The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-09-17
SHOP CRAFTS
DETERMINED TO
REMAIN FREE

Threat of the Pennsylvania to re-
establish the piecework system of
wage payment in its shops has
aroused the 10000 employees in de-
termination to resist the taking
away Of improved working condi-
tions gained during the Federal OPP
Grafton of the roads. Anticipating
this move of the company, a strike
ballot has been taken by the six
crafts comprising the shop workers
of the Pennsylvania System. 1t is
proposed through this method to
authorize officers of the several
unions involved to call a strike in
case piecework should again be
ordered.
Payment of shop workers by time
instead of piecework was instituted
more than two years ago by Director
General McAdoo and corrected a
grievance long complained of by
shop employees. When the wage
award was handed down by the Rail-
road Labor Board it included a ruling
to the effect that the provisions of
the national agreement entered into
between the Government and en-
ployes should be binding until
changed by the board itself. While
officials of the Pennsylvania Railroad
now maintain that they have never
acknowledged the authority of the
national agreement, they express a
willingness to defer action on the re-
turn to the piecework system until
such time as the board can be con-
suited.
Elisha Lee for PiecewOrk
It is understood from authoritative
sources that the Pennsylvania Off
Gals will lay the matter before the
Railroad Board in the near future,
with view of securing the boards
authorization to re-establish the
piece-work system. 1t is not even
intimated, however, that if the board
holds to its previous ruling that the
company will comply Herewith. In
fact the reverse may be expected if
recent speech of Elisha Lee, vice
president in charge of the eastern
region of the road, is accepted as the
future policy to be pursued He said:
"Piecework is correct principle Of
wage payment and should be adopted
wherever practically applicable. 1t
means payment for what man
actually produces. 1t is peculiarly
fitted to shop forces. When piece
work was abolished two years ago at
our Altoona shops and all men were
put on an hourly basis of payment,
regardless of what they turned out,
we continued our piecework cards I'M
til the Railroad Administration in
Washington ordered them discon-
tinued."
Vice-President Lee further assert
ed that under the present time pay
ment basis output at the shops has
been reduced fully 40 per cent of the
output attained under the former
piecework basis. Employees reply to
this by saying that if there has been
any appreciate reduction in output
it is due to the supervisory force of
officials who made it their business
to sabotage during Federal opera
ton of the railroads.
Atterbury Is for War
That the Pennsylvania System has
inaugurated a campaign to disrupt
the organizations of employees is fur
Their sustained in statement made
by w. w. Atterbury, vice-president
and general manager, who delivered
an address before the Philadelphia
Chamber of Commerce a few days
ago, held for the purpose of espous-
ing the open shop. He charged that
the closed shop "is a contributing
factor in an attempt to sovietize the
railroad industry"
prior to the war the Pennsylvania
railroad, although having in its SER
vice more than 100000 employees, had
no organizations except those of the
train service. When | returned last
year, about the first of June,
found the Pennsylvania railroad or
ganized from stem to stern, Wash
ington and New York, st. Louis and
Chicago with the closed shop in its
most virulent form. The railroad
employees of this country, therefore,
under Federal control We're a solid
body of men two and one-half mil
lion strong, or nearly 20 per cent of
the industrial life of this country in
the hands of a group of men who at
any moment could use the economic
strength of that great body of men
against the business interests of the
country"
Treat EN- as Individuals
After charging that the railroad
employees are using "the strongest
form of coercion" to maintain their
organizations and national agree
ments, Mr.. Atterbury concluded with
this parting injunction: 81 warn you
with all the sincerity l possess and
that l can possibly give after years
of handling these labor questions,
that it means the closed shop and
it means naturalization of one Of
the great industries of this country,
and that the public cannot afford to
have it if it wants low rates, if it
wants efficient service, if it wants
efficient operation. That We cannot
give under national agreements or
national boards of adjustment-that
we cannot give in any other way
than the fair and uninterrupted rela-
TOMS between our officers and their
own employees"
There you have it from the highest
authority. The Pennsylvania System
and it may have the support of
other railroad systems in this coun-
try-is determined that national
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