Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-08-10
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.

|
their former positions with seniort,
| and other rights unimpaired," lies il
the last paragraph from their repl!
{ to the President as follows:
| cit 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
1 the grossest breach of faith on the
part of the railroads to the men at
| present in their service.
! Under these circumstances. it 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 the5istrike r}3
withdrayn:a and in relations to- the
third condition, spoke. not only as
gu pted above but also as follows: =
yAeree With the President.
.'Thes rairoa d 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 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 its decisions
MANY men in the service refused TO
Join the strike and in so doing were
assured of the seniority rights acrru-
ing to them and of the permanence
of their positions. On some important
lines 80 per cent or more refused 70
join the strike. To these old loyal enl-
ployees have been added thousands
of new men who were employed and
could be secured only upon a definite
promise that their services would be
retained regardless of the settlement
OF the strike, with all the rights ap-
pertaining TO such employment, incIud-
ing that of seniority under the working
rules and regulations previously ap-
proved by the Railroad Labor Board.
"just the Opposite Effect"
eve especially point out that re-
fusal to the old men who remained in
the service and to the new men who
accepted service of the rights of senior
fly 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.
1.-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 utteranccs 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 its rules and discredit its au-
thority.
1.-THE Chairman Of the Labor Board
at the time the strike was called made
the following public statement:
Upon one question the striking en- ,,
!, sloyees should not be deceived. Their
leader has said that the strikers
are no longer employees of the rail-
ways, and they have thus automatic !
abandoned q no ioh e
possess under 'tffeirs agreements and |
underHthe decisions of the board. in +
J Guiding their seniority This is not I
q the boards action It!is their own |
Many carriers are 7giuing their for
ner employees the opportunity to re- !
enter the service within a limited
time. 1t 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
st must be understood that any pro.
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
~N'PiO5ihSh III ILLS Sl1oiS III SUOu |
'elying on the promises of the rail-
'oads to protect them in their posi-
ions, these promises being justified by
he authoritative utteranees of the
labor Board, and thus have made pos
'ible the continued operation of the
'ailroads, shall now be sacrificed in
avor of men now on strike, who not
My brought about the crisis, but, by
heir own action and declaration, are
10 longer employees of the railways,
lnder the jurisdiction of the United
states Railroad Labor Board, or sub
ect to the application of the Trans
act.
IN addition to the necessity of up
folding the Labor Board, and main
aiming the pledges made by the rail-
Dads to the men now at work, there
5 the practical effect on the super
isory officers Of violation of the
hedges they were authorized to make.
heir encouragement and demoraliza-
lon would be far more disastrous than
his or any other strike
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WANTED - An experienced!