Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-07-07
SHOP CRAFTS STRIKE; maintenance OF way men STICK

D..o--sss Of the strike OF the shop
20. is satisfactory is the report
-.t;rg Champaign from the general
s--a.Ysrters, and although the strik-
~are somewhat disappointed at
-, ...tiop of the Maintenance of Way
sn IN not abiding by their strike
g5ts the shop men are optimistic as
"a tse final outcome, and are eonf-
-, that Justice Will prevail.
..siIv the situation is not as
s.---,-,hle as IS the case throughout
-, r,,untrv. AT the Illinois Central
s5oo. It is estimated that eighty per
.srf of The men are out, wnile In the
ec -Four shops in Urbana, 1t IS said
sysry man with the exception OF four,
abo were allowed to remain on ae-
sonrt of their pension rights, ablded
- fbe call OF President Jewell anu
esssed work at the appointed tune.
Meanwhile, several strikebreakefs
- h.en secured for both shops, anu
a,bls The roads claim everything Is
M, ahead as usual those in po-
ss3,io9 to know, state that the roads
ars already beginning TO feel the in
asF,ciencv a of the imported strike
k,eskers. and that it will be only a
'bort time until much of the rolling
sfork will be unfit for further use.
Tbese strike-breakers are being herd
al at the shops by the usual gang OF
armed guards, commonly called pri-
1ate armies, Meals are furnished on
nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutvjT BS.- shrdl
tbe grounds, and sleeping facilities
nave been secured from local and out
side merchants. They are, to use the
words of one of the strike-breakers,
aouite comfortably situated, have
plenty to eat, not much to do, and
draw easy money"
The strike is the immediate result
Of orders Of the railway labor board
authorizing wage cuts to standard
below that required to maintain a
proper living. According to the ulti-
matum given the roads by President
Jewell early last week, the demands
az the union men were:
The continuance of the present
wage scale.
IA. Is. l6 and 1T as they existed
prior to the amendments thereof pro-
posed in Decision 222.
The diseontinuance of contractlngl
out work pending negotiations be-
tween the Association of Railway
Executives and the Railway En-
poyes' Department.
Secretary Treasurer John Scott of
the Railway Employees Department,
Chicago, in speaking of the causes
leading up to the strike, blames the
prejudice and slowness of the Rail-
way Labor Board. I'VE see in the
transportation act legislation which
protects management in its unjust
attitude towards railway employees"
said Mr.. Scott.
''The Railroad Labor Board created
under this act has always given
prompt attention to the requests of
management for wage reductions and
changes in working conditions. But
when the employees have requested
the board to secure compliance from
striking railroads these requests have
been subject to harassing delays.
"We have long list of incidents in
which railroads have evaded, violated,
and erfused to accept decisions of the
board. But the chairman of the board
has not rushed into the press with
statements condemning these roads.
On the other hand, before the en-
ployes have taken action on the recent
decision the chairman of the board
starts arousing public opinion against
them in the press.
we are informed that the matter
af Fefl kxr saa
pOrtant railroads have evaded the +
transportation act in order to pay low
er wages and enforce unjust condi-
tons will be settled shortly. 1t is Is
months since we brought this to the
attention of the board. We have |
waited Is months for action, during
which time the railroads have been |
permitted to administer the unem-
ployment cure to tens of thousands /
Of our members. Thousands of them /
have been out of work for an entire /
year while the work which they /
should have been doing was per-
formed in outside shops where the
wages and conditions established by +
the Labor Board did not apply.
We are tired of this partial and |
unjust treatment. 1t is un-Amencan. I
Il is a denial of the equality estab-
hshed by the Constitution.
Such facts make the men very
doubtful of statements by the board /
on the subject. They are beginning to
lei that the strike is the only alter
native.
Unjust working conditions are an
important factor in the present strike,
oet the recent unjust wage decisions /
OF me board must be corrected. These 1
geelSlons are not based on evidence. /
Inc board has accepted management's /
point OF view and treated labor as a |
commodity. This treatment has
brought all railroad employees affect
ga together. They are told that the |
lowest paid of their number must live
On 5000 per year. They are told that |
hundreds of thousands of families 1
must ny live on $500 year or less. This +
ls impossible from the point of view
Of human life.
hal'way employees can not allow
seen wage rates to continue as the I
,lin minimum in the industry. And they
"; WI not accept betterment in condi-
sohs as a substitute for at least a
~ MI subsistence to every employe. !
= ;lneSe wage decisions must be revised /
= they are TO be acceptable to the /
men and that is the attitude ex-
pressed in the vote which is now COM