Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-08-17
Tell President Harding Old and
New Men Must Be Protected
in Strike Settlement.
NOT A MATTER OF CHOICE
Faithful Employees Have Both Legal
and Moral Rights to Seniority
and Other Benefits.

osition Of President Harding, that "all
strikers be returned to their work and
their former positions with seniority
and other rights unimpaired," lies in
the last paragraph from their reply
TO the President as follows:
TT is submitted that the strik-
ing former employees cannot be given
preference to employees at present in
the service without doing violence to
every principle of right and justice
involved in this matter. and without
the grossest breach of faith on the
part of the railroads to the men at
present in their service.
Under these circumstances. 1t be-
comes apparent that the railroads
cannot consider any settlement of the
present strike which does not pro-
vide protection in their present en-
ployment both to the loyal employees
who remained in the service and to
the new employees entering it.
The executives had accepted the
first two conditions proposed by the
President, namely, that both employ
ers and employees accept the decisions
of the Labor Board, and that all law
suits growing out of the strike be
withdrawn; and in relation to the
third condition spoke not only as
quoted above, but also as follows:
Agree With the President
1.-THE railroad executives and man
ayers agree entirely with the Presi-
dents statement in his letter that it is
wholly unthinkable that the Railroad
Labor Board can be made a useful
agency of the Government in maintain
ing industrial peace in the railway
service unless employers and workers
are both prompt and unquestioning in
their acceptance of it's decisions
MANY men in the service refused to
join the strike and in so doing were
assured of the seniority rights accru-
ing to them and of the permanence
of their positions On some important
lines 80 per cent or more refused to
Join the strike To these old loyal en-
ployees have been added thousands
of new men who were employed and
could be secured only upon definite
promise that their services would be
retained regardless of the settlement
of the strike with all the rights ap-
pertaining to such employment, lnclud-
ing that of seniority under the working
rules and regulations previously ap-
proved by the Railroad Labor Board.
"Just the Opposite Effect"
ave especially point out that re-
fusal to the old men who remained in
the service and to the new me1 who
accepted service Of the rights of senior
ity incident to their employment would
have just the opposite effect to that de-
sired by the President, and would most
seriously discredit the Labor Board.
'The board itself prescribed the
rules Of seniority under which the men
referred to have secured their senior
ity rights, and the railroad companies
have neither the legal nor moral right
to deprive these men of those rights.
By public utterances since the strike
began the board has recognized and
emphasized these rights, and to deny
them now would, instead of upholding
the authority Of the Labor Board, over
throw it's rules and discredit its au-
thority
"The Chairman of the Labor Board
at the time the strike was called made
the following public statement
Upon one question the striking en-
ployees should not be deceived. Their
leader has said that the strikers
are no longer employees of the rail-
ways and they have thus automatic
ally abandoned all the rights they
possess under their agreements and
under the decisions of the board, in
GLIDING their seniority. This is not
the boards action. 1t is their own
Many carriers are giving their for
mer employees the opportunity to re-
enter the service within a limited
time. It must be understood now
that men who remained in the serv-
ice and those who are now entering
1t will have rights Of seniority that
the board could not ignore"
What the Proposed Plan Means
cit must be understood that any pre-
posal that employees now on strike
shall be permitted to return to the
service, without impairment to their
seniority, is merely another way OF
suggesting that those men who took
employment in this crisis in good faith
relying on the promises of the rail
roads to protect Cnen III IHelT pOSl
tions, these promises being justified by
the authoritative utterances of the
Labor Board, and thus have made pos
sible the continued operation of the
railroads. shall now be sacrificed in
favor of men now on strike. who not
| only brought about the crisis, but, b!
their own action ard declaration, are
no longer employees of the railways
under the jurisdiction of the United
| States Railroad Labor Board, or sub
| ject to the application of the Trans
| portation act.
I'm addition to the necessity of up
| holding the Labor Board, and main
| tanning the pledges made by the rail-
| roads to the men now at work, there
Is the practical effect on the super
| visory officers of a violation of the
| pledges they were authorized to make
| Their Encouragement and demoraliza
| ton would be far more disastrous thai
J this or any other strike"