Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-12-08
OPEN SHOP ORDER
FOR RAILROADS
Large Economies Expected From
Working Agreement Changes
Put in Effect.
ESTIMATED AT s5o,ooo,Ooo
t4S New Rules, Affecting 400 900 EN-
pIoyees, Effective by Unanimous
Decisien-Now Ready For
Wage Fight.

Chicago. - A decision promulgLting
14S new working rules to govern the
employment OF the six federated rail
road shop crafts and supplanting the
national agreement entered into by the
employees with the United States rail
road administration ON eptember 20
1919. 5as handed down by the United
States Railroad Labor Beard.
This decision recognizes the "0pen
shop" principle as applied to the rail
roads and will mean an annual pay
roll saving TO them Of about $5O.OO0.
600 II will form the ground work Oh
which the adjudication Of all future
wage disputes between the ronds aud
their employees will he based The
new rules affect approximately IOO0O1
employees Immediately.
The railroads already have asked for
n further reduction of IN" pay of shop
men to level with that paid TO those
performing similar work In other in
dustries In the various localities Still
more recently the Shopmen's committee
announced Il woulti ask for ; cent in
crease In pay to raise the standard To
that received by men performing sim
liar wO.k in other industries"
During the recent strike crisis the
six shop crafts affiliated with the
American Federation Of .-ahur-the
carmen, sheet metal workers, ma
chinists, bOIlermakers blacksmiths and
electrical wOrkerS-voted not To walk
out with the brOtherhO0dS, hut Ia
await the labor boards decision on the
working rules Although the decision
Is considered highly favorable Ia the
railroads and relieves THIN of most of
the rules of which they complained I'M
der the nationa' agreement, there Is
one fact that augurs for - acceptance
by the unions.
This IL that the present decision Is
unanimous and Is not accompanied by
a dissenting opinion from the labor
group on the board. as was the form n
one revising - Of the shopcraft rules.
That one. handed down siy months age.
also loppef! ST,O, 900 900 from the roads
annual payrolls according to the
boards computation. and was opposed
by A. q. Wharton. a IL, n Der Of the Ia
hnr group. The bn. Il IN promulgated
112 workiI rules for the shop crnfis.
Ten of the rules laid down la Ih"
national agreement have been elm
mated entirely and four others are re-
manded TO the uni Dns and roads for
settlement In the belief tLat they will
he able to reach agI eements among
O. ha.
ment the board pursued a policy of
making the rules more elastic Ia oh
tain greater eflicIency and economy Of
meeting the criticisms, directed at the
old agreements by the roAdS, regarding
abandoning older reg latiOnS sanction
ed by experience and of retaining the
principle of collective bargaining and
union recognition as provided for in the
transportation act. ut the same time
providing for the representation = mi
norIties In grievance eases.
This last provision does away with
the criticism that the old agreement
practically forced d "cl' ed shop" ON
the roads. In making that agreement
groups Of unafiiliatei employees were
represented by union officials.
"The principle of the open shop IS
tabIIshed by the new rules viii. in 'sCt.
he more theoretical than practical nj
the present time" reads statement
issued by the board. "since large ma
iority of the abroad shops are union
lied and the existing unions are rec"g-
nlzed by the board and by the trans
portation act as representative of the
majority
Most of the older working rules.
sanctioned by the experience of years.
are preserved In full effe't. Many OF
the NOR, rigid rules, however, are con
siderably relaxed in favor of the roads,
although recognized rights of the men
are fully protected. and the principle
Of collective bargaining and union rec
ognItIon Is retained as contemplated Icy
the transportation act"