Arizona republican., 1919-08-14
ARBITRATION IF
 LAbOR DISPUTES
 MAY BE REVOKED
Chicago Stockyard Workers Threaten to Abandon Hearings Before Federal Mediator Differences Caused by Ruling That Strikers s Id Lose Seniority Rights

CHICAGO, Aug. 13.-Threats by rep resentatives of employees to give up the arbitration plan of settling labor trou- bles in meat packing houses were made during hearings today of wage increase demands before Federal Judge As chuler if his decision of yesterday that workers who struck last week should lose seniority rights and return as new employees
 j. w Johnstone. secretary of the stockyards labor council, stated that he intended resigning his position and telling the organization to close its doors. T won't take their money when can't deliver the goods" he said. The seniority decision makes disagreement impossible"
 Packers Would Crush Unions
 Charges that packers had used all methods in their mean 10 crush organ ized labor were made by John EitZ- patrick. president of the Chicago Fed eration of Labor. He said packers had had policemen detailed to the stock yards for this purpose, had attempted to bring about race riots at the yards during the recent trouble and had used underhand methods generally to bring labor into diseredit
 Attorney James C. Condon, repre- senting the packers, denied the charges that the employers were in any way violating the agreement under which packing houses have been run during the war but accused workers of viola tions whep they repeatedly went on strike. Judge Alschuler stated that the agreement was based on the propo- sition that the men should remain at work and warned them that employers could construe a walkout as a violation if they so desired.
 The question of the seniority rule came up today when complaint was made that 125 workers at the Indepen- dent Packing company, who had gone on strike last week and returned to work Monday. had been discharged 1 without regard for the seniority rule
 Lay Off Senior Men
 Patrick | Bremen president of the company, stated that the men had not been discharged but laid off because of lack of work for them
 Since the men, when they returned to work, were not told that they were new employees. Judge Alschuier held that the seniority rule must hold in this case and workers last employed should be laid off first.
 In the case of Armour and company and Norris aud company. where re- turning employees were. made to fill out requests for employment and treated as new men they will be regarded as such, the judge ruled.
 When the labor representatives in- timated that the arbitration hearing might as well end, Judge AIschuler said he was willing. but the workers repre- sentatives continued with their case and said the hearing would be resumed tomorrow.
 Judge Alsehuler has received a mum Der of letters from packing house em- ployes requesting him to withhold his decision in tie matter, because the writers stated union leaders did not represent them.
 Some Of them asked that the local demands be hoard with those of work CTS in St. Louis, Omaha, Kansas City. Sio1iv City. Lincoln, and other western points, and stated that arrangement l for presentation Of chose demands would be made at meeting Of their i representatives at Kansas City, Aug ust 1s.