The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-07-19
PEACE IN THE RAIL STRIKE

The points of difference between the rail-
roads and the striking shop crafts, as enumerated
Thursday morning, are such as to allow of a
settlement with justice to both sides and humilia-
tion. to neither. The strikers and employers are
close enough together in theory to shake hands,
if not in fact. Very little concession, and moth
ing beyond reason, is necessary to bring them
and end the strike which is already ex-
e~rcising a demoralizing influence upon the general
trend toward prosperity.
The striking shop crafts demand that the
system of farming out" shop work to contractors,
under which some roads have recently avoided
jurisdiction of the labor board, be eliminated.
That is fair and proper. The labor board has so
decreed, and there is no more reason why the
roads should be allowed to disregard such a de-
cree than that the workers should disregard a
finding.
The strikers also demand that certain work.
ing rules which cut pay for overtime work be re-
vised. If the rules in question are those which
make the eight hour day merely nominal the de-
mand is not beyond reason. To be sure, the eight
hour day is not a sacred institution, but it is a
sound one, and, representing as it does a princi-
pie to which labor unionism has been committed
for many years, it deserves consideration.
The crafts want assurances that they will be
given a rehearing before the labor board on the
wage issue: There can be no proper opposition
to such a rehearing. It is the duty of the board
to consider such requests whenever properly pre-
sented. That does not necessarily imply a re-
vision.
Fourth, the crafts want the roades to agree
to establishment of boards of adjustment made
up of an equal number of the carriers and the
unions representatives, to consider all disputes
outside of wages. Such boards are provided fol
under The transportation act. Although then
formation opens up the larger problem of how
far employees shall have a direct voice in the
management of the industry in which they are
employed, if the transportation act is to be effec
tive in this matter its provisions should be fol
lowed. If the employers cite it to support then
position, as they do, there seems no good reason
why the employees also should not cite it.
Against these four demands, none of which
seems beyond possibility of acceptance, the rail
roads put one. That is that the shopmen call of
the strike and proceed to settle through the rail
road labor board. That also is reasonable.
the board is to retain any authority or usefulness
: whatever it cannot treat with an organization
which defies it or make concessions to force. |
can bring about a settlement if the men will q
back to work. If consideration of the unions fou
? demands were assured the men could take u
4 their tools and the board could take up the prob
= lem without humiliation or loss of prestige t
: either. That is what should be done. No pig
headedness or sense of offended dignity on eithe
e side should prevent such action.
An informal and unofficial assurance to tn
r unions that their points of contention would b
) taken up could be given and should satisfy ther
that the points involved viii be acted upon.
e return of the strikers to the shops would the
e start negotiations.
q When so little stands in the way of settle
e ment, peace, and a return of the Interrupted n
: storation of national prosperity it is a shame I
l. both sides to let formalities stand in the wa
4 when these formalities do not represent prir
e ciples. We can have a settlement. The leader o
either side who starts the slight necessary move
e ment to bring it about will prove himself not onl
t a leader of the first rank and broadest visio
but a benefaetor to the country.-Chicago Tr
e bune.
No more Profitable investment can be mad
4 Hv tho vo1~Jot~f $780, It