The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-06-05
CAR STRIKE
IMMINENT;
ULTIMATUM
Recognize Union, Give In
crease Within 48
Hours.

/ Union street car men employed
by the Tri-city Railway company
met this afternoon and presented
demands for recognition of the
union, giving the company As
hours in which to decide to accede
to the demands. A refusal, the
men said, will mean a general
strike. If a strike is called it will
come before the end of the week.
Mr. Roderick, superintendent of
Illinois lines of the company, is
sued the following statement, after
the brief meeting:
The company has agreed in the
franchises from the public to ar
bitratiOn of wages and working
conditions and is willing to abide
by the franchises" He was un-
able to predict exactly what stand
the company would take in the
new turn the controversy has TAX
en-.
COmpaHy's Attitude
Strike authorized at meetings
Saturday night and Sunday morn
ing followed report of the mems
committee of eight members which
had been in conference with Tri-
. city Railway company officials
during the week. The committee
reported that in answer to the un-
ions claim for a wage increase
from 55 cents to IS cents, the COM
pany said:
1t is financially unable to
| he
cents an hour, or possibly so
! cents later on. 1t will sign an
agreement with the men on
J these terms.
1t does not wish to arbitrate
with the men the advisa bility
of according a higher wage
If the unions appeal to the
Rock Island and Davenport
city administrations and thus
| force the company to arbi-
trate, it will sign no working
contract with the men, by this
act refusing to recognize the
union.
In both the Davenport and Rock
/ Island franchises to the railway
company it is provided that in
case of working conditions or dis
| agreements the union men and the
company may resort to a board of
/ arbitration. This board is com
posed of a representative from
each side and a third person
named by the two others. The
boards decision is final.
But the franchises do not re-
Quire recognition of the unions by
! signing of working and wage
! agreements with union officers.
The mems committee argued that
it is this omission that is being
seized upon by the Company to
force lower wages.
The men believe that their
| threat to strike if the union is not
recognized will bring about a diff
/ ferent attitude on the part of the
railway officials.
Not a Wage Strike
If the men go on strike it will
not be for a 6S-cent wage. This
point was stressed by E. H. Wen
del, Rock Island, member of the
mems executive committee, in a
statement to The Argus this morn
ing.
I'VE have come to the point" he
/ u.
mand and ours cannot be recon-
ciled except by arbitration, and we
are heartily in favor of naming an
arbitration board and letting them
go to it. In voting to go on strike
we are merely upholding our right
to arbitration and to recognition of
our union.
For IS years the Tri-city Rail-
way company and the street car
operators have settled their rela-
tionships yearly and made provis-
ion for working conditions and
wages in company-union con-
/ tracts. We see no reason for
+ changing the order of things this
year. and will go on strike if nee
essary to preserve the union"
Without a legal contract to hold
the wages at a certain figure
I throughout the year, the men be-
lieve the employees would have no
protection against future reduc-
tion of wages.
! Would Kill Union.
! Abolition of the working agree
ment would mean death to the
unions, the men also believe.
Banking on the security of rates
/ of wages established to remain eff
fective a year, the unions have in
stituted an insurance system. Out
of the $125 monthly dues a fund is
maintained from which an en-
DIoye belonging to the union re-
] ceives death benefits, $3.50 during
his first year of work, and 800
more than that amount every year
thereafter, with the maximum
death benefit of $500 after six
years service. Special assess
ments are made on union members
/ in case of death of members and
their wives and children, also.
The installation of the one-man
car is said by the men to be a
strong argument in the demand for
higher wages. When one man in
stead of two operates a car it
means tha. he does the work of
two men. conductor and motor
man. This fact, they believe, war