The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-14
RAILROADS MUST
CHANGE POSITION
TOPREVENT STRIKE
Strike Vote Authorized But
Delay Allowed For a
Conference
10000 TRAINMEN AND
CONDUCTORS READY
Representatives of Labor Men VIII
Confer With Railroads Men
and President Wilson
Today

New York. July 13.-Whether "A
strike of upward of 10000 conductors
and trainmen on As eastern railroads
shall be declared within the next few
days. depends upon whether the rail-
roads recede from their present posi-
ton and withdraw from their refusal
to arbitrate the wage and other diff
ferences between the companies and the
men.
This declaration was made tonight i'll
statements by the trainmen's represen-
tatives after the grievance committees
of employees from the various roads, in
conference here, had ratified the strike
vote recently taken, and authorized
A. b. Garretson, president of the
Brotherhood of Railway Conductors.
and w. G. Garretson, president of the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, to
issue the formal strike order to their
respective organizations. Peace pros
poets centered upon the attitude of the
roads, the men declared with the pos
sibility that way out of the dead
lock will be supplied by tomorrow's
conference in Washington where
amendments to the Erdman law, under
their men have been arbitrated, will
be considered with view of pressing
their speedy passage on Congress.
Strike Delayed
The general committee of the two
organizations authorized Garretson and
Lee to delay the strike order long
enough to permit them to attend the
u oh
representatives of the railroads and
their employees and prominent public
men. The mems representatives VIII
take part in the conference in the hope
that it will result in the passage of
the Erdman amendments increasing
from three TO six or more the num-
ber of arbitrators authorized to act in
disputes between railroads and their
employees. II has been made plain that
the railroads chief objection to the
! Erdi1an act sfbitfation rs that too
much responsibility rests upon sin
gle mantle third or neutral arbitra-
! tor.
| Presidents Garretson and Lee LEFT to-
night for Washington. They issued A
| signed statement explaining the action
of the committee today as their at
titude with regard to the Washington
conference.
The committees of the various roads
acting Independently of each other
says the statement, unanimously rat
flied the strike vote of the membership
on their respective lines and empow-
cred the executive officers of the or
ganizations to fix the date for retire
ment from the service should the at
titude of the managers committee re-
main unchanged In order that no rea-
sonable means for effecting friend
ly settlement should be neglected by
us, they authorized sufficient DELAY in
making the strike effective to permit
the undersigned to attend the confer
ence arranged for tomorrow in Wash
ington with President Wilson, called
for the consideration of the amend
ment to the Erdman act as embodied
in the Newlands bill In the hope that
If such amendments were made imme-
diately effective 1T might induce the
companies to abandon the position
heretofore maintained by the confer
ence committee of managers and lead
to withdrawal of their former re-
fusal of our proposition to arbitrate
under the provisions of the federal
law"