Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-11-15
RAIL WAY WORKERS
WIN VICTORY IN
ESCH BILL FIGHT
Their Plan for Settling Dis
puteS Is Adopted, After Two
Objectionable Proposals are
Rejected By House.
ray MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED WIPE,

Washington, Nov. 14.-Railway
workers scored a complete victory in
the house today through incorpora-
tion of their plan for voluntary con-
ciliation of labor disputes in the
Esch bill. The house rejected plan
of compulsory arbitration, including
an anti-strike provision, and also the
plan written into the bill by the house
interstate commerce committee, which
was described as a middle ground" 5"
between that adopted and compulsory
arbitration. No direct vote on the
anti-strike proposal was taken.
On both votes the proponents of the
unions plan won by large majorities,
First, by vote of 151 to IS, the house
substituted the unions plan for com
pulsory arbitration and then, 161 to
los, cast aside the committee plan for
that indorsed by the workers.
Final action came after practically
the entire day had been devoted to
debate on the three plans, and after
adoption of the workers plan, re-
newed efforts to include anti-strikG
provisions met with defeat through
parliamentary tactics.
The Plan Approved.
The plan approved by the railroad
employees, which was drafted by Rep
resentative Sweet, republican, Iowa,
and offered in the house by Repre-
sentative Anderson, republican, Min
nesota, would legalize the machinery
used by the railroads and their en-
ployes before and during federal con
troll for the settlement of disputes,
with commissions on labor disputes
being added to consider cases ap,
pealed from the joint boards that
first consider them.
In brief, the plan divides the rail
road workers into three classes and
for each it establishes an adjustment
board and an appeal commission, No
penalty against strike or lockout IS
imposed, and membership on all six
of the boards would be restricted to
the workers and their employers and
divided equally between them.
Both the roads and employees would
be directed by the plan, as written
into the bill, "to exert every reason
able effort and adopt every available
means to avoid an interruption" Df
traffic, and to this end the three
boards of adjustment would be
created, these being substantially the
same as those existing under the rail-
road administration.
Three Adjustment Boards.
The three adjustment boards would
each deal with disputes of certain
classes of the fourteen railway unions.
One board would include representa-
tives of the four big brotherhoods--
the engineers the firemen, the con-
ductors and the trainmen, another
would include the machinists tho
boilermakers, the blacksmiths, the
car men, the sheet metal workers and
the electrical workers and the third
would include the telegraphers, the
switchmen, the railway clerks and tho
way and shop laborers.
Railway executives would name
four, six and four representatives
respectively, as members of these
boards.
Corresponding to each board there
also would be set up a commission to
consider appeals, which could be sent
to them hv half the members of a
board. These commissions would ne
of the same size as the boards, with
the select methoGs of choosing mem
bers obtaining. but with duality Of
membership between boards and COM
missions prohibited. Headquarters of
all six tribunals would be in Wash
ington.