Portland labor press., October 21, 1904, Image 1

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Portland Labor Press
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OFFICIAL PAPER
1
FEDERATED TRALES COUNCILJ
(
OFFICIAL PAPER
^STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR
T R A D E U E IO E S A R E T U E B U L W A R K S OE M O D E R E D E M O C R A C IE S .— W. E . G LAD S TO E E.
No. 1 1
PORTLAND, OREGON, OCTOBER 21, 1904
Vol. V
NEW HATS $1.50, 2.00, 2.50, 3.00
^ me F ts H new
F A L L S U IT S
TELEPHONE SERVICE DEMORALIZED
Strike Continues, With Public Synipaty in Favor of
The Operators.
T h at the telephone service in the being used as strike-breakers. T hey
City of P o rtlan d at the present time had no m oney to return home and
is worse than none is attested hy the they were com pelled to stay, and were
blanched faces and profane counte­ worked 12 and 14 hours a day, as
nances of business men hurrying to the Seattle girls are being worked
and fro on the streets carrying their here now. T hese facts which can be
own m essages rath er than attem pt to substantiated by some of the girls on
get a num ber through the central of­ a strike now who were taken to Se­
at !e four years ago, will make it
fice.
T he truce th at was arranged be­ easier for us to blame the com pany
tween the girls and the m anagem ent more and the Seattle girls less. If the
on W ednesday, O ctober 12, for two antipathy of the m em bers of the Citi­
22 1-2 23 M o rm o n Street. Cor. F irst
days, in which the com pany prom ised zens’ Alliance to all trades unions is
the girls that no attem p t would be so tho ro u g h ly fixed as to excuse this
■ ■
»■ ' i
« i
made to fill their places until the P a ­ kind of business then we certainly do
cific Coast m anager arrived from San not begrudge them their uncom pro­
Francisco, was disregarded by the m ising tem per of hate.
T he strike of the P ortland op era­
honorable!?) gentlem en who made the
prom ise, and while the girls went to rs is being conducted in an orderly
back to work in good faith for the m anner, and the girls purpose that
two days, operators w ere engaged in it shall be continued so. Pickets are
W e a re A g e n ts for M. A. P a c k a rd a n d J . S. N e lso n ’s
Seattle to come to P o rtlan d at once. using m oral persuasion upon the im­
$3 50 a n d $4.00 U n io n M ade Shoes, e v e ry p a ir b e a rin g
T he conference took place as sched­ ported operators, and com m ittees are
th e Union S tam p, w h ic h is a g u a ra n te e as to q u a lity .
uled at which time the com pany of­ canvassing the business center of the
W e a re m a k in g a sp e c ia l p ric e d u rin g th e m o n th o f
ficials int rined the girls that they city enlisting the sym pathy of the
A u g u st fo r a n y sty le o f th e se tw o m a k e s at
could either surrender and retu rn to business men. T hey have m et with
w ork as individuals or not at all. considerable success, and have even
T hey chose the latter, and nearly 200 had offers of sum s of m onev to aid
h o e in a ll L e a th e rs a t g re a tly re d u c e d
operators are out. Less than a dozen them in their battle for b etter condi­
M en ’s W o r k iifg
ig 's Shoes
p ric e s d u rin g th is m o n th
rem ained at their places or deserted tions. In tw o days’ canvass nearly
from the ranks. In the m eantim e the 1000 nam es have been secured to the
Third and Morrison Streets
com pany has attem pted to justify its follow ing petition:
act of perfidy through the daily press,
“T o the Pacific States Telephone
♦♦
but outside of the C itizens’ Alliance, Com pany—W e, 4he undersigned, busi­
has received little approval from the ness men of the City ot P ortland and
| public. T he fact that the telephone subscribers to your telephone lines,
service is sim ply w retched, and the would m ost earnestly and em phatic­
places of P o rtlan d girls is taken by ally request that you im m ediately rein­
nearly one hundred girls whose hom es state all of the exchange girls forced
and interests are elsew here, is not out o f your em ploy by recent action,
taken kindly by the residents of this to the end th at our business interests
city.
be no longer jeopardized.
If this appeal to the com pany fails
T h at the girls have justifiable griev­
ance no one fam iliar with the case to bring them to tim e the city will
166 and 168 First Street
will deny. T he rules and regulations be thoroughly canvassed for the re ­
imposed upon them by the com pany moval of telephones, providing the
and Miss Cooper had become so in ­ patrons are not all com m itted to the
tolerable that the girls could restrain insane asylum in the m eantim e. It
e show a line o f F U R N IT U R E and CARPETS, C U R TA IN S
them selves no longer.
It became ap ­ was rep o rted yesterday that a well-
parent to them , and in fact they w ere known business m an got central, se­
d F O R T IE S E S 4o flt ftny p trse, w hether it be for a PALACE
inform ed, .the com pany proposed to cured his num ber w ithout delay, and
get rid .f all th e t^lder em ployes who fifli dead.
received over §30 per m onth, and
T h e grievance of the telephone
W e have th e goods. W e sell at L IV IN G PR IC ES, LA TEST
their places were to be given to cheap­ girls has been taken up with the
STY LES and R E L IA B L E M A N U FA C TU R ER S. = = = = =
er help. T he strictest and m ost un­ clergy of P ortland, and their case
reasonable rules w ere inaugurated will be presented to the various w o­
and a system of dem erits installed for m an's clubs. A rum or of substantial
• • • • * • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • the least infraction. Spys were e m ­ bearing is also reported that an ac­
ployed and the girls harassed in every tive effort will be made to secure a
conceivable manner.
franchise for an o th er telephone com ­
As a result of this shabby tre a t­ pany in the city. It will be rem em ­
ment the operators concluded they bered that a year ago a franchise was
would form an organization, as they applied for by another com pany,
m flN U F H C T U R E R S
knew that it m eant dismissal if they which was turned down by the coun­
w ent to the officers individually for cil. It is said th at the councilmen
,
of
o n io n
m flD B
redress. T hey were unfam iliar with who objected to the new com pany
the mode of form ing an organization, then have about changed their minds,
appealed to the district organizer and that the installation of an o th er
of the Am erican Federation of L abor and b etter service is a probability in
for advice. H is advice was th at they the near future.
proceed cautiously, and they would
T he press com m ittee of the striking
• I have done so had the com pany not o perators have prepared a com m uni­
“ d isc h arg ed two of the girls for alleged cation for the public, setting forth
participation in the attem p t to form their side of the controversy, which
the union. T hen it was that the o per­ follow s:
ato rs walked out in a body, the truce
"In the controversy between the
arranged, and broken by the com pany, telephone com pany and its o perators
and the subsequent strike.
there is one significant point that
• I W hile the places of the P ortland should have due prom inence if the
• [girls have been taken by outsiders, public are to be a sharer in the dif­
the latter cannot be wholly blamed. ficulty, which they are to an extent
M any of them have declared th at willy-nilly.
[they were brought here under m is­
“T h at is the proposals m ade by
representation. and if they could get both sides for a settlem ent at the o u t­
their fare paid they would return break of the strike. T he m atter is the
home. In all probability they were culm ination of a long period of dis­
hoodwinked with flattering offers of satisfaction on the part of the girls,
good positions, and did not know that and it has been p artly responsible for
there was any trouble here.
poor service to the public.
T his was the case four years ago
“O u r sw itchboards have been in­
*
iiJ E S T
W W
A R P Ä N T rn M
when there was a strike of the oper­ creased until we do double or treble
WARRANTED
ators
in
Seattle.
T
he
com
pany
took
w hat we fo rn ftrly did. T h a t’s all
U f l V E B Y DETAIL
NOT TO H IP
a num ber of girls from this city as right if the w ork had not been in­
strike breakers, and th e girls were creased beyond the average operato r's
totally ignorant of any trouble until capacity and if the pay were just.
IA E b s ROOM : S . «1. C ornei» F if t h a n d S t a r k S t r e e t s
they arrived in Seattle. T he m ost But our prim ary grievance is w hat
F A C T O R Y : C o r n e r G r a n d A v e n u e a n d B a s t T a y lo r S t r e e t
deceptive m ethods were employed. At we regard as rules unnecessarily
th a t tim e the m anager in P o rtland harsh and nagging.
A system of
P O R T D flN D , OREGON
was an austere matt whom the girls reaching to each o th e r’s sw itchboards
feared. At luncheon one day his lady and of exciting com petition and of
assistant startled the o p erato rs by the blackm arks anti classification as tQ
follow ing rem arks: “Oh, say, girls, prom otion and pay that wears out
nr
i
«*/
Mr - ------------ says l ^ at there is not our spirits and nerves. T he pay is
O ur b e * lo c k i OT r Diamonds,
Watches, another city in the service th at has not at all com m ensurate with the
Jewelry and Novelties is complete. as goo.d ?nd com Petent operators as I am ount of work.
A
va / a l n
• •
.
. • ¡there is in the P o rtlan d office. In
“T h e average
erage o p erato r's pay is $25
Our W atch Repairing Department is fact he is so pleased w ith your work per m onth for about eight hours of
in the hands o f experts in their line, th at he intends to take about a dozen very exhausting work. Thirty-seven
of you to Seattle, where they are p ut­ dollars and fifty cents is the miximum,
second to none in the city. A Grad­ tin g in new sw itch boards, to teach and the new rules will reduce this
uate Optician is in charge o f our the o perators there, a-id besides g et­ to $30. Girls th a t w ork from 11 a.
ting your wages, your expenses will m. to 1 p. m. and from 5:30 to 10 p.
O ptical Department.
be paid.” This piece of flattery be­ m. get $20
wildered the girls, and they began
“N ow this is evidently very poor
to w onder at once v ho the fortunate pay. But it has become evident that
operators would be. T hey were select­ the m otive of the new rules is to
ed w ithout delay and sent to Seattle. drive the old o perators out of the
C arriages were provided for them at service and replace them with new'
the depot, and the P ortland m anager ones at reduced wages.
was there in person to take charge of
"W e claim the m atter of wages is
them. T hey were taken to the m ost not the prim e factor in the trouble.
hotel in the city and p ro ­ It is our treatm en t that we are dis­
293 Morrison 8treet, Near Fifth fashionable
vided with accom m odations. T hey satisfied w ith, and the object of the
w ere fed upon the finest delacies that harsh treatm en t is to establish a
the m arkets of Seattle could afford. cheaper pay. W e believe th a t the
CTla n u f a a t u r in g O p t i c ia n s
P re s c rip tio n s p ille d T he first evening in the city they public should feel that the cause is
were given a launch p arty upon the not sufficient th at its service should
Sound, and the next evening a th e ­ suffer, and th at it should look into
ater party was arranged for them. the m erits of the dispute.
T hey were then rem oved from the
“W e believe th a t the attitude of the
hotel and given quarters in a stylish com pany has been unfair. W e had
boarding house, sim ilar to the N o r­ quit unprem editatedly in a state of
D ia m o n d s , U Jateh es, tle u je ln y , E t c .
ton and the H o b art-C u rtis in this u tte r exasperation, after having form ­
city. T hen they were taken to the ed a union in self-defense. W e find
office and put to work. It was then the organizers of the union listed for
3 8 4 UU «»H Jngton ■ «., B « t. F o u r t h a n d F if t h
P O R T U A t t D , O R B O O p l that they discovered th at they were
(Continued on pit«* 6)
R e g u la r $ 2 0 . 0 0
:
UNION MEN
V a lu e s .
S. G. Skidmore & Co. are the Pioneer
Representatives of
welch : THE AMERICAN CLOTHIER
M en ’s Shoes
,jg>
KOBEBTS BROS.
UNION SOAP MAKERS’ LABEL
PUCK’S MECHANICS SOAP 5 C
The Only Union Label Soap. For the
T o ile t and Bath.
Especially Recom­
mended for use by
M E CHANICS
PRINTERS
PAINTERS .
RAILROAD MEN
B L A C K S M IT H S
HARNESS MEN
SHOE MEN
T Y P E W R ITE R S
HAR D W AR E MEN
Remember we are the Oldest Druggists
in the Northwest, careful o f what we
recommend, and strongly endorse this
Union Price o f Soap
Taiibenheimer $ Schmeer
Carppt and Furniture Company
I4 E U S T A D T E R
BROS.
S. G. SKIDMORE & CO.
151 THIRD STREET, NEAR MORRISON
Depend on T h is Store fo r Good Clothes and to Save
Y o u L o ts o f M oney
T h e C H IC A G O
5 S 0 fT H E
wechanics - ci , othing
h &•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A. N. WRIGHT
The Iowa Jeweler
> U. C. H e n rie h s e n Co.
2
i
a
«
T h e B ig Store in the M id d le o f the B lo c k
6 9 -7 1 -7 3
d*
T H IR D
S T ., B e t w e e n
X /l i WWI
vz V7 V7
1111
■—
OAK
and
P IN E
W ° r th o f Latest S tyle Suits, O ver-
coats, Pants, H ats, Shoes and F u r-
m ailings fo r M en and Boys on
SACRIFICE CLEARING SALE
at 20 to 50 per cent on the D o lla r o ff re g u la r prices
UNION MADEGOODS
W H ER E TO G ET THEM
W E H A N D LE T H E W E L L K N O W N
STREATER BROS. UNIO N M ADE ...
INDEX, DAY’S W ORK & KISM ET
BRANDS O F TO B AC C O .
IF YOU
ARE A UN IO N MAN, A SK FOR
T H E M , THEY HAVE NO E Q U A L.....
A. W ILD M AN
The Hub
^O R T L .Z ' n D.’ o ' r EO ON
Third and
Burnside Sts.
IS A UNION STORE
And Retails at Wholesale Prices Every
Thing That Men Wear : : : : :
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Boys’ New Suits, $2.00 to $5.00 a Suit