The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-07-17
STRIKE RANKS
SWELLED BY
5000 TODAY
Federation Predicts $4,000
More Rail Workers May
Join Walkout This Week
Still Deadiocked.
JEWELL HAS "LOCKJAW"
CBy Associated Press)

CBy Associated Press)
CHICAGO, July 17.-New strike
clouds appeared in the national rail
way strike horizon today as 5000 sta
tionary firemen and oilers swelled the
striking shipments rank and an
nouncement of the clerks union of the
National Federation of Railroad Work
ers indicated that nearly $4,000 more
rail workers may join the walkout this
week. Peace negotiations evidently
were deadlocked.
Ben w. Hooper, chairman of the
railroad labor board and voluntary in
termediary, apparently had suspended
activities today following the failure
of several stormy sessions with strike
leaders last week.
B. NJ. Jewell head of the Federated
Shopcraft held a long session with his
executive council last night, but today
declared he had 'lock-jaw" on the sub
ject.
1t was learned, however, that Viii
liam H. Johnson, Reading member of
the council and president of the Ma
chinists and chairman on the commit
tee on the strike program had abap-
doned the Chicago conferences and
had returned to his headquarters in
Washington.
Expect Others To Quit.
| More than 10000 members of =
American Federation Of Railroad w.t.
ers mostly employees by the ~
! Central, Pennsylvania ard
and Pittsburgh and Lake Erie are e.
! pected to JOIN the strikers LIlIs -
| A definite decision will be reached
tro or tbroa dave ooonrdipo m
| Edward Hoskins, president of the or
| ganization.
Already $4,000 of his men On the
New York Central at Toledo and
/ Cleveland, Ohio, are on strike, Mr..
| Hoskins said today.
/ The federation does not take gen.
eral strike vote, but acts by the honor
| system, the disposition of the ranks
and file being the controlling factor,
according to President Hoskins
i A. Worrell, general chairman of the
! clerks union on the Chicago and
Northwestern said today that the ex-
pected strike sanction from Grand
President E. H. Fitzgerald, would be
! held up pending conference with
Frank Walters, chairman, and general
manager of the road, Wednesday NOM
! ing. He declared the clerks were all
| ready to meet the management on a
common ground, if one could be
/ New Men Return
! Much importance was attached to
the number of shopmen returning to
work today, as this date marked the
time limit for retaining seniority and
other rights.
Hopes for a settlement at an early
date appeared to be based chiefly on
, = ho off fIIdA ~ Z Z Crah
of the maintenance of way employees
union, who came to Chicago today
from Washington, where he held Il
conference with President Harding
Mr.. Cradle said he would confer with
members of the United States labor
board here to get support to prevent
carriers from requiring maintenance
of way men to do strikers work He
also said he had called a meeting of
the brotherhoods grand lodge, to be
held in Detroit Thursday.
Another indication of a drift toward
peace was seen in the statement OF
P A. Henning, general chairman of
l the Federated Shop Crafts of the
, Northwest, that only the refusal or
J the eastern roads to agree to reinstate
| striking shopcrafts workers with their
5 full seniority rights was preventing
! settlement as far as the roads Of the
2 northwest are concerned.
Forecast Extension
: Possible extension of the strike was
forecast in the statement of William
| Parker, head of the eastern chairmen
: of railway workers, that local off
: cials in eastern centers were having
: increasing difficulty in holding the
= maintenance of way men at their jobs.
. He said 20 per cent of the 10000 men
f in the metropolitan district already
t were on strike.
: A message to E. H. Fitzgerald. head
of the clerks, freight handlers. express
and station employees union, said a
i strike vote of 5000 clerks on the Chi
d cago and Northwestern railroad
I showed SO per cent of the men favor
e ing a walkout and asking for author
n ity to strike. A canvass of the strike
a vote of the same organization on the
/ Chicago and Eastern Illinois railroad
d showed 9S1a per cent of the workers
favoring a walkout, according to rep
; lresentatives of the union.
e Circulate Ballots.
q Strike ballots were being circulated
0 by the Brotherhood of Railway, Steam
ship Clerks. Freight Handlers and Ex-
O press Employees to its members en-
e filiated lines. The employees charge
5 that the company reduced wages in
u defiance of the railroad labor board.
u Topeka unions of the Big Four
u brotherhoods and the Switchmen's s
union. petitioned their officers permis-
e sion to go on strike July 20.
II In st. Louis so stationary firemen
a and oilers employed by the Terminal
y Railroad association voted to strike
e today.
e Clerks and station employees on
e more than so of the POI classone roaS
have taken strike votes, according to
information received here.
At Milwaukee failure to receive a
strike order from President Timothy
m Healy of the international Stationary
Firemen and Oilers union, was taker
= as a sign of nearby peace.
:, Reports of cancellation of trains be
cause of shortage of coal or equip
:, ment and of violence continued Il
= come in. In Chicago more than 20 per
~ sons, including seven policemen, were
- reported to have been made III h,