Page:Class Unionism.pdf/7

Rh are pretty thoroughly organized. The engineers, the firemen, conductors, brakemen, switchmen, telegraphers, and some others are organized in their several craft unions. They have repeatedly tried to federate these organizations. so as to bring them into harmonious alliance with each other, but every such attempt has failed. The selfish spirit of craft autonomy. that is, the jealousy of each particular branch to organize itself, establish its own petty supremacy and look out for itself, has made it impossible to federate these organizations. The members of these brotherhoods have increasing grievances and try to have them adjusted in the old way. The railroad corporations are always shrewd enough to enter into contractual relations with unions representing two or three or four departments, so that in every emergency they can always control these departments, while refusing increases, making reductions, or discharging without cause employes in other departments of the service.

It has not been long ago since the union telegraph operators on the Missouri, Kansas, & Texas directed their committee to call on the railroad officials for a small wage concession that had been granted by other systems. But the company, having contracts with its engineers and firemen, conductors and brakemen, peremptorily refused the request of the telegraphers, and about 1,300 of them went out on strike—quit the service of the company, as a union, to enforce their demands. What was the result? This large body of union workingmen who thus went out on strike to enforce a righteous claim, all lost their jobs, every one of them. It was only a short time after they struck that I happened to go over the system. I met the strikers at various