The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-25
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Fufhre Of the Railroad Labor Board

for this charge, 1t 10 . fact that the
board was deluged with cases
which It should never have had to
consider and that this was the h.
ginning Of bad feeling between the
executives and the leaders OF the
workers which did not promise Well
for harmonious relations in the m.
ture. The railroads asked that tho,
national agreement be abrogated
The oficials Of the unions offered
to meet the executives in national
conference and negotiate a new
agreement based on the old one
The executives declined.
This controversy then went IN
the railroad labor board and while
It was pending many Of the rail-
roads announced that they intend.
ed to reduce wages. The board
ruled that no wage reductions
should be put into effect until n
had heard the case and rendered a
decision. In spite of this, few
roads ignored the boards ruling
and undertook to make wage re-
auctions Immediately effective. The
board has no authority under the
law to enforce its decisions. but its
members did their utmost to per-
suade the railway executives to
abide by them.
Other Rulings by the Board. =
Later the board decided that Ger
tain wage reductions should be
made. It set aside the national
agreement, but laid down certain
fundamental principles that should
govern the negotiation Of new
agreements on the individual roads
or systems. 1t also modified the
overtime rule in such a manner
that the workers contended that the
eight-hour law was being evaded il
not violated.
An election Of employees repre-
sentatives on the Pennsylvania sys-
tenn was protested by the unions
and the board held that the election
did not conform to its rulings.
Pennsylvania officials announced
their intention of standing by what
they had done and the board decid-
ed to publish the fact that the rail-
/ road had violated one Of the boards
decisions. Thereupon the Pennsyl.
vania went into court and secured
an injunction restraining the board
from such action. This injunction
+, was set aside on appeal to higher
court, but the railroad served no.
ltice that it would carry the case to
'the supreme court of the United
States. . z ";ii
/ Certain railroads also adopted Z
| policy of closing their own repair
shops, leasing them to private COM
panies and then turning over their
repair work to these private cor
porations. The unions OF the var
Iious shop crafts charged that this
was a deliberate attempt on the
part of the roads to evade the juris-
! diction of tie railroad labor beard,
and in effect the beard held that
this farming out" Of repair work
was contrary to the spirit of the
law and should be discontinued.
Thus when the wage reduction
applying to the shop workers was
! announced to take effect July l.
last, SO much bad feeling had been
stirred up that it was not surpris'
ing that the employees decided To
strike, in spite OF the boards de-
cision. They insisted that if the
f, railroads could fiout the boards de-
cisions when they did not like then
the workers should have the SAINT
privilege, and they proceeded to ex
ercise it, with results that the gen
eral public will be long in forget
ting.
In the circumstances Il appear!
almost inevitable that some change!
will be made in the labor provis'
ions of the transportation act. Few
we'll informed people in Washing
ton believe that the railroad labol
board win be abolished, but 1t i:
seen that something must be cont
il there is not to be complete
breakdown of the law. But it viii
take time and a high order O
craftsmanship to work out change!
that will be effective. As eviiencE
of this it is only necessary to poin
out that If severe penalties are h1
ed for violations of the boards dc
cisions, the result will be substan
TALLY compulsory arbitration, ant
that is something that has neve'
been a success as yet, no mattel
where it has been tried.
!! That the headquarters OF the rail
road board may be brought to WASH
ington from Chicago is altogethe
probable. as experience has indlcat
ed that the board should be in clos
touch with the interstate commerce
commission and with the executive
lbranch of the government