Evening star., 1921-02-10
RAIL LABOR BOARD
DECLINES TO KILL
WAGE CONTRACTS
Decision Announced as
Workers Chief Takes Floor
to Fight Executive.
CHARGES CONSPIRACY TO
KNIFE ORGANIZED LABOR
Jewell Says Present Plight of Car
riers Not Due to Employees
Inef6ciency.
By the Associated Press.

Ineficiency.
By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, February 10.-The Fed
eral Railroad Labor Board today de-
MED the request OF the American As
sociation Of Railway Executives ior
immediate abrogation Of the nationai
wage agreements with the orother-
hoods and establishment OF NV
basic rate for unskilled laoof preoi-
Gated on local conditions.
The decision came before B. M.
Jewell president of the railway EN-
ployes' department OF the AmeIsSAn
Federation OF Labor, had started MS
reply to the statement made for the
railway executives last week by ".
w. Atterbury of the Pennsylvanta
railroads. 1t was totally unexpected
but Mr.. Jewell filed his statement never
theless, deciding it would save time not
to- read it .-.-.
The board held that it had no
Jurisdiction over questions involving
expense of operation and suggested
that neither the roads nor the union
interrupt the hearing on standard
rules and working conditions with
further unwarranted demands" -
In announcing the decision of the
board Chairman r. NJ. Barton re-
viewed the powers OF the board un-
der the transportation act OF Feb
g..
posed upon the board the duty. OF
deciding disputes between carriers
and employees Of what shall constt-
tute just and reasonable wages. SAL
aries and standards Of working con-
ditions.
Ss,e present hearing separated by
agreement rules and working condi-
tions from wages. The decision on
wages was rendered last July. Judge
Barton said. and the rules hearing
convened on January 10.
THE board assumed as the basis
of this decision the continuance In
full force and effect of the rules.
working conditions and agreements
enforced under the authority OF the
United States Railroad Administra-
an exception Of any mutual agree
ment between carriers and employees
and declared it was the boards de-
sire to render a decision at the earli-
est possible date. -, .., 3
Heyeaa Bearfs PeweU.
The ruling this morning held taaat
all questions involving expense OF
| operation were outside the jurisdic-
these rules And working. cenditiens
are unjust and unreasonable. Aaid
the decision they constitute an I'M
warranted burden upon the railrosds
and upon the public
railroad executives and financiers 10 de-
stroy the organizations Of railroad work.
ers and re-establish autocratic financial
control Of the transportation Industry
was charged by Jeweh.
Mr.. Jewell. chief spokesman for the
railroad workers unions, also charged
the railroad executives with Training
up evidence" and declared a fair con-
sideration of the pending case is i'm
possible until the motives inspiring
the request to abrogate the national
agreement are fully revealed both TO
the board and the public.
He asserted that last weeks state
ment to the board by w. W. After
bury of the Pennsylvania railroad.
chairman of the labor committee Of
the American Association of hallway
Executives was designed to .stam-
pede the board into a position which
mature consideration would prove to
be indefensible." He added that Mr..
Atterbury also attempted to falsely
convince the public that high rates
due to financial Irregularities and in
efhciencies of railroad management
are attributed to the unions of rail-
road workers." and ito obtain
weapon with which to exact from the
government full payment of the ex-
orbitant claims which the railroads
threaten the railroad workers by the
specter Of unemployment and reduced
wages"
Want Autocratie Control.
Mr.. Jewell charged that Mr.. After
bury is the spokesman of powerful
financial combination seeking to re-
establish this autocratic control from
which the war has freed us. and
which was especially exemplihed by
conditions on the Pennsylvania rail-
road.
'Mr. Atterbury undoubtedly knows
that the present plight OF the roads n
not due to the inefflciency Of the en-
ployes. He knows that it 10 not due
to mistreatment accorded to roads
under federal control. One significant
thing he said in the course of his
ultimatum, You cannot make retro
active tomorrow the savings thar
should have been made today. This
should be a bitter pill to many small
investor in railway securities who has
lost the result of savings through the
squa ndering of railroad wealth for
which the financiers are responsible.
And now Mr.. Atterbury discloses the
determination of the conspiracy to
make a raid upon the pockets OF the
railroad employees.
"This conspiracy" added Mr.. Jew
ell. "aims at the disruption Of the
legitimate organizations OF the
workers of the country, and the In
PRODUCTION Of chaotic industrial con-
uOutluAlco Oy SuC 10SS 49,
nonic power of an absentee financial
combination which had up to this
period practically the control Of the
working and living conditions of mil
lions of wage earners and their fami-
lies.
'.To request the re-establishrnent Of
1917 conditions of employment on
railroads is to deny to railroad en-
ployes recognition for invaluable
service, and Is as unjust rs 1t would
be to suggest that no regard be had
for the millions of valiant defenders
of liberty who made the supreme
sacrifice. This phase of the attitude
is not only q direct reflection upon the
former railroad administration. which
came into existence only after tba
railroad managers had confessed A.
given public demonstration of their
Inability to operate the indyStEy uA.
der wartime conditions but also. !
regret to say. an uncalled-for per-
sonal insult to every railroad enn.
ploye, which we deeply regret
HOLDS UP NOMINATIONS.