The Washington herald., 1921-10-18
ROAD EXECUTIVES
WILL CONCENTRATE
FIGHT. ON SHOPMEN
Jewell Admits Working
Rules Form His Chief
Contention.

CHICAGO. Oct. 17.-Railroad ex-
ecutives are prepared to play their
ace" against railroad shop organi-
cations preparing to strike.
The campaign was outlined here
today at a conference of Western
executives attended by the heads OF
several great systems.
II the 47s.0O0 employees belonging
to the thirteen great unions in the
federated shop crafts - the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor Railroad
Department-go on strike. the ex-
ecutives will close every railroad
shop in the country. except those
absolutely essential for repair. and
not open them again until either a
system of private management is
evolved or a definite ''open-shop"
policy is adopted.
This line of action was thoroughly
discussed, according to one eXecu-
tive who attended the meeting.
VIII Fight shop Crafts.
Among those at the conference
was Samuel FELTON,, presiden: OF the
Chicago and Great Western: w, B.
Story, of the Santa Fe; James f.
German. president of the Chicago.
Rock Island and Pacific; Hale HCl-
den. president of the Chicago. Bur-
lington and Quincy; c. H Markham.
president of the Illinois Central
and representatives of many other
Western and Eastern lines.
The plan outlined is as follows:
l. If the general strike is called
the campaign will be directed
against the shop crafts and not the
brotherhoods, who now have the
center Of the stage.
.. The brotherhoods cannot win
the strike without the support Of
the thirteen shop unions, while the
shop crafts have yet to receive as
surance of the brotherhoods that
the strike would be continued in
case they won their wage conten-
ton while the shopmen might still
be fighting.
Plan to Break Union,
3. II the shop crafts walk out
with the brotherhoods all railroad
shops would be closed, except those
absolutely essential for repairs. and
not opened until manned by unafil-
lated boilermakers, sheet metal
workers, electricians, locomotive re-
pairmen and helpers, and all other
shop trades.
4. The shopmen. II they strike,
will be in violation of the orders of
the Railroad Labor Board and the
carriers would refuse to settle on
the basis of old working rules and
wages.
s. To prevent higher domination
of working conditions in shops a
Sgeneral system of running railroad
| shops similar to that of the Erie
Railroad at Marion. Ohio. would be
evolved
1t was reported late today that
the executives had informed Presi-
dent B. NJ. Jewell. Of the Federated
Shop Cpafts that such plans were
under consideration.
Jewell was silent on the ques-
ton. He frankly admitted. how
ever, that the shop crafts are more
anxious to strike on the working
rules question than on the wage
question. Abrogation of working
rules by the railroad board have
cost the shopmen more millions
than the IL per cent wage cut OF
last July.
Everyone familiar with our
problems knows the concern we
feel over the working rules Ques-
ton," he said. However, We have
voted to strike on the wage cut
and 1 am AFRAID It is too late TO
stop the men now, even IL we
wanted to do so.'
shopmen Ask Assurances.
Jewell and other shop craft lead
ers whose organizations are as
essential to train service as the
trainmen themselves. are anxious
to be assured by Warren S. Stone,
grand chief of the engineers, and
the other brotherhood leaders, that
they will not be left holding the
bag" in case the trainmen win
their wage contention. and go back
to work with the shopmen still out.
The executives. therefore. are all
set for an offensive against the
shop workers.
They have secured abrogation of
the wartime national agreements. 1"
wage cuts. and last Friday were
given the privilege by the labor
board of negotiating with >the shop
crafts for payment OF wages on q
CoNt1nsed on Paoe Too.