The New York herald., 1922-07-23
JEWELL SAYS ROADS
ARE In CONSPIRACY
Labor Will Fight to Last
Ditch for Its Fundamen-
tai Rights.
FOR ADJUSTMENT BOARDS
Sh0pmen's Leader Believes
Such Bodies Could Settle
Many Disputes.
FOR ADJUSTMENT BOARDS

Special Dispatch to THE New yoRK HERALD.
CHICAGO July 22.-Outlining the prin-
cipal issues upon which settlement OF
the railroad strike controversy rests
and characterizing the Association OF
Railway Executives as n banker con-
| trolled' organization. b. M. Jewell. head
Of the railway employees department OF
the American Federation of Labor. Is
sued q statement tonight In which he
declared that many of the labor diffi-
cultieS and disputes could be readily
settled by the establishment of "one
national board of adjustment"
| Further efforts Of the roads, Mr..
Jewell said. to use the recent suspension
Of work, (which the roads forced upon
the men," as an excuse FOR falling to
make any concessions whatever. means
that organized labor will fight to the
| last ditch against the conspiracy against
their fundamental rights and the gem
eral welfare of all men who live by
| labor"
| Mr.. Jewell charged also that the roads
were in a conspiracy to destroy the
seniority rights of the men, and char
acterized the public as the saddest vic
| TIM Of railroad tyranny" His state
ment follows:
There are three principal issues now
preventing a possible settlement OF the
| railway controversy, which are found
| IN the refusal of the railway executives
| to discontinue contract work. to estab-
lish a national board OF adjustment !;
to continue seniority rights OF employees
xvho slIaDended work.
Position of Employees.
'rhe position of the employees on
these three issues is summarized as fol-
lows:
THE Labor Board has decided that II
one class of employees can be taken
from under the application Of the trans
portation< act there Is no sound reason
why each and every railroad employee
in the United States cannot be given
like treatment by the roads, which have
nullified the act in the case Of the Eric
Railroad, which has contracted out
every one of it's car and locomotive
shops. the larger roundholses and all
track work.
The New York Central and its sub
| salaries. including the Michigan Cen
trail and the Big Four. have contracted
out car and locomotive repair shops at
East Buffalo, Toledo, Hammond, In
dianapolis and many other points.
MANY other roads have followed the
same practice, and always with the
same purpose and result-that of reduc-
ing wages II the higher courts follow
Federal Judge Page in holding that all
decisions of the board are only ad-
visory,' eventually all railroads will be
able to adopt the contracting out
method of evading the transportation
act whenever 1t Is to their advantage,
The labor committee of the Associa-
tion of Railway Executives In ma
Jority report recommended national
boards of adjustment. Yice-President
Atterbury of the Pennsylvania made a
minority report. stating: 1t is clear to
US that national boards or adjustment
mean national agreements. Our duty Ia
clear. Make no contract whatever with
the labor organixations.'
Minority Report Adapted.
This anti-labor organisation minority
report was adopted by q vote Of 90 to
Al, the New York Centrals ten votes
and the Pennsylvania's six votes being
decisive. Then the deliberate overload
ing OF the already crowded Labor Board
docket began. deliberately accomplished
by the banker control over the railroad
executives. The injustice OF this policy
has fallen on the travelling and ship
ping public and on the employees, who
have been denied an opportunity pro-
vided by law for ready adjustment of
| grievances
The reasons why the employees de-
sire one national adjustment board are
briefly:
Conditions of the shop work are
practically the same In all sections of
the country and the character Of work
Is the same. Car and locomotive repairs
are the same and must be made In
about the same manner everywhere.
Uniform national rules have been
promulgated by tho Labor Board. II
these rules are interpreted and applied
differently by different adjustment,
boards a mass of conflicting cases
eventually would be presented to the
Labor Board.
Since uniform Interpretation and an.
plication is desirable and will be the
result Of final decisions by the Labor
Board, IT Is inefficient to establish sew.
eral intermediate boards which would
create inharmonious rulings which the
board must then harmonic.
Imposes Unfair Expense.
Regional boards would impose un.
iair expense ana duplication OF effort
upon labor organizations, requiring q
representative Of each Of the six crafts
on each adjustment board and requir-
Ing payment Of expenses amounting an
nually to large sum.
Since national labor board has beer
established. thus insuring national code
OF rules and working conditions, an In
termediary court should be organized on
the same basis, logically and efficiently.
The proposition to deprive men OF
seniority rights because of suspension OF
work 10 utterly indefensible II the facts
are understood. Seniority rights involve
first. the rights Of the senior employed
to be the last to be laid or IN a reduc-
tion Of forces second. the right of the
senior employee 10 have flrst preference
in selection for vacancies In preferable
Jobs.
Tho first right In Of great Importance
and has large community value. II
results in encouraging permanent en-
ployment, the building Of homes and the
making of useful citizens. The railway
employees, as a group. are steady work.
crs. They will average between ten tc
twenty-five years In continuous service
Having increasing certainty OF perma-
nent employment the longer they remain
In service. they are encouraged to buy
homes and to establish themselves In
community activities with assurance OF
continued livelihood. To deprive hun.
dreds Of thousands OF men Of these rights
and Of their assured position would be
a sweeping injustice, unparalleled In
modern history"