The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-09-01
RAIL VOTE Is SEEN
ASCOERCION PLOT
subcommittee Suspects Labor
of Seeking to Sway U. s.
Board.
FEAR SPORADIC STRIKES
General WalkOut Over IL Per
Cent. Wage Cut Is Not
Foreseen.
FEAR SPORADIC STRIKES

Hope of the countryss railroads for
satisfactory solution OF their pending
labor problems will depend on the sue
cess of the United States Railroad La
Dor Board In rendering prompt ana
equitable decisions on the disputes now
on its docket. according to members OF
the subcommittee on labor Of the East
ern railroads. who have spent the great
er portion OF the last thirty days In
Chicsgo studying the entire situation.
The committee returned convinced
that the chief object of the recently
ordered referendum of the four train
service employee bgotherhoods and the
switchmen's union on the acceptance or
rejection of the IL per cent. wage cut
effected July Is to provide the leaders
of those organizations with strike votes
with which the Railroad Labor Board
may be intinidated into favorable
decision on the pending applications or
Eastern ard Western railroads for the
elimination of time and half pay for
overtime service Of the engineers. con-
ductors. firemen. trainmen and switch
men.
The brotherhood leaders issued orders
last week for a ballot of their organiza-
tons on the wage cut issue, following
the fat rejection by the railroads OF
the demand of the labor chiefs that the
roads restore wages to the scales in eff
feet ch June go, pledge themselves
againdt applications for further pay
reductions. and withdraw the requests
for the elimination Of punitive overtime
pay and for the other revisions In work.
ing rules and conditions. The result
of the votes in the Ave labor organiza-
tions will not be known until late in
September but will, in the opinion of
railroad officials. give the leaders the
weapon they desire for the coercion OF
the labor board.
In the opinion of the members of the
labor committee representing the East
ern carriers. the controversy with the
Federated Shoncrafts. which constitute
the railway employees department of
the American Federation of Labor I'M
der the leadership of B. M. Jewell, will
lead to sporadic strikes by the repair
men in an effort to tie UP transporta-
ton at leading industrial and CONNER
cial centres. II is believed their lead
ers realize. that in the present economic
situation little public support would be
gained by the shopmen In nation wide
walkout.
The shopcrafts completed recently a
vote on the IL per cent. wage cut au-
thorixed h. the Labor Board, which is
understood 10 nave Tesuiteu IN its re-
lection by q large majority. A refer
endum of the organization on the La
Dor Boards ruling on overtime pay of
that class of employees Is now being
taken.
Due to the absence OF the labor MEM
bers of the Railroad Labor Board that
body is not expected by railroad execu-
tives in touch with the situation to hand
down further decisions until after La
Dor Day. 1t is believed the board will
then turn it's first attention TO disputes
over working conditions which deal
with classification of work. definition Of
duties. working qualifications and other
rules directly Affecting compensation.