The Connecticut labor news., 1921-12-23
Pennsylvania, Largest New Haven Stock holder, Encouraged Secession Movement in Hope of Dividing Employees.

Efforts of the Pennsylvania rail- road, which is perhaps the largest shareholder in the New Haven road, to destroy the United Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes by encouraging a secessionist movement got a rude shock when Chancellor Josiah Wolcott, in Wilmington, Del, issued an order restraining former officials of the organization from turning over it's property to the Penn sylvania System Fraternity, a com pany-controlled body.
 .- At the same time Vice-President William Roberts, of the Brotherhood, announced that it would repudiate a contract made by the secessionists with the Pennsylvania railroad. IL was this contract that enabled the Pennsylvania to go before the United States Railroad Labor Board with a claim that 66.5 per cent. of its em- ployes had announced desire to negotiate working rules through em- PlOyS ICpI CSCIlldllOL
 That this is so was admitted by Vice President w. w. Atterbury, who in an address before the Chamber of Commerce, of Akron, Ohio, recently said:
 Out of approximately I76,ooo em- ployes interested and affected by rules covering working conditions, II7,ooo, or 66.5 per cent. of them, have, by vote or otherwise, as a result of con ference with them, expressed a desire to negotiate rules and working con- ditions through employe representa- tion."
 How Pennsy Got Majority Vote.
 At no place in his address did Mr. Atterbury explain what was meant by "or otherwise" but litigation that has been started by the Brotherhood and statements of its officials show how the Pennsylvania got the authoriza- ton presented to the labor board. It "got" few disloyal officers and induced them to sign an agreement without consulting the rank and file How the Pennsy "got" them remains to be proven.
 Several months ago, when the Pennsylvania launched its company plan, Leo I. Kennedy, general chair man of the system division, and R. Haines, ecretary-treasurer, attended a conference of haqd-picked represen- tatives of workers and accepted in be- half of those they represented an agreement previously prepared by General Atterbury. Maintenance of way workers were not given an op- portunity to vote on this proposition, and it is claimed by brotherhood off, cers that an Sentirely different verdict would have been rendered had the matter been submitted to a referen- dunn
 Having betrayed the organization, the leaders of the secession move ment held clandestine meeting in Pittsburgh on November 7. Grand lodge officers say they had no notice of the meeting, but point out as sig .nifcant fact that the Pennsylvania management did have knowledge of the meeting, being in accord with it and willing to pay the hall rent and other expenses.
 Grand Lodge Officers Libel1ed.
 At the meeting grand lodge officers were slandered, maligned and the facts grossly misrepresented. Those in attendance, it Is charged, were hand-picked by the Pennsylvania management. They agreed that the System Federation should be carried over into the company organization. Workers were to be denied any effec- tive voice in future negotiations with the management.
 The court action instituted in Will mington seeks to permanently re- strain Kennedy and Haines from ap- propriating $25, 900 of the brotherhood funds for the purposes of the new organization. One of the charges made against them is that they were parties to conferences with the Pennsylvania officials last summer and accepted the company's draft of work ing rules instead of negotiating and putting their case before the labor board
 Kennedy and Haines, now under charges of embezzlement, have giver bail for future hearings, which will be called when the injunction is brought up for final hearing on December 21
 Grand President Grable has ad- dressed a communication to all main tenance of way members and shop la