Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-07-19
CARRIERS VERSION OF CAUSES
LEADING UP TO PRESENT STRIKE
is SET FORTH BY EXECUTIVES

'NN'Nt hhSith
De Witt Cuyler, chairman Of the
Association of Railway Executives,
to b. M. Jewell, gives the rail-
roads views as to the causes
leading up to the strike of rail-
road shopmen:
Chicago, H., June 20, 1922.
Mr.. B. M. Jewell, President, Rail-
way Employees Department, Am
erican Federation of Labor,
1850 Broadway, Chicago, III.
Dear Sir:
l have received your telegram
of the 9th instant, and have
presented it to a meeting of the
Association of Railway Execu-
tives, which convened in Chicago
today for another purpose in no
way connected with any pending
Labor controversy.
While the Association Of Rail-
way Executives does not under
take to deal with labor policies
such matters being left to the
regions and to the individual
roads, your telegram, because of
the shortness of time available
was considered by those present
at the meeting today and by
unanimous vote / was instructed
to make to you the following
reply:
Your telegram conveys, on be-
half of the> shop. crafts, an ulti-
matum that. unless the carriers
turn their backs on the United
States Railroad Labor board and
its recent decision, and accept
your terms, the employees for
whom you speak will on July 1,
1922--day after tomorrow-re-
sort to force in the shape of a
strike, and will attempt to in
terrupt the orderly processes of
transportation on which the BUSH
ness, comfort and welfare of the
American public depend. Mean
while, before consideration of
your telegram could 'be had and
this reply sent, the public press
carries today the announcement
that you have actually issued
your strike order, effective 1000
o'clock a. M, July 1st., al
though the railroad arrangements
present today state that they are
without any official notice from
the employees whom you represent
of the intention to suspend work.
Makes -Four Charges.
You seek to justify your ac-
tion by making four charges
against the railway executives.
i. You charge that they de-
clined to establish by agreement
with their employees railroad
boards of labor adjustment, under
section 800 of the transportation
act, although you well know that
such adjustment boards, if estab-
lished, could under the plain
terms Of the law, have no juris-
diction over the question of
wages. Moreover in your quota
ton of the language of = Sec
ton 302, you show that the law,
in express terms. leaves it OPP
tional with each carrier to agree
or not to agree to establish such
boards. and you show that the
United States Railroad Labor
board expressly held on Decem-
Der Z, 1920, that it had no power
to require the establishment Of
such adjustment boards.
2. You charge that the car
riers, after the United States
Railroad Labor board had re-
ferred to them and their employees
the negotiations of an agreement
as to rules and working condi-
tions, presented proposals to
which the employees found it i'm
possible to agree, and thereupon
that the matters in dispute were
submitted to the United States
Railroad Labor Board.
You show that the labor board,
on such submission, decided in
favor Of the contention OF the
carriers in respect to amend
ments to rules 6. 10, ~, IA, Is,
As and lit, and you state that
this decision of the labor board
was not acceptable to the en-
ployes.
1t is not clear from this charge
whether your complaint is against
the carriers for carrying their dis
pute to the labor board, establish
ed by law to hear and determine
1t, or>against the labor board for
deciding on the law and the evil
dence against you.
3. You charge that. while the
labor board had still before it
proceedings concerning rules and
working conditions, the manage
ments on the respective railroads
presented to their employees pro-
posals for uniform reduction In
wages, and without a genuine eff
fort to agree with their employees,
carried the question as a controv-
ersy to the labor board.
Board Decided Case.
You also know, but do not state,
that the carriers, before taking this