The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-02-11
tn ANNUL AGREEMENTS-TH
DECISION WAS A COMPLETE
SURPRISE TO BOTH sIDEs.-B
M. JEWELL, REPRESENTING
THE EMPLOYEES, HOWEVER,
GAVE HIS TESTIMONY

Chicago, Feb. 10-The Federal Rail-
road Labor board today denied the
request of the American association
of railway executives for immediate
abrogation of the national wage agree
ments with the brotherhoods and es-
tablishment of a new basic rate for
unskilled labor predicated on local
conditions.
The decision came before B. M.
Jewell, president of the Railway En-
ployes department of the American
Federation of Labor had started his
reply to the statement made for the
railway executives last week by w w
Atterbury, of the Pennsylvania Rail-
roads. 1t was totally unexpected but
Mr.. Jewell made his statement never
the less.
Conspiracy on the part of Ameri-
can railroad executives and fnanciers
to destroy the organizations of rail-
road workers and re-establish auto
tic financial control of the trans
portation industry was charged here
today by B. M. Jewell, president of
the railway employees department
of the American Federation of La
Dor, who appeared before the United
tates Railroad Labor Board.
He asked the board to postpone
further consideration of the pending
appeal of the railroads to abrogate
the agreement on working conditions
and proceed at once to hear evidence
the unions are prepared to submit
in support of these charges.
Mr.. Jewell, chief spokesman for the
railroad workers unions, also charg-
ed the railroad executives with
framing up of evidence" and de-
clared a fair consideration of the
pending cases impossible until mo-
tives inpsiring request to abrogate
the national agreement are fully re-
vealed both to the board and the pub
lie.
He asserted that last weeks state
ment to the board by w. w. After
bury of the Pennsylvania railroad
chairman of the labor committee of
the American Association of Railway
Executives, was designed to "stam-
pede the board into a position which
mature consideration would prove to
be indefensible." He added that Mr..
Atterbury also attempted to "falsely
convince the public that higher rates
due to financial Irregularities and
inefficiencies of railroad management
are attributable to the unions of rail
road workers." and "to obtain a
weapon with which to exact from the
government full payment of the ex-
orbitant claims which the railroads
are making" and to coerce and
threaten the railroad workers by the
spectre of unemployment and reduc-
ed wages"
Mr.. Jewell charged that Mr.. After
bury is the spokesman of a powerful
financial combination seeking to re-
establish "this autocratic control from
which the war has freed US, and which
was especially exemplified by condi-
tions on the Pennsylvania railroad"
The board held that it had no juris-
diction over questions involving ex-
pense of operation and suggested that
neither the roads nor the union inter-
rupt the hearing on standard rules
and working conditions with "furth-
er unwarranted demands" Mr.. Jew
el's statement charged that the re-
quest for immediate abrogation of
the national working agreements was
part of conspiracy to disrupt union
ism. In announcing the decision of
the board, Chairman R. M. Barton,
reviewed the powers of the board
under the transportation act of Feb
ruary 2s, 1920. He said the act i'm
posed upon the board the duty of de-
Gliding disputes between carriers and
employees of what shall constitute
just and reasonable wages, salaries
and standards of working conditions.
The present hearing separated by
agreement rules and working condi-
tions from wages. The decision on