“ If there is any truth in the story told by the Spectator, that a petition for a strike is being circulated among the street railway men by some of the younger employees, it indicates an unwisdom the mass of the men would do well to cure; if it is pure fiction, it is of a poor kind. “
Hamilton Times. August. 1906
The Street Railway Company and the union representing the three lines men negotiating seriously. It was clearly understood that if any failures to agree on the wages and scheduling matters, an arbitration board would be formed to address such issues. A Times editorial discouraged any attempts to work outside of the established procedures would not be helpful:
“The fact of that, efforts by anybody, among the men or outside, to foment trouble are deserving of condemnation. We do not credit that any such movement would find support among the men. They have nothing to gain and much to lose by such a course. And their conduct throughout the trouble does not justify the public in accepting such a story as told without the most convincing evidence. We look for the negotiations proceeding to a satisfactory close, and any influence interposed to prevent that desirable consumption is to be deprecated.”
:The negotiations between the Street Railway Company and its men have reached the item of increase in wages, and as the company does not feel willing to grant the level increase of four cents an hour all round, as sought by the men, it is probable that the decision will be left to a citizen board of arbitrators. That should be satisfactory all round. The agreements with the other lines will be taken up, and if there should be hitches, arbitration will be resorted in those also. This may not suit extremists, but it is a reasonable plan and one well-calculated to secure substantial justice.
As was usual in the dance between the union and management, rumours about the successes or failures of the negotiators changed on seemingly a daily basis.
At a late Friday meeting, it seemed that an informal agreement had been reached to avoid a strike, the following day, one day before the Labor Day holiday, things had changed:
“All danger of a strike on the city street railway and two suburban lines was over yesterday, when officers of the union and officials of the company signed papers agreeing to leave the matters in dispute to arbitration and to abide by the decision.
“Trouble, with the probable tie up of traffic for the holiday, was only prevented by a personal appeal from President John Theaker, of Division 107, to his men at the mass meeting on Saturday night and the company’s action in granting the men’s desire to sign the papers before four o’clock yesterday morning.
“The situation became very grave on Sunday evening, when it looked, for a time, as though negotiations might be over
“The company’s failure to make a proposition and the fact that practically no progress had been made beyond reaching a settlement as to the mode of arbitration, put the men in rather a bad mood when they buckled down to business after midnight on Saturday. As the officers predicted, there was a hot discussion, and as the meeting drew to a close, many of the men arose and clamoured for a vote on a strike. It was plainly evident from the general feeling that it would have carried had it been put. The company’s failure to make them an offer seemed to be the last straw and a strike looked inevitable.”
One of the outside negotiators was charged with keeping the general public fully informed via interviews with the press:
‘In the event of failure to agree,’ said one of the officers (Magnus Sinclair), ‘the matter will be left to arbitration, providing the company will accept our terms of having disinterested citizens act, and will appoint their representative within a reasonable time. Of course, we don’t want to leave the matter to arbitration and have it dragging for a long period. If that is not acceptable, there will be a meeting of the men, and you know what that means,’ he asses significantly.”
The Times editors kept their encouragements with both sides in the dispute to come to a peaceful conclusion :
“The negotiations between the Street Railway Company and its men go on, and there is no good reason why they should not fruitful of good results. In these matters, neither side can hope to have all its own way, but, if reason prevails, a good understanding will be brought about.’
The union’s designated spokesman continued to speak in positive terms:
“When Mr. Magnus Sinclair, of Toronto, the Canadian representative of the Association, was spoken to about the outlook, he seemed hopeful :
“ ‘I think the men will get all they are asking,’ he said,
“When pressed for an explanation of this cheerful view, he referred to the statement attributed to Mr. Green in a recent interview that there would be no difficulty about the settlement of hours or wages.
“ ‘ If the Company does not stick to that,’ he said, ‘then it is swallowing itself and has been deceiving the public and the men.’
“At present, the extra men report three times a day at the various shifts, in the morning at 10:30 and at 5 o’clock. If they no work, the union asks that they receive twenty-five cents every time they report. This would mean about $4.50 for men who got no work and reported directly.
Although the management of the Cataract Company had made a firm commitment to address and present a wage and scheduling package at an agreed upon time, that time arrived and was past without any such position being made. That along was seen as arrogant, incensing many of the hardliners on the union side.
“Tonight is the regular night for the meeting of the union men, and that a strike will be called unless the committee has a favourable proposition to lay before the men is a foregone conclusion, judging from the general feeling and expressions of opinion among the men.
“Prominent members of the union, who have been instrumental in the negotiations so far in persuading the men to avoid trouble, are quoted today as saying that it will be impossible to hold the men back, and that no attempt will be made to.”
Although, finally, it seemed that while no wage or scheduling package was ready to present to the union, at least the names three man negotiation team had been decided upon.
Again Magnus Sinclair in speaking to press, spoke in hopeful terms”
“ ‘Unless the arbitration proceedings take a decided turn one way or the other, I have advised the men not to give out anything for publication until the verdict is in,’ was his reply this morning when asked if there was anything new.
“ ‘ I think the men can settle the matter themselves now, with the instructions they have,’ he added when questioned as to his intentions of returning to Hamilton
“Then men have been so dissatisfied for such a long time with the wages they have been receiving that it was almost impossible to hold them back.’
In a Times editorial Saturday September 8 1906, it was said that while it was lamentable that, because of a sudden medical issue, the man chosen by management to represent their interests had to resign, all was not lost:
“It is not likely that the unfortunate illness of the company’s arbitrator will cause more than a brief delay in reaching agreement,’
The union felt that that there was no need for a lengthy delay in replacing the man management had chosen. As that person was hospitalized, someone else should be nominated in short order, rather Jan wait for a recovery. Union President Theaker claimed that if the union’s representative had been forced to resign, a replacement would have been nominated within a few hours
Finally, management named their man, the clerk of the Wentworth County, Joseph Jardine.
“There will be no delay now and it is expected that in two weeks the Board’s decision will be given. The new wage scale will date from August 24th, the time the old agreement expired.”
As the arbitration proceedings were concluded in terms of hearing evidence, the Times published the following on September 25 1906:
“The hearing of evidence in the arbitration proceedings between the Cataract Power Co. and the employees of its electric limes over hours and wages was concluded yesterday afternoon and an award will likely be made on Thursday or Friday
“The arbitration proceedings were only decided on after a strike had been narrowly averted . The first session was held on Friday, Sept. 14, and since them, the arbitrators have had about nine meetings. The cost of the proceedings, it is expected, will amount to over $500. Each side pays its arbitrator’s expenses, and half the cost of the mutual arbitrator.
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