Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-10-22
u. S. Moves
To Prevent
Rail Strike
Labor Board Assumes Juris.
diction and Prohibits Men
From Quitting Pending
Conference Oct. 20.
Surprise to Union Chiefs

Chicago, oct Sl.-l nc govern
ment today moved 10 prevent a rail-
road strike and TO enforce obedience
by unions and roads OF DEGREES OF
the railroad labor board. the board
announcing il had assumed full Juris-
dition in the rail crisis and ordering
the workers not TO strike pending a
conference OF union heads and rail
chiefs. which il called for Octo-
Der 20.
A decision from this conference
will not be announced until after
October 80. the scheduled strike
date. board members said, declaring
that in this way walk-out would
be averted unless the unions deiicd
the boards orders not TO strike pend
ing ruling.
The action was taken following re-
ceipt from Washington OF iniorma
ton that every interested branch ot
the government would back the board .
in its attempts to settle the rail dill
iiculties, members declared.
While both carriers and unions
promptly announced they would COM
ply with the order citing them to ap-
pear before the board Wednesday, w.
G.. Lee, president OF the Brotherhood
OF Railroad Trainmen, one OF the or
ganizations which has called strike,
in staSment giren out in Cleveland.
askey by what authority anyone could
compel man TO work and pointed
out that the right to strike had been
upheld by the United States supreme
court.
Texas Men to Quit.
Trainmen on the International and
Great Northern, Texas road, pre-
pared to carry out plans to strike
tomorrow and the Maintenance OF
Way and the Firemen's unions, rep
resenting 100000 rail workers, all
nounccd that they would join the
proposed walk-out October 80.
These two groups are part of the
/ unions numbering three-fourths
of their employees which voted to
strike, but have not issued strike
call.
Besides stepping into the breach
between the carriers and the five
unions which have called strike
the trainmen, the sWitchmen, the
engineers, the iircnen and the con
tlar!ors.--t the labor board s,unlaarily
ordered the fremont and Gulf rail.
road, 67-mile line in Louisiana,
to rescind its order installing an
open shop. effective tonight.
No Penalties Provided.
If the Unions choose to carry
through strike plans which the board
asked them to defer, members of the
board said that the next move would
have to come from Washington, in
timating today's action exhausted
their attempts to furnish the teeth
which the transportation act Great
ing the board was said by many to
lack. AT the same time it was point
ed out that the transportation act
gives the board power to cite the
interested parties for alleged viola
ton of its rulings, as it did in call
ing next Wednesdays conference,
but provides no penalties for viola
tons of its DEGREES
In connection with the labor board
to defer strike action, it was pointed
out that the big Five" union chiefs
yesterday informed the board that
the strike could not be postponed, as
no arrangements for such contin-
gency had been made. although it
could be settled.
The boards announcement camo
as one Of the most sensational de-
velopments in the rail crisis. 1t was
issued virtually without warning and
at a time when the consensus had
been that this governmental agency
had met all impasse in its attempts,
to settle the crisis when its confer
ence yesterday with union chiefs was
adjourned with the announcement
that no results had been attained.
Surprise to Leaders.
Coming as the first instance where
the board so decisively expressed au-
thority which many railroad and Ia
Dor men had maintained it did not
possess, the boards action found most
of the interested leaders too astound-
ed to comment.
Tonight local railroad presidents
refused to discuss the announcement
other than to say that it would be
complied with by them. They de-
clared that they had not violated the
boards decision and took the atti- 8
tude that the citation really was di-
rected at the unions alone, saving
that carriers were called in simply
because it was necessary to have
both sides represented. Under such
conditions, they said, it would be
unethical to comment upon the an
nouncement or to attempt to inter-
pret it.
Action OF the United Brotherhood
OF Maintenance of Way employees
and the International Brotherhood
of Stationary Firemen and Oilers in
announcing that they would join
walkout, was looked on by labor
leaders as especially significant, one
chief protesting to see in it. posi-
BILE healing OF any breaks which,
might have existed between the IL
standard unions which had voted for
a strike without calling one, and the
Big Five" Leaders of several OF
these organizations had announced
that they would attempt to keep their
men from walking out despite over
whelming strike votes and had ex-
pressed hope that if their attempts
were successful, their failure to sup
port the Big Five might avert
walkout
Meetings Stormy.
Other union leaders, however. said
that IT was by no means certain as
vet that majority OF the organi-
cations would walk out. 1t became
known that the meetings of the con-
ference committee of 100 OF the six