The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-24
RAILROAD LABOR
 IS D|SSAT|SF| FED;
 STRIKE IS TINTED
Hotel Lobbies Where DeIe- gates Are Chartered Buzz With Possibilities of
 Situation
sy A,,oei.,.d pr,,,


 Washington, February 24-Railroad la Dor is not satisfied with the way things are going with respect to it's wage de- mands. This was indicated in unmis- takable manner in conferences here to- day of union officials and general com mitteemen, called to pass on the presi- dents settlement proposal Passage of the railroad bill by the Senate tonight only served to add more bitterness to the talk of the union workers.
 Arrival of scores of committee chair
 nen7the union leaders closest to the rank and file of their membership 7 brought out strike talk. The highest of ficers were inclined to discount this evidence of the workers feeling but ho- tel Hobbies where the delegates were quartered buzzed with the possibilities of the situation. There were indica- tions that the union heads who have dealt with Director General Hines in the controversy were worried lest all that has been accomplished might be wrecked Committee chairmen spoke frankly of the sentiment in the local groups describ- Ing It thus: Their temper is not such as to warrant us being optimistic"
 Union spokesmen believed there was no way to avoid direct appeal to the president to veto the Cummins -Esch measure They declared it must be done to satisfy the workers who have not had closeup of the situation. But as to hope that the legislation might yet bc kicked overheard. there was little express sion Labor's appeal to Congress having been rebuffed, some leaders were said to have assumed the attitude that the were trying to see how fa,, they can go by nagging us"
 Heated discussions marked all of the conferences of the fifteen organizations which met separately. rone was able to finish examination of the documents which met separately. None was able to finish examination of the documents which were transmitted between the union officials, the director general and the White House as delegates continued to assail ''the unfairness with which Congress and the government, generally has dealt with us.'' It drew attacgk frcm various angles according to in formation which leaked out of the se- cret meetings.
 The gist of the strike talk, as ex- pressed by several influential union of- Ncers. was that the railroad organiza- tio1s have reason to assert their strength through a walkout but it was deemed inadvisable by them at least. to carry put such programme now. Putting it frankly, one leader declared that the action of the Brotherhood of Maintean- ance of Way Employees and. Shop La bcrers, in issuing the recent strike call. lad hurt the workers cause materially. He characterized that sort of thing as. 'damning us in the eyes of the people xrrn t-f l1x those who really have no direct interest except as they desiretto see fair play
 Leaders were confident of their power to call strike which would success fully tie up all means of transportation. But their attitude was that pcaceavie means should be employed if possible Those who sat through the discussions with Director General Hines we<e es- pecially desrous Of negotiating as long as there was hope of success.
 Because of the dissatisfaction which rcrmeated all of the meetings most of the individual organizations probably will not complete the formulation or tEeir view of the settlement proposal for sev eraI days. B. M. Jewell, acting presi- dent of the railway employees depart Ineut of the american Federation of La bor. said the organizations under his leadership would not get through before W ednesday at the earliest
 Conferences of the four brosherhoods of operating employees may complete a statement of their attitude by tomorrow night
 The union officials who conducted the with Mir. Hines were called together tonight bu the nature of the conference was not revealed. It was said nf wever. that they had taken up con- sideration Of the railroad legislation which the Senate had acted on only few hours before.