The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-23
DEVEL DEMENT'S IN
 RAILROAD CRISIS
 COME WITH SNAP

tC0mt1nuE0 from rage OMCb crafts are members of this organiza- tion and the big four brotherhoods which first announced a strike move ment are not.
 Keymen to Go Out
 Almost simultaneously, however. the general chairmen of the Order of Railroad Photographers, numbering 75,000 men, whose work was said by the union chiefs to be essential to the continuance of transportation, an- nounced that these workers would be called out with the "big five'--the trainmen, the switchmen, the conduc- tors, the firemen and the engineers.
 The action of the shop crafts was declared by many union heads to be the most significant since the first strike orders by the "big five" were sent out and followed a desperate campaign of missionary work during the week by the leaders to prevent 8 walkout of these men after they had voted overwhelmingly to strike rath- CT than accept the recent 12h per cent wage cut.
 The shop crafts were termed by union men the "backbone of the eleven standard unions, two of which, the signalmen and the clerks, have not yet taken final strike action.
 Failure of the big four broth
 erhOods to agree to stand by the
 shop crafts through a strike re-
 suited In the refusal to author
 ixe . waIkOut. according to n
 statement issued by heads of the
 unions which form the railway
 employes' department. American
 Federation of Labor. These Gr-
 w,kS
 erated fully on any matter with
 the brotherhoods. and their lead
 CTS said that they were afraid of
 being cleft holding the bag'' if
 they walked out the brother
 hoods letting 1t become known
 that they would return to work
 whenever they saw fit. without
 consideration for other striking
 organizations.
 While the shop crafts action avert ed any possibility of these work ars joining the walkout scheduled to start at 6. a. m. next Sunday, a Lew vote will be taken after the expected labor board decision on rules and working conditions, which the shop crafts heads admit they consider moro important.
 The labor board held an executiv ve session to decide the action of the International and Great Northern trainmen in walking out, but the meeting was taken up largely with other questions. The board ln- nounced it had relinquished the ju- risdiction 1t assumed yesterday over the Fremont and Gulf railway, & ST. mile Louisiana line.
 The board said 1t had been i'm formed that the employees had agreed to an open shop and that. conse- Quently, since there was no dispute, the board had no interest in the mat ter
 Railroad heads here refused to comment publicly on the action of the reducing by 16 per cent freight rates on hay. grain and grain products in the western half of the United States.
 Interest in Stone Statement
 Local union leaders expressed ksen interest in the announcement Tn Cleveland from Warren s. Stone, president of the Brotherhood of Lo- comotive Engineers. that while the brotherhoods were obeying the labor board order to keep the situation in status quo, that there Is no ques- ton in my mind that the men will so through. no matter what instructions they get'.'
 The shop crafts decision. which was said to be instrumental in bringing about the action of the two other groups. was reached after tur- bulent sessions of the conference of 100 lasting several days. Representatives from distant sections, fired by the brotherhood's protested against further delay in calling strike. which wgs authorised by . vote last July. That vote was taken, however. only on the wage reduction of July i, and lead CTS of the shop unions did not deem 1t advisable to walk out on that issue alone.
 By last night tho missionary work done by MT. Jewell and others since the brotherhoods' strike call, had shown its effect. and the committee of 100 had been brought Into line with a mo- strike policy
 A special committee was appointed to draft . new report This commit tee worked late into the night. and today presented a new resolution. Heated debate ensued. but after more than three hours of argument the resolution to stay on the job for the present went through
 More than 500 general chairmen, reaching here today to hear the conn mittee's decision, left for their homes tonight to explain, the committee's action to their membership.
 Would Be Suicide
 We are not in any position. to go on strike at this time," B. M. Jeweli.