New-York tribune., 1921-04-01
Rail Unions in
N. Y. District
To Consolidate
Formation of Central Body
Planned for Meeting OH
Sunday of Representatives
of 175,00O Employees
For Offense and Defense
ew York Central Opposes
y Securities Owners Asking
Big 4 Leaders to Confer

Tho welding Of all local railroad
MONS into one central body for
.sensiyo snd defensive purposes is
o,anned at a meeting here on Sunday,
/, representatives Of approximately
900 organized railway workers in
.bis district. The new organization is
- he known as the New York Railroad
district Council. according TO union
lss5ers. who say that 1t will serve as a
forerunnor of similar councils to be
Established in other strategic points
throughout the United States and
Canada.
Another development in the railroad
situation was the announcement of A..
u, Smith, president Of the New York
central lines. that the road could not
recognize the right or propriety of the
,Secutive committee of the National
association of Owners of Railroad Sc
,urities to invite heads of the Big Four
.silroad brotherh oods to proposed
difference here on April to discLes
leHailroad labor difficulties. Letters
ett;ng forth his stand were sent yes
erday to Warren S. Stone. W. u. Lee,
/. E. Sheppard, w. s. Carter, chiefs Of
the brotherhoods, and to S. Davies
yarfeld. president of the securities as
ociatiolt which had announced the pro-
,osed conference on Wednesday.
Two Roads Hold Conferences
/ The Pennsylvania Railroad at Pitts
burgh Yesterday began the first of
series of discussions with its employees
on the proposed reduction in wages.
The conferences between officials and
sorkers' organizations have been in
! Hartford on the same subject were
oncluded yesterday. 1t was intimated
by labor leaders that the workers of
both lines would reject all offers of
wage cuts and have the matter placed
before the United States Railway Labor
Board for adjudication.
The announcement of the proposed
amalgamation Of all the railroad work
ers within a radius of seventy-fve
miles of New York was made last night
by Anthony Spair, general chairman of
the New York district of the United
Brotherhood of Maintenance of WAY
Employees and Railroad Shop Laborers.
This consolidation is planned said
Mr.. Spair, "for the purpose Of pro-
noting better understanding and
closer cooperation among the many
local unions of the several national
and international organizations in the
district. The body will serve also as
an organization for offensive and de-
fensiye purposes.
Not One Big Union Effort
"This movement" continued Mr.
SPAR. SHOULD not be considered in
any way as an attempt to organize
along the lines of the so-called one big
union The action has been approved
by all the national officials u charge
of the work in this district, including
Grand Vice-President William D. Rob
erts ard G. V. PlanteN and all general
chairmen Of the several roads running
INTO this city and its ''tide-waters."
More than 500 representatives Of
local unions affiliated with the sixteen
international and national railroad
workers, organizations have been in
vlted to attend the conference, said
Mr. Spair.
President Smiths letter to S. Davies
arheld, of the Securities Association,
reads in part.
THE board of directors of the New
York Central Railroad Company has
directed me TO advise your association
and you, as its president, that that
board and the officers appointed BY it
represent the New York Central and
its stockholders in all matters of man
agement, including relations between
the corporation and its employees,
whether these relations have to do with
wages, working conditions or prac-
tces. The board further directs me to
say that it regards as most unfortu-
nate the attempt which you, and the
association of which you are president,
are apparently making to intervene in
The present labor situation, and that it
cannot recognize any right or propriety
in your doing So"