The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-05
RESPONSIBILITY IS
 PLACED ON MEN IN
 BUGG'S 'SSTATEMENT
If Strike Unsuccessful They Lose Jobs and if Successful Will Scrap the Road,
 Receiver Declares

Atlanta, March 4.-A general strike on the Atlanta, Birmingham and At lantic railway before Saturday night loomed large tonight after a virtual ultimatum from union chiefs had met with reply from E. l.. Bugg, re- ceiver for the road, that the "sole re sponsibility rests with you"
 No definite date other than
 "within the next A hours1 had
 been set tonight by the unions and
 their grand lodge representatives.
 here declined to comment on Col.
 BuEE's reply or to confirm re-
 ports from Fitzgerald, Ga, that II
 o'clock Central time) Saturday
 morning had been determined upon
 as the time for the strike to begin. Federal District Judge Sibley was quoted as saying the receivership would not operate to enjoin a strike After detailing their grievances, the union leaders in a formal letter to Col. Bugg late today declared s.it is NAiSA ~tit~ih PtOOoD4c lliob Mt VIII HlIH- draw from the service within the next A hours and remain out until such time as the proper tribunal may have an opportunitX to- pass uponAthe just : ness and reasonableness of the rates of wages as established by the United States railway labor board.''
 If the receiver can suggest anything sthat will preclude such action we vii; i certainly be glad to hear from you, | the letter concluded.
 I Colonel Bugg's reply reiterated the roads financial losses, denied various charges and declared the 2.OO0 em ployes of the A B. & A.. in Georgia and Alabama, are being sacrificed by the national organizations for the eff feet it will have on the larger trans ] portation systems" The reply termed their action without justification or l excuse" and added
 LOSE EITHER WAY If the strike is not successful
 and other men nre secured the
 present employees will. of course,
 lose their plnces. If the strike is [ successful it will only mean the
 scrapping of the road, thereby re-
 moving the opportunity of the men
 for securing empiOyment..
 colonel Bugg also referred in hie letter to the hearing set for March < 26 in federal district court here on the wage questions.
 Nollce of the probable strike which would affect some 2,000 employees of the roac in Georgia and Alabama is the cuI- mination of wage controversy thai started last December when stating il was losng s100,0o0 month, the road an. nounced wage reduction effective Feb. ruary l Of 50 per cent of the increases granted since 1917. The reduction was held up by the United States railway labor board pending further conference. I between the two sides involved and 1T ] the meantime the road was thrown int, receivership and on March 1 the <agt reduction was put into effect by ordel of court without hearing from tn, I employees. The order. however, offered such hearing on application from em ployes but they did not ask it. Tester day Colonel Bugg obtained an order fol such a hearing March 26. Grand Lodge representatives of the unions involved made no comment on this, but were 1T session here yesterday and again today discussing the situation.
 HAVE RIGHT TO QUIT 4. Status of the employees under the re celvership was brought to the attention tonight of Federal District Judge Sibley 4 who approved the receivership, granted the wage reduction and ordered the wag hearing before him March 26. He wa quoted as saving unoffically that ther was nothing in any of the usual injunc tions of the receivership order tha would serve to prevent a strike.
 The men have the right to quit worl If they want to-" the judge was quote, ] as saying.
 l Judge Siblev had expected the men t 4 bring their side of the wage dispute be fore him and if he were shown that tn railway labor board was the proper tri bunal to control the wage question h would have passed the responsibilit along to the board, he was quoted a adding, after asserting that the ney T transportation act did not specificail provide for conditions under receivershiI Possible action by Colonel Bugg as re ceiver was being awaited tonight bv tn union chiefs who had invited effort from him to prevent the strike withou suggesting any line of action. Their let 2 ter, signed by Val Kirkpatrick. an in ternational officer of the engineers, an J. B. Hobshed, grand vice president c the clerks, claimed that action in re ducing wages was. in our opinion, violation of the contracts between tn A. B. & A., a violation of the transpor tation act of 1920 and in violation of tn federal law Of July 10, 1915, commoni known as the Newlands act" Reductio of wages without hearing by the em ployes also was violation of the ''un' Iversally recognized principle of collectiv bargaining,' the letter asserted.
 Replying to Colonel Bugg's statemen that financial difficulties made tn wage cut necessary, the letter adde that 1t was Unreasonable" for stock holders and bondholders to expect tn employees to give part of their none each year to operations without gettin any returns or rewards If Colonel Bug or the owners of the road were 'fai and consistent the letter said. "the would have under such conditions snt mitted an offer for the employees t share in the management of the road.