Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-08-04
Statement of Causes
and Effect of Strike
lcontinued from Pace One)

Continued from Page One) b
the trouble Three ballots were IS
sued, against reduction IN wages,
farming out of work, and TO restore
rules taken away by the Labor Board
Each and all of these meant de-
crease in wages. In farming out
work. railroad companies merely
changed the name of the shop to that
of some private concern, assigning
their repair work to this company,
The men who had been working Tor
the railroad company were transferred
10 the employ of this contracting conf
pany and paid as low as fifty cents
per hour for mechanics. This caused
strike on the Western Maryland
Railroad several months ago. ms
was in direct violation Of the United
States Labor Boards decision when
forbids this practice. The railroads
psed this in order to evade payment OIL
wage rates as specified by the United
States Labor Board. The rules that
were revoked covered conditions that
had existed on some railroads for the
past forty years, time and one-nall
time for Sundays and holidays. Every
man IS entitled TO something Tor CIV
ing up his Sundays and holidays, with
his family in order to perform duty
for the railroad.
It has been l%oven, beyond the shad-
ow of doubt, that it is impossible TO
operate the railroads of the United
States without organized labor En-
gines and cars are breaking down on
main lines and being hauled to terml-
nails in larger numbers each day. The
government inspection law has not
been applied since July l, 1922, apd.
il is very doubtful if engines were
inspected properly by these inspec-s
tors, if ten per cent of them would be
left in service.
The question of seniority, upon
which the settlement of this strike is
now Ringing, is enc which effects the
Northeastern Railroads mostly. They
have, so they claim. large numbe5
of mechanics. In the case OF the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad they are, most
", men who have been pensiOned and
forced to come, into shops and work
during strike The men who have
been hired are not mechanics, be
cause, with very few exceptions, all
mechanics, of every class are too anX-
iOuS TO keep wages up to a living
standard, to help pun them down. I'm
less this strike is settled in very
short thine, conditions will be worse,
as all classes of employees of railroads
are ready and eager to strike in order
to win, and AZ compete paralysis of
the transportation systems of this
country will take place.
The action of the executives in re-
fuSing to accept the proposals OF Mr..
Harding to settle the strike has shown
that they do not want to settle same,
but want to disrupt organized labor
regardless. of cost Wnen the execu-
tives of the railroads Of the Northeast
part of the United States begin TO
realize as the executives of certain
roads in this section have done long
ago, that a man is a human being and
treats him as an American, we will
have no trouble on the railroads of this
country If certain Southeastern
railroads had had control of this af-
fair there would have been no strike.
This strike is the pivot upon which
organized labor stands today. We
are putting this statement before the
people of Alexandria in order that
they may thoroughly understand the
facts in the case and put the respon-
Sibility where it belongs. Ii this
strike is lost, Alexandria looSeS a large
number of desirable citizens and gains
a large number of undeSirables, be
cause a man who helps defeat the man
who is trying to better conditions for
everybody is in the same class with
the Tory in The Colonies during the
Revolutionary War
Yours Respectfully,
PUBLICITY COMMITTEE,
EEnERATEn SHOP CR ETS