The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1922-08-10

whs:ly untliinkable that the lSllIroac
Labor Board can be made q 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 Its decisions.
MANY men in the service refused to
Join the strike, and In 70 doing were
assured Of the seniority rights accruing
to them and Of the permanence Of
their positions. On some important
lines 50 per. cent or more refused to
Join the strike. To these old loyal en-
ployes have been added thousands Of
new men who were employed and could
he secured only upon a definite prom
ise that their services would be re-
tained regardless Of the settlement Of
the strike, with al the rights apper-
tanning to such employment. including
that Of seniority under the working
rules and regulations previously ap-
proved by the Railroad Labor Board
"Just the Opposite Effects
I'VE especially point out that 4 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 discredit the Labor Board.
"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 or 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 upholdink
the authority Of the labor board over
throw its rules and discredit its au-
thority.
"The chairman Of the labor board ut
the time the strike was called made
the following public statement:
Upon one question the striking
employees should not be deceived.
Their leader has said that the
she no .na sey heSs s9s a
automatically abandoned all the
rights they possess under their
agreements and under the decisions
of the board. including their So
niorfty. This Is not the boards ac-
tion. 1t is their own
Many carriers are giving their
re-enter the service within q i'm
tied time. 1t must be Understood
now that men who remained in the
service seI, and nd those who are now en-
ity that the board could not is-
VIII at the Proposed Plan Means.
But 1t must be understood that any
proposal that employees now on strike
shall be permitted to return to the
service, without impairment Of their
seniority, is merely another way Of
suggesting that those men who took
employ ment In the crisis in good faith.
relying on the promises of the ratl-
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 u S. Rail-
road Labor Board, or subject to the
application of the transportation act
I'm addition to the necessity Of up
holding the labor board, and maintain
ing the pledges made by the railroads
to the men now at work, there is the
practical effect on the supervisory sf-
hcers of a violation Of the pledges
they were authorized to make. Their
discouragement and demoralixatSs9
would be far more disastrous tha1
this or any other strike"