The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-01-14
THE RAIL WAY UNIONS
Drawing Together For Mutual
Protection.
TEN ORGANIZATIONS IN LINE.
All Are Affiliated With the American
Federation, but the Big Brotherhoods
Still Hold Aloof-PossibiIities of the
Movement For a Mighty Union.


The preliminary steps toward draw
ing the railway unions together in an
offensive and defensive alliance We're
taken at Denver by representatives Of
ten organizations whose members are
engaged in various branches Of the
ticipating, said to represent in the ag-
gregate 100000 men, were:
The Order Of Railroad TelecraDhers
brotherhood Of Boilermakers and Iron
Ship Builders OF America, 1nternation-
al Freight Handlers union. Information
III Association of Machinists, Interna-
fional Association of Car Workers, In
ternatlonal Brotherhood Of Black
smiths, Brotherhood of Railway Clerks,
the Switchmen'S Union Of North Amer
lea, International Brotherhood of Main
| tenance of Way Employees and Inter-
hational Association of Steam Filters
| of America.
There will be meeting OF the rail-
way employees department of the
American Federation of Labor, as the
new organization IS to be. in Chicago
on the second Monday in January. At
this meeting q constitution and by
laws will be adopted. II. B. Perham.
president of the Order of Railway Te-
ileSraphers, is chairman of the new de-
partment, and P. ]. Flannery. presi-
dent of the International Association
of Freight Handlers, is secretary
In the list Of unions taking part in
this movement there are but two, the
Telegraphers and the Switchmen, that
are classified as in the operating de-
partment of railroading, writes Joseph
r. buchanan in the New York Journal.
Three others. however, are really parts
OF the railway service. These are the
Freight Handlers. hallway Clerks and
the Maintenance of Way Employees or
trackmen. The other five are not dis
t1nctly railway organizations but IN
ions of trades, some of whose men,
bers are employed by the railways.
All are affiliated with the American
Federation Of Labor.
An ideal railway federation would
combine the brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers, the brotherhood OF
! F1remen and EnGinemen. the Order of
Railway Conductors and the Brother
hood of Trainmen with the unions pre-
viouSly named. They are the four
strong organizations in the railway
service For reasons probably satisfac-
tory to themselves, but never satisfac-
ment. these organizations have refused
to become n part of the great labor
family by affiliation with the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. And. while
they have agreed upon this point, they
have also refused to come together in
q federation of railway unions
Several attempts have been made
during the past thirty years to com
bine the railway brotherhoods for mu-
tual benefit, but all suck efforts have
been shattered or have died a-borninr
1t was upon this rock that Eugene V.
DebS split with the brotherhood of
Locomotive Firenen. of which he was
international secretary for fourteen
| years. DebS tried then to unite the
railway men with the American Rail
way union, which organization ignored
trade or distinct employment lines and
aimed to unite all classes of railway
workers into one organization The
Pullman strike of 1894 marked the fail
urc of the American Railway union,
and then DcbS went into the Socialist
movement.
! come together in Denver will be able.
backed by the American Federation of
Labor, to convince the brotherhoodS
that it will be to their advantage to
unite with their fellow railroad work
ers. 1t will be n great day for the
| American labor movement when this
| is accomplished.