The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-10-28
BIG FIVE CHIEFS
CANCEL AUTHORITY
FOR RAIL WALKOUT
Officials Of Railroad Telegraph
ers' Organization to Take
Similar Action.
PUBLIC OPINION HAD
AFFECT ON DECISION
Also Evident That Entire Wash
ington Administration OPP
posed the Workers.
CBy the Associated Pressl


CHICAGO. oct 27.-The rail strike
scheduled for October 80 was averted
tonight when leaders OF the switch
men. tranmen, conductors. engineers
and fremen at joint meeting adopted
a resolution withdrawing authorize
tion Of a walkout, and officials of the
railroad telegraphers' organization an
nounced they would take similar
action.
These were the onlyS unions which
had authorized a strike.
The first announcement of the ex-
ocutives action was made by Mr.. Lee.
flushing to the floor below the hotel
meeting room, whore dozens Of news
paper reporters were congregated, he
smiiingiy shouted:
'The strike IS off, boys, but I've
only got one copy Of the resolution,
and III show that to you tomorrow.
All OF the union men were smiling
as they came out. and many OF them
5ocularly pushed and showed each
other down the stairs. TO all queries
most OF them merely replied
It's all settled. See you tomorrow"
The code messages calling orr the
strike. arranged in advance. viii be
sent out tomorrow morning, the union
heads said. Al code word will be sent
to each general chairman ct the
unions, and he viii In turn forward
the orders to each of the subordinate
officials under him.
The vote in the Individual uEions
was unusually close. however. the fire.
men particularly holding lengthy arr
gument before agreeing to cancellation
OF the strike order, the labor chieftains
said. In some Of groups the ballot
was described "a tthe closest In his
tory on a similar question" All of the
differences were ironed out by the
different unions, however. and the
final showdown found all of them cast
ing their ballots for mo strike"
J.. n Sheppard. president of the Or
der OF Railway Conductors, said that
unions had decided to call Off the
strike because Of "the growing public
opinion that the strike would be
against the Labor board and conse
quently the government, and not
against the railroads.
1T was evident also that the entire
washington administration was op-
posed TO US and that we have had little
chance OF gaining our objective" said
AFR Sheppard.
we called this strike to gain GER
tain rights TO which our men were
entitled" Mr.. Sheppard told the Asso-
ciated Press.
1T soon became evident however,
that the roads were succeeding in their
misleading propaganda to the effect
that we really would be striking
against the government.
gThls railroad propaganda found its
way to the United States Railroad
Labor Board. This governmental
agency told us that it would look on
4 strike as against It and the govern !
rnent and not against the roads. and
that the fun force Of the government
would be brought to bear against us
" We walked out Under such cir
cumstances there was nothing to do
but annul our orders for the October /
80 walkout."
The vote calling or the strike was
unanimous by organizations. w. q. /
Lee. president Of the Brotherhood OF
Railroad Trainmen. said. The official
wording Of the resolution adopted was
that ethe strike would be declared not /
tmective'
Union leaders said that the resolu-
tlor adopted BY the Labor board an
tContlnued on RAGS Two)