The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-08-05
REFUSES TOT TAKE
STRIKE VQ7 .
eci
Chicago District Council Of
Shopmen Defies Authority
of Grand Lodge.
WILL NOT RESUME WORK
District President Saunders
Predicts General Tie Up
in Few Days.

Chicago, Aug. 5.--John D. Saun-
ders, president of the Chicago district
council of the Federated Railway
Shopmen's union, said this morning
that his organization had refused to
take the strike vote ordered by the
grand lodge officers.
I'VE will pay no attention to or
ders issued by the grand lodge" said
Secretary Saunders. mo strike vote
will be taken and we will not return
to work until our demands for in
creased wages have been granted
Furthermore we will refuse to nego-
tiate for settlement through the
grand lodge. If the government wants
to talk business with us 1t will have
to come to us direct, as we will not
be bound by any agreement made by
the grand lodge officials"
Officials declared that the effect Of
the shopmen's strike is being felt by
every railway in the west and south.
They say that all the roads in the
districts affected are greatly Grip
pied and are refusing to accept per-
ishable freight Reports received at
union headquarters were to the effect
that many locomotive engineers had
refused to take~out trains because OF
the bad condition of the rolling stock.
They predict that in few more days
traffic on many of the roads Will be
tied up.
Secretary Saunders received word
tndav thst tse ia hn0 shopmen on the
Norfolk 4 western railway ia Vir-
ginia will walk out tomorrow. This
road is represented in the grand
lodge by s. r. Laudermann. chairman
of the executive committee on wages,
according to local leaders.
Secretary Saunders said that the
strike is spreading daily. At noon he
estimated that nearly 100000 shop
men were out.
Back to Work at Macon.
One hundred Georgia Southern &
Florida shopmen at Macon and VAL
dosta returned to work today. They
agreed at a meeting last night to do
this pending an immediate investi-
CATION of the charges upon which the
walkout was based. The men agreed
that they would not join the nation
wide strike for better wages.
The men demanded the removal of
Foreman C. G. Reddick and struck
last Tuesday. They claimed that he
mistreated some of the employees.
There are rumors now that Reddick
will resign or be transferred to, an
other point
All freight trains are stopped out
of Montgomery, due to the strike of
railroad shopmen. 1t is learned that
only one or two perishable products
trains left Monday. Assistant Su-
perintendent Stark and Trainmaster
Mizell, of the Louisville & Nashville
railroad. are obliged under the United
States laws to inspect passenger
coaches and other equipment of all
trains, Car inspectors are included
in the strike, which has caused the
complete tie-up of freight traffic.
Chicago. Aug. 5.-The strike of
federated railroad shopmen which
started last Friday continued TO
spread today, and according to Of
ficials here of the district council.
directing the walkout, a complete
tie-up of the railroads of the coun-
try will result within a few days
unless their demands for higher
wages are met at once.
While the Chicago district is the
center OF the strike, reports from the
northwest, southwest, southeast,
Ohio, Indiana and as far west as
Colorado show that the shopmen
continued to join the walkout. In a
of instances. however local
unions voted to remain at work until
the order to strike came from the
officials of the grand lodge in the
regular way.
The days claim of further strikes
made by the district council Of
fcials were concurred in by the
grand lodge officers. They predicted
a complete tie-up of the railroads
unless the men yielded to the plea
to return to work pending action by
the grand lodge officials who are
now presenting the demand to Di-
rector General Of Railroads Hines at
Washington.
In this section grand lodge Off !
GERS have begun a tour of principal |
points to counteract the efforts of |
sent out from district |
headquarters here. R. H. Ashton. |
regional director of railroads, said |
that traffic thus far had not been !
mperiled by the strike and that he |
expected speedy return of the men
low out.
Il understand the men have been |
oraered back by the officials in |
he said, land the |
strike from the first has lacked their
grand lodge sanction. 1t is only being
conducted by those guilty of dis
obeying."
Il want to correct one illusio--.
about the events of these days. 1t
las been suggested that through rad
cal leadership the rank and file has
,ome to congress with threats of
'el1sh retaliation II our demands are
lot met. You must know that labor
eaders would not be capable of stir
ing up the country as it has been
stirred. We have not proposed
strikes, but have advised patience.
But we are not the generals of la
Dor we are labor's Spokesman.
I'VE demand in this twentieth CEN
ury of industry an American COM
Of democracy in indus
ry"