Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-03-30
RAIL WAGE FARLEY
DECLARED FAILURE;
BIG -FOUR DIVIDED
LABOR BOARD, UNABLE TO SET.
TIE DISPUTE WITH FlREMEN
WILL TAKE UP DISPUTE
OVER RULES AT ONCE.

Chicago, March 30-(By A. PD--
Failur" Vt the regional negotiations
betwe-, railroad arrangements and
the engineers and liremen brother
hoods in an effort to settle disputes
over wages and working conditions
was received yesterday when the Unit
ed States Railroad Labor Board set
a hearing for disputes involving en-
gineers' and hremen's rules on all
railroads, Immediately to follow the
present wage hearing, which is eX.
pected to end by April Is.
The announcement was considered
the first authentic confirmation of the
reported split between engineers and
firemen and the conductors and
trainmen's brotherhoods Conferences
between the two latter organizations
and the railroads still are in progress
with prospects, many railroad men
say, of reaching an agreement.
Attempts to arrive at new wage
agreement and to settle controver.
sizes over working rules were made in
three regional conferences which be.
gan the middle of last month. Desir.
ing to avoid carrying their troubles
TO the labor board the Big Four broth.
erhoods, which have for years acted
with a solid front requested Secretary
of Commerce Hoover TO call the rail.
road and brotherhood heads together
to attempt a settlement of their differ.
ences, Plans for regional conferences
with the eastern roads in New York,
Southeastern roads in Washington and
the western roads in Chicago, result.
ed.
Meanwhile the Labor Board held in
obeyance train service mems rules
disputes before the board for settle.
ment. The four brotherhoods were
likewise excluded from the present
wage hearing because of the boards
promise at the time of the threatened
strike last fall to settle all rule con.
troversies before acting on further
wage cuts proposed by the carriers.
The first intimation of a division
within the brotherhood ranks came
early during the negotiations when
Warren S. Stone. chief of the Broth.
erhood of Locomotive Engineers, and
w S. Carter, head of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers, and w. S,
Carter, head of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen
went into conference alone with a
committee of eastern railroad officials
l.. E. Sheppard, president of the Or
der of Railway Conductors, and w
e. Lee, president of the Brotherhood
OF Railroad Trainmen were left to
hold separate conference with the
roads
Successive meetings failed of any
agreement, the roads clamoring for
abolition of time-and.one.half pay af
ter eight hours work in yard and
freight service. and the engineers and
firemen's leaders demanding it's reten.
ton. The time.and-one-half proposi
ton was put into effect by the Fed.
eral Railroad Administration during
the war, and was continued bv the
Labor Board until the controversy
should be heard ard a decision render.
ed.
1t was reported the roads offered
to compromise on an agreement not
to seek further wage reductions for
the engineers and firemen at pres.
ent if they would agree to give I'D
the overtime rule. The brotherhoods
declined.
The regional conferences of the en-.
gineers and tiremen having failed,
however the board received notices.
signed Jointly by the railroad and I'm
ion committee heads, that it was i'm
possible to reach an agreement and
asking that the rules disputes again
be taken up.
Forty-seyen railroads were involved
in the western group, thirty-eight the