The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen ask nothing that is not just; we do not want one penny more than we rightfully earn; we believe that our calling is one that should command good wages for faithful service, and we desire also that all our members shall render such service. We recognize the fact that our employer has certain rights that we, as employes, are bound to respect, and it is never our purpose to antagonize. Justice is our motto—justice not only to ourselves, but to our employer. I believe that if organizations of labor keep in mind that great principle, and are officered by men that are conservative, that are willing to work at both sides of a question and settle on a basis of equal justice to both employer and employe, and when the employer will be willing to treat his employe with that spirit of fairness which is due all faithful workmen, recognizing in them men of intelligence, capable of knowing right from wrong, that strikes and strife will seldom come, and if they do, it will be when every well-thinking man that has the true principle of manhood will endorse the organization struggling for its rights. I desire the members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen to so conduct themselves that when they go before a General Manager, Superintendent or Master Mechanic, they will meet with those courtesies due a manly man. I want General Managers, Superintendents and Master Mechanics to feel that they have in a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen a faithful employe, one they can place confidence in, and when he comes to them in a respectful way, and lays before them a grievance, that they will give him a hearing and render him justice.
Our system of adjusting grievances is by arbitration, believing this is the only sure method of preserving harmony between employer and employe. If at any time we feel aggrieved, we make a statement of our grievance and place it in the hands of the Grievance Committee of the local Lodge. The chairman of this committee, through its secretary, calls the committee together, and examines into the merits of the grievance, and if considered just, the committee so reports to the Lodge with proper recommendations, and if the Lodge considers the grievance worthy of action, it orders the committee to proceed to adjust the matter. The committee then calls on the Master Mechanic and Superintendent, and in a gentlemanly manner lay the grievance before them, and if possible arrive at a satisfactory settlement. If the Master Mechanic and Superintendent have not the power, or show no disposition to treat with the committee, they go to the General Manager, from him to the President, and so on until all means have been exhausted to secure an adjustment. If they fail, they then send for their chief executive, and on his arrival, he, in conjunction with the committee, again uses all means within reason to effect a settlement. Failing again, it then lies in the power of the Grand Master to order the men to quit work, or, in more plain terms, to strike. Now, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen have been in existence nearly thirteen years, and during that time we have not been involved in a single strike. We believe that the conservative stand that has always been taken, and the intelligence of the men that have been our leaders and committees have been the means of making this record. It has been said that firemen would never be recognized by railway officials in the adjustment of wages or the settlement of grievances. I desire to dispel any such opinion from the minds of all. During the last year we have had a large number of our committees wait on Presidents and General Managers, and in every instance they were cordially treated and received a satisfactory advance of pay, and the result is that firemen are looked upon by officials as men capable of reasoning, that they are qualified to go before a President or General Manager and discuss questions relative to their vocation better than men that are not following the same occupation, even though they ride upon the same engine.
The Brotherhood feels proud of its record, and it is our purpose to carry forward our good work in the same straightforward manner. We ask nothing of our employer but what is reasonable, believing that it is the policy of the railway managers of the present day to treat with their employes in a fair and liberal manner. It has been my experience, during the limited time that I have been connected with railroads, that most of the dissatisfaction that arises between employer and employe originates from the overbearing, tyrannical action of some petty foreman, ofttimes a Master Mechanic, and employes censure the officials, and sometimes affairs assume a serious aspect, when, if the employe would go to the proper authority—the President or General Manager—and lay his grievance before them, he would get immediate satisfaction. Ofttimes the officials know nothing of the existence of any dissatisfaction until they are informed that the employe has struck; then it is too late to present the true situation to the official, who, having had no intimation of trouble, feels greatly incensed at the action of the employe, and immediately turns against him, when, had the facts been presented to him, the foreman or the petty boss that caused the dissatisfaction would have been looking for employment, while the employe would have had justice. There is only one way to adjust our grievances, and that is by a careful statement to the proper authority. Then, if we fail to obtain satisfaction, we can feel that we have done our duty, and the responsibility rests with employer, not employe. During the past few months we have observed in many localities troubles between employer and employe. The cry has always been, Labor fighting capital. Capital is not the enemy of labor; it is not capital that labor is opposing; it is the monopolist, and such a monopolist grinds down the laboring man to starvation wages in order that he may enrich his own coffers. Labor is the creator of capital, and as such there can be no strife between them. It is the monopolists that control capital that antagonizes the laborer, and compels him to work for scarcely enough to keep his family in food; and it is those monopolists that to-day have capital bound in chains and separated from its creator—labor. For years laboring men have been subject to reductions in wages until, in many instances, the amount of their daily earnings would scarcely buy food sufficient to sustain life. Men of liberal views have observed this state of affairs, and many of our great thinkers have examined into this question, and, becoming convinced that it was wrong to allow their fellow-men to be trodden down by a class of men that have only one ambition, and that is to control all the capital of the land, have organized for the purpose of getting for the laborer, the creator of the vast wealth of this country, a reasonable day's pay for a reasonable day's work; not to antagonize capital, but to ask that he who creates the wealth of the land shall have at least enough to clothe and feed his family and live in a respectable little home. To be sure, there have many things occurred during the past few months that have caused some of these organizations of labor to be looked upon with suspicion, and there are many that stand ready to condemn them. But let us not be too severe; we have all made mistakes, and we should always be willing to concede to others what we ask for ourselves—charity; and let us be charitable to those that during the past year have been involved in difficulties with their employers.
The members are not to be censured for all that is done by these organizations. Officers that wield the power can involve an Order in difficulty by making unjust demands. Men ought never to be placed at the head of these labor organizations who are unprincipled or unjust. Place men there who will work to the interests of those they represent, and at all times avoid conflict when it is uncalled for. I am convinced that the labor troubles of the past few months have been beneficial to us all, notwithstanding there have been many wrongs committed, many lives lost and much property destroyed. This we all deplore, and any Order that sanctions any such actions on the part of its members should be condemned. We believe that the trouble we have experienced will teach a lesson to all organizations of labor. We cannot be too careful whom we admit to our Order, one bad man may ruin a whole Lodge. Look well to a man's character and standing before you admit him, and then you will find that in all his duties he will do right and bring credit to himself and the Order. In admitting only such men, we may hope to receive the endorsement of all good people.
We turn to our Constitution, and there read in the preamble: "For the purpose of effecting a unity of Firemen, and elevating them to a higher social, moral and intellectual standard, and for the promotion of their general welfare, and the protection of their families, the Brotherhood has been organized."
Let these words be engraven upon the hearts, not only of our membership, but the great public, so that our aims may be understood and our ambitions appreciated. Our preamble voices the sublime sentiments of our fraternity, and we trust they may touch a responsive chord in the hearts of all good people.
Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association of
North America.
This Association is growing rapidly in influence and numbers. It is now one of the most powerful labor organizations on this continent. The large field from which it draws its membership, the character of its members, and the care exercised in admitting none but the right type of men, the energy and determination of each individual, and, above all other considerations, the absolute equality guaranteed by its Constitution and unwritten laws, warrant the assertion that this Association must soon stand among the first in the list of labor organizations.
OBJECT.
The preamble to the Constitution reads as follows:
1st. Is to unite and promote the general welfare and advance the interests, social, moral and intellectual, of its members. Benevolence, very needful in a calling as hazardous as ours, has led to the organization of this Association.
2d. Believing that it is for the best interests, both of our members and their employers, that a good understanding should at all times exist between them, it will be the constant endeavor of this Association to establish mutual confidence and create and maintain harmonious relations between employer and employe.
3d. Such are the aims and purposes of the Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association of North America.
Benevolence is its corner-stone,—to relieve the distress of disabled brothers, to care for their widows and orphans, and to see to the decent burial of deceased members.