Arizona republican., 1922-05-11
FARM|NG Of
RAIL LABOR.
No I VALID.
SAYS BOARD.
Holds Contracting OF Shop
Repair Work To Outside
Firms a Violation Of
Transportation Act
Republican A. p. Leased Wirel

CHICAGO, May 10.-Contracting
shop repair work to outside firms
by a railroad company was declared
a violation of the transportation act
and contract provisions conflicting
with the wages and working rules
laid down by the United States
Railroad Labor board was branded
Illegal in a decision handed down by
the board today. The decision was
most important it has rendered since
its establishment.
The decision, which is the first of
a series of judgments to be handed
down on disputes over farming
OUT railroad labor, was made in the
controversy between the union shop
crafts and the Indiana Harbor Belt
railway. The board declared its
pronouncement went TO the vitals of
the transportation act. NO more
important dispute the decision
added, has ever come before this
board for adjudication"
Plan Flood of Protests
While the decision applied only to
the one road, which last September
contracted for repair work to the
Burnham Car Repair company, the
general principles established will
govern all subsequent decisions.
There are now 36 such cases
pending before the board, involving
II railroads, and union officials have
intimated that unless they can es-
cape the rapid spread of contracting
shop work there would be a. flood of
protests filed before the board.
Each case, however, will be de-
cided on its own merits, the hoard
announced, but the principles OF the
lei, Icl
stand
Under today's decision thousands
of former railroad employees now
working for contractors at wages
varying from the labor board scale
are formally brought under the
boards jurisdiction. Rules varying
from those laid down by the board
are likewise, in effect declared
illegal, and the contractors employees
restored to the working rules pro-
mulgated by the board.
The board declared in its decision
that if a railroad company could
remove its employees from the juris-
diction of the labor board, as was
contended in the Indiana Harbor
Belt case then the entire trans
portation act can be nullified, and
the will of the congress of the
United States set at naught."
At the present time, various roads
have contracted to independent COM
panies the work of six different
classes of employees, shopmen, main
tenance of way laborers. clerks,
firemen and oilers, hostelers and
signal Taen--and the board declared
that If one class of employees could
be removed from jurisdiction under
the transportation act there is no
sound reason why each and every
railroad employe in the United
States cannot be given like treat
ment.'
The object of the Transportation
act was to prevent interruption of
traffic growing out of disputes be-
tween carriers and their employees,
the decision said: ~Such controver-
sizes had, for years, periodically
harassed the public, blocked COM
merce, stagnated business, destroyed
property values and visited great in
cony yeniences and suffering upon
millions of people. Congress en-
deavored to provide method of ad-
justment for railroad labor disputes
In the transportation act by pro-
Viding for conferences between en-
ployers and employees
The board pointed out that the
public would be deprived of protec-
lion against strikes if employees of a
railroad contractor were not placed
under the boards jurisdiction as
Nell as bOnafide railroad employees.