The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-08


 Following the release of the bal lots by the executive council Of ths six federated shop crafts here today. international headquarters or the six unions we're instructed to send out 8 letter to all locals urging tfnme- diate action on tn eballots.
 This is time for action and not talk or unnecessary delay" the let ter read Every ballot is desired to be In Chicago at the earliest possible moment. and in no case later than June 30. While the ballots are marked returnable June 30, every local lodge should rush the return of the ballots as soon as the vote is taken, and if it is humanly possible, all ballots should be in Chicago before June 25 1922. thus making it possible to ad- wise the membership before July l. This can and will be done if the mem bership will do their part as herein requested"
 Forecast of Wnikout
 The letter was regarded as a cer- tain forecast of walkout on July |, if the vote of the membership favors a strike. To facilitate taking the vote. every local lodge was instructed to call a special meeting immediately
  which are now on the presses in Chi cago.
 The locals were urged by the exec utiye council to make special effort to have every man eligible to votA cast his ballot" The latter was signed by the six international heads. William H. Johnston of the machinists; J. A Franklin. boiler makers; James Klipe, blacksmiths; J. J. Hayes, sheet metal workers; James P. Noonan, electrical workers: Mar tin F. Ryan, carmen and B. NJ. Jewell, president railway employees depart ment of the American Federation of Labor.
 Follows Other Decisions
 The action of the shop crafts fol- lows a decision yesterday by all the railway unions affected by wage re- auctions. Issued and pending. from the railroad labor board, to call an immediate strike vote on the new pay cuts. The triple -barrelled strike bal lot of the shopmen resulted from notification today from the labor board that 1t had declined to order restoration of wages and working conditions declared to have been H. legally changed on certain roads. Two ballots, recently authorized by the SnOp CITRUS COnFenlfOH III 0HiCdKOs but never sent out, were immediately ordered put in the malls. The vote will therefore be on these three pro- positions:
 1. Seven unsntisfnctory rules
 recently promulgated by the
 labor board, including five ruies
 wiping out time and one-half pay
 for overtime.
 2. ..Farming out'' of shop werk
 to outside firmsj alleged illegal
 installation of piece worky and
 alleged arbitrary and unauthor-
 ised reduction of wages by sev-
 eral roads.
 3. The sso,ooo,ooo pay cnt. ef-
 fective Ju1y i.
 The shop crafts, on June 1, asked the board to take Jurisdiction over certain disputes. ordering restora- tion of wages and working conditions declared to have been illegally changed. The board today took juris- diction of disputes on six roads, in- cluding the Western Maryland, whers a shopmen's strike is now in progress and ordered hearings for June 26. But the board declined to order restora- tion of the status quo ante The board explained that interefring with conditions now existing might be interpreted as judging the case in advance.