The Washington times., 1921-02-10
unions SCORE
GREAT VICTORY
Wartime Agreement With Work.
men Cannot Be Abrogated,
Says Decision.
LOWER FARE HOPES FADE
Ruling Follows Charge of Capt.
tai Plot to Destroy Or
ganized Labor.

CHICAGO, Feb. 10.-The United
States Railroad LABOR Board today
refused to abrogate the agreements
existing between railroads and work
ers and sanction a cut in wages
The decision was great victory
for the railroad brotherhoods But
II was a severe shock to the rail-
road executives. who had hoped that
the wage cut would be permitted to
aid the roads in overcoming finan-
cial difficulties.
ACTION AvERTs STRIKE.
The boards refusal to cut wages
means the averting of threatened
strike of at least 100000 railroad
workers, which would have tied up
the industries of the United States.
The decision followed a plea by
the railroad workers fofl the setting
aside of the railroads request for
abrogation. Of the wage agreement
/ 4CHAnGHss CONSPIRACY.
American railroad executives sad
H08nclef6 are IN n conspiracy W
the organizations of railroad workers
and establish autocratic financial con
troll of the transportation industry, b. ~
Jewel, president of the railway employs
department of the American Federation
of Labor, today charged before the
board.
ASKS UNION HEARING.
He asked the board to postpcne
I'm rfh ha Hor IF
application of the railroads to abro-
gate the national agreement on WORK.,
ing conditions and to proceed at once
to hear the evidence the unions ara
prepared to submit in support of their
charges.
Jewel declared that fair consid-
GRAFTON of the pending case is imposs
sible until the motives inspiring the
request to abrogate the national agree
ment are fully revealed.
He charged that w. w. Atterbury.
of the Pennsylvania railroad, is
spokesman of a powerful financial
combination seeking to re-establish
Pennsylvania railroad autocracy In
the railroad world.
He charged that Atterbury's recent
statement to the board was designed
to stampede the board into hasty ac-
ton and to coerce and threaten the
railroad wDTkeTS Dy tne spcCteT oI
unemployment and reduced wages.
CHARGES FOUR PURPOSES.
'Mr. Atterbury, in his Spectacular
appearance. timed to take place just
when the entire case of the man
agement presented both to this board
and to the country had been COM
pleted," Jewell declared, "was very
obviously designed to accomplish
four purposes
"1-If possible to stampede the
m ture consideration whenever
the ground of legality and from the
point of view of public policy.
"2-To convince the public that
to past financial irregularities and
ineffciencies of railroad management
should be attributed to present ore
ganizations of railroad employees.
"3-To obtain from the board a
recognition of railroad managemcnt's
indefensible contention that Govern
ment war policies had led to a de-
crease in the efficiency of their en-
ployes in order to use this later to
wiring from the Railroad Administration
full payment of the exorbitant claims
which the railroads are making.
"4-To sound a note of warning to
railroad employees carrying with It
the threat that unless they came
meekly begging for local adjustment
of conditions, immediate layoffs would
follow, coupled with pressure for a
reduction in all wage rates. d