The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1922-08-24
SENIORITY ISSUE
is BIG BUGADOO
Union Leaders Cannot Surrender
Those Rights Without
Mems Approval.
FLOOD OF PUBLICITY PERIL
Executives and Heads of Unions AS
sert There Is Too Much TaIk--lt
is Apparent Men Must Be Re-
stored to Former Standing.

New York, Aug. 21.--While both the
shop craft unions and the railway eX-
ecutiVeS of the country, are trying to
settle the rail strike without reference
to the question of seniority
bugabOo of both Fides-there can be
no adjustment without restoring to the
men the same relative standing in the
shops that they had before the walk
out.
There can be no compromise on this
point. No matter on what basis it may
be announced, following the meeting
of the railway executives in this city
next Wednesday, that an understand
ing has been reached, and that the
men are going back to work, their
seniority rights are going to be re-
stored or the strike will continue,
Two weeks ago the policy committee
of the three divisions of the shop
crafts unions held a meeting in Chi
cago and decided on the basis which
they would permit their men to return
to work. They accepted the original
peace proposal made by President
Harding, granting them their unim-
paired seniority rights. This commit
tee is composed of 90 general chair
men, representing all of the railroad
systems in the United States.
No Meeting aIedc.
The executive committee of the shop
crafts has no authority to go beyond
the terms which the policy committee
reported would be acceptable. If a
compromise should be considered, it
would be necessary for Bert NJ. Jewell,
president of the shop crafts unions, to
call a meeting of the policy committee
TO pass on the question.
That he has not done so makes it
clear that the only proposition which
the 14S railway executives will have to
consider is a settlement of the strike
with the men returning to work with
seniority rights as they stood prior to
July l, when the strike was called.
The unions are willing to permit the
railroads to announce that a settle
ment has been reached which is equita-
bic TO both sides, and even to make it
appear that the railroad executives
gained some valuable concessions and
that they are going to keep the prom
ises originally made that the loyal"
employees would hold seniority rights
above the strikers. AS a matter of
fact. according to one of the union Of
ficials most of the men who did not
strike stood high on the seniority lists
before the strike was called. In many
instances the men who headed the
seniority lists did not strike at all.
They refused to obey the strike order
because they feared to lose their SEMI
GRITTY and pension rights which they
had earned through many years of CON
tinued employment.
Publicity Hurts Plan.
These men, Of course, will retain
their seniority rights. After a frank
discussion of the whole matter in the
conference between the union officials
of the five transportation brother
hoods, acting as mediators for the
shop crafts, and the committee of rail
way executives last week, It became
apparent that the seniority nightmare
was only a bad dream after all, and
could be best settled by ignoring it.
There was private understanding,
however, that men who did not strike
would hold seniority rights over tue
men who walked out only when such
rights existed before July /.
Publicity has not helped this plan
and some of the railway executives are
again talking fight.
When the railway executives decided
to call a meeting of the representa-
tives of the 14S railroads that COM
monty decide the labor policy of all the
railroads of the country, there was no
question but that they had conceded
rights to the men. Otherwise Chair
man Z. Dewitt Cuyler of the execu-
tiyes' association, would not have
called the meeting for next Wednes-
day.