The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-10-11
President Lee of Trainmen
Says Severance Will Cause
Less Danger.
EXPECTS END OF STRIKES
Declares Unit Action Was
Loaded With Dynamite and
Unsafe for All.

CLEVELAND, Oct. 10.-W. G.. Lee,
road Trainmen, said to-day that
methods of settling wage and work
ing agreements between the big
Four transportation brotherhoods
era, and that if the present course Of
negotiations Is continued the country
for several years at least will not be
threatened with a complete tieup of
railroad transportation through con-
certed strike of these brotherhoods on
all lines of the nation.
The situation which developed in
1915 as a result of the eight hour
trainmen, conductors, engineers and
firemcn's brotherhoods sent out ma
tionwide strike orders. probably will
not again occur.
Decentralization of all wages, rules and
working negotiations and a return to
the system prevailing for twenty years
prior to the time when the four train
service brotherhoods were forced by
the eight hour fight" to pool their
strength into what has since become
brotherhoods. has already set in, in the
view of Mr.. Lee.
New Alignment of Brotherhoods.
The new alignment OF the transporta-
tion brotherhoods probably will find .hc
Brotherhood of Railway Tranmen ami
the Order Of Railway Conductors in one
group and the Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers, Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Firemen and Enginemen and the
Switchmen's Union of North America in
another.
II feel that I am able to handle my
organization to better advantage, 10 get
more for my men and to work more cf-
fectively all around If the trainmen and
conductors go it alone. so far as wages
and working rules are concerned" Mr..
Lee said
This whole business, with all railroad
labor unions on one side and all rail-
roads on the other. with the Railroad
Labor Board in between. got too big for
any one man or a few lmen to handle. 1t
was loaded with dynamite for the coun-
try as well as for ourselves and the ex-
ecutives. No sane Government would
permit any faction or class to paralyze
the transportation business of the coun-
try and thereby punish the innocent, who
are always In the majority. The only
way out was to separate"
So far as strikes, wages and working
rules negotiations are concerned the
big Four" no longer exists. The
hroths. aocds will continue TO work to-
gether or Legislative, non-partisan po-
litical and purely organization matters
Result of Individual Methods.
Mr.. Lee pointed out to-day that the
trainmen and conductors dealing indi-
vidually with railroads in the Eastern
regional district and by regional con-
ferences for the Western and Southeast
ern regions. have just completed con-
tracts with virtually all railroads in the
United States continuing present wages
and working rules for a period OF a
year and continuously thereafter except
on thirty days notice from either party.
These agreements were obtained without
consulting or working with the engineers
or firemens brotherhoods.
Asked few days ago IL the switch
mems union Joining the engineers and
flrencn in negotiations with the New
York Central meant an intention to
work with the switchmen hereafter,
Warren S. Stone, president OF the cngi-
neers. said
mo. IL means only that since the
trainmen and conductors already have
settled. the switchmcn. firemen and our
selves are all that Is left"
With negotiations carried on with in
dividual roads. or at most with regional
groups, the consequence of a railroad
strike will be much less dangerous. A
strike on one road would probably not
lead to Governmental interference.
"a nationwide railroad strike Is not
possible to-day" said w. G.. Lee. presl-
dent of the brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen, to-day. 1T costs the railroads
and the unions which indulge in it more
than they can afford to lose. The shop
mems strike proved that. When n strike
gets so big that II can't be controlled
then the Government will step In and
control It. This results generally in leg
slation detrimental to all concerned.
The present situation is the first ray OF
light have seen for ten years.
"Tranmen and conductors are going
to handle their business hereafter In
the different regional groups. for which
the machinery is already provided
COLUMBUS DAY on the HUDSON. See
~. a - ga. a..