The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-08-25
Tell President Harding Old and
New Men Must Be Protected
in Strike Settlement.
NOT A MATTER OF CHOICE
Faithful Employees Have Both Legal
and Moral Rights to Seniority
and Other Benefits.

roads of the United States to the prop
osition of President Harding, that ali
strikers be returned to their work and
their former positions with seniority
and other rights unimpaired," lies in
the last paragraph from their reply
TO the President as follows:
at is submitted that the strik-
ing former employees cannot be given
preference to employees at present IN
the service without doing violence TO
every principle of right and justice
involved in this matter, and without
the grossest breach of faith on the
part of the railroads to the men at
present in their service
'I7nder these circumstances it be-
comes apparent that the railroads
cannot consider any settlement OF the
present strike which does not pro-
vide protection in their present en-
ployment both to the loyal employees
who remained in the service and to
the new employees entering 1t.
The executives had accepted the
first two conditions proposed by the
President, namely, that both employ
ers and employees accept the decisions
of the Labor Board, and that all law
suits growing out of the strike be
withdrawn; and in relation to the
third condition spoke not only as
tnuoted above. but also as follows:
Agree With the President
"The railroad executives and man
ayers agree entirely with the Presi-
dents statement in his letter that 1T is
wholly unthinkable that the Railroad
Labor Board can be made a useful
agency of the Government in maintain
ing industrial peace in the railway
service unless employers and workers
are both prompt and unquestioning in
their acceptance of it's decisions
"Many men in the service refused to
foin the strike and in so doing were
assured of the seniority rights accru-
ing to them and Of the permanence
of their positions. On some important
lines so per cent or more refused to
toin the strike. To these old loyal EN-
ployees have been added thousands
of new men who were employed and
could be secured only upon definite
promise that their services would be
retained regardless Of the settlement
of the strike, with all the rights ap-
pertaining to such employment, includ-
ing that of seniority under the working
rules and regulations previously ap-
proved by the Railroad Labor Board.
AUST the Opposite Effect"
ave especially point out that re-
fusal to the old men who remained in
the service and to the new men who
accepted service Of the rights of senior
ity incident to their employment would
have Just the opposite effect to that de-
sired by the President, and would most
seriously dlscredit the Labor Board.
1.-The board itself prescribed the
rules of seniority under which the men
referred to have secured their senior
ity rights, and the railroad companies
have neither the legal nor moral right
to deprive these men of those rights.
BY public utterances since the strike
began the board has recognized and
emphasized these rights, and to deny
them now would, instead of unfolding
the authority of the Labor Board, over
throw its rules and dfscredit its au-
thority.
"The Chairman of the Labor Board
at the time the strike was called made
the following public statement:
Upon one question the striking emf
Il l., w.
leader has said that the strikers
are no longer employees of the rail-
ways, and they have thus automatic
ally abandoned all the rights they
possess under their agreements and
under the decisions of the board. in
Guiding their seniority. This is not
the boards action. 1t is their own.
MANY carriers are giving their for
mer employees the opportunity to re-
enter the service within a limited
time, 1t must be understood now
that men who remained in the serv-
ice and those who are now entering
II will have rights of seniority that
the board could not ignore"
What the Proposed Plan Means
."It must be understood that any pro-
posal that employees now on strike
shall be permitted to return to the
service, without, impairment to their
seniority, is merely another way Of
suggesting that those men who took
employment in this crisis in good faith,
relying on the promises Of the rail
roads to protect them in their posi-
tions, these promises being justified by
the authoritative utterances of the
Labor Board, and thus have made pos
sible the continued operation of the
railroads, shall now be sacrificed in
favor of men now on strike, who not
only brought about the crisis, but, by
their own action and declaration, are
no longer employees of the railways,
under the jurisdiction of the United
States Railroad Labor Board, or sub
ject TO the application of the Trans
portation act.
'In addition to the necessity of up
holding the Labor Board, and main
tanning the pledges made by the rail-.
roads to the men now at work, there
is the practical effect on the super
visory officers of a violation Of the
pledges they were authorized to make
Their discouragement and demoraliza-
tion would be far MOI disastrous THAI
.this or any othe- slr.ke.