Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-10-15
How Pennsylvania Railroad
! Keeps Touch With Employees
CONTINUED from First Pase.)


questions arising between the worker
and the management of railroads: .
A summary of the cases handled
under the employe representation plan
shows that 1t has been possible to
handle . great number OF questions
arising between the employees and the
management successfully. 1t has not
been necessary to 60 beyond the joint
reviewing committees In any instance
30 far. The total number OF cases
taken up with individual officers,
from those below the grade Of super,
managers. was 6.201. OF these cases.
1859. or . little more than ~ per
cent, were adjusted or compounded
in favor OF the employees In confer
ence between the employe representa-
tiyes and the respective officers with
tees.
In 1899 cases appeals were taken
to higher jurisdiction, while in l,40S
cases the matter was withdrawn as
having no merit or for some other
reasons In less than 2 per cent of
employe was 1t necessary to take an
appeal to the joint reviewing commit
tees, since mutually satisfactory set
Elements were reached with the local
officials or next higher authorities in
all other cases.
Uhp0DltiOA OF CoSeb'
The reviewing committees in the
first six months OF the present year
actually received % cases on appeal.
OF this number. - were decided in
favor Of the management, 20 in favor
of the employees and 90 were with
drawn after reaching the committees.
The employe representation plan
has resulted
To-, hrt, nj, tL tn 70
closer contact with the officials Of the
company of al grades.
Second, in expediting the settle
ment of questions arising between the
employees and the management.
Third. in creating better feeling
all around.
The bearing which the employe rep
rssentation plan had on the shop
mems strike Is regarded by manage
ment and employees alike as impor-
tant. After the Railroad Labor Board
had declared the election of repre-
the Pennsylvania illegal a strike vote
was taken by the union. That vote
was held in allegiance. and 1t was on
that strike vote that the shopmen on
the Pennsylvania were actually called
out July l last.
vania road was not party to the
Issues which precipitated the general
strike. according to the officers of
the company and the representatives
of the shop crafts themselves. Wages
had 1een fixed by mutual agreement.
had been in effect for nearly a year.
and the Pennsylvania was not con-
tracing outside for any repair work.
Also, on July Is OF this year. two
weeks and a little more after the
strike had been called. the represent
-
agement reached an agreement as to
wages which gave the shopmen in
certain classes appreciabiy higher pay
than was contained in the award Of
the Railroad Labor Board. which re-
duced shipments wages and really
brought about the strike.
Response to Strike Call.
But the shopmen' on the Pennsyl-
vania were called out on a strike vote
taken in protest against the elections
which established the employee repre-
sentation plan months ago. 1t is
clear. therefore, that II the employees
in the shop crafts had really been
opposed to the employe representa-
ton plan, had disliked the way in
which 1t worked. they would have
gone out almost to man. What hap
pened?
On July 1. when the strike went
into effect, the Pennsylvania had ST.
900 employees in the shop crafts.
Although the fact men went out. one
day and returned to work the next
men taken on one day left the service
for one cause or another a little later.
make absolutely accurate figures on
the number Of men who went on
strike difficult to obtain. the best
estimate obtainable is that $4,000
ah At
In other words. $4,000 men remained
loyal. saw the chart giving the
number Of men on the job from day
to day during the strike period-the
chart used by the personnel officers
Of the company to keep the manage
ment informed as to the situation. 1t
is inconceivable that they should have
juggled the figures to fool themselves.
Representatives Of the shop crafts
gave me an even lower estimate of
the percentage Of men who went on
strike, placing the percentage below
30. and declaring that had it not been
for Intimidation" 30 per cent Of the
men would have remained on the job.
Membership in Union.
When the Pennsylvania railroad
was turned back to private manage
ment in 1920 1t is said that the shop
men had been we'll organized. When
the strike was called last July l it
is estimated that 10 per cent of the
shopmen were members of System
Federation No. 90, A. F. of L. II that
was the case-and employees Of. the
company give assurance that it was
some 42,70O men held union cards ct
the time of the strike. But only "a
600 men went out-that Is. 1900
union men remained at work in spite
of the strike. which was voted as
protest against the employe represen-
tation plan. Apparently the plans
successful working for months before
the strike had had its effect upon the
men.
union men--men who have been in
the ranks Of organized labor for years
and years-that the great reason the
men remained loyal to the road and
did not go out was the belief they
were getting square deal" from
it. Yet it is the testimony Of en-
ployes themselves on the Pennsyl-
vania.
The chart showing the records of
employment during the strike indi-
Gated q continual increase in the
first few days Of the strike: On Sep
TENDER 81 the road had 1892 en-
ployes in the shop crafts, as COM
pared to $1,000 the day of the strike.
pared with $1,000 the day of the strike
employees had returned to work and
they were coming back at the rate of
about $50 q day. About 10000 of the
5s.522 employees at work September
81 were. therefore, new employees on
the road.
Not Antagonistic to UnfOnism.
One question which was put to the
officials and employees OF the Penn
sylvania, from Gen. Atterbury down
the line, was:
"Is there anything in the employe
representation plan adopted by the
Pennsylvania antagonistic to the