The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1922-08-11
ROADS STAND BY
LOYAL EMPLOYEES
Tell President Harding Old and
New Men Must Be Protect
ed In Strike Settlement.
NOT A MATTER OF CHOICE
Faithful Employees Have Both Legal
and Moral Rights to Seniority
and Other Benefits.

and Other 6eneftS.
New York. The keynote OF the
reply made by railway executives
more than $50 Class
railroads of the United States to the
of President Harding that
"All strikers be returned to their work
and their former positions, with SEN
iority and other rights unimpaired,'
lies in the last paragraph OF their
reply to the president, as follows:
ut is submitted that the striking
former employees cannot be given
preference to employees at present
in the service without doing NO
lence to every principle OF rlght
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
Under these circumstances, II
becomes apparent that the rail-
roads cannot consider any settle
ment of the present strike which
does not provide protection in their
present employment both to the
loyal employees who remained in
the service and to the new EN-
ployees entering II.
The executives had accepted the
first two conditions proposed by the
president, namely, that both employ
ers and employees accept the decl-
sions of the labor board, and that all
law suits growing out of the strike
be withdrawn; and in relation to the
third condition state, not only as
above, but also as follows:
Agree With the President.
1.-THE railroad executives and man.
ayers agree entirely with the presi
dents statement in his letter that it
is wholly unthinkable that the rail
road labor board can be made a use
full agency of the government in main
tanning industrial peace in the rail-
way service unless employers and
workers are both prompt and unques-
tioning in their acceptance of its
decisions.
Many men in the service refused
to join the strike and in so doing
were assured of the seniority rights
accruing to them and of the perman-
ence of their positions. On some i'm
portant lines SO per cent or more re-
fused to join the strike. To these old
loyal employees have been added
thousands of new men who were en-
ployed and could be secured only up
on a definite promise that their serv-
ices would be retained, regardless of
the settlement of the strike, with all
the rights appertaining to such en-
ployment, including that of seniority
under the working rules and Tegula-
tons previously approved by the rail
road labor board.
Just the Opposite Effect"
I'VE 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 SEN
iority incident to their employment
would have just the opposite effect
tc that desired by the president, and
would most seriously discredit the
labor board.
The board itself prescribed the
man referred to have secured
their seniority rights, and the rail-
road 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 upholding the authority OF
the labor board, overthrow its rules
and discredit its authority. The chair
man of the labor board at the time
the strike was called made the fol
lowing public statement:
Upon one question the striking
employees should not be deceived.
Their leader has said that the
strikers are no longer employees
automatically abandoned, all the
rights they possess under their
agreements and under the decisions
of the. board, including their SEN
iority This is not the boards ac-
ton. 1t is their own. Many car
riers are giving their former en-
ployees the opportunity to re-enter
the service within limted time
1t must be understood now that
men who remained in the service
and those who are now entering it
will have rights of seniority that
the board could not ignore
What the Proposed Plan Means.
1T must be understood that an,
proposal that employees now on strik
shall be permitted to return to tn
service without impairment to thei
seniority, is merely another way o
suggesting that those men who too
employment in this crisis in goo
faith, relying on the promises of tn
railroads to protect them in thei
positions, these promises being just
fled by the authoritative utterance
of the labor board, and thus hav
made possible the continued operatio
of the railroads, shall now be sacr
feed in favor of men now on strike
who not only brought about the crisis
but, by their own action and declar;
| ton are no lon ger amnlauaeS of tn