Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1920-12-01
WANT OPEN SHOP
IN RAIL SERVICE
Gen. Waterbury Declares
Unions Seek Plumb
Plan
BIG UNION MENACE
Objects To National Board-Sc0res
One Big Union" Opposes Sympa-
thetic Strike-Forces Four Results

rh:iadsitp,l;a, Dec w. W. Alter
bury, v;ce-president in charge Of
operation of the Pennsylvania Rail
road system, has just issued strong
! statement appealing for the open
shop in railroad employment.
/ "The position of the Pennsylvania
| Ra !road." says Mr.. Attcrbury, 'on
the relationship between employer
ard emp,aye iS as follows:
In tica ing with organizations
among its employees. the company has
! felt that the employees themselves
were th" oc$t judges Of the forms
! Of organization into which t:Icy de-
sire to 90. Therefore. there has heen
10 Interference IN the employees iib-
crty Of choice in this matter.
The company has always rccogniz-
cd the right Of any man 20 labor up
on whatever terms he and his cm-
/ ployer may agree, whether he belongs
"a a labor organization or not. En-
ploycS have always hcen given full
opportunity to redress their gricv
anccS whether assnc;atcd with labor
organizations or not
Referring to the duty the company
| owes to the pGblic he says i is "op-
posed TO employees all;l;ac:n@ them
selves with an organization wirich
might cal a sympathetic strike. If
! .hsrc is 10 oc any strike on this rail
| road the management believes that
! It should he the result OF the chGice.
If ;tS own employees, and because CO,
some difference between this company
and its cwn men. and for no other
reason.
The company believes that mer
should he employed without re~ard
! 70 the labor organization of wLtch
:hpy arc members, and that every
man should Jc free 70 join an Or~an-
zation or 10 remain entirely indie
pendcnt The company believes. there
fore, that all its operation should con
:t;tutc an open shop"
Ccr;inu:ng he says:
Congress has said that the rail
roads and their men may. by agree
ment, establish boards Of labor aGiuSt
mcnt for The settlement Of al. con-
t:.ovcrSieS net directly involving wage
| rates. In the words Of the law. these
boards may be established ny agree
mcnt between any carrier. group cf
carriers. or the carriers az whole
and any cnrpoycS or subordinate Of
fetal, of carriers. o" organization or
group Of organizations thereof.
"ITnlcr this section of the Trans
portation act the labor leaders are
demanding that such boards Of adjust
mcnt he national in scope. The rail
reads are holding ont for boards 10.
al t. each road, or each system I'M
der one management or what amounts
% the old method of deciding mat
.crs between the officers and commit
tccs Of employees on any on" road
"If this demand fer national boards
cf adjustment Stcod alone, j; would
he serious enough. but aS the first
stem in "A series Of carefully Planned
camna;-rs for labor union control and
operation of the railroads. and III"
ether essential industries and uti'i-
! ties, It becomes matter of para
mourt Importance.
National boards Of adjustment.
formed by agreement between the ral
riers as a whole and their employees
as body. could only oe found rep
rcsentafive. on the mems side. of or
-anizcd workmcn. None other might
hope 10 have a voice IN their forming
or the faintest hope of real rcpresen-
tat;cn.
This nj once makes il necessary
Mt only that Ill employees must he
members Of uniors. hut that the
unions must be orrlnZcl ny.iona T!y.
and that these national unions must,
n t..rn, he merged into one grand or
organization. for the purpose OF
agreeing upon the rationa! boards, il
for no 2th"r reason.
Even now. the Se'fstE,ea 'ASSo-
cint.i Standard Recognized Railrca!
Labor Organizations composed CT 16
na:iora! labor organizations. having
as their spokesman an officer Of the
american Federation IF La1or. and