The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-20
MAYOR HITS AT
NEWLY FORMED
WAGE COUNCIL
NJ. e. A. Hastens to Dis
claim Any Intention to
Join Union.
BUT FRAMES DEMANDS
Increases From 10 to 35 P. G.,
Tt Is Reported, Will Be
Asked in 1920.
BUT FRAMES DEMANDS

Mayor Hylan directed his depart
mental heads yesterday to drop from
the city's payroll on January 1 en-
rIoyees who spend more time agitat-
irg and making trouble than they do
rendering service for which the city
pays them" He was hitting princi-
pally at the participants in a meeting
Thursday night in Beekman street
whose object was the formation Of a
central council representing groups af-
hIiated with the American Federation
OF Labor. which council should stand
ardize demands for increases Of salary.
He undoubtedly also had in mind
the heads OF the patrolmen's and fire.
mems organizations, who deem insult
hcient the $500 maximum virtually
promised by the Board OF Estimate
ano will continue to "agitate," to use
the Mayors verb. for $4,000.
Following publication of the Mayors
tart letter seventy-nine delegates repre-
senting about ten thousand city workers.
! with more to come, banded in the newly
formed Municipal Employees Associa-
ton, met In the Health Department
Building. Centre and White streets The
delegates unanimously declared their in
dependence OF the American Federation
| Of Labor and expressed confidence In
the Mayor. the whole Board of Estimate.
the Aldermen and the department heads
\ Which feeling do not prevent them from
selecting committee to draw up wage
demands to be submitted to the asso-
| citation at another meeting In the Mu-
nicipal Building at 8 o'clock on Monday
night.
The promoters of the Municipal EN-
ployees Association are trying to make It
important enough to draw as members
every man and woman in the city's en-
] ploy, both those In the civil service and
those in the non-competitive classes, the
latter including common labor. Its rival,
| the Civil Service Forum. has only civil
service employees, but Is numerically
much stronger thus far than It's infant
challenger. The NJ. E. A. Is understood
to have been formed with the approval
OF Mayor Hylan, who doesn't like the
Civil Service Forum a little bit and Is
anxious to keep the whole city family
| out Of the clutches OF organized labor.
Wage Demands VIII shock.
Nevertheless it is probable that the
| wage requests OF the NJ. E. A. which
al present is composed mostly of clerical
and other "non-unlform" groups. will
| shock the Board Of Estimate when they
are made. One of the proposals re-
.ceived with some favor yesterday called
for 800 increase for everybody now
getting $500 a year or less and $3.50
| increase for those getting more than
5000. This sliding scale would work as
follows: Salaries between $500 and
1900 would be raised 35 per cent be-
| tween $1,000 and $1,000 25 per cent. !:
between $500 and s2,4oo Is per cent {;
between S2.400 and $4,000 IL per cent !;
between $4,000 and $4,000 10 per cent.
After Thursday nights unionization
meeting In Beekman street the police
and firemen were officially listed among
the groups which had been represented.
Denials were made yesterday by Joseph
P. Moran. president of the Patrolmen's
Benevolent Association, and Albert r.
Guinness. president OF the Uniformed
Firemens Association. Both men said
they were at work at The time, that they
had had no Intention OF attending the
meeting and that no one was authorized
TO represent them or their organizations
there.
Moran said that the P. b. A Stands
where It always stood, separate from all
labor unions and free from all ties"
He added that the sentiments reported
az expressed in the Beekman street meet
ing were not those OF the patrolmen
In fact were contrary to all their prin-
ciples.
B. l. Schneider. president OF the Tech
| nical Mems Union, who engineered the
meeting, was not In his office in the Pu-
lltzer Building. A man who was there
and who said he was Mr.. Sinner ad-
mtted that the police and fremen had
no spokesmen at the meeting. He also
said a mistaken impression had been
formed that those who did attend the
session decided to demand 65 per cent
more pay. The fact was. he said, a sug-
gestion was made that salaries ought
to be increased 65 per cent. to put the
men on the wage basis of several Years
ago, before the dollar started shrinking
Text of Mayors Letter.
This is Mayor Hylan's letter to the
heads OF the departments he controls:
II am informed that there are em-
ployees connected with the city service
who spend more time agitating and max
ing trouble than they do rendering SER
vice for which the city pays them. Some
OF them seem to think that the time they
are on duty should be utilized in read
Ing newspapers or scheming for selfish
purposes and give little consideration TO
the work they are employed to. perform.
II direct you TO give immediate atten-
! ton to this class OF employees and have
their positions abolished In next years
budget They should not be on the city
payrolls TO stir up strife and trouble for
their employer. the people of the city.
THE Board OF Estimate and Appor-
tionment is now taking up the question
OF increasing the salaries OF deserving
employees, and the honest, faithful en-
ployes who In giving the best that II In
0owsssssd On s.ooud Pu0.