The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-03-18
M'MORRON ALLEGES
COMPANY is UNFAIR
Street Railway Union Official
Declares Strikers Have Been
MiSrepresented.

Unfairness. Inconsistency and DELHI
crate misstatements are charges made
against officials OF the Washington
Railway and Electric Company in a
statement issued by Edward McMor-
row.. executive of the Amalgamated
Association of Street and Electric
Railway Employees. which is directing
the street railway strike.
Mr.. McMorrow asserts that the at
titude of the company officials has
some of the earmarks of men gone
mad by being clothed with brief au-
thority." The statement says:
ain over twenty years of active
service in street railway work-four-
teen of which were spent dealing di-
TVctly with some of the largest rail
road systems in the country have
never seen such glazing inconsisten-
cies and deliberate misstatements of
fact as has been issued from the rail.
road managers of the Washington
Railway and Electric Company.
Pledged to Arbitration.
For instance, they say the tyran-
nical Amalgamated Association For
twenty-seven years the Amalgamated
has made arbitration in industrial dis
putes the cornerstone OF their organi
zatlon. cannot conceive how the
railroad company in this twentieth
century can deny TO its employees a
right that itself assumes.
, ut must be self-evidast to any fair
minded citizen that thefe is no JUS
tice in the position the railroad COM
pany assumes OF they would be WILL
Al. .. NH frn
ton board OF impartial men of the
District
THE Amalgamated has over 800 CON
tracts With the leading street railway
companies of the United States and
Canada. 1 have never met railroad
president or = general manager that
ever met the president of the Amalge-
mated Association who does not speak
of him in the kindliest OF terms from
the standpoint of fair dealings ana
strict adherence to contracts.
sin the past FIVE years the Amalga-
mated has paid out of its treasury in
funeral, sick, disability and old age
benefits over 81 100000. In the past
year in peaceful negotiations with the
various companies in this country IL
has succeeded In increasing the wages
Of its membership more than $6,OOO.-
600.
THE different locals which com
prise the .Amalgamated have their
laws that govern them, independent OF
the parent Organization The offc. OF
the Analgamated cannot call a strike.
That is a matter entirely up to the
membership OF the local union. Those
who know the Amalgamated officers
in the District of Columbia know that
they have done everything in their
80 ne RfriE . in NASH
ington.
"The local men have been placed in
the position by the arbitrary etti-
tude of the officials of the Washing
ton Railway and Electric Company,
that there was no other course than
to issue q strike order or sacrifice the
last vestige of manhood.
The strike was forced upon the
employees. To any fair-minded man or
woman who is familiar with the strug-
giles OF the masses of men who work
for a daily wage, this must be ap-
parent.
The responsibility for this strike
in Washington rests entirely with the
officials of the Washington Railway
and Electric Company. The Govern
ment of the United States recognizes
The right of its employees to collective
bargaining and l am sure that no in
dividual employer should assume in
this day and age, to deny his en-
ployes the same right of collective
bargaining.
"Company Unfair
an the many statements issued by
the Washington Railway and Electric
Company. emphasis is placed upon the
request OF the employees for what they
term the closed shop
In dealing with that subject, the
company is unfair. All that the en-
ployes asked was that when any en-.
ploye OF the Washington Railway
and Electric Company became salts
factory 20 the company, from that
time he should become a member Of
the Employees Association. II his posi-
ton with the company made him ELI
gible.
That question has been entirely
eliminated from the employees de-
Insnds. snd language to this effect
substituted, There shall be no dis
elimination for or against an EN-
ploye OF the company for membership
in the union or nobInenlbership.'
THE Amalgamated !naVer attempt
ed and does not at thiS.time attempt
10 select the employees for any com
psny.
"On the other hand. the company
selects the members of the AmaIga-
mated
The company further says in the
seevral statements that have been is
sued that this is not a fight between
capital and labor. / hope that it Is
not, but it surely has some OF the ear
marks Of men gone mad by being
clothed with brief authority.
THE struggle of the street rail