The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-08-29
MEDIATION IAN.
Bills For Changing Erdman Act
Are Prepared.
REASONS FOR THE ACTIONS.
National Civic Federation and Other
Bodies Are Supporting Proposed
Notifications Which Would Change
Number of Men on Committee.

Amendments to the Erdman concilia-i
ton act have been drafted by members
If the National Civic federation and
supported unanimously by joint COM
mittee of railroad men and railroad la
Dor representatives. A number OF de-
viations from the Erdman act are pro
vided for in the new bill, when Will
shortly be introduced in both branches
of congress. Chief among these are
changes in the number of members OF
Cancellation committees when possible
and the creation of the office of com
missioner of mediation and arb1tra-
ton.
The Civic federation calls attention
TO the fact that the railroad situation
in the eastern part of this country Is
acute. The engineers and hremen
have struck within the past year, AMI
the trainmen and conductors are now
taking a strike vote. This situation
makes it imperative to devise means
of arbitration more efficient than those
which already exist
Mr.. Low, president of the Natlonal
Civic federation, has issued a state
ment describing the amendments and
giving the reasons for their adoption
by the committee. He says:
Like all measures which represent
the asset of many minds, the Dill as
submitted to congress represents
compromise on certain points. Both
the railroads and their employees adj
ard Of
as provided by the Erdman act as ut
now stands. is too small when the in
terests affected are the interests of
whole section of the country and not
single railroad.
"The Erdman act, broadly speaking,
provides for mediation between inter
state railroads and their employees at
the request of either party by the
chief Justice of the commerce court and
the commissioner of labor. 1t also pro-
yides q method for arbitration under
the authority of federal law. For
several years after its enactment no
appeal was made to the services of the
mediators under the Erdman act. or
late years, however, it has been in
creasingly resorted to both by the rail
roads and their employees, with the
result that as to the mediation fea-
lures of the law the work has be-
come so continuous and so important
that the proposed bill suggests the
creation Of a commissioner of media
ton and Cancellation, to be filed by
the president, by and with the advice
and consent of the senate, whose time
shall be exclusively devoted to this
work With the commissioner Of me-
diation and Cancellation is to be asso-
ciated under the proposed bill an as
sistant commissioner of mediation and
Cancellation.
''This proposed bill, like the Erdman
act, relies entirely upon voluntary arbi-
tration Arbitration which is volun-
tary has repeatedly proved its value
in railroad experience, because when
men arbitrate voluntarily they accept
the terms of the award. Compulsory
arbitration, on the other hand, is Inn
practicable, because not even the
power Of the state can compel men
to work under conditions which do
not command their assent. When the
employers and employees of great
industry, therefore, as in this instance
are simply asking for a law which
will give legal sanction to a method
of arbitration which both are willing
to accept, the argument in favor of
such legislation is exceedingly strong"