=
Nationwide Strike Of TeIeg-
raphers Affects Country
From Coast to Coast.
THOUSANDS WALK OUT


Issues Involved include Right
to Organize and Collective
Bargaining.
Chicago, June 11.-Althougn al
| rected against both the Westei
Union and Postal Telegraph COM
nanies the nationwide strike OF com
mercial telegraphers, which began at
| 7 O'clock this morning, thus far mas
| dealt it's most paralyzing niow
against the Postal company, accoIu-
| ing to reports reaching Chlcago' the
1 headquarters of the strike. TO-DAY.
F,yerv report received here has IN
dicated that a majority of the Postal
operators have struck, while the num-
ber of Western Union employees "lo
walked out has not yet been SHOWN
to be sufficiently large to tie up tne
,,1ires of that company. Although not
entirely paralyzed, the Postal system
is badly handicapped by the strike,
while the Western Union Is able thus
far to maintain at least semplance
'I of it's regular service.
Western Union officials have ad-
yanced the claim that they are Work
ing 100 per cent. strong" but TINS
statement is not borne out by reports
from cities where the strike Is III
progress.
From all reports available, 1t Is pc
lieyed that only one large clty IN tile
United States is unaffected py liie
strike. Word from Indianapolis Is
that not single operator tnere re-
sponded to the strike call.
Tn 81 Louis, reports of the number
of men on strike are not availapie.
Int il Ii known that all but two OF
the postal employees there nave
walked out. Fifty per cent. OF the
multiplex girls of the Western Union
and thirty five Morse operators OF
the Western Union walked out. Mes
senger boys of both companies struck
in sympathy with the men.
Plainclothes men are repoltea
guarding the Western Union ana
Postal Offices there.
tween 500 and T59 operators had gone
on strike in Chicago. This dnclnaes
virtually the entire force OF the Pos-
taI company and many western
Union operators, although the mum
e her of Western Union men out Is not
e sufficient to tie up the system.
: The Postal lines here are prac-
h tically tied up by the walkout Mes,
G senger boys and girls here s"elleu
d the ranks of the strikers. Brokers
e operators continued at work as usual
e Striking employees of the western
f Union here charged today that ON
r cisls of that company are wlthnolo
f ing liberty bonds bought and pald loi
p nv men discharged because OF thell
= union affiliations :,
Reports from the Pacific coast In
dicate that the Postal is the mos
- seriously affected one there. One
;, hundred employees of the Postal II II
San Francisco went on strike, "hll'
h less than per cent. of the WesteIl
~ Union men went out, according |,
II Western Union officials. Portland
- Ore, reports are at VarlanGe' ~, T.ll,
cials of the companies claiming lhe1
IL are practically unaffected by TN
y strike, while union men declare man!
H. of their members are out
e, President Konenkamp, of the teleg
st raphers' union, declared today ina
IS the right of the men to organize In
= right to bargain collectively, the dls
A continuance of discrimination agalns
la union men and women employees, re
l. instatement of workers Locked ou
d by the Western Union because o
IL union. Affiliations, and an increase u
wages proportionate with the IN
issues involved in the strike.
I'VE are operating 100 per cent
declared an official of the Wester1
& Union Telegraph company, after re
- ceiving reports from points IN I'M
district. which includes Illinois, WIS
ce consin, Michigan, Indiana and Ohl'
or "Our proof is the fact that we ar
n- ready to accept all business ohere'
oy 1.-TWO thousand seven nunore e
a. workers will be on the streets
;s night in this district" said S,
~. Konenkamp, international presider
ce of the Commercial Telegfaphef
u Ge Union of America. The number
strikers in the entire country WI
he 0,OO0 by night. Reports are mo!
encouraging. In Chicago alone ol
are on strike The number VIII
nearly doubled by night. He eXnlt
- tied kilograms from various wld'
spread points, indicating that u
mn strike response had been genera
,at ,st but failing to show the exact nun
Der of strikers.
First reports to the associate
Press from a score of central We
. cities and towns failed to show th
the strike had brought serious r
tel suits. In Cleveland about fifty ope
ators were reported out; every ol
Ins is orator employed by the Mackay TIE
,r- egraph company in Dallas and 80
er- Worth, Tex, quit work; company o
ice ffcials report $50 men out, and Nj
waukee reported the strike pos
poned to Saturday.
Both sides admitted the centr
west and especially Chicago is u
storm center of the strike.
mo The Postal Telegraph compal
,ho was most seriously affected by {
ON ON strike. E. O. Collins, general supe
md intendent, said that only about
on- per cent. of the operators quit, VIII
is union officials asserted 80 per Gel
is of them had gone ouL
/ Messengers Joined the Post
ano strikers. A number of slight distu
Is Dances occurred about the Weste
ane ace Union and Postal offices when. pic
cts and workers clashed. The We'
ern Union requested police prott
Inn ton after a number Of these OF
'"' breaks
The issues involved in the stri
eo- include the right to organize and ba
n gain collectively wages and wor
can ing conditions.
to- President Konenkamp establish
the headquarters here and announced
iced would direct the strike from Il
! ~ " city.
I'M I'M Peaceful Pieketins.