Evening star., 1921-04-15
COMPROMISE SEEN
IN RAIL DECISION
Neither Side Believed Here
to Have Scored Victory
Over Other.
RY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
The railroads are getting back to
nornalcy, The decision Of the Raai-
road Labor Board is hailed here AZ the
ars, stem in an. adjustment between
employers and employees In some re-
specss it is q victory for the railroads.
hut upon careful analysis the decision
IS really found to be a compromise.
The so-called national agreements
which now have been aorosated re-
ou;red the railroads to deal as q unit
with their employees. In other "oros'
the Arrangement was made when 'ne
roads were under federal control ana
the government was q single employ
er, Since the systems nave oeen
turned to their owners. the ROADS nave
contended that each employer shou,o
he nermifted to work out hts own sal
walton with his own employees. because
conditions are different in each local
ity, Labor insisted that 1t was sim
pier to retain the national con1erence
idea. But this the Railroad LABOR
board has upset. and its decision a,so
sweens aside scores of vexatious rules
regarding working hours. which. II IS ;
estimated have caused a waste OIL
about $500. 100000 year.
VIII Draft New Working Rules.
As the situation rests now It is in
cumbent upon the railroads to get
into conference with their employees
and adopt set Of rules to govern
Labor Boa I'd has not given either side
a free hand. however. Those rules
must conform to the sixteen prin-
ciples laid down in the Chicago de-
cision. The effect of some Of those
principles is such as not to destroy al.
rules. but even II the railroads should
be able to save 3l50.0oo.ooo annually
by means OF new working rules. the
economy will be considerable. Fur
thermore. the disciplinary effect Of
and regulating conditions locally is
expected to be q big factor in efaci-
ehcy Of operation.
The sixteen principles laid down by
the Railroad Labor Board preserve. In
which the railroad employees were
most apprehensive about losing II
the national Agreement were abro-
gated. Labor was not SO much con-
cerned with possible reductions in
pay as the maintenance Of rules
which safeSuarded employees against
abuse by arbitrary action Of unruly
railroad oficials. But the Chicago
decision sets forth cardinal principles
which must be the basis Of all rules
II the parties to the dispute cannot
formulate q set Of rules by July !
next. the Railroad Labor Board will
hand down = set Of rules binding
upon both sides.
laAividuaI Negotiations.
Naturally. the workingmen imagine
that with the abfogation Of the ma
fiAnAl a1pAARAnf roYfAfn QRRPARQivR
foes Of union labor in the railroad
world will assume An arbitrary atti-
tvde, and that the strike weapon
which has hitherto been. used as g
be Of little avail.
II working conditions on the Penn
sylv4nia system, for instance. are
agreeable and wages are fixed to the
satisfaction Of the men there will be
l:ttie reason for sympathetic action
railfoad. The power Of the railroad
bfotherhoods has been their right to
negotiate for all the railroad en-
ployes Of the country - unit This
and the railroad systems have In
sisted that since the roads came back
to them. 200 employers exist instead
of one federal employer and It is de-
sirable for each road to deal directly
with its own men on all questions.
Deara stili Has Power.
fhe Arbitrary railroad executive
however, viii still b subject to the
rules of the Railroad Labor Board. to
which an appeal can be taken IL
there Are violations Of the principles
in the Chicago deoision just an
nounoed. On the side Of the rail-
roads, TOO. some thorns Will have
been removed: It viii Be noted that
msnt for the eight hour day on .
sszs s:1~.e. q 1nl. of osur.s senseSH9s aossns
rsiate 70 trainmen and ensinemen
whose hours were fixed by the
AdanASon law. but It does have vital
bearing on station agents and other
railroad employee for whom the rail-
roads have actually had only two or
three hours work day. but have
been compelled to pay . full day.
1t is said that there are many In
suburban stations for an hour in the
early morning and again at night,
handling only two trains da.-: In
the interim they have established
themselves in private business, draw
ing pay from the roads for an eight
hour day. as well as from their own
business pursuits.
EReet Net Yet ADparent.
The full ef9ec. Of the decision will
not be Immediately apparent. The
specific rules have yet to be formu-
lated BY the roads and the representa-
tfves Of labor
But the Chicago decision affords a
basis for compromise and readjust-
naent. ana the general feeling in the
National Capital here, particularly
among those who have made a study
Of the railroad problem, 10 that the
Chicago decision starts the ball roll
ing. and that II as expeditions action
can be secured on the general oues-
tion Of wages the railroads will slow
~ emerge from chaos to the efficiency
which formerly characterized private
operAtion ana control.
President Harding Is for the moment
occupying himself with consultations
looking toward q compromise between
both labor and employers on the wage
agreements which. Of course. are
untouched nv the Chicago decision.
snntA sti~,ulus from fhe chief execu-
tive may be necessary before 2 decision
's rhA~hd - the wage question. and
mere is talk of a general conference
between employers and employees Of
each REGION - adjust wage scales ~
-~snA~fiv~ ~ me outcome nf the
easAS pending before the Railroad Labor
Board At Chicago.
fChpyrirh.. 1921