Middletown transcript., 1921-11-05
|RA|L STRIKE IS
CALLED OFF
BY big Five" at Labor Boards
Demand
ACTION AT JOINT SESSION
Brotherhood Feared They Would Find
Full Force Of Administration
Against Them-code Mes
saoes Sent Out.

Chicago.-The reil strike scheduled
for October 80 was averted, when lead
orc of the switchmen, trainmen, con-
ductors, engineers and hremen at d
Joint meeting adopted resolutions with
drawing authorization OF WalKout'
and officials of the railroad telegraph
ers, organization announced they
would take similar action. These were
the only unions which had authorized
| strike.
The vote calling off the strike was
unanimous by organizations, w. &.
Lee. president of the Brotherhood OF
Railroad Trainmen, announced. Ine
official wording of the resolution
| adopted was that the strike be de-
clared not effective"
The first announcement OF the ex'
ecutives' action was made by Mr. Lee.
Rushing to the floor below the hotel
meeting room where dozens OF news
paper reporters were congregated, ne
smilingly shouted:
| 1.-THE strike is Oh, Uoys'
| All of the union men were smiling
as they came out and many OF them
iocularly pushed and showed each 9TH
er down the stairs. To all queries
most Of them merely replied:
"Its all settled"
A code word was sent to each gen
eral chairman Of the unions and ne
in turn forwarded the orders to each
of the subordinate officials under him.
The vote in the individual unions
was unusually close, however, the lire
men particularly holding lengthy argu'
ments before agreeing to cancellation
of the strike order, the labor chieftains
said. In some of the groups the bal
lot was described as "the closest IN
history on a similar question" All OF
the differences were ironed out by the
different unions, however, and the final
showdown found all of them casting
their ballots for mo strike"
L. E. Sheppard, president of the
Order of Railway Conductors, said
that the unions had decided to call
off the strike because of "the growing
public opinion that the strike would
be against the Labor Board and con
sequently the Government, and not
against the railroads"
cit was evident also that the entire
Washington Administration was op
posed ito us and that we have hao
little chance of gaining our objec
tives,' said Mr.. Sheppard.
1--WE called this strike to gain Ger
tain rights to which our men were
entitled Mr. Sheppard stated.
"It soon became evident, however
that the roads were succeeding ii
their misleading propaganda to the
effect that we really would be strik
ing against the Government.
"This railroad propaganda found its
way to the United States Railroad
Labor Board. This governmental
agency told US that it would look or
strike as against it and the Gov
ernment and not against the roads
! and that the full force of the Govern
ment would be brought to bear agains
us if we walked out. Under such cir
cumstances there was nothing to dt
but to annul our orders for the Octo
ber 80 walkout"
: Union leaders said that the resolu
J lion adopted by the Labor Boart
, announcing that no further wage re
duction petitions for any one grou,
of employees would be considered
until rules and working conditions fol
. the group had been settled was "de
| cidedly instrumental" in bringing
f about the action calling off the walk
out They declared that they believed
under this resolution it would bt
, months before their pay again coull
be reduced.