The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-03
Text of Message
 Accepting Peace
 Plan of Harding

Elan Of Harding
 Chicago, August 2.-FolIowfng is the message of the leaders of the shop employees to President Harding accepting his proposal for n settle nsent of the Efrikes
 The representatives of the em- ployes feel themselves under obIign- ton to support every proper effort of the government to bring about or to preserve the uninterrupted opera ton of the transportation industry. The stubborn refusal of the railway executives to establish . board of ad- justment as contemplated by law, in order to settle efficiently disputes over rules and wokinE conditions be- tween the carriers and their em- pIoyesJ the continued refusal of railways, representing over . quarter of the mileage of Glass 1 railroads to comply with tho decisions of the railroad labor board against the practice of contracting out work md shops, the persistent campaign to deny to the railway employees just and reasonable waEes, to impoae upon them unfair working conditions nnd to disinteRrnte their organfzn- tiOns, nfI fin cumulative effect rem dered service by railway employees under the terms and conditions to be effective July 1. 1922, intoIernbIe to over D5 per cent of those employees, who therefore, voted to suspend work.
 "It is now proposed that they re- turn to work. temporarily accepting md kx4 4..- snE. they feel to be unjust. with reliance upon the following program for re- dress of Erievancest
 First, railway managers ana ssorkmcm are to nEree to recognize the validity of nli decisions of the railway labor bonrd, and to faith fully carry out suck decisions as contemplated by law
 CHARGE RAILROADS
 ONLY VIOLAToRs
 "The employees have nIways taken the position that as long ns they continued to render service they should nbide by the rules and work ing conditions md accept the wages agreed by proper negotiation or de- termined by the labor board, after a hearing of dispute upon my Of these matters. They respectfully point out again that violations ot law and refusals to comply with de- cisions of the labor board have been exhibited only by the railroad man. ngemcnts and thnt it has been uni- versnIiy admitted that the employees fin recognizing their right to suspend under unacceptable conditions, were neither violating the law nor the de- cisioDs of the b0nrd.
 "We understand that the recogni- ton of the validity of all decisions of the railroad labor board--as con templnted by the law, means. for example that in the case of the Penn syivnnia railroad, nll employees will return to work under the wages and working conditions established in the decisions of the labor bonrd and that the sole question of validity, pending Is the authority of the labor board to determine, ns fin decision No. 21S, the method of selecting ac- credited representatives of the em- ployes, assuming that the railroad | has appealed from the decision of the United states circuit court of np- peaIs, which sustained the action of the labor board.
 "'second. the carriers will with draw all lawsuits growing out of the strike, and the railroad labor board decisions which have been involved | III tht stfihtf may Dt tuhtn, Tn the exercise of recognized rights by either party. to the raiIroad labor board for rehearing.
 THINKS PROMPT REHEARING
 SHOULD BE GRANTED.
 l Ut Is our understanding that the representatives of the employees, upon seeking a rehearing of the controverted decisions concerning wages and working conditions, will he afforded a prompt rehearing and decision by the labor board. We as- sunie aIso that the unanimous deci- sion of the employees in eIecting to suspend work and continuing this suspension under the sanction of, and in accordance with the laws of their national organization has ended nny captions questioning ms to who are the properIy-accredited spokes- | men of the vast minority of railway employees. We desire to call stten- ton to the orderly nnd disciplined conduct of these employees under dIe ficnit conditions, which has demon- strated the indispensable value of their national organizations in aid of the effective adjustment of con- 1 trovcrsies and the efficient condu.> of the industry.
 "sAII employees now on strike, to be returned to work and to heir former positions with seniority and other rights uninrsired. The repre- rentatives aarce that there shall be no discrimination by either part, against the parties who did or did l not strfke.'
 GLAD TO SEE JUSTICE OF
 PROPOSITION ACCEPTED.
 eve are glad 10 observe that the obvious justice of this proposition ] hns been accepted. It would certainly he . wholesale Injustice of unparai- ieIcd extent If hundreds of thousands of experienced men who have given forty years service, and whose value to the transportation industry is pro- l portf0ned to the length of their scrv- Ice, should be placed In n position of inferf0rity to limited number oi men who have been employed as sub- stitutes for these experienced rniI- | road workers. The demand that such . wrong should be perpetrated ns . penalty against men who have exer. cised a fundamental and admitted right not to render service under non-ncceptlble conditions was 10 un- fair that we could not believe Il
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