Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-08
LETTER RECEIVED
BY BROTHERHOOD
Shea Gives His Views on Locals
!, Shopmen's Organization
IN Movement

thy Shea, acting president of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
and Enginemen, which has a direct
bearing, they say, on the local shop
mems organization. The letter is as
follows:
ITO Officers and Members, ALL
Lodges, Brotherhood of Loco
motive Firemen and Enginemen,,
Pennsylvania System.
'Sirs and Brothers:
1T has come to my attention that
copies of scurrilous letter address,
ed to myself under date of April 1st
by one P. F. Richardson have been
sent to our lodges on the Pennsylva-
MIA Railroad. Ordinarily such a COM
munication would be entitled to but
silent contempt. Insofar as it per-
tains to myself personally l shall so
treat it and will take cognizance of it
only as it relates to the efforts of
the said Richardson to divide the
strength of shop employees of the
Pennsylvania Railroad by seeking to
divert their allegiance from those
bonafide organizations recognized
by the entire labor movement as
having proper and legitimate juris-
diction over shop crafts.
The principal purpose of this
communication to you, is to make
clear to our members on the Penn
SylNdHla just WDdI
zations have jurisdiction in the prem
ises and what organizations are en-
titled to our help in the work of
getting the shopmen organized. You
all recognize the Weighty truth of the
old saying, In Unity There Is
Strength and you all realize that
united we stand. divided We fall
There cannot be unity of action and
purpose in any craft if that craft is
MI Y-ixr nj
tions, and particularly when one of
those organizations is at variance
with the regularly organized and rec
ognized general labor movement.
"One of the contentious of Rich
ardson and his lieutenants is that
craft organizations are not as effec-
tive in securing desirable wage and
working conditions as are what they
term Industrial organizations, by
which they mean the promiscuouS
banding together in one body of men
of all occupations engaged in any
particular industry, which, for in
stance, would mean the blacksmiths,
carpenters, boilermakers, engineers,
firemen, conductors, trainmen, ma
chinists, ETC., would all be members
of the same organization.
Former Failures
That such a system of organiza-
tion with it's diversity of interest is
ineffective in protecting the indus
trial rights of workers of experience
of the past has, time and again, DEM
onstrated. For instance, the Knights
of Labor-based as it was on this
principle-failed, as did also the
American Railway Union. l am not
in any sense criticising the promot-
ers of these organizations or ques-
tioning their motives or sincerity, but
simply desire to point to them as
clear demonstrations of the impracti-
cability of the principle of promiscu
Gus occupational membership on
which they were based.
"On the other hand, the success Of
individual craft organization, Coop
Grafton of craft unions under mu-
tually satisfactory plan of fedora
ton, has been demonstrated so re-
peatedly that there is now absolute
ly no question as to it's being not only
the best but really the only system
for banding workers together in a
way that will insure effective protec-
ton for their industrial interest.
I'VE have to-day the various rail-
road craft organizations and organi-
cations of other railroad employees
operating under the guidance of, and
affiliated with, the American Fedora
tion of Labor, as the Railway EN-
ployes' Department of that great
this great combination of federated
shop crafts and other organizations,
are our own four great train service
Brotherhoods.
Now, Brothers, in the name of
commonsense, to which is it best to
entrust the work of completing the
organization of the entire transpor-
tation industry of this continent p
to this great COM bination consisting
of the American Federation of Labor
and the railroad brotherhoods, whose
power, influence and success in pro-
tecting the industrial interests of
their membership have been so clear
ly and so often demonstrated, CT to-
this irresponsible, nondescript, timer
ant p. f. Richardson? What pur-
pose can be served by permitting him
to have a personal organization of
his own, small though it be, and
diverting its membership from the
bonafide organizations to which such
membership properly belongs? No
purpose can be thus served broth
ers, but the purpose of those inter-
ests who would feign destroy all la
Dor organizations.
Bear in mind that Mr.. Richard
sons tactics are aimed not only at
the division of the strength of the
shop craft, but are also directed at
the train service brotherhoods, for
we understand all railroad employees
are being urged to join his organi-
zation, known as the American Fede-
ration of Railroad Workers, and in
fact it is his declared purpose to un-
dermine the train service brother
hoods by seeking to put into effect his
shibboleth, One railroad-one or
organization" which, of course, nee
essartly means the abolition of the
Brotherhoods and the Railway EN-
ployes' Department of the American
Federation of Labor
Fedcration's Stand
During our eight-hour movement
the American Federation of Labor
stood nobly by us and pledged its
full support. This, now, is the great
opportunity for us to assist the A. F
of L., while at the same time rem
dering the shop employees and our
selves great service. The shop
. crafts organized as they should be
under a bonafide jurisdiction Will
prove tower of strength to us, while
unorganized they have ever been a
source of Weakness menace to the
train service brotherhoods.
In this connection l wish to be
distinctly understood that no agree
ment whatever was entered into be-
tween our order the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor to aid them in their
organizing campaign. They mere
ly notified the executive officers of
the train service brotherhoods after
Director General of Railroads Nc
Adoo issued Order No. that they
H. a.