The New York herald., 1922-08-11
LACKAWANNA ALSO
INVOLVED IN VOTE
Clerks and Freight Handlers
Take Ballot After Failure to
Agree With Roads.
EXECUTIVES MEET TO-DAY
Indications Are They Will
Tell Harding Seniority Can't
Be Compromised.

Following conferences with railroad
officials yesterday which resulted in
complete disagreement, II 900 clerks
and freight handlers on the Erie and
Lackawanna railroads started taking
strike vote. the result of which may
be known to-day.
Announcement Of the strike vote
encouraged leaders of the striking
an influence on the meeting of railway
executives which will be held to- day to
frame an answer TO President Har-
ding's proposal to leave the question of
seniority to the railroad labor board.
The clerks and freight handlers are
said to have an agreement with the
shopmen under which. II the former
go out on strike, neither side will re-
turn until the other has obtained its
demands.
Formal announcement OF the strike
vota was n ade last night by Chairman
w. Lavelle of the Lackawanna system
federation Of the Brotherhood of Rail-
way and Steamship Clerks Freight
Handlers and Station Employees. Mr..
Lavelle said the decision had been
reached following the repeated failure OF
General Manager f. M. Rine Of the
Lackawanna to remedy conditions which
the brotherhood members allege repre-
sent long list of grievances.
On Strike Already mt Scranton.
Mr.. I.aveile stated that the freight
handlers at Scranton were already on
strike as a protest against the contract
| system in effect at that division point.
Tho I.arkawanna clerks and freight
handlers on the strike ballot have been
asked to vote on their stand as to:
A continuation OF the contract sys-
tom.
Failure TO recognize the union.
Refusal to live up TO the labor boards
wage decision as practiced by the man
agement.
MIR. Lavelie charges that tine Lacka-
wanna is employing contractors on its
Hoboken piers and at Scranton. Pa.
and East Buffalo. n. Y, terminals. This
contract system, he said. is bitterly OPP
posed by the clerks and freight ham
dlers. On the wage reduction grievances
Mr.. I.avelIe said the freight handlers
on the Hoboken and New York piers
were being paid a rate OF 45 cents an
hour. although they had been granted =
cents an hour by the railroad labor
board. The Erie strike vote was or
dered for the Same alleged grievances
Both votes were being taken last night
and early this morning. The result
may be known to-day.
Executives Hold Meeting.
Railroad executives held an Informal
meeting yesterday in Chairman Guy
ler's office. Certain executes not will
ing to be quoted considered the meeting
In the nature Of a caucus, ont OF which
a policy was formulated to govern the
action to-day. when officials OF 14s
railroads assemble In the New Haven
board room in the Grand Central Ter
minal building. None of the executives
would venture a guess yesterday how
the vote will go. but II seemed 70 be the
general belief that there would be a
lengthy debate with the no compro-
mise" party favored to win
Under the leadership of L. +. Loree,
chairman Of the Eastern Railroad
Presidents Conference. majority or
Eastern officials are determined not TO
withdraw from the position they took
on August / when they rejected the
7 Presidents first offer They said then
that striking former employees can
not be given the precedence cf en-
p,oyees now In service without doing
violence 10 every principle Of right
\ and Justice"
United Front Expected.
4 Opposed to them will be group or
\ executives who believe that the labor
\ hoard will decide the point IN their
Il favor anyway and who desire TO see
\ Mr.. Harding's peace efforts succeed.
\ President Underwood of the Erie said
he did not think there would DC any
\ division at the meeting to-day. he oe-
clined to express an opinion ~ 20
whether the vote would be in favor or
\ aralns, the Presidents plan, but thougnt
the railroad presidents would present q
/ solid front in either case.
Two hund red and Twenty-Five iocoino-
tive workers. at the Cooke works q the
american Locomotive Company AZ rat
erson. n. j.. decided yesterday TO stay
an strike until the railroad strike "
ee,tled There was no new WORK 70
do except to repair the engines ana thls
would only prolong the strike. they ar
eued The striking workers were pchee-
Ing the plant. ~.
odicials OF the Great Northern Rali-
road reported yesterday that the nutnoer =.
ofs men employed in the shops az 81
cloud Is moro than 100 per cent nor
nal there being 577 men now az ~orK
( n. - aoains, an average OF 0oV.