The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-03-23
The Truth about the Railroads
The National Agreement = How it
was Made and Why

was Made and Why
Prepared and Published by the Railroad Crafts
Railroad executives testimony puBlc
agencies and in their published proasana have criticized the
called National Agreement working conditions
railway employees the
Railroad Administration under federal control
The testimony General
AdOO and Hines and their
QD Practically all the
force the great majority
the lines They had been
after negotiations with representatives employees.
(s) When the National Agreement
railroad administration three
railroad
did not overlook the interest of the railroads
G) The National Agreement did shop,
union ana men were employed on terms of absolute
GD The National Agreement govern
mens point of view The system has fully Justified ITSELF" the
testimony of both McAdoo and Hines.
TEsTIFYING BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON IN
TERSTATE COMMERCE FEBRUARY 1922, GIBBS
MADoo, FORMER DIRECTOR GENERAL OF RAILROADS. DE-
CLARED THAT THE NATIONAL AGREEMENTS GAVE TO ALL
RAILROAD WORKERS RULES WORKING CONDITIONS
THAT WE'RE ENJOYED BY A LARGE NUMBER WORKERS
PRIOR TO FEDERAL CONTROL"
IN REPORT THE PRESIDENT MARCH l.
1920, WALKER D HINES THEN DIRECTOR GENERAL OF
VARIOUS ORDERS THE DIRECTOR GENERAL HAVE
ESTABLISHED REASONABLE RULES AND WORKING coNDI
TIoNs WHICH WERE APPLICABLE IN THE VERY NUMEROUS
CASES WHERE NO RULES AND WORKING CONDITIONS HAD
SOME CASES THE RULES WORKING CONDITIONS EsTAB-
LIsIiED BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL HAVE AGREEMENT,
BECOME SUBSTITUTE FOR THOSE WHICH PREVAILED
AGREEMENT PRIOR TO FEDERAL CONTROL.
AGREEMENTS HAVE JUSTIFIED THEMSELVES
THE SYSTEM sA,d HAS FULLY JUSTIFIED ITSELF AND IT
ING WHEN LOCAL INCIDENTS OF A DIsCoURAGING CHAR
ACTER WILL DISAPPEAR"
National Agreement eliminated fric-
ton between the and the
which the prime object sought when
said:
commentary of the largest rail
roadn the country with the
adjustment
"he principle bargaining further recog
nized the making national
eral and certain organizations of railroad
remain CONTROL modification as
provided in the agreements
"EARLY IN THE RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION 1T WAS
DECLARED THAT NO DISSEMINATION WILL MADE IN
THE EMPL OYMENT OF EMPLOYEES BECAUSE OF MEMBERSHIP
OR NoNMEMBERsElP IN LABOR ORGANIZATIONS NO EN-
PLoYE , is REQUIRED TO JOIN AN ORGANIZATION THE EN-
PLOYES WHO ARE NOT MEMBERS OF ORGANIZATIONS HAVE
THE BENEFIT OF THE SAME WORKING CONDITIONS AS
TO REPRESENTATION BY THE OFFICERS OF THE Or
GAN1zATIoN JUST AS MEMBERS HAVE IN MATTERS
THE BOARDS OF ADJUSTMENT.
"The policy with the pol
icy which the railroads generally adhered long federal
control with the tranen yardmn
Practically railroad had
trainmen and enginemen or 'brotherhoods'
NOT EsTA BLIsHED
THESE AGREEMENTS DID NOT ESTABLISH THE CLOSED
SHOP AND THE COMPANIES WE'RE FREE TO AND
PLoY NEW MEN WITHOUT ANY REFERENCE MEMBER
SHIP IN THE ORGANIZATIONS"
something
new u upon the railroads not sustained W by the facts
Mr. McAdoo confirmed Mr. Hines statement that practically
first class railroad the
organizations of train employees that prior
federal control had maintained with the shop crafts
THE ONLY PURPOSE OF THE RAILROAD ADMINIsTRA-
TION, MR. MADOO DECLARED, WAS TO EXTEND TO
PLOYEES RULES AND WORKING CONDITIONS That GOV
ERENED A MAJORITY OF WORKERS IN THE RAILROAD IN
DUSTRY.
his testimony before Committee ad
PRACTICALLY ALL RAILROADS UNDER FED
ERAL CONTROL HAD IN EXISTENCE AGREEMENTS
THE FOUR BROTHERHOODS- THE BROTHERHOOD LOCO
MOTIVE ENGINEERS, ORDER OF RAILWAY CONDUCTORS
BROTHERHOOD OF FIREMEN AND ENGINEMEN- WHICH
PROVIDED THE BASIS FOR COMPENSATION AND REGUIA-
TIONS OF EMPLOYMENT ORDER CONTRO.
ARISING BETWEEN THE RAILROAD CORPORa aTIONs
AND MEMBERS OF ENGINE AND TRAIN CREWS ADOPTED
AND PUT INTO EFFECT MARCH %, 1918 THE BASIS OF
DERSTANDING ARRIVED AT MESSRS A.. H. SMITH
PRESIDENT OF THE NEW YORK CENTRAL; H. MARKHAM,
PRESIDENT OF THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL. H. ASHTON,
PRESIDENT OF THE CHICAGO NORTHWESTERN AND
CHEZ EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE FOUR BROTHER.