Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-08-23
RAILROAD NEW ARE.
NOT REJOICING OVER
BOARDS DECISIONS
Employees Believe PubIica-
ton of Rules Piecen1eaI Is
to Soften Blow Intended
for Them
BY RALPH BURTON
Geased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1929

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2O-Railroad
employees, despite the decision on the
shop mems overtime, expect the new
rules of the railroad labor board to
be unsatisfactory. They do not like
that decision, particularly, for rea-
sons explained in the minority re-
port. Publication of the rules piece
policy, and the men interpret this
a an effort to soften the blow in
flicted upon them. They anticipate
not only curtailment Of their war
time gains but even the loss of GER
tain privileges which they held long
before the war. The piece work
problem is one matter over which
they are much concerned, and
spokesman for the men say that the
boards rulings generally will not
meet approval.
There are numerous eddies and
cross-currents in the tide of affairs
so far as the railroad unions are
concerned. The men are tc some
degree, at least, evidently becoming
dissatisfied with their leadership:
there is a feeling, played upon skill
fully by proponents of the "one big
union" idea, that the union heads are
tod far removed from the rank and
file and that their policies are not
sufficiently militant.
'Leganstic" is an expression much
in vogue among the railroad men to
indicate their opinion of their lead
ers' a tude. The heads of the unions
are charged, by somewhat ~impor-
tant opposition in the ranks. with a
desi to act as lawyers, rather than
to lead as fighters, in labor contro-
Versies.
Out of Contact
They are so far out Of ontact with
the men, according to some of their
opponents, that it is difficult for
members of the rank and file even to
arrange conferences with them.
There is also the complaint that the
union organ alton is top-heavy; that
there are too many salaried officials
and that too large a proportion of
an, gains in wages goes to support
this hierarchy
An important meeting OF the shop
men is scheduled for tomorrow in
Chicago: The shop men have their
own grievance in = matter of la
bO1 uIllOH pO1lCl0S dIlu pOllIICS. 1n0y
contender at least some of them
do-that the railroads have long
made practice of placating the big
four"-the organizations concerned
with operat and thereby playing
off these "aristocrats of the rail"
against the less strategically placed
shop lien. Whenever wages are cut,
and they feel that some revision Of
past policies that will bring about
greater solidarity among the railroad
unions is essential. Playing off one
craft against another merely reveals
tho inefficiency in the labor organi-
cations, they say, and where ineffi-
cheney exists it should be corrected
The Erie situation has brought this
whole question very much into the
limelight
"Out1aw" Organization strong
All these conditions are to some
degree tending in the direction of in
dustrial unionism, and for that rea-
son the fact is important that the
Gruneau organization-the United
Railway Workers, formed at the time
of the OUTLAW" strikes-is still in
business and apparently going
strong. William z. Foster, believed
by many to be one Of the ablest la
b leaders in the United States. is
said to be much interested in this
unions progress. In Philadelphia,
particularly, a campaign in its in
terest is reported underway.
It is practically inconceivable that
the present railroad situation will
lead to any general disturbance of
transportation conditions, but if the
heads of the o1d-line unions are I'M
able to hold their men in check there
might be local upheavals, as there
were at the time Of the "outlaw"
strikes Should local strikes develop,
they would come at an extremely
.inopportune time for the welfare
of the country as whole, for Sep
TENDER means crop movements on a
large scale, increased haulage of
coal for winter use and the usual
fall resumption Of business activity
after the summer quiet. The "out-
law strikes" disarranged industrial
and economic conditions consider
ably, even though the number of
men who went out was COMPARE
lively small, and a recurrence Of
these difficulties would unquestion-
ably prove very troublesome.
The railroad employees are also
dissatisfied with the attitude of the
labor members Of the wage board,
who have done nothing more militant
than present a strong minority re-
port to the announcement of the new
rulings. When the labor members
were appointed it had been expected
that they would resign as protest
at anything cordially disapproved by
labor, but they apparently do not
contemplate any such action at this
time.