Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-03-30
TRALNNEN END
DIRECT DEALING
With RAILWAYS
Firemen and Engineers APP
peal Their Case to La
Dor Board
BIG FOUR RUPTURE
Trainmen Continue Their Negotiations
One Hundred and Ten Railroads
Involved in Controversy

Chicago, March 3O.-Ccmplete fail
ure of the regional negotiations be-
tween railroad arrangements and the
engineers and firemen's brotherhoods,
in an effort to settle disputes over
! wages and working conditions, was
revealed yesterday when the Railroad
Labor board set hearing for disputes
involving engineers and fremcn's
rules on all railroads, to follow the
present wage hearing, which is ex-.
pectcd to end by April Is.
The announcement was said by rail-
road men to lend confirmation to re-
ports of the split between engineers
and firemen and the conductors and
trainmen's brotherhoods. Conferences
between the two letter organizations
and the railroads are still in progress,
with prospects, they added, of an
agreement.
Attempts to reach new wage
agreement and to settle controversies
over working rules were made in three
regional conferences, which began the
middle of last month. With the an
nounced desire to avoid carrying
their troubles to the Labor Board, the
Big Four brotherhoods. which for
years have acted with a solid front,
requested Secretary Hoover to cali
the railroad and brotherhood heads to-
gether to attempt settlement.
Plans for regional conferenc T.
with the Eastern roads in Washington
and the Western roads in Chicago re-
suited.
Meanwhile the Labor Board held in
allegiance the train service mems rules
disputes for settlement The four
brotherhoods We're likewise excluded
from the present wage hearing be-
cause of the boards promise at the
time Of the threatened strike last fall
to settle all rule controversies before
acting on further wage cuts proposed
by the carriers.
During the negotiations Warren S.
Stone, grand chief of the Brotherhood
Of Locomotive Engineers, and w. S.
Carter, head Of the Brotherhood Of
Locomotive Firemen and Enginemcn,
went into conference alone with
committee of Eastern railroad Off
Gals. L. r. Sheppard, president Of
the Order of Railway Conductors, and
W. G. Lee, president of the Brother
hood Of Railway Trainmen, were left
to hold separate conferences with the
roads.
Successive meetings failed Of agree
ment, the roads asking abolition Of
time and one-half pay after eight
hours work in yard and freight serv-
ice, and the engineers and firemen's
leaders demanding its retention. The
time and one-half proposition was put
into effect by order of the Federal
Railroad Administration during the
war and was continued by the Labor
Board until the controversy should be
heard and a decision rendered.
1t was reported that the roads Of
fered tocompromise on an agreement
not to seek further wage reductions
for the engineers and firemen at pres
ent ;f they would agree to give up the
overtime rule. The brotherhoods de-
clired.
The regional conferences Of the en-
ginenrs and hremen having failed,
however. the board received notices.
signed jointly by the railroad and
union committee heads, that it was
impossible to reach an agreement and
asking that the rules disputes again
be taken up. The notice for the East
ern roads was signed by P. +. Grow.
ley, for the roads; Grand Chief Stone,
for the engineers, and President Car
ter, for the firemen.