The Teamsters’ Pay Protest

Teamsters who were employed by Commissioner Welsh to do the grading on Eleventh street have not been paid. The money, about $90, has been held up since the first of the month, and some of them threaten to bring suit against the city if the amount is not soon forthcoming. When the council granted the petition of A. R. Titlow asking for the improvement of Eleventh street from X street west to the city limits the commissioner of public works was instructed to proceed with the improvement at once. At that time it was impossible to put the city teams on the job and Mr. Welsh hired the work done by the day, agreeing to pay the teamsters $4.50 a day, though the ordinance says that teamsters shall be paid at the rate of $4 a day. When the bill came in the finance committee members did not see how they were going to get around the ordinance, so the bills were not allowed. The matter was called to the attention of the council last night. Commissioner Welsh explained his connection with the matter by saying that he could not hire the teams for less than $4.50 a day and the work had to be done. There is an ordinance now in the hands of the salaries committee increasing the rate from $4 to $4.50 a day, and some of the councilmen were in favor of rushing this through, so that the bills could be paid. Councilman Bellingham offered a solution of the problem. He said: 'The only way out of this is to let A. R. Titlow pay the extra 50 cents. He has a road opened to his summer resort and is the party most benefited by the improvement.'