The Columbus dispatch., 1919-08-06
RAILROAD SHOP
STRIKE SPREADING
25O,OO0 MEN SAID TO BE
0UT-ROADS ARE FEEL
ING STRIKE
GARY STEEL CLOSED
All Industries and Traffic Af-
fected BY Tie Upstate
ment by Officials.

way employees department of the
American Federation Of Labor, said
tonight that Director General Hines
had been informed by the committee
representing the shopmen Of their
dissatisfaction with the suggestion
that congress intervene.
Acting in behalf of the six shop
crafts, a committee of one hundred
presented to the director general
of railroads on January Z, last, a re-
quest for an increase in the wage
scales" Mr.. Jewell said.
"On February the question was
referred to the board of adjustment
of railway wages and working con-
ditions. During March and April the
whole subject was threshed out at
hearings fo the board, and on July
16 the board made its recommenda-
tion to the director general"
Solution Rejected.
Following a conference with Mr.
Hines on July 28, we believed that
the question had finally come to a
head, and expected decision. The
letter from Mr.. Hines to President
Wilson followed, and that solution
we have positively rejected.
1--WE have now decided to send out
the call for a strike vote, returnable
August "a at midnight, to the 100000
employees of American railroads, and
TIE 10000 employees of Canadian
railroads affected The shop crafts
ask fo'. a minimum Of IS cents an
1ur for mechanicss an .tn-eRase. of
IN peiirs, ! naiEinGm Of 60 cents for
helpers, IN increas eof Is cents, and
an increase of 10 cents per hour for
apprentices.
The Canadian employees are in
VOWED by reason of the fact that their
wage and working conditions, under
an agreement reached with the rail
road board, are based on standards
as they are adopted in the United
States.
Continue Negotiations.
"We shall continue to endeavor to
settle the demands by negotiations
with the railroad administration,
pending receipt of the strike vote,
that will, when taken, simply center
the power for calling a strike in the
hands of the committee.
"The first effect of the call for
vote will probably be the ending of
the present strike, which has taken
out a considerable number of shop
men over various sections of the
country who have been impatient of
the long delay that has so for inter-
vened. Their walkouts have been un-
authorized, but we expect that they
will return when they see that the
organizations intend action in unit
ed fashion"
International unions of machinists,
blaeksmiths and helpers, boilermak~
ers and helpers, sheet metal workers,
electrical workers and railway car
men of America are involved in the
controversy.
More than 250,000 railway shop
men of the country are idle tonight
as a result of the strike called yes
terday by the Federated Railway
Shopmen's Union, according to state
ments of leaders Of that organizs-
ton tonight after receiving reports
the strike is spreading, with no in
djcation of immediate settlement.
John D. Saunders, secretary, de-
clared the men will remain on strike
until their demands for IS cents an
hour for machinists and so cents for
helpers are granted. He said that
regardless Of what the international
officers of the various unions may be
doing at Washington, the rank and
file of the men have determined not
to recede from their demands, with
back pay to January l.
No Violence Tolerated.
Mr. Saunders said no men will be
removed from the wrecking crews
and that no violence will be tolerated.
Union committees are touring the
railway systems to see that the strike
orders are carried out and hundreds
of kilograms are being sent to vari-
Gus districts Mr. Saunders said that
by Monday virtually every railroad
in the country would be affected by
the strike.
Advices received by the union in