Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-04-23
YARDMEN VOTE 10 RETURN; RECONSIDER
 THEIR ACTION LATER
Insurgents Turn About After Meeting of St. Louis
 Local
MEN ARE REFUSED OLD
 JOBS BY THE ERIE
Effort to End Strike in the ChicagO Area Will be Made Today at Meeting Called
 Grunau

ufunau
 St. Louis, Apr 22.--Striking yard- men in the St. Louis district who voted thls afternoon to return to ! work, pending decision of their wage demands by the railroad labor board provided their seniority rights were not denied, early tonight recon sldered and revoked the vote, defer ring action until tomorrow. The change in front resulted from the acton of two groups of insurgents" Tn East St. Louis and Dupo, H., who held independent meetings and voted, unanimously it was said to remain out until after the return of chair man J. s. Eubank of the St. Louis district Yardmen's Association from Washington, where he has been be- fore the railroad labor board.
 When news of this action was re- ceived at the local headquarters of the strikers, where meeting was in progress, it resulted in a movement to reconsider meeting with unani- nous approval and the vote was re- voked.
 It was then announced that an- other meeting will be held at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning at which Eubank will be present and some steps taken either to end the strike or to consider means of prolonging it.
 About 5000 men are still out here it is estimated
 Turn Down Men.
 New York, Apr. 22.-Coincident with the reported decision today of severaF thousands strikers not to re- turn to work, the Erie Railroad to- night refused to take back 300 "in- surgents" who came to the Jersey City yards in body. The strikers insisted they be given their old jobs without loss of seniority, but the roads officials held to the terms of the ultimatum and informed them their places were open to them only as individual. Their request refused the strikers then left the yards.
 Railroad officials at various New Jersey terminals tonight declared conditions were fast becoming nor mal; that. suburban train schedules had almosMb been restored; freight traffic was improving daily and that the men were returning to work in small groups.
 The railroad general managers as- sociation reported today it was firm in it's stand that the strikers must return as new men and only those who are acceptable to the roads will be taken back.
 J. J. Mantell, the associations supokesmen, said he looks for the strike to "burn itself out before the end of the week.. 1
 Hope to End Strike.
 Chicago, Apr. 22.-Another effort to end the insurgent switchmen's strike in the Chicago area will be made tomorrow, at meeting called by John Grunau, president of the Chicago Yardmen's Association, to "clear up the situation.
 The railroad situation continued to improve today, an announcement 1 by the Railroad General Managers Association said in reporting that 605 switch engines, eighty percent of normal, were at work. They also re- ported that nearly 700 rebel switch men had returned to work. Live stock receipts were reported as 1875 cars ,or 200 more than received on the corresponding day last year.
 In addition to Grunau ,the call for the meeting of strikers was signed by directors of the United Engine mems Association, the other outlaw union ,on behalf of Harold E. Read ing, president, who was sent to the Wheaton jail after he refused to give bond.
 In calling the meeting, Grunau said he would have no recommend ations to make and that "any pro- be voted on" He added that they desired
 Grunau was released yesterday from jail at Joliet, Ill.,, where he was sent after his second arrest.
 Besides members of the two or Judge K. M. Landis, John M. Glenn, representing the Illinois manufacturers association and the general managers of the rail roads have been invited to attend the meeting.
 Both Judge Landis and district at- torney Clyne declined to attend the meeting tomorrow, the latter declar- ing the governments attitude "is the same as toward the meeting of last Wednesday," 1.
 Hear Regular Demands.
 Washington, Apr. 22.-Arguments on the wage increases demanded by and switchmen were made before the railroad labor board today by L. E. Sheppard, president of the brotherhood of railway con- ductors, and W. Heberling. pres-I ident of the switchmen's union of North America. Both cited the rise in the cost of living during the past few years to support the plea for higher wages.
 Demands of the switchmen call for pay increases of approximately 5a percent with time and a half for over time, Sundays and holidays. Similar over time allowances are asked by the