Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1917-03-24
THREATENED STRIKE RAILROAD
BROTHERHOODS WILL NOT OCCUR
MANAGERS CONCEDE ALL DEMANDS OF employees AND
WILL OPERATE UNDER ADAMS0N EIGHT HOUR LAW
RATHER THAN ADD TO C0UNTRrS PERIL But THE
PEOPLE WILL PAY

The big railroad strike, which for
many months has been threatening to
break loose at any moment, and disar-
range the business of the entire
nation, has been averted by the COM
plete surrender of the railroad COM
panes to the demands of the men
Last Monday the representatives OF
the great transportation companies
transmitted to the President com
munication authorizing him to make
any concessions necessary to prevent
| a rupture at this time in vie wof the
war cloud gathering over the country
the transportation people decided that
| it were better to surrender, even at
| loss to themselves, than to jeopardize
| the nations prosperity than by permit
| ting great railroad strike at this crit
| ical time.
The formal letter to the President
by which this authorization was made
was signed by Elisha Lee, chairman OF
the managers, and was as follows:
In the national crisis precipitated
by events OF which we heard this at
ternoon, the national conference com
mittee of railroads joins with you il
the conviction that neither at home
nor abroad should there be fear OF
hope that the efficient operations OF
the railroads of the country will be
hampered or impaired.
Therefore you are authorized to
assure the nation there will be nc
strike, as bafis for such assur-
ance we hereby authorize the com
mittee of the council of national de
tense to grant to the employees who
are about to strike whatever adjust
ment your committee deems neces
sary to guarantee the uninterrupted
and efficient operation of the railroad
as an indispensable arm of the national
defense
The announcement of the managers
that they had yielded came apparently
as a surprise to the brotherhood chiefs
for they were in bed when summoned
again to the conference room. Earlier
in the evening there had been dis
tinctly pessimistic feling as to the
prospect for averting a strike. Up tt
that hour the railroads had refused to
make the concessions demanded and
the brotherhoods had stood fast to
their determination to strike unlesS
they won their demands, either by the
supreme court declaring the Adamsor
law constitutional or by their employ
ers granting them the eight-hour day
Earnest appeals by Secretary Lane
and the other mediators to the pa
triotism OF the railroad managers are
believed to have been an important
factor in bringing about settlement
The critical situation in which the
country finds itself because of the
sinking of American ships by German
submarines was impressed upon them
and they were told that if a strike
were permitted at this time it would
be a national calamity. Similar pres
sure was brought to bear upon the
brotherhood chiefs
Secretary Lane has made this for
NAL statement:
Regardless of the decision of the
supreme court on the Adamson law
the basic eight-hour day will go into
effect"
The iont committee which is work
| ing out the details of the agreement
is expected to adjust technical details
| Of the application of the basic eight
| hour day in such way that it will
BE satisfactory to both passenge rand
freight employees of the railroads.
The decision reached by the man.
| ayers means that the brotherhoods
| have won an important victory, al
! though it does not bring them all
their original demands By the ar
rangement it is assumed they will be
awarded pro rata time for overtime or
the basic eight-hour day which they
have been assured
Their original demands called for
time and half for overtime on the