The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-10-15
RAILROAD
BOMBSHELL
FOR UNIONS
R. R. Heads May Put Wage
Cut Into Effect Without
Waiting On Board
INTERNATIONAL NEWS .ERylcEI

INTERNATIONAL NEWS sEENcEy
CHICAGO. Oct 15.-Five hundred
general chairmen OF the various unions
Of railway workers. representing
m membership of 100000 met here &C..
day TO consider the challenge suns
down by tho association OF American
railway executives which late yester-
day announced It would ask the United
States Railway Labor Board for i'm
mediate further reductions IN the
wages OF railroad employees
Unless the union leaders rteant from
4 position already emphatically taken
there appeared to bs nc alternative
than 70 proceed with plans already
drawn for a progressive nation wide
strike
UNION CHIEFS DAZED.
Union chiefs today were still sonc
what dazed by the sudden CHALLENGES 81
tho railway executives. armed with
an almost unanimous strike vatc %
their memberships tho brotherhocs
heads believed they held a ci4b winch
would be effective in forclng from tie
railroads an agreement that wound
prevent further wage cuts rha union
heads were unwilling. in aavaucc y,
today's meeting. to Comment upoa
their probable course or actior.
The railroad executives made Id en-
phaticaly clear that they wer- -eea-
now to fight out to d finish she issue cc
lowe rwages. Many % the e@eeutivcs
WHO were here yesterday franSly a.
serted that lower wages werc the only
thing that could bring about lower
freight rates demanded ny shippers
without bringing bankruptcy to scores
OF railroads. The executives lost no
time 'in deciding to go reSare the labor
board and petition for imme date waEs
reductions
MAY NOT WAIT FOR BOARD
Il was reported today that the roads
we're planning TO put into enec. o.
their own volition q 10 per cent wage
reduction without waiting Ter the la
Dor board TO act This cut is 10 go
into effect. II is reported as soon as
the payrolls OF the various roads eau
be adjusted. The Railwsy Labor
Board, it is pointed out. viii be 4gitl4-
out jurisdiction until the issue has
been brought before Il through pro
tests Of the various unions
No official announcement or this in
tention to put into effect an immediate
blanket reduction was made before ths
executives adojurned their meeting but
il was unofficiaIly reported that = tacit
understanding 10 that effect had been
reached.
LONG CONFERENCE ANTICIPATED.
The curtness OF the rebuff given the
unions was emphasized BY the early
adjournment OF the executives. A con
ference lasting many days. with ire
Quent interchanges between tho rail-
way heads and the union chiefs, had
been expected After deciding to ask
for wage reductions and appointing 4
committee OF five 70 confer with th4
union leaders. the main conferences az.
iourned without awaiting so much as
q report from the COMMITTEES appointed
10 confer with the brotherhood leaders
9 H Markham, president of ths iii
nois Centrai Railroad. ". ". After
bury. vice president OF tho Psnnsyl-
vsnia lines; J. z. German. president 81
the Rock Isalnd; Carl r Cray presi-
dent OF the Union Pacific. and Ralph
Budd. president OF the Great Northern.
were the members Of the executives.
committee.
REFUSE Any PREDICTION.
Warren S, Stone, grand chief OF tae
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers
" G. Lee. head of the Trainrnen; ".
S. Carter. chief % the Firemen and In
sinenen; L Z. Sheppard OF the Con
ductors. and T. c. Cashen Of the
Switchraen. were labor's representa-
t!ves.
The conference between these com
mites was brief and mere or less per
functory. The union men asked tia.
the wage reduction OF July !, be can
c elendAdCNFwY CMFw CNfF NEW
eeiled ana a pledge given that 70
further cuts would be inausurated
This plea Vss denied
Union chiefs would not say today
there would be a strike warren
Stone simply declared I'm rs
prophet" an drefused further comment
On Developments. " G. Lee OF tho
Irainmen was more outspokeu. IF
we're a betting man" said he. II would
bet there would be strike
As announced yesterday the plans of
the brcaherhoods gre understood ts
call for progressive" walkout. aten
on roads IN one section u the country
would be called out first II this fail.
ed to bring the roads to terms the men
IN another section would 20 on strike
In conformance with this plan ten die.
trtcts are said to have been created. II
the roads refused 70 yield the men in
each district would be called OUT and
eventually q nationwide strike womb
result