Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-02-01
lmm ediate AbrogatiOn of
Agreements Between the
Roads and Their Employees
Asked BY Gen. Atterbury.
SITUATION CRITICAL
TELLS LABOR BOARD
Operating Expenses Must Be
Reduced; This Cannot Be
Done Until Contracts With
Men Are Cancelled.


Chicago, Jan. 31.-Amer-
lean railroads, through Brig
adler General w. w. After
bury, vice president of the
Pennsylvania lines, before
the railroad labor board, to-
day urged immediate abro-
cation of the national agree
ments between the roads
and their employees, bring
ing to a focus what rail ex-
ecutives declared was a crit
ical situation threatening
many roads with bankrupt
cy. No wage reductions
would be asked if the agree
ments were annulled, Mr..
Atterbury said.
Charges Against Roads.
The course recommended by
General Atterbury was interjected
into the boards hearing on rules
and working conditions. Vigorous
protest charging the railroads with
violation of the transportation act,
was made by ]. G. Luhrsen, presi
dent of the American Train Dis
patchers' association, in reply.
Notice that a reply soon would
be forthcoming from the sixteen
brOtherhoods also was given by b.
M. Jewell. president of the rali-
way employees department of tho
American Federation of LabCr
Tonight Mr.. Jewell wired Presi-
dent Wilson, protesting strongly
against interruption of the board S
proceedings.
General Atterbury declared that
the railroad situation was so ur-
gent that he could entertain no
proposal of conferences with en-
ployes as they douid not agree.
He added that even a few days
delay might throw the situation
into chaos and flood the board with
petitions for wage reductions.
Roads Fnoe Bankruptcy.
General Atterbury, who is chair
man Of the American association
of railway executives labor com
mittee. declared that unless oper-
ating expenses were Immediately
reduced, many roads faced bank
ruptcy and that wip.ng out OF the
national agreements offered a
quick solution to part of the prob
lem. A reduction of $500, 900, 900
a year in operating expenses could
be effected by restoring the pre-
federal status of December 81,
1917, he said.
One measure of relief asked was
abrogation of the agreement fixing
the basic rates of unsIiiled labor
at 80 to 49A cents an hour.
General Atterbury's statement
said other industries are paying
less and the roads asked the right
to hire unskilled labor at the prices
prevailing in the reads localities.
Agreements Cause Waste.
The national agreements, he
continued. were forced on the
railroads as war measures and
cause gross waste and inefficient
cy"
Suggestions by members of the
board that further conferences he
held between the roads and en-
ployes were rejected by General
Atterbury. Judge r, NJ. Barton,
chairman of the board, said that
he considered some basis neces-
sary for railroad operation and
questioned the wisdom of wiping
out the agreements, Rebuttal by
the employees would be heard i'm
mediately, however, he said, and
the matter taken up at once.
Protest against Mr.. Luhrsen's
statement was made by G. 7. Whit
er. railroad representative, on the
ground that the dispatchers have
no national agreements and were
therefore not entitled to speak, hnt
the chair decided 1t could not rule
on the request
Il want to enter formal protest,
because the carriers have already
presented arguments which. with
out proper rebuttal by the en-
ployes, cannot help but leave an
impression upon this board detri-
mental to the case of the en-
ployes," said Mr., Luhrsen. The
statement made by the carriers
that unless immediate action is
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