The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-07-01
WILL RAILROAD
WORKERS STAND
THE WAGE CUT?

Chicago, June 28.-With the vote
of the railway shopmen overwhelm-
ingly opposed to acceptance of a
an hour, as ordered by the United
States railway labor board, rail
way circles became alarmed that
the nation might be confronted with
a serious railway crisis within a
fortnight. The shopcrafts employees
voted $4,000 in favor of acceptance
of the wage slash, with 385,000 op-
posed to it.
Unofficial reports of the trend of
the vote in the four railway broth
erhoods indicated the wage slash
amounting generally to IL per cent
and effective July 1, was not popu-
lar and that the brotherhood chiefs
might be asked to call a strike.
The vote of the shopmen actual
ly affects about 100000 railway
workers, or about half of those en-
ployed by all railway systems in
the country. The remainder of the
men-the clerks, switchmen, engin-
eers, conductors and trainmen-have
left final action regarding strike
to a committee of their officers and
various chairmen of divisions. They
will meet here next Friday to can
vass the situation.
1t is pointed out that even should
the railway workers general COM
mittee recommend acceptance of the
wage cut, the shopcraft employees
vote against it scarcely can be
ignored. The employees, as a whole
have agreed to abide by majority
action and the shopmen represent
half, or more, of the total railway
men.
The result of the shopmen's vote
was tabulated in the office of B.
M. Jewell, president of the Railway
Employees Division of the American
Federation of Labor.
1t is pointed out the railway men
are in readiness for strike. A
strike benefit fund of some $780,
100000 has been accumulated dur
ing the past three years by the
men.
Should the wage cut be rejected
by the workers and their chiefs,
both the union leaders and the rail-
ways will be armed with powerful
weapons to be used in further ne
gotiations. The railroads would
have the backing of the board while
the union chiefs would be in a po-
sition to flourish the strike club.
A new development in the situa-
tion concerns the possible abroga-
tion of the national working agree
ment which was to be effective next
Friday under the United States
railway labor boards direction.
Many of the railroads will be un-
able to reach agreements with en-
ployes by July /, on rules submitted
for the national code.
The labor board lacks time to draft
set of rules which it had in
tended for such lines as found if
impossible to reach an agreement
with the railway unions.
A majority of the railroads have
either failed in the effort to carry
out the boards instructions to "get
together" with employees on new
working agreements, or have not
yet completed the task. 1t is re-
ported that a few of the railroads
have made no effort to meet the
employees representatives on the
matter.
The board will Immediately go
into this phase of this situation. 1t
was considered probable that the
board either would direct the ma
tional agreements to continue in
force for a fixed time or indefinite
time beyond July l, or it could per-
nit the whole matter to revert to
the status that obained prior to the
government control of railroads.
However, working agreements
may take a back seat until the rail-
way wage question is settled.