Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1922-09-08
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.

New York. - The keynote of the
reply made by railway executives
representing more than $50 Glass !
railroads Of the United States to the
proposition 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
1T is submitted that the striking
former employees cannot be given
preference TO employees at present
In the service without doing yio-
lence 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.
Under these circumstances, 10
becomes apparent that the rail-
roads cannot consider any settle
ment of the present strike which
does not provide protection in thetr
present employment both to the
loyal employees who remained In
the service and to the new emu
ployees entering II.
The executives had accepted the
first two conditions proposed by the
president. namely. that both employ
ers and employees accept the deci.
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be withdrawn: and In relation to the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 ~
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 IL
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 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 regula
tons previously approved by the rail
road labor board
Just the Opposite Effect"
I'VE especially point out that a 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
to that desired by the president. and
would most seriously discredit the
labor board.
The board itself prescribed the
rules of seniority under which 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 Dublir stafament.
Upon one question the striking
employees should not be deceived
Their leader has said that the
strikers are no longer employees
OF the railways, and they have thus
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. IL is their own. Many car.
riers are giving their former EN-
ployees the opportunity to re-enter
the service within a limited time
IL must be understood now that
men who remained In the service
and those who are now entering IL
will have rights OF seniority that
the board could not ignore
What the Proposed Plan Means.
1T must be understood that any
proposal that employees now on strike
ShaiI ha narmiffad IN ratnrn 20 tho