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The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, May 27, 1916, NOON EDITION, Image 10

Image and text provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045487/1916-05-27/ed-1/seq-10/

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CHICAGO MAY BE CITY WITHOUT
ELECTRIC LIGHTS OR POWER
Sam Insull has decided that he-yill
see Chicago without electrie-lights or
power before he will pay--a living
wage to his employes. And, unless
something is done in the meantime,
by Monday morning the city may be
without street car service and other
things depending on electric power.
For several days a strike commit
tee has been conferring with W. L.
Abbott, consulting engineer of the
Edison Co. The men wantpd to give
the company a chance before they
saw Chicago shut down on electric
power.
The final conference was to have
been held Thursday. But, after lis
tening to commands of his bosses,
Abbott refused to meet the men.
Irving Knott, business agent of the
Electrical Workers Local 9, who had
it in his power to call a general strike
last week that would have crippled
the Edison Co., then announced that
the men were through with all nego
tiations with the company. Friday
morning the work of calling out all
the men employed in the mechanical
dep't of the company begun.
Six li:mdred linemen are already
out By Saturday night, according
to Knott, 90 per cent of the power
house operators, inside electricians,
chauffeurs and teamsters will have
-joined the linemen.
"We have given the company every
opportunity," skid Knott, "because
wedidn't want to see street car serv
ice affected, power plants shut down
and people deprived of electric light
But the company seems determined
to whip the men by any means. The
Edison people have ben notorious as
paying the smallest wages of any
electric company in the country. The
men also suffer the worst working
conditions. We asked for a 30 per
cent increase in wages and recogni
tion of the union. The company
offered a few cents a day increase
and refused to recognize the union.
Without recognition of their organ-,
ization the men would have had no
weapon when the Edison crowd
wanted to put anything over on
them."
The Edison people are already
niaking preparations for the strike.
Chief Healey, with his police force
already badly crippled bjr the express
drivers' strike and other labor trou- .
bles, has been asked to hand over "
more of his men to Sam Insull's
strike.
An effort will be made to get strike
breakers, although the agents who
deal in strikebreakers declare the
market is short in Chicago.
In the meantime newspaper own
ers, property owners and other men
whose interests will be affected by
the loss of electric current are mak
ing frantic efforts for a settlement.
But Sam Insull stubbornly clings to
his old idea of the relations between
employers and employes and refuses
to offer anything substantial to the
strikers.
It is expected that the engineers
employed by the Edison company
and in the buildings using Edison
power will also join the strike. Knott
is conferring on that with Albert Pe
terson of the engineers' organization
today. r
LANSING TO STICK
Washington, ( May 27. Denying
unqualifiedly reports that Sec'y of
State Lansing is to resign, the state v
-department today decided circulation
of the report was part o the nrona-
ganda which has been proceeding
for several months."" The broad in- .
timation was given that German '
spurces fostered the rumor. ))
o o
New York. At request o Pres.
Marx of borough of Manhattan, em
ployers will meet here Monday to
consider turning clock hands for
ward an hour to save daylight.
Fargo, N. D. tight persons seri
ously injured and property damage
amounting to $400,000 done by tor
nado in vicinity of Wimbleden.

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