Evening star., 1920-12-01
SAYS SR0ADSFACE
CLOSED SHOP PLAN
Pennsy Official Sees Spread
of Workers. Control to
Other Industries.

A. DeCeH1DeT IL ne
Pennsylvania railroad yesterday is
sued a statement prepared by Gen.
W. w. Atterbury, vice president. in
charge of operation. for the national
industrial conference board, giving
his views on the present railroad
| labor situation.
Gen. Atterbury says the railroad
workers unions are conducting a
carefully planned campaign to fasten
the closed shop not only on the rail-
roads but eventually upon all the in
dustrics of the country.
The first step in the campaign, Gen.
Atterbury says, is the attempt of the
union leaders to have the boards Of
adjustment provided for in the trans
pOrtation act made national in scope.
The plans of the union leaders do
not stop, Gen. Atterbury asserts. with
the nationwide closed shop. After
that point has been reached he says,
about the ''one big union" The final
step. as foreseen by Gen. Atterbury.
is the naturalization Of the railroads,
and perhaps other basic industries.
and the vesting of the control over
them in the workers organizations.
Matter Far From Settled.
Gen. Atterbury's statement puts the
case in brief thus: 1.-THE country has
felt, with some assuran nee that the
such manner as to insure satisfactory
service. and has been looking forward
with confidence to that cooperative
restoration of transportation service
which the development of American
commerce and industry demands. II
| awakes to find that the matter is not
settled. after all.
THE railroads Of the United States
| are face to face with demands of the
leaders of the organizations of their
! employees calculated to fasten the closed
shop not only upon the railroads bu,
country. II their management should
now falter or yield, the breach which
! VIII result in the front presented b,
the forces OF the American plan'-tht
open .shop'--will be SO wide and deer
| as to b" irreparable
and their men may, by agreement, es
! tablish boards Of labor adjustment fo
tne settlement Of all controversies no
directly involving wage rates In tn,
WORDS OF the law. these boards may b,
established by agreement between tn,
carrier, group of carriers or the, car
! riers as a whole. and any employe q
subordinate officials of carriers, or or
ganization or group Of organiza ton
thereof I'S''
National scope Is Aim.
| Under this section of the transpor
tation act the labor leaders are d.
manding that such boards of adjust
roads are holding out for boards ioca
TO each road or each system under
one management. or what amount,
to the old method Of deciding mat,
ters between the officers and commit
tees OF employees on any one road
! Takfng up the tactics of the union.
to gain their end, the statement says
The unions are claiming. and hoping
| that the railroad labor board will b,
swamped with grievances from al
parts OF the country unless these ad
1ustment boards are created at once
ana naturally the grievances are al.
ready beginning to come in. Thil
may disturb the public represents. q
tives on the board, who cannot know
the true significance OF the fight be.
cause they have not heard the evi,
dence upon the real question at issue
namely. the terms Of the so-callet
national agreement.
Neither the public at large. mol
Its three representatives on the La.
Dor Board. will be in a position tc
Judge the full import Of the contro'
it's regular order Of business and
takes up the deferred question oi
[ working conditions. which is always
an integral part of the wage ques.
tion. and which has been before II
! ouiS0 ldSl cpI ihs dS d ulSpute uuQeI
! section 301 Of the transportation act
| Would Retain Existing Status.
ut will be the tactics Of the union.
! to postpone the hearings on this cues.
tion in the hope that by loading ur
the board with minor grievances they
will be enabled to retain the existing
status without letting the public know
what is going on. &
| 1T is the avowed purpose of the
union leaders to fasten the Plumt
plan upon the country il they can, anG
| they are already importuning the
labor board to perpetuate the So
| called national agreements, which is
but the beginning of NATURALIZATION
of the railroads."
! The statement closes with this warn.
/ ing and statement of principles
| When the American people realize
that there is an attempt to force upon
the country an organization that has
it within its power to bring about a
universal strike-whether in the steel
industry. the mining industry, trans.
portation, or any other vital part OF
our national life-they will rise up In
their independence, and from the At
'iantic to the Pacific win come so
strong and universal a protest that
organized labor. unless It listens to
this protest, will be SO badly disrupted
as to almost entirely undo the good
that has been accomplished through
conservative control during the pas
generation.