Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-06-16
Railway Shopmen Taking Strike
Vote Because Their Pay Is
Cut 100000.
WALKOUT MAY Be AVOIDED
Supreme Court Deals Organized Labor
Severe BIoW-France's Refusal to
Reduce R%eparation Blocks German
Loan Plans-Radical Republic
ans Win Victory in Iowa
Primary Election.
BY EDWARD W. PIcKARD

n BOUT $60,000,O00 having been
"A Topped off their yearly pay by
the federal railway labor board, the
railroad shopmen are taking a vote re
turnable on June 80, on the question
OF accepting the reduction or going on
strike. The maintenance of way men,
whose annual wages were cut some
$500 900, also are taking a strike
vote.
Thus, apparently, the country faces a
strike. probably effective in the middle
of July, that might come a to ty-
ing up its rail transportation. But
there is hope that it will not eventu-
ate. An affirmative strike vote and
an actual strike are different things,
and the vote is but seldom used only
as a weapon in the hands of union Off
Gals in negotiating. Railroad execu-
tives profess to believe that the men
will not even vote to strike. A COM
mittee of six rail presidents issued the
following statement:
"There is no talk of strike among
the men," the statement says. The
disturbing statements are prepared by
leaders of the unions, whose viewpoint
has been distorted by months of efforts
before the board to resist the inev-
table downward trend of wages. The
employees are in the main sincerely in
terested in taking care of their Jobs
and their homes, and few employees in
oa,x 3aJ,1ctrr houn mnro nnnd TpoGnnS
for doing so.
1.-THE records show that the proposed
scale of wages for the classes of en-
ployees involved in the two wage re-
duction orders already issued practi-
cally would restore the scale in eff
feet at the end of federal control in
1920, which carried an increase for
these employees of 119 per cent over
the wages paid in 1916. The cost of
living, as shown by the Department OF
Labor for March, 1922, was AZ per cent
above 1916"
On the other hand, B. NJ. Jewell,
head of the railroad employees depart.
ment Of the American Federation OF
Labor. says: 1.-THE new wages do not
permit a minimum living wage, anC
they are wholly at variance with the
saving wage championed by President
Harding and Secretary Of Labor
| Davis" Mr.. Jewell and other unior
chiefs who were in conference in Gin
cinnati predicted that unions with
membership of 100000 would vote t.
strike.
just as in the last previous wage de
cision by the board, the three labo,
members d~issented, and this time the.
were especially vigorous in their dis
senting opinion.
While the rulings of the railway la
Dor board are professedly being mad
quite without regard to the rulings o
the interstate commerce committee il
the matter of rates, the two cannot b.
disconnected in the public mind, an,
the railway executives also coupl
them, naturally.
Union labor received what it cor
~ siders another body blow las
week in the decision of the Unite
States Supreme court in the COlorad
ccGi mine case. The United Min
Workers of America and certain in
dividuals had appealed from a dec
sion by the United States Distric
court of Arkansas, approved by tn
Circuit Court of Appeals, holding then
guilty of violating the Sherman anti
trust act during a strike in 1914, an
imposing damages of 100000, whicl
was trebled under the antitrust Law
The opinion of the United States Su