Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-10-22

difficulties, members declared.
While both carriers and unions
promptly announced they would COM
ply with the order citing them to ap-
pear before the board next Wednesday.
W. G. Lee. president of the Brother
hood of Railroad Trainmen. one of the
organizations which has. called a strike.
in statement given out in Cleveland
asked by what authority any one could
compel man to work and pointed out
that the right to strike had been upheld
by the United States supreme court
At the same time trainmen of the
International and Great Northern. a
Texas road. nrenared to carry out their
plans to strike Saturday and the main
tenance of way and the stationary fire
mems Unions, representing 100000 rail
workers. announced here that they
would Join the proposed wnlkout De-
tober 30 These twp groups are part
Of the II unions numbering three
fourths of the nations rail employees
which had voted to strike but had not
issued strike call.
Stop Open Shop Order.
Besides stepping into the breech be-
tween the carriers and the five unions
which have called strike-the train
men. the switchmen. the engineers. the
firemen and conductors-the labor
board summarily ordered the fremont
and Gulf railroad. g. mile line in
Louisiana. to rescind its order installing
m open shop, effective at 6 o'clock
Friday.
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. intimating that
Fridays action exhausted their at
tempts to furnish the teeth which the
transportation act. creating the board.
was said by many to lack.
At the same time it was pointed out
that the transportation act gives the
board power to cite the interested
parties for alleged violation of its rul-
Wednesdays conferences. but provides
for no penalties for violations of its
DEGREES. :.
In connection with the labor board
order to defer strike action, it was
pointed out the big five" union chiefs
yesterday informed the board that the
strike could not be postponed. as no
arrangements for such q contingency
had been made. although it could be
settled.
Order a Surprise.
The boards announcement came as
one of the most sensational develop
ments in the rail crisis since the big
five" unions let it be known that they
were formally sending out authorize
ton for n strike by their members. II
was issued virtually without warning
and at a time when the concensus had
been that this governmental agency had
met an impasse in its attempts to set
tie the crisis when it's conference Thurs,
day with union chiefs was adjourned
with the announcement that NO results
had been attained. 1t was the first in
stance where the board decisively ex-
pressed authority which many railroad
and labor men had maintained it did
not possess. the boards action found
most of the interested leaders too
astounded to comment.
Friday night local railroad presidents
refused to discuss the pronouncementl
other than to say it would be complied
with so far as they were concerned.
They declared that they had not violat-
ed the boards decision and took the !
attitude that the citation really was
directed at the unions alone, saying
that carriers were called in simply be-
CHuSe ~ WIS uGISsSAEys ~ uuSC UUNu
union heads and rail chiefs represented.
Under such conditions, they said. it !
would be unethical to comment on the
or to attempt to inter
pret it in any way.
Join "6lp Five"
The action Of the United Brother
hood Of Maintenance of Way employees
and of the International Brotherhood
Of Stationary Firemen and Oilers in !,
that they would join a |
was looked on By labor lead |
ers as especially significant, one chief
protesting to see in the announcement
i possible 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
had announced that they !
would attempt to keep their men from
walking out despite overwhelming |
strike votes, and had expressed hope
that il their attempts were uns,lccess-
ful, their failure to support tho big
1--we" might avert walkollt.
Other union leaders,, however, said