The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
RAILROAD STRIKE
 UNLIKELY, UNION
 LEADER DECLARES
Officials Realize Danger of WaIkout Under Existing Conditions, According to
 Brotherhood Chief
By Associated Press

Cleveland, O., October 8.-Predic- tion that there will be no general strike on the part of the railroad transportation brotherhoods was made today by William G. Lee, pres- ident of the Brotherhood of Rail- road Trainmen. Lee based his pre- diction on his belief that the aver- age labor leader is not insane to the extent of not recognizing conditions as they now exist.
 AsAed whether he admitted the possibility of a strike on any one railroad, he replied that 1t was pos- ,sible but he did not admit It's prob~ ability.
 Mir. Leo returned yesterday from Chicago, having supervised the can- yass of the strike vote of more than .oV,0VO members of his Organization, taken In protest against the i2 per cent wage reduction order by ths United states railroad labor board effective July l.
 MT. Lee declined to bs R party te the joint strike ballot of tho otheg brotherhoods sent out early in Sep~ tember claiming nothing could le.
 
 cording to the Esch- -CummIns law except the wage reduction of July l since the labor board had not made a decision on other subjects mentioned in the joint ballot, Mr. Lee prepared and submitted a separate ballot for the train and yardmen. Tho vote re- turned. he said, was in excess of SS per cent in favor of a strike, with the following provision:
 Omit With 0thNrm
 We further request that our mern- bership on this railroad be author ized to withdraw from service on the same day and hour that the mem bership of either the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Order of Railway Conductors, or Brotherhood of Locomotive Bremen and EngIne- men of this road Is authorized to stop work. as result of the vote taken by such organizations in con- nection with the wage reduction of July 1.'
 The next move Is up to the other organization" MT. Lee declared. He made public In part a letter of Oc- tober 3. addressed to Grand Chief President W. s. Carter of the fire- men, and President L. E. Shepperd of the conductors, as follows:
 This communication is to notify you officially of the action of the brotherhood of railway trainmen in regard to the vote submitted to shem in relation to 8 reduction of pay. ,
 Reports filed with me show n ex- cess of SS per cent of the entire mem bership voting in favor of withdraw ing from the service of their em- ployer rather than continuing longer undee the reduced rates of pay es- tabiished by decision No. 147 and addenda thereto of the United States labor board,
 Pledged to Leave Service.
 T am pledged to grant the author ity So requested and permit our .nsm- bership to leave service on any or all of the roads revuesting authority to do so whenever l am officially ad- vised by either of you that an au- thorized stoppage of work of ttss membership of your organizations ise been authorized on any one or mo-a of the roads in question.
 "The brotherhoods' chairmen have returned home and await further ad- vice, which. of course, will give them upon receipt of the action taken by your organizations. Such chairmen will not be reconvened un- less there is occasion for doing so. and I am therefore ready to co-opsr- ate with one or all of you to the fullest extent when called upon of- ficialiy by you to act"
 Mir. Lee said he will return to Chis cago Tuesday next iM order to b~ pr'- sent when the ballots of the other organizations have all been counted an1 to be on hand for any action taken by them.