The Washington herald., 1921-10-25
Poor Generalship.
LEE of the Brotherhood {
Trainmen, in justification of the rairos

Trainmen, IN JuStIhcation OF the railroad
strike uses the rather remarkable plea that
the railroad managers want a strike. He says the
roads have determined to break up the unions.
Knowing they had hard fight ahead the union
leaders, Mr. Lee adds, asked for a strike vote to
be called at our discretion; it vote Of conf
dence power of attorney" 1t would seem that
the brotherhood presidents, like most of the rail-
road presidents still living in the past and have
kept abreast of the public in its attitude toward
captal-labor relations and controversies.
There is no doubt the railroads, that is most of
them. would welcome the strike and hope it will
not be called off. Some of them would be glad to
overthrow the unions Practically all of them want
open shop conditions; but this does not affect the
brotherhoods they always have been open shop
and the best proof of the possibility of build
ing up and maintaining unions under that condition.
They offer their members enough advantages to
gain membership without any effort to operate a
closed shop
The bald fact OF the railroad situation is that
living in the past the brotherhood officials are in
trap of their making. They have called a
strike which they admit authorized. The
VOTE as The Herald has said, like all such
votes in the past, zone of confidence" to back up
negotiations, to place a weapon in their hands
which would help force better compromise. The
canvass of the several roads has shown
that they did not expect strike call, do not want
to strike and while they will go out, will do so
with regret and half-heartedy.
More than this, the unions are in the position
OF striking for other reason than the per cent
reduction Of wage ordered after long and exhaus-
tive hearing, by national board, after accepting
two wage increases ordered by this same board.
Yet this wage cut is not the real bone of conten-
ton. 1t is minor matter compared to a revision
of the working rules. These rules give advantages
which labor's "unearned increment"
These advantages were greatly increased during
the that every and then brotherhood
member may get check not only for work not
performed; but not knowing what it is for, or the
reason of its being. These workers are not singu-
lar in wishing to cling to such perquisites There
a politician who gained public office
where, he said, "the salary is not much but the
perquisites elegant So it is that the railroads
and broherhoods are locked over perquistes rather
than wages and to BOTH the labor board is the
deciding power and already has made changes of
advantage to the roads.
- But why play into the hands of the railroads
by strike? This is not twenty years ago. This
is day of automobiles and motor trucks; of re-
frigerated package freight boats and of great CEN
trail warehouses. Cities cannot now be starved in
q week and with 100000 men idle strike on no
better excuse, is hopeless. 1t would end all these
rules, it would end seniority, pensions and every
labor advantage. 1t would be against the known
will Of the brotherhood members in spite of the
vote. 1t would be labor calamity and as The
Herald believes, social calamity. 1t would be the
most fatal example of bad labor generalshp in the
history of labor in this country. 1t is because of
this we have said and still say the strike will not
be made operative.