The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1921-12-02
NO MORE RAIL STRIKES
DECLARES BEN HOOPER

DECLARES BEN HOOPER
CHICAGO, Nov. 3O.-Ben w.
Hooper, vice-chairman of the rail-
road labor board, in a speech before
the Chicago Association of Commerce
today dec that the end of rail-
road strikes was in sight. "The time
will never again come" he said "when
the public will be willing to give the
carriers and their employees unre-
strained freedom to engage in indus
trial warfare to the destruction of
property, peace and comfort of the
public"
"The same enlightened self-interest
that caused everybody else to or
ganize, impel'ed the railroad labor to
do the same," he continued.
'But labor, under the driving pow
er Of passion and greed and the lead
ership of unwise and INSCRIPTIONS
men, may make excessive demands on
troll of his business, conspire to limit
production and ignore the rights of
the general public. The records of
the board show, however, that the
carriers have been guilty of far more
violations of the decisions of the labor
board than have the employees"
CHICAGO, Nov. 30.-Fifty million
dollars a year will be saved by the
railroads of the country by a decision
rendered tonight by the United States
railroad labor board, according to
preliminary estimates. The decision
covers shop craft rules and affects
approximately 100000 men.
The board under its decision rec
ognizes the "open shop" principle on
the nations railroads.
"The boards members believe the
decision is the most important work
of the board to date" said Harper
Leach, secretary to the board. 1T is
designed to establish a definite code
of shop rules 70 stabilize that part of
the railroad industry"
Eight unions are effected by the
decision, all affiliated with the rail-
road employees department of the
American Federation of Labor. They
are the Brotherhood of Railroad Car
men, International Brotherhood of
Blaeksmiths, Drop Forgers and Help
ers, International Alliance of Amalga-
mated Sheet Metal Workers, Interna-
tional Association of Machinists, In
ternational Brotherhood of Boiler
makers, Iron Ship Builders and Help
ers, and the International Brother
hood of Electrical Workers.
The bulk of the changes from the
old national agreement, as embodied
in the decision, are chances in the
Classification of work to be performed
bv the various crafts. These classi-
fications are made more liberal.
Changes in Work Classification
The board found that work not re-
ouiring skill was assigned to highly
paid skilled workers. Work that
could frequently be performed by
common labor was being done by an
expert. In other words, $40 day
man was doing work that could be
done by So a day man.
A few of the more important
changes are:
Machinists engaged in repair work
may connect or disconnect wiring or
pipe connections to repair machinery,
without waiting to call an electrician
or sheet metal worker.
Unskilled labor may now dismantle
wooden freight cars, work formerly
restricted to highly trained car build
ers.f
Engineers, firemen and cranemen
may make necessary repairs on the
lines of the road when qualified to do
the work, regardless of whether this
has been considered shop work or not.
Removal or replacing of CRATES may
be done by boi'ermakers' helpers,
work formerly restricted to journey
men boilermakers.
New Class of Apprentices
The board also created new class
of apprentices, known as special ap-
prentices, composed OF youths be-
tween 1S and 26 years, who have nad
technical school training. The period
of apprenticeship is limited to three
years. The only apprentices hereto
fore employed have been taken from
the ranks of helpers and served four
years.
The principle of collective bargain.
ing and union recognition embodied IN
the transportation act is retained, but
representation of minorities in griev-
ance cases is provided for, thus doing
away with that part of the national
agreement criticised as forcing the
"closed shop"
It was pointed out by members OF
the board that while the new rules
relax considerably the rigidity of the
national agreement in favor of the
roads, they do not by any means
meet the demands of the roads in full.
In fact. most of the old working rules