The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-04-15
RAIL EDICT
TO. ADVANCE
SETTLEMENT
Both Railroad Executives and
Labor Leaders Declare De-
cision of Labor Board Will
Aid Final Agreement.
GOMPERS IS SCORNFuL
fBv Associated Pressl

fBv Associated Pressl
CHICAGO, April 15.-Both railroad
executives and labor leaders today de-
clared the decision of the United
States railroad labor board abrogating
the national agreements would materi-
ally advance the effort to arrive at an
agreement satisfactory to all parties
The board directed individual roads
and their employees to confer and
agree upon new working rules by
July 1.
Labor representatives said many of
the sixteen basic principles laid down
in the boards decision to govern the
conferences on new working agree
ments, especially the eight hour day
and the right of the employees to Or
ganize and select their own represen-
tatives include principles they have
been fighting for. Railway executives
said that the decision recognized
their contention that many of the
rules should not have national appli
cation.
The decision affects members of IS
unions including all those affiliated
with the railway department of the
! American Federation of La abor. In
this group are the big four" the or
sanitation Of engineers. iremen,
, tralnmen and conductors. 1t also af-
fects telesraphers, clerks, shop en-
ployes, maintenance of way employees,
! sheet metal workers, switchmen and
those members of the national organ.
1zatlon of masters, mates and pilots
! OF America who are employed by rail
roads.
Protests Agreements.
| When the abrogation of the national
agreements was prepared several
months ago by w w. Atterbury, vice
president of the Pennsylvania railroad
it was declared that the national
agreements were costing the railroads
$3OO,000,OOO a year. because certain
; economies in shop conditions could not
! be put into effect under the old rules
A meeting of the conference commit.
tee of the Association of railway ex-
ecutiyes, of which E. T. Whitar, is
chairman, was called for today to dis.
cuss the application of the decision to
the individual roads. The executives
| side of the argument in favor of abfo.
cation of the old national agreements
was presented to the board through
/ Mr.. Whitar.
Decision Opens Way.
There can be no question that the
decision has opened the way for moro
satisfactory rules and working condi
tions that are now in effect" said
Samuel 0. Dunn, editor of the Rail
! way Age, today, land should result in
a substantial increase in efficiency oi
! labor and a reduction of railroad ex
penses, the decision is partly a victory
for the railroads and partly for tht
employees. What the outcome will BE-
SO far as railroad efficiency is con
cerned depends upon the conferences
TO be held"
The decision came just before the
terms Of three members of the board
expired at midnight last night. These
men, appointed for one year when the
board was organized. are Henry Hunt
Cincinnati, one of the representatives
of the general public; w. L. Park, Chi
cago, railway preventative, and ]
J. Forester, Washington, D. c., one
Of the labor members.
! Their successors have not been ap
pointed and their places will be vacan
because the act creating the board
failed to specify that members should
continue in office until their success
sors qualified.
Last nights decision had nothing
ences which have been instituted BY
various railroads within the last few
weeks and some of which have alread,
resulted in disputes that have reached
the board. The rules finding will af
feet pay envelopes only insofar as /
results in notifications of regulation:
concerning what constitutes overtime
defining just when railroad mai
starts work and similar subjects.
NEW YORK, April 15.-Samue
, Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor, declared toda,
that the railroad labor board "evident
ly had been Influenced by big bust
ness in ordering abrogation of exist
ing national working agreement
between carriers and their employees
The whole railway act" he said, in
tone of regret, "once pronounced
: perfect piece Of legislation, now i
denounced as an utter failure. Th
board evidently was influenced by BIZ
business"