Indiana daily times., 1921-06-28
RAIL SHOPMEN
REJECT WAGE
CUT OF II PCT.
Vote 3S5,0O0 Against Accept,
ance and $4,000 in
Favor.

| CHICAGO June 2S.-With the vote of
the railway shopmen overwhelmingly op-
! posed to acceptance of a wage reduction
from So to n cents an hour, as ordered
| by the United States Railway Labor
Board. railway circles became alarmed
! that the Nation might be confronted with
serious railway crisis within a fort
night. The shop crafts employees voted
$4,000 in favor Of acceptance of the wage
slash, with Ss5,0O0 opposed to it.
Unofficial reports of the trend of the
vote in the four railway brotherhoods in
dicated the wage slash, amounting gem
orally to II per cent, and effective July
| 1, was not popular and that the brother
hoods chiefs might be asked to call a
strike. 1t is understood the brotherhood
| chiefs themselves are against a strike.
The vote of the shopmen actually af-
fects about six hundred thousand rail
way workers or about half of those en-
| ployed by all railway systems In the
country. The remainder of the men-the
| clerks, switchmen, engineers, conductors
and trainmen-have left final action re-
! garding a strike to q committee of their
! officers and various chairmen of divisions.
| They will meet here Friday to canvass
! the situation.
! SAN HARDLY IGNORE
| THE SHOPMEN'S VOTE.
| 1t is pointed out that even should the
railway workers general committee rec
ommend acceptance of the wage cut the
shop craft employees vote against ii
scarcely can be ignored.
! The employees, as a whole. have agreed
to abode by a majority action, and the
| shopmen represent half, or more of the
| total railway men.
nha - Al.
tabulated in the office of B. NJ Jewell,
president of the railway employees di-
vision Of the American Federation of La
Dor.
Labor officials are declared to be do
ing all they can to prevent nation
wide rail walkout. They fear the dis
astrous effect IL would have upon the
country's already crippled economic life.
Financially, II is pointed out, the rail-
way men are scarcely in readiness for
a strike. A strike benefit fund of some
S2o,O00,000 has been accumulated during
| the past three years by the men, but
with 100000 men drawing only a week
ly benefit Of $40 from It the strike fund
would last only couple Of weeks.
BOTH HAVE POWERFUL
WEAPONS TO WELD.
Should the wage cut be rejected by
tho workers and their chiefs, both the
union leaders and the railways will be
armed with powerful weapons to be
used In further negotiations The rail
roads would have the backing Of the
board, while the union chiefs would be
in position to iuOrish the strike club
new development In the situation
concerns the possible abrogation Of the
national working agreement which was
a he affp iva ri
United States Railway Boards deci-
sion.
Many of the railroads will be unable
to reach agreements with employees by
July l on rules submitted for the national
code
The labor board has itself lacked time
to draft set of rules which IL had in
tended for such lines as found It i'm
possible to reach an agreement with the
railway unions.
SOME ROADS HAVE
MADE NO ATTEMPT.
A majority Of the railroads have either
failed In their effort TO carry out the
boards instructions to get together"
with employees on new working agree
ments, or have not completed the task.
1t is reported that few Of the railroads
have made no effort to meet the en-
piOyes representatives on the matter.
The board viii Immediately go into
this phase Of the situation. 1t was con-
sidered probable that the board either
would direct the national agreements to
continue in force for fixed time or in
definite time beyond July l, or It could
permit the whole matter to revert TO the
status that obtained prior to the Govern
ment control Of railroads.
However, working agreements may take
back set until the railway question is
settled.