Evening star., 1927-05-18
PERE MARQUETTE
STRIKE IS VOTED
Railroad Employees in Eight
Crafts AffeCted-Date
Kept Secret.
By the Associated Press.

by the Associated Press.
DETROIT, May 1S.-Members OF
eight crafts employed by the Pere
Marquette railway have voted over
whelmingly to strike, according to an
nouncement today by w. A. Paddock,
assistant grand chief of the Brother.
hood of Locomotive Engineers.
Paddock, in formal statement,
said q date for the suspension has
been set, but would not be made pub
lie.
"a strike will surely occur on the
date and time SET" he added, unless
the railway company meets the repre-
sentatives of the men to negotiate q
settlement quickly"
The eight crafts involved are the
engineers, firemen. conductors train
men, telegraphers, longshoremen,
clerks and switchmen.
Says Arbitration Declined.
Paddocz's formal statement was
made after he said Frank II. Alfred,
president and general manager of the
Pere Marquette, had declined to ac-
cept arbitration. The arbitration of
fer was made through John Williams,
member of the Federal Board of Me-
diation, and William Blackman, con-
ciliator the board.
Approximately 5000 men would be
affected by a strike order, according
to union estimates.
A detailed statement of the grleV-
ances of each craft has not been made.
but it was authoritatively stated that
all branches of the service are asking
for n change in working conditions.
LII addition the clerks are asking wage
increases.
National Officers Informed.
Paddock said that national officers
Of the unions involved had been NJ
formed of the result of the vote and
that a strike had been sanctioned,
if efforts at mediation failed to ac-
complish anything within reason
able" time.
THE organizations involved" he
said, lover a long period of time have
exhausted every possible effort to
reach an adjustment through neso-
tiations with the company and by me-
dation with the assistance of the
United States Board Of Mediation.
When mediation failed, the medlators
urged both parties to agree to arbl-
tration, which the railway company
refused to do"
Further conferences between the
mediators and President Alfred are un-
derstood to be in progress today.
Employees Poll Taken.
Paddock said that all employees of
each branch of the services named
were polled, whether members of the
union or not, and that the percentages
in each branch voting to strike were
as follows:
Engineers, 96.5; firemen. 90; con-
ductors, 9420; trainmen, 99.05; teleg-
raphers, $3.50; longshoremen, 100;
clerks, 50; more than a majority OF
the switchmen.
All the votes in the latter union
have not yet been tabulated, 1t was
stated.
President Alfred denied that the
Pere Marquette had refused to arbi-
trate. In a brief formal statement
following announcement of the result
Of the vote. Mr.. Alfred said:
Calls Statement Incorrect
'The statement that we refused to
arbitrate is not a correct one. We ex'
pressed a willingness and desire to
handle the situation in accordance
with the provision of the Railway La
Dor act We did express objection to
method of arbitration as suggested
by the union representatives.
Blackman has been in Detroit more
than six weeks endeavoring to bring
about a peaceable settlement of the
difficulty between the railway and its
union personnel.
Williams was sent from Chicago
two weeks ago. Since that time almost
daily conferences have been held by
the mediators with both side to the
dispute.
Cause of Strike Explained.
Labor leaders at Chicago declared
the strike vote grew out of the re-
fusal of the Pere Marquette officials
to negotiate disputes. The men, 1t is
declare the Interpretation
put by the management on regulations
governing working conditions is at
variance with the Interpretation in
effect on other roads throughout the
country.
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