The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-10-14
new POLICY
FOR The BIG 4
BR0THERHOODS
Railroad Brother
hoods Will Abandon
Block System and
Go It Alone

Cleveland. Ohio, Oct. 10.-Meth-
| DDS of settling wage and working
| agreements between the Big
Four transportation brotherhoods
;: and Che railroads has entered Q
new era and if the present course
OF negotiations is continued the
country for several years ut least
Will not be threatened with a COM
rlete tie up Of railroad transpor-
tation through concerted strike
of these brotherhoods on all lines
Of the nation. ". G. Lee. president
of the Brotherhood of, Railroad
Trainn1en. said today.
The situation which developed in
1915 as Il result Of the eight hour
fight and again last fan. when
trainmen. conductors. engineers
and. firemen's brotherhoods sent
out nationwide strike orders prob
ably viii not again occur.
Decentralization of all wages,
rules and working negotiations
and return to the system prevail
ing for 20 years prior to the time
when the four train service broth
erl1oods were forced by the eight
hour fight" to pool their strength
into what has since become famous
as the Big Four railroad broth
!eraoods has already se.8in. in the
yiew OF Mr. Lee.
The new alignment Of the trans
pcrtation brotherhoods proba bly,.
;; viii find the brotherhood of Rail
road Trainmen and the Order Of
Railway Conductors in one group
and the Brotherhood OF Locomotive
Firemen and Enginemen and the
Switchmen of North America in
another.
Il feel that I AN able to handle
my organization to better adyan-
, tage. TO set more for my men and
to work more effectively all around
if the trainmen and conductors go
it alone so far as wages. and work
ing rules are concerned, M.. Lee
said.
This whole business, with all
railroad labor unions on one side
:snd all railroads on,the other. with
the railroad labor board in between
got too big for any one man or q
few men TO handle. 1t was load
ed With dynamite for the country
as we'll as for ourselves and the
executives. no sane government
would permit any faction or class
Ito paralyZe the transportation o:
the country and thereby punish the
innocent. who are always in the
majority. The only way out was
: to- separate.
SO fer, as strikes. wages and
,working rules negotiations arc
concerned. the Big -Four" no long
er exists. The brotherlioods will
continue. to work together on leg
isiatiye. Eon-partisan political and
purely Organization matters.
! Mr.. Lee pointed out today that
!,the trainmen and conductors deal
| ing individually with railroads III
| the Eastern regional district and by
regional conferences for the wes-
| tern and southeastern region. have
/ just completed contracts with vir-
tually all roads in the United States
continuing present wages and
working rules for a period OF a
year ant continuously thereafter
except on SO days notice from
either party.
! These agreements We're obtained
!. without consulting Or working
with the engineers or fircmen's
/ brotherhoods.
Asked few days ago if the
switchmen's union Joining the en-
/ gineers and liremen in nesotia-
! tions with the New York Central
; meant an intention to work with
j the 3witchmen hereafter. Warren
S. Stone president Of the engi-
neers. said:
NO, it means only that since
| tie trainmen and conductors al
ready have settled. the switchmen
!; firemen and ourselves are all tina:
is left.
With negotiations carried Oh
with individual roads or at mos,
with regional groups, the conae
quences of a railroad strike will be
much less dangerous. a strike or
+ one road would probably not lead
TO governmental interference, il
! was pointed out