Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-01
RAIL LABOR BOARD
/. SETS Up OPEN SHOP,
CHANGES WORK RULES
Expected to Save Roads $780,
600, 900 and Affects More
Than 400, 900.
GOES IN EFFECT AT ONCE
ny Assoclated Pros. 70 Every Evenlng.

by Associated Press 20 Every Evening.
Chicago, Dec. ia decision pro-
mitigating 14s new working rules to
govern the employment OF he six fed
Grated milroad shop crafts and sup
planting the national agreement enter
ed into by the employees with the
United States Railroad Administration
on Sept. 90. 1919. was handed down
by the United States Railroad Labor
Board this morning.
This decision recognizes the open
shop" principle as applied TO the rail-
roads and VIII mean an annual payroll
saving TO them of about s50.000,000. II
will form the ground work on which
the adjudication OF all future wage
disputes between the roads and their
employees will be based. The new rules
became effective today and affect op-
proximateiy 40o,0 900 employees imme-
diately. When normal conditions are
restored more than 100000 men will
he affected.
Now Ready for Wage Appeals.
Ben w. Hooper. Vice Chairman of
the board. announced that this deci-
sion WI leave that body {. GO to take
up the consideration OF further was
reductions or increases as soon as ap-
plcatlons are made.
The railroads already have asked
for further reduction of the pay
of shopmen TO level with that paid
TO those performing similar work in
other Industries in the various locali-
ties. Still more recently the shop
mems committee announced 1t wound
ask for a iive-cent increase In pay 10
raise the standard 10 that received
by men performing similar work IN
other industries"
During the recent strike crisis the
six shop crafts affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor--thc
carmen. sho It metal workers, machln-
lists, boilermakers. blacksmiths and
electrical workers--voted not to walk
out with the brotherhoods but TO await
the Labor Boards decision on the
working rules. Although the decision
is considered highly favorable to the
railroads and relieves them Of most
of the rules of which they complained
under the national agreement, there
IL one fact that augurs for its accept
ance by the unions.
This is that the present decision Is
unanimous and Is not accompanied by
a dissenting opinion from the labor
group on the board as was the forme,
one revising twenty-four of the shop
craft rules. That one, handed down sin
months ago, also Topped $50 1000 90,
from the roads annual payrolls. ac.
cording to the boards computation
and was opposed by a. O. Wharton. T;
member of the labor group. Altogether
with tomorrow's decision, the boar,
will have promulgated ~l72 workini
rules for the shop crafts.
Collective bargaining Recognized.
Ten of the rules laid down In tn
national agreement have been elimina
ted entirely and four others are ~
mandcd to the unions and roads 70
settlement in the belief that they vii
be able to reach agreements anon
themselves. In forming the new agree
ment the bcavd pursued a policy @
making the rules more elastic TO oh
tain greater efficiency and economy
Of meeting the criticisms, directed a
the old agreements by the roads, re
garding abandoning older regulation
sanctioned by experience and OF re
taining the principle OF collective bar
gaining and union recognition as Pre-
vided for in the Transportation ac
. at the same time providing for III
b representation of minurities in yrle
vance cases.
This last provision does away wit
: the criticism that the old agreemer
practically forced closed shop" O
the roads. In making that agreemer
groups OF unafiiliated employees wer
( represented by union officials.
The principle Of the open shor
established by, the new rules will. I
fact, be more Theoretical than prsct
, scal 2t the present time" reads a stat,
. ment issued by the board, "since
large majority of the railroad shor
ere unionized and the existing unior
+, are recognized by the board and b
the Transportation act as represents
tive of the majority.