New-York tribune., 1919-06-12
Tie-Up In 3 Days,
Union Heads Say
Strike Leaders and Com
pany Officials Differ on
Exte7lt of Wire WaIk0ut

CHICAGO, June 11.-Union leaders
declared tonight that the first day
response to the call for a n9tion-wide
strike of commercial telegraph opera
tors gave promise that the tie-up will
be complete in three days, despite
claims of company officials that the
strike has failed.
Reports received by The Associated
Press from many towns IN various
sections of the country indicate that
commercial telegraph business was not
seriously interrupted in most dis
tricts
A statement by President Carlton,
Of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, that only about 166 persons, 121
of them operators, answered the strike
call brought from s. ]. Konenkamp,
international president of the Com
mercial Telegraphers' Union Of Amer
ica, remark that more than that
number Of Western Union employees in
Chicago alone had joined the strike
by noon.
Strike Leader Confident
Reports up to late to-day point to
90 per cent response in the
Postal Telegraph Company service,
and 70 per cent response from
Western Union employees" said Konen-
kamp. "The East has shown up sur
prisingly we'll, and in the Southeast
alone the number of strikers now ex-
ceeds 5000. Telephone workers have
gone out in Philadelphia, New Orleans.
Columbia, S. c., and Brunswick, Ga.
Il
nationwide strike Monday additional
telephone workers also will go out.
Railroad telegraphers in all parts of
the country are refusing commercial
business"
In statement declaring only a few
Western Union operators had quit, Ed
ward F. Wach, deputy vice president of
the Association of Western Union EN-
ployes, said the 10000 members of that
organization were not concerned with
the c. T. U. A. demands. Sixi7-fve per
cent of all Western Union employees are
represented in the association, he said.
"The association has an agreement
with the Western Union whereby it is
recognized and is permitted to bargain
collectively for wages and hours" he
said. I'VE obtained a and 10 per
cent increase under Postmaster Gen
eral Burleson and are promised adjust
ment. of certain parts of a schedule
entered into with the company which
was not fulfilled by the Postmaster
General.
Reports from locals in all sections
of the country show Western Union
employees on the job with few negli-
gible exceptions"
To substantiate his claims, Wach
displayed kilograms from association
officials in various districts saying con-
dltions were normal. He said that not
a single operator in the Western Union
Chicago office struck. f. W. Collins,
general superintendent of the Postal
Telegraph Company, in Chicago, ad-
mitted a large number of their 300
operators had quit, but insisted that
ii the "agitators about the building
were driven away, many employees
would come to work"
Street Fights in Chicago
Police protection was asked by the
Western Union after numerous street
clashes of a minor character. Delivery
service was hampered late in the day,
when all but four Western Union mes
senger boys at the main office joined
the strike. 1t was charged they had
been intimidated and messages taken
from them.
Many. Postal messengers also struck
Mr.. Collins said the company had
not been seriously affected.
Speaking at a meeting of strikers to-
night, Konenkamp said the telcgraphers
would "fght all the way to prevent
further discrimination against union
workers."
NOn.TJniOn Man Killed