New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-20
Labor Boards Award, To
Be Made To-day, 1t Is
Said, Grants so to 90
p. C. of Amount Asked
General Strike Talk
Among Union Chiefs
Question of Accepting De-
cision to a Referendum:
$4,000 To Be Laid OFF

CHICAGO, July 10 (By The Asso-
ciated Press). - The Railway Labor
Board. created under the Esch-Cum
minis transportation act, will hand
down tomorrow morning its first
award, increasing the pay of virtually
all the 100000 railroad employees of
the country.
Tonight, on the eve Of the decision,
reports from reliable quarters indi-
Gated the award would average from
80 to 50 per cent of the amount asked
by the men, or between 100000 900
and $6oo,ooo,ooo of the billion-dollar
total they sought.
Judge R. M. Barton, chairman of the
board, admitted chat is not far off,"
when shown the report. The board
decided to-day, at the request of news
papers, to announce its decision at $3.50
o'clock instead Of 10 a. 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
chairmen and executives held an all
day session to discuss union affairs and
adjourned until tomorrow morning.
when they will receive the boards
report.
General Strike a Possibility
Feeling of pessimism was evident
when the union leaders met. and pri-
vately they did not hesitate to declare
that general strike was possibility.
Tonight, however, it was virtually GER
tain that the union chiefs themselves
would not call strike, but would sub
NIT the question of accepting or re-
jecting the boards award to a refer
erdum.
The Labor Board began an investiga-
ton to-day of the footing of its Offices
last night, when some one broke in and
stole, among other things, copy of
the award. Two copies had been pre-
pared, one for the boards lies and the
other for the printer. 1t was the for
mer which was stolen.
The printed decision covers twenty
pages, making about 5000 words in all.
While an air of doubt hung over the
railroad situation here, it was an
nounced from Philadelphia that the
Pennsylvania Railroad planned 10
per cent reduction in the working force
Of the road this week.
Thousands To Be Laid OF
The roads announcement said that
in the Eastern region alone between
1000 and 10000 workers would be
laid off.
j. G.. Rogers, vice-president of the
Northwestern region of the railroad at
Chicago, said the reduction applied
only to the Eastern region, but that q
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 effective
had not been decided.
From the Office of the Southwestern
region of the railroad in St Louis it
was learned that no reduction in work
ing force was contemplated there.
The most closely watched conference
of rail leaders to-day was that of the
big Five" group, comprising the
brotherhoods of railway engineers, fire
men, conductors, trainmen and switch
men. Representatives of the six fed
Grated shop crafts, including the black
smiths, boiler makers, carpenters and
electricians, also were in session, while
leaders of the maintenance employees
clerks, freight handlers and laborers
met in several conferences in down
town hotels.
Council to Act Upon Award
"There is nothing to be said yet, -
said Warren S. Stone, grand chief of
the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engine
men. 1--WE are here to receive the
awards of the Railroad Wage Board to-
morrow None of US knows what the
award will be. We are talking things
over to day"
Immediately upon the announcement
of the award tomorrow the grand
council of the brotherhoods will be
called in the first session in more than
year. Sixteen groups of rail workers
will be represented and they will act
upon the award section by section. How
CONTINUED on page g.