The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-06-09
Striking Clerks Reject
A. C. T.. Terms

The strike at the Atlantic Coast
Line freight station came, to a head
Friday night. when Supt. w. II.
Newell, OF this. division, arrived in the
city to take personal charge Of the
situation and to take whatever steps
he found. necessary to protect the bus
mess interests of the community.
When the officials o he Atlantic
Coast Line were Officially Informed
By the President of Railroad Clerks
Onion that the strike Of the clerks
was unauthorized notice was given TO
the striking clerks to return to work
on Or before June 3rd, and that fail
ing to do SO their places would be
permanently filed. The time for re-
turn was later extended to the morn
| ing of June .4th The clerks who were
on strike at all other points in this
division-sev places in South and
North Carolina-returneds to work yes
terday morning and We're reinstared
] in the places that they had. vacated.
Sumter strikers. however. disregarded
, the notice and failed to return TO duty
! yesterday morning. Supt Newell, IN
order to protect the business OF the
com pany and to give the patrons OF
the road, at this point the service to
which they are entitled, transferred
| from other points to Sumter, for en-
! ersency service. sufficient number
! of railroad employees to carry on the
/ business OF the office, and came te
1 Sumter himself last night to take.
charge Of the situation. He found
that the business was being carried on
by Agent Boney with the assistance
fof volunteer workers and a few clerks
that ne had, regularly employed yes
terday, after the time limit had ex-
pired. and the. striking clerks had
failed to return TO work.
Upon his arrival her. last night
jSupr. Newell was met at the station by
5! representatives OF the strikers and
asked for an interview, which he
granted He informed the clerks,
! that having failed. to return to work
within the time allowed, they would
mot be taken back IN body on tf.e
terms stated in the order, but all of
them would be re-employed save those
/; whose places had been. filled by the
employment of new men for regular
work The representatives OF the
clerks stated that all must be taken
back or none. 4Supt Newell told them
! that this was impossible as he: would
net discharge the men who had been
employed to fill the places of those.
!. who had left their jobs and refused to
return when given and opportunity 10
/ do so.
The clerks left the conference with
!: ti;o understanding that they would
see supt Newell again this morning.
They called on him this morning and
stated that they held to their terms
! that all of the. clerks must be rein
/. stated or none would return. Supf.
/ Newell told them that he could not &C.
| cede to the .ultimatum, that he would
! re-employ- all that could be- used but
/ he would not discharge the four men
/ employed to fill the places of four OF
/ the strikers. The spokesman of the
/ had until II O'Clock to reconsider this
decision, and i'm reply was told that
| the decision stood as originally stated.
The business at the station is being
/ carried on today with a full froce Of
experienced railroad men who have
been transferred from their regular
positions in other places to relieve the
situation here, and they will remain,
/ here until competent men can be Sc
: cured, either by the unemployment
of the striking clerks who apply for
! employment on the terms named, or
! the employment of new men.
All told there were etwenty-seven
men to strike, sixteen of these being
clerks in the freight office andS the
other men in other departments OF. the
local organization.