Arizona republican., 1921-04-15

Of employees shall have the right to determine what organization shall represent members of such craft or class Such organization shall have the right to make an agreement which shall apply to all employees in such craft or class. No such agreement shall infringe. however. on the right of employees not a member of the or ganization representing the majority 10 present grievances either in person or by representatives of their own choice.
 'Employes called or required to re- port for work and reporting but not used should be paid reasonable com pensation therefore"
 i.open Way for Settlement
 The boards decision came unex pectedly in the middle of hearing on the sreasonableness of the existing ruless and opened a way to speedy conclusion O. the controversy. The fight over national agreements was begun immediately after the return of the railroads to private ownership, March l, 1920, but consideration of ruleS. was postponed by the board when it was formed on April Is, 1920, because of the urgency of the wage question.
 The board divided the railroad con- troversy into a question of wages and of working conditions. Hearings on wages resulted in decision No. Z, the S600,o00,O00 wage award of July 20, and the rule dispute was deferred until, January In the wage decision, the board directed that the national shop crafts agreements should be continued and the bulletins and or ders of the UnIted States railroad ad- rninistration have also been continued in force
 Tn setting July l for terminating the national agreements, however, the board declared today. sft reserved the right to terminate it's direction of aecision No. ?, earlier than July l, with regard to any class of em- poyes If it shall have reason to be- neves such class is unduiy delaying the progress of the negotiations to be entered into by the conference of arrangements and employees. It also reserves the right to stay the ter n.inafion of the agreements If 1t be- Eeves any carrier is unduly delaying negotiations.
 The board directed that the con- ference keep the board informed of final agreements and disagreements to the end that the board may know priot' to July 1. what portion of the
  placing the chief responsibility for drawing up a new set of working rules. to the parties involved, the board did not say what part the rules agreed on in conference and the rules promulgated by the board would play in forming a new national code.
 surpr;se to Organized Labor
 wASHINGTON, April 14.-Decision of the railroad labor board to abro- gate the national agreements came as a surprise to organized labor, w. H. Johnson, spokesman of the railway workers union. within the American Federation of Labor, said tonight. :.
 .sThfs means a tremendous loss or time and tremendous expense. he said. when the whole problem in stead of being disinregrated to the roads. could have been threshed out by one committee.
 I've had hoped railroad executives would see the wisdom of meeting III conference to consider rules ana agree on as many as possible, wnlcn would be applicable to all roads ana refer back other rules not national m scope for consideration by individual managers and their employees
 We might have been able to agree, if the pernicious influence of the steel trust could have been kept out
 eNo doubt some roads will be glad to meet in groups. A great many roads will be willing to renew agree nents we think. but some don't pro- nose to have any at all but will deal with employees arbitrarily"
 MT. Johnson said the problem oi