Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-06-28
STR|KESTOPs
CARS To SHORE
No Cars Operate Since Yes
terday Morning on Jersey
Central Line.
WAGE INCREASE GIVEN
No Strike Breakers Will be
Employed, Says Official
and Cars Will Remain Idle
WAGE INCREASE GIVEN
BY Special Correspondent.

By Special Correspondent.
KEYPORT, June 2S-FYfty-three
of the Jersey Central trainmen and
yardmen struck at the close of busi-
ness early Sunday morning and
from that time no cars have been
run. Keyport being shut off from
surrounding towns as far as trolley
service is concerned. On Sunday
morning four employees reported for
work. but no cars were taken out
and according to information given
out at the office of the company
no cars will be run by strike
breakers.
The strike has been called be-
cause the company refuses to rec
ognize a union formed recently by
Patrick Shay, of Philadelphia, who
came here to organize the amalga-
mated association of street and elec-
t-ic railway employees, which is the
local union which the Jersey Gen.
trail Traction Company refuses to
recognize.
The officers of the union are Hen
ry Lowenstein, president; William
Hohenstein, secretary; Joseph Fo-
garty. James Stout, Irving Fitzger-
aid and Louis Anderson, committee.
In accordance with demands
made by the employees the company
raised all rates June 1st as follows:
For men employed three months,
forty-one cents per hour; nine
months forty three cents; after a
year, forty-five. cents, and for all
over time after ten hours fifty-four
cents. The men asked a further in
crease as follows: Forty-six cents,
forty-eight cents, fifty cents and
sixty cents respectively. the first of
July and this the company had de-
cided to do. The present strike is
not called because Of failure of the
company to pay the wage increase,
but because of its non-notice of the
newly formed union. which union
is demanding q recognition.
The local company has claimed
for se0ssfe time that the road
Wuxf not paying and the fare
incf1ase Of from five to seven cents
per car zone was allowed because
of this.
According to a statement made
by the striking trainmen today.
The men sometime ago submitted to
Superintendent Hitchcock of the
Traction Company. a new contract.
calling for wage increase and rec
ognition of the union. The time
limit on the contract was up on
Thursday and as nothing had been
heard from the company, it was de-
cided to extend the time to Saturday
noon. At noon on Saturday, when
no word was received from the COM
pany, the strike was called and the
men were ordered to put up their
cars at the end of the day and re-
fuse to take them out until the COM
pany met the demands.
Today the trainmen announce
that they are willing to meet the
company half way.
However. the main objection at
the present time is to a statement
made to them by Superintendent
Hitchcock that the company will un-
dertake to pay the increased wages,
as long as the financial conditions of
the company will permit. This the
men claim does not mean anything.
as within a few hours after they re-
turn to work, the company can say
the financial conditions of the COM
pany will not permit them to con-
tinue the new rate and SO go back
to the old rate again.
The trainmen. it is said, have not
decided yet whether or not they will
demand that the company recognize
the union, if a straight forward
statement is made regarding the
increase in pay.