Denver labor bulletin., 1918-09-07
NO POLITICS FOR
RAIL EMPLOYEES
,cens,nu.d from Page oss.)

tCentinued from Page One)
lawyers will serve them in that way:
Since the order is issued, unions Of
the railroad employees will have to
do what the postal employees have
done-select political candidates from
among their salaried union officials.
Representative Van Dyke of Mime
sofa, for example, was separated from
the railway mail service before he
dozens of ex-postmasters in the House
in recent years, Of course, altho these
have not represented postal employees
unions.
May Apply to Postal Employees.
But this railroad order raises a
bigger question: Will the postmas-
ter general order that the army of
half a million telephone and telegraph.
employees obey the same rule? And
will orders be issued, presently, COW
ering in the same way the war work
ers in government plants? II this is
to be the case, then very large part
of the organized labor of the United
States, and a very small part of the
political lawyers and heelers in the
country, will be deprived of the right
to run for office or to take part in
campaign activities.
POSSIBLY sOuit Will Dt
reached, whereby political candidates
and campaign managers may be given
leave of absence without pay for n
period of months, but may return to
the service without loss of seniority
rights.
Trouble at bridgeport
At the moment when the 10000
workers in sixty-six industries plants
in Bridgeport were preparing TO NOM
mate and elect their shop committees
and their local board of industrial ap-
peals, as provided in the plan of in
dustrial democracy laid down in the
award that was rendered last week by
Otto NJ. Eidlitz, referee for the war
labor board, some 5000 machinists
have gone on strike. II the strike
continues, most of the plants will be
tied up. Local as well as international
officers of the Machinists Union have
tried in vain to stop the strike move
ment The local business agent. who
begged the men to stay at work, was
dismissed. The grievance is the fail
ure Of the award to give the men the
four wage classifications they wanted
Ii establishes n sliding scale Of wage
increases based on open shop wages
that have hitherto prevailed. Men
getting 40 cents an hour will get sc
cents; men who got IL cents will get
a. cents. and so on. Those who got
rs TO n cents will get 78 cents an
hour. The men refuse to continue TO
be paid by this method.
Sure Way Of Adjustment.
Yet the award provides sure and
reasonably prompt method by which
they could secure the change 10 four
wage rates without any stoppage of
production. In every shop the work
ers were to select a committee, and
also to nominate delegates to a gen.
eral convention of Bridgeport war in
dustries. This convention is to name
candidates TO be voted upon at n gem
eral industrial election for the Bridge
port war workers. This election will
be held in booths in school houses.
Three workers will be elected, to sit
on the permanent board of local ap-
peals. Before this board, which will
include three employers and chair
man chosen by the secretary Of war
and representing the government, all
disputes not settled between the shop.
committees and the shop management
will be heard. Under certain condi-
the local board to the national war
labor board.
Beside shop committees and the To-
cal board. the workers will have n
general committee made up Of all the
sixty-six shop committees, which will
act as the central labor legislature
for Bridgeport war industries.
With this machinery at hand, the
strike seems to war labor board off,
cials to be particularly unfortunate.
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