The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-20
AWARD ID AVERAGE .5O ID 30 PER CENT .OF AMOUNT ASKED
Union Officers Refuse to Say Whether Award on Basis Reported Will Be
 Acceptable to Men
By Associated Pres.

Chicago, July 1g.-The railway labor board, created under the Esch-Cum- mings transportation act, will hand down tomorrow it's first award, in- creasing the pay of virtually all the 2,o00,000 railroad employees of the coun- try.
 Tonight, the eve of the de-
 cision, reports from reliable quar-
 ters indicated the award would av-
 craze from 50 to 50 per cent of the
 amount asked by the men, or be-
 tween SJOO,O00,00O and 6O0,0O0,0O0
 of the bilIion-sloliar total they
 sought.
 Judge k. M Barton, chairman of the board admitted that is not far off" when shown the report. The board de- cided today, at the request of news papers, to announce It's decision at 80 o'clock instead of 10 d. m., as first planned.
 Whether an award on the basis re- ported would be acceptable to the men no union officer tonight was prepared to say. Nearly 1000 brotherhood chair men and executives held an all-day session to discuss union affairs and adjourned until tomorrow morning when they will receive the boards re- port.
 GENERAL STRIk E. TINTED
 Feeling of pessimism was evil
 dent when the union leaders met
 and privately they did not hesitate
 to declare that general strike
 was a possibility. Tonight. how
 ever, it was virtually certain that
 the union chiefs themselves would
 not cnH strike, but would sub
 init the question of accepting
 rejecting the boards award to
 referendum.
 The labor board began an investiga- tion today of the footing of it's offices last night when some one broke in and stole, among other things, a copy of the award. Two copies had been prepared, one for the boards files and the other for the printer Ii was the former which was stolen. The printed decision covers twenty pages, making about 6,000 words in all. 10000 LAID OFF While an air of doubt hung over the railroad situation here, 1t was am l nounced from Philadelphia that the 1 Pennsylvania railroad planned q 10 per 1 cent reduction in the working force of | the road this week. The roads an- nouncenent said that in the eastern re- zion alono between 11.0o0 and 12,ooo {, workers would be laid off. l J. G. Rodgers, vice president of the l northwestern region of the railroads at ! | only to the eastern region, but that a | reduction in this territory was under consideration. He said, however. that the percentage to be laid off and the | date when the order would be effec- 1 tive had not been decided. 1 From the office of the southwestern region of the railroads in St. Louis 1t W as learned that no reduction in working | force was contemplated there. | ba olp paal frb al far <S rail leaders today was that the 'big l five" group, comprising the Brotherhoods | of Railway Engineers, Bremen, Con ductor,s, Trainn1en and Switchmen. Rep resentatives of the six federated shop crafts, including the blacksmiths. boiler makers, carpenters and electricians also were in session, while leaders of the maintenance employees clerks, freight handlers and Iaborers--met in several con- ferences in downtown hotels. | GENERAL CHIEF SILENT | There is nothing to be said yet" said | Warren S. Stone, grand chief of the 1 Brotherhood of Locomotive Enginemen. | "We are here to receive the awards of the railroad wage board tomorrow, None of us know what the award will be. We are talking things over today" 1 Immediately upon the announcement Of 1 the award tomorrow the grand council of the brotherhoods will be called in the ! first session inN more than a year. Six teen groups Of rail workers will be rep resented and they will act upon the award, section by section.
 1 How long the session will last is prob 1 lernatical, leaders said, At the general meeting of union heads today, at which l Peter Kilduff, chairman of the En- gineers Union on the Rock Island sys- tenn, was elected chairman, credentials Of all union representatives were care | v,,i nad haf to pass through closely guarded door. Secrecy shrouded the meeting and news | paper men were not permitted to at tend.
 l The only union leader here who was outspoken concerning the situation was s. E. Heberling, president of the switch mems Union of North America. He de- clared the unions were not bound to ac- cept the awards.
 Asserting that he should not like to see a general strike called" MT. Heberiins said that with the switchmen taKing .. 60 per cent increase, a compromise would hardly be acceptable.
 "If the award is not sufficient to as- sure us a decent living we will take con- certed action" he said.
 OUTLAW CHIEFS CONFER | While the recognized brotherhood Ichiefs were in session. another group rep
 resenting the rev rail unions wnicn wers organized at the time or the rdlt strihes | in April met under the leadership oi Tchn Grunau, president of the Chicago
 Yardmen's Association to formulate
 plans of their own. They have asked
 that their seniority rights be restored but the board refused to hear their rep lresentatives here some weeks ago. and Il was understood that the awards would
 not touch son their status.
 we are not ready to say at this um< just what we will do, said Johr jGruhau. But l don't believe the ser will be satisfied with the award, ac' ] cording to advance reports I've heard of tae terms As soon as the award be- comes public We will call mass meet Ling of the men in the Chicago switch lr,s district The acton taken will bt |telesraphed to all locals and they car either indorse or reject the action takef here" Ax.. Grunau was to have appeared oetor' |. United States commissioner today ts Iarswer A charge of conspiracy, but oS