The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1922-08-18
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.

roads of the United States to the prop
osition of President Harding, that "all
strikers be returned to their work and
their former positions with seniority
and other rights unimpaired." lies in
the last paragraph from their reply
to the President as follows:
1T 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
the grossest breach Of faith on the
part of the railroads to the men at
present in their service.
Under these circumstances. 1t 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
hrst 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 the strike be
withdrawn; aud In relation to the
. third condition spoke not only ~
quoted above, but also as follows:
Agree With the President
1.-THE railroad executives and man.
ayers agree entirely with the Presi-
dents statement in his letter that 1t 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
G are both prompt and unquestioning in
e their acceptance of it's decisions
MANY men in the service refused to
d join the strike and in so doing were
p assured Of the seniority rights accru-
ing to them and Of the permanence
O. Of their positions. On some important
! lines so per cent or more refused to
~ Join the strike. To these old loyal en-
ployees have been added thousands
- of new men who were employed and
could be secured only upon definite
promise that their services would be
,e retained regardless Of the settlement
h. of the strike, with all the rights ap-
pertaining to such employment includ
r. Ing that of seniority under the working
~ rules and regulations previously ap-
~ proved by the Railroad Labor Board
"Just the Opposite Effect"
1--WE especially point out that re-
fusal to the old men who remained In
the service and to the new men who
n accepted service of the rights of senior
,g ity incident to their employment would
,o have Just the opposite effect to that de
~ sired by the President, and would most
-, seriously discredit the Labor Board.
"The board itself prescribed the
rules of seniority under which the mer
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 utterances since the strike
began the board has recognized ant
emphasized these rights, and to deny
III them now would, instead of upholdine
ne the authority of the Labor Board, over
throw it's rules and discredit its au
thority.
"The Chairman Of the Labor Boart
no at the time the strike was called made
the following public statement:
II Upon one question the striking en-
TX ployees should not be deceived. Their
20 leader has said that the strikers
w no longer employees of the rail-
80 ways, and they have thus automatic
ally abandoned al the rights they
possess under their agreements and
N under the decisions Of the board, in
~ Guiding their seniority. This is not
the boards action. 1t Is their own
%. Many carriers giving their for
30 mer 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
it will have rights Of seniority that
the board could not ignore"
What the Proposed Plan Means
1T must be understood that any pro
posal that employees now on strik'
shall be permitted to return to th'
service, without impairment to thei
seniority, is merely another way o
suggesting that those men who tool
employment in this crisis in good faith
relying on the promises Of the rail
roads to protect them In their posi-
lions, these promises being justified b.
the authoritative utterances of tn
Labor Board, and thus have made pos
sible the continued operation Of tn
railroads, shall now be sacrificed Il
favor Of men now on strike, who no
only brought about the crisis, but, b.
their own action and declaration, ar
no longer employees Of the railways
under the Jurisdiction Of the Unite
States Railroad Labor Board, or sui
ject to the application Of the Trans
portation act
an addition 10 the necessity OF ur
holding the Labor Board, and mair
tanning the pledges made BY the raj
roads 70 the men now at work, Their
is the practical effect on the super
yisory officers Of a violation of tn
pledges they were authorized to max,
Their discoura cement and demoralizS
ton would be far more disastrous tina
this or any other strike"