The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-12-04
Rail Telegrapher
Praises Expose on
Western Union
(By a Railroad TeIegrapher)

SAN DIEGO, Calf Thanks to the
Daily Worker for exposing the West
ern Union in its treatment Of its
messengers. Myself being a railroad
and commercial telegrapher since
1902, I know all too well that such
cheap tactics has always been the
policy Of the Western Union.
For more than so years prior to
1912, railroad operators and station
agents, through a contract that eX-
listed between the railroads and the
Western Union, were compelled to
handle and deliver all kilograms make
reports, renittances, care for and re-
build batteries for the Western Union
without one cent Of pay or commits
sion from that company, while re-
ceiving a measely salary Of SIS to
$50 per month from the railroad.
Ask any railroad telegrapher with
10 or more years experience and he
will tell you that the Western Union
is rotten to the core. 1t isn't any
wonder that with all this free forced
labor that this industrial octopus
grew to such immense proportions.
From 1925 to 1928 I was employed
as Morse operator for the Western
Union in Los Angeles. There were
los Morse operators in the traffic de-
partlnent in single room. An equal
number had already been displaced
years before by the "Mux."
Work Increased, with Pay AS Before
About 1911, day and night letters
came into use, The extra length OF
these kilograms increased the tele-
graphers burden one hundredfold
without any increase in pay. If an
operator could not show excessive or
almost supernatural speed with &
viproplex, a sending machine (pur~
chased out of his pay), he was simply
not tolerated. We had to pound
worn out typewriters Cce wagons)
until our fingers all but dropped oil
A traffic chief or supervisor, better
known as q Simon Legree" was al
ways at our backs, slave-driying US
to greater speed.
Skilled unassigned operators were
kept waiting around daily on the
extra (starvation) list. They hoped
to get in from two or more hours
per day. The company's business
had to be protected in case OF 9
sudden overflow Of traffic. That was
during the peak days OF so-callec
prosperity when the operators mini
mum rate of pay was SIPS per montr
and the company's annual net earn
ings was s15,0o000o.
IS Per Cent Thrown Out
Then like a thief in the night can't
the automatic simplex, which dis
possessed IS per cent OF the nations
commercial telegraphers of the rlgh'
to live. In the Los Angeles Office
only % Of the LOG Morse operators
are left. In certain civilized coun-
try machines are used to relieve the
strain OF such nerve-wracking labor
and to lift the burden instead Of
throwing a person on the street tc
starve.
The N. F.. A. code has been ap.
piled in the Los Angeles office, bu'
the Assistant Chief Operator recently
informed me that two-thirds OF the
remaining % operators are on part
time, and that the file is still de-
creasing.
The N F.. A makes no provision
for thousands of disposessed MORSE
telegraphers. Only a few old mer
with both feet hanging in the grave
were given small pensions. 1t was
pitifu1 sight to see those silver haired
half deaf old men plugging along
when their feeble minds all but
failed to function.
He who draws dividends from West
ern Union stock is the recipient Of
blood money sweated out of the EN-
ployes' hide. The Western Union
should belong to the workers and not
to a bunch of parasites who gamble
our unpaid wages away at Deauville