The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-12
LOWER SCALES
Are ASSAILED
BY employees
Notice of Intention of Railroad
Executives is Not a
Surprise.
DESTRUCTION OF UNIONS
SAID TO BE THE OBJECT
Plan to Deluge Labor Board
With Multitude of Com
plants.
lex rhe AssoeLo.ed Pressl

CHICAGO, March 11.-Action look
ing toward the wholesale reduction of
wages of railway employees of the ma
ton was assailed tonight by union
= leaders.
The railroad executives were unani-
nous in declaring that the reductions
were necessary TO pave the way for
lower freight and passenger rates and
said that the wage cuts would begin
with the unskilled employees but would
, finally reach the highest executives.
In replying to this j. G.. Luhrsen,
president of the American Train Dis
patchers' association, asserted that the
train. sheets would show that the rail-
roads were not economically managed
and In a letter to Senator A. B. Cum
mings, chairman of the senate inter-
state commerce committee he called
for senatorial investigation OF the
TRANSPORTATION situation so as to avert
serious strife over wage reductions.
Notices of proposed wage reduc-
tions on individual roads have been
expected since the meeting of the
railroad executives here on Feb. 49,"
said q statement issued by w. Jett
Lauck, former secretary of the war
labor board and now consulting econ
1T is part of the plan to deluge the
United states labor board with a null
titude OF complaints and cannot be of
much financial benefit to the railroads.
zone complaint after another must
be considered by the labor board and
a considerable period of time must
elapse before sufficient number of
decisions, even IL favorable, can be Sc
cured by the railroads. The New York
financial district has already recog
nized this tendency. In spite of the
fact of the proposed wage reductions
and the sanction by the government
to advance payments of it's guarantees
to the carriers, railroad securities have
reached another low level on the stock
exchange.
Executives Not Sincere.
This would not be so If the rail-
road executives were straightforward
and sincere in their labor policies and
IL their plans were directed by the
most intelligent and far-seeing of the
heads OF the roads. If financial re-
lief and not the breaking down of la
Dor organizations were the object,
the railroads in a certain area or dis
trict would notify their employees of
proposed wage cuts, invite them to
select representatives to meet the rep
resentatives of the carriers in confer
ence and there, If no agreements could
be reached, a complaint covering a
large number of railroads and their
employees be brought before the labor
board.
THE reason concerted action for
wage reductions is not taken now is
that the association of railway execu-
tives is dominated by a short sighted
and misguided group who are more
interested in breaking down labor. or
ganizations or individual roads than
they are In securing wage reductions.
Their zeal against labor unions leads
them unconsciously TO neglect what
the more rational railroad presidents
clearly perceive to be the financial in
terests of the transportation industry"
Virtually the only roads entering
Chicago which have not called confer
ences of their men to discuss wage re-
adjustments are the Illinois Central
and the Wabash. In the case of the
Chicago Great Western, the confer
ence was TO discuss a proposed reduc-
tion of 20 per cent in the pay of all
employees, excepting those in the train
service, telegraph operators and un-
(CAnNfnna1 D..