The sun., 1918-09-20
B. R. T. UNION MEN
TELL OF DISCHARGE
Say Dement'S Were Given
Soon After They Joined
Labor Body.
HEARING BY WAR BOARD
President Williams Rcsents
Federal Interference and
Calls It Needless.

Members Of the Brotherhood OF Loco.
motive Engineers who asserted they had
been discharged by the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company because OF their con.
nection with the union had a hear.
ing yesterday before the War Labor
Board, of which Frank Walsh and
William Howard Taft are joint chalr-
men. in the City Hall.
The men told the board that lrrespec-
tive of whether their records had been
good or not before they Joined the union
they had been given the number OF de-
merits equivalent to discharge within a
few weeks after.
Sixty dement's are equivalent to a
discharge on the B. r r. and one man
said that although he had worked for
the company for twelve years he was
given sixty dement's In four days soon
after joining the brotherhood and was
discharged.
Gets 60 Dement'S In Day.
Another man got twenty dement's IN
two days. A third had ninety credits
In three weeks after he Joined the union
these credit marks were wiped out and
| sixty dement's substituted another re-
ceived ffty-fve dement's in one day.
Some of these men had exemplary
records. others had been violators OF
company rules before joining the union.
but all had been discharged after they
joined the union.
They told Mr.. Taft and Mr.. Walsh
that although they were supposed to
have the right of appeal to the general
| manager. they had reached the conclu-
sion that 1t did no good. They said
| they were not permitted to work during
such appeal and therefore they could do
nothing but accept the denerts until
they had mounted TO the point where
their discharge became automatic.
The organization of the Brotherhood
| Benevolent Association. the union main
! tanned by the b. r. T. for It's men. which
each employee is supposed to Join on
going to work for the company. came in
| for scrutiny on the part Of the Labor
| Board. The president of 1t Is George b.
| Edwards, but whether he is motor
man, conductor or other employee of the
| company outside Of his connection with
| the brotherhood could not be learned
1t was established, however. that the
, treasurer of the brotherhood is also
| treasurer OF the B. r. r. and that as
treasurer Of the company he has under
| his jurisdiction the secret service which
the company maintains.
Boards Efforts Resented.
| Considerable opposition to the Labor
| Board exercising jurisdiction was man
| ifested by both Timothy s. Williams,
president of the b. r. r, and by coun-
sci for the company. Mr.. Williams went
| so far as to say that no controversy
existed between employees and the COM
! pany until the Labor Board Instituted
its present inquiry. Mr.. Taft brushed
| the objections aside and said that the
mere fact that differences did ro~ exist
between the company and its employees
was sufficient reason for the board to
| exercise Its functions.
A proposition was also advanced nv
| the company that three employees be
chosen by the discharged men and that
three employees of the company be
| chosen by the company to hear the mat
ter and take 1t out OF the hands Of the
| War Labor Board. This was also dis
missed by Mr.. Taft with a curt demand
| said:
THE subject before the National Wa
| Labor Board involves such fundamental
principles of industrial liberty and pub
lie policy that I ask permission to state
| frankly and briefly the facts in the case.
The proclamation of the President Gre
ating your board defined Its powers
| functions and duties as covering CON
troversies arising between employers ard
l to- al 1F n =
for the effective conduct of the war. DC
Says board Incites Trouble.
mo controversy existed in this case
between employers and workers al the
time the War Labor Board Instituted an
inquiry, and no such controversy now
exists. There would have been no In
terruption OF service had the War Labor
Board not interviewed. and there IL no
indication Of such interruption now as
justifies the Mayor in calling upon the
War Labor Board to reopen this case
THE only threat of a strike came from
men outside our employees, and repre-
sentatives OF labor organization that
had for years been trying unsuccessfnl'Y
10 represent our men in their relations -
the company. This outside talk o' A
strike was pure bluff. founded upon me
expectation that 1t would bring to I've
assistance Of losing cause the inauen'"
of the National Government All hl'
four out OF the $50 employees affected
have signed statement that
| There Is no controversy between our
employer and ourselves either upon t1e
question OF wages, working conditions
hours Of labor. discriminat ton, int!mta-
ton or otherwise
1.-THE situation presented Therefore "a
that the functions OF the National wa"
Labor Board have been appealed 10
without the knowledge of the Nat ''''
War Labor Board. assumed, no. rs
defined by President Wilson to se'''N u
labor controversy, but to inctte one
in the interest of Industrial peace but N
the interest OF industrial dlscord
| In all the cases Of discharge after Doe
merits II was shown that the men wers
compelled to sign n paper atfirlnlnR KEW
the dement's were deserved. They %
planned they could 10 nothing eis'. '''
they had learned the uselessness 81 :
peal Bluett made the complaint.
awarded the dement's. hut said y"
no power Of discharge. but papa ''-
produced In evidence by one ot I 10 lne'
on which was written the WORD ''-
missed. Bluett." He said this waS ner. y
memorandum. which brought fr"W u
Walsh the comment
"Under this system the men seem 70
dismiss themselves
At the conclusion OF Bluetts test
mony the hearing was adjourned ana
Mr.. Taft announced that d'c's'""
would be reached as soon as poFSl''e
Chairman Hubbard OF the Public -