The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-10-24
ONLY TWO OF MAJOR
RAIL UNIONS STICK
TO BROTHERHOODS
Three-Fourths Of Country Total
Of 2,00O,0O0 Workers Have
Decided Not to Strike.
TWO UNIONS LEFT MAY
YET CHANGE DE CISION
Action Is Based on Statement
that Brotherh0Ods Would Not
Guarantee Them Support.


CHICAGO, oct. .23.-The prospective
rail strike scheduled for October so
was limited to approximately one
fourth Of the nations railroad em-
ployees when officials OF the Brother
hood Of Railway and Steamship Clerks.
Freight Handlers. Express and Station
Employees, representing $4,000 men,
voted tonight not to authorize a walk
out by their members for the time
being.
This action Increased the number Of
major rail unions which have voted not
to strike now to riines and the number
OF employees bound by such action to
about three-fourths OF the country's
total OF approximately 1000. 600.
The vote was taken in a meeting
which lasted several hours, and in
which some Of the officials at first
favored a wailSout October so, IN pro-
test OF recent wage cuts. These
OFFICIALS finally swung over to q mo
strike now policy, but the question Of
quitting work Will be taken up again
after the labor board renders a de-
cision on the rules and working condi-
tions questions noNv before it,
Tonights action by the clerks left
tha signalmen and the telegraph oper-1
ators the only organizations OF the
eleven STANDARD" unions which may
join the conductors, hremen. engineers
trainmen and switchmen in the strike
they have called.
The telegraph operators tentatively
have aligned themselves with the Big
HiVe" but officials of this union said
tonight that tho decision might be-
}changed before the strike date arrives
The signalmen have not vet voted.
While the official statement announc-
Ing the clerks action said that every
thing had been harmonious in the,
meeting Individual officials declared
the decision had been made only after
vigorous debate.
it<waa argued by these officials that
the clerks are more closely related in
their work to the members Of the big
four brothorhoods than are any OF the
other unions, and that consequently
many of them thought they should sup
port the big four ia its strike call.
The turning point In the debate came
when, e was said, the officials an
nounced that they. like the leaders OIL
the other STANDARD unions. had not
been able to persuade the brotherhoods
and the switchmen To agree to support
them throughout the proposed strike.
when 1t was announced that. the
brotherhoods had informed the officials
that their men would return to work
when their personal grievances had
been settled, regardless Of the action
of other striking unions, the sentiment
swung to the no-strilxe plan, it was said
49,. 4,N t.%a-
The statement announcing the clerks
action was almost the same, word for
word. as the one yesterday from the
federated shop crafts announcing that
their men would not be authorized to
strike. It pointed out that the present
s'is not the time to strike"
While no official announcement was
made by the Labor Board, it was inti-
mated by members that the decision
OH rules and working conditions VIII
not be forthcoming until after october
So the date set for tho proposed strike
by the "Blg Five"
Members lot 1t become known that
An decisions on questions on which
there might be strike VIII be with
held until after that date. explaining
that ia that way 1t WAS hoped tho
vvallxout would be averted. the men
have been ordered by the board not
40 strike until after the hearing OF rail-
ana unions chiefs, which starts
wednesday
The board announced tonight that Il
was summoning 1.4e4 general chairmen
" the unions affected. as well as the
presidents. Thea sessions will be open
Is the public, and a large attendance is /
expected.
a Railroad officials tonight expressed
fhe belief that the backbone Of the pro- +
posed strike was broken when ma
lority ~ the STANDARD unions decided
not TO strike October go Although a
strike would. affect all train service
men. officials said that service would
not 80 impaired Tor more than day
Or two and that these men would be
quickly replaced.