Evening star., 1922-07-24
SEES END Of RAIL
|. STRIKE IN 60 DAYS
Machinist Union Official Ad-
dresses Meeting at
Theater Here.
LISTS SHOP GRIEVANCES
Labor Board Blamed for Not Re-
vealing Full Import of Nation
wide Walkout.
LISTS SHOP GRIEVANCES

Steady paralyzation of the country's
great transportation arteries will ul-
timately force a settlement of the
craftsmen within sixty days. it was
predicted by P. j. Conlon, first vice
pre- esident of the International Associa-
tion of Machinists. at a public mass
meeting Of the strikers yesterday at the
Avenue Grand Theater. Mr.. Conlon
said he expected to see the strike end
ed either by arbitration or by the di-
rect and desired effect of the walkout
'It generally takes from thirty to
sixty days to make a shop strike ef-
fective," Vice President Conlon de-
clared. but before this one had been
on ten days more than $50 trains had
been Cancelled out of Chicago. the
West Virginia mines were bottled up,
and the iron and steel industries were
crying for help. And We have hardly
started yet"
More than 1.400 persons. including
many who were not directly inter-
ested in the strike. crowded the the
ater. Hundreds of others were turn
ed away for lack of accomm odations
Others Speak.
Besides Mr.. Conlon. the speakers
were Arthur Holder, former member
% fthe Federal Board for Voca-
tive John Baer Of North Dakota, and
H. L. Brunson. R E. Jansen. presi-
dent of Columbia Lodge, No. ia, In
ternational Association of Machinists,
presided. and at the close of a two
hour -and-a-half meeting called for
Ii
strike. The vote, he announced, was
unanimous.
Steps leading up to the shopmen's
strike were reviewed in detail by Mr..
Conlon. who emphasized that the
seniority question now is the crux
of the railroad controversy. Mr.. Con-
Ion pointed out that the shopmen
have been preparing for the strike
now in progress since April. 1921, and
waited for fifteen months because of
a desire to accumulate enough
grievances to support demand for
a nationwide strike"
Union officials learned April s, 1921,
Mr.. Conlon said. that the national
agreement with the railroads was to
be abolished, although the Railroad
Labor Board did not act until April
IA. When Individual agreements
were sought, he declared, the union
ran into identical demands from
0V0Ey Iod0 we dppTOdCHcu, WHICH III
dicated to us there was some central
agency of authority directing the
fight against u.s.
"Then we realized" Vice President
Conlon continued. that we would
have to sit tight and suffer in silence
until enough grievances had been
accumulated to support demand for
4 nationwide strike"
1,100 Decisions Analysed.
OF the 1,1o0 decisions handed down
by the Labor Board, Mr.. Conlon listed
700 as favorable to the railroads and
400 as "nominally in favor of our
side," but of the latter. he said, at
least 800 were not put into effect by
the railroads and therefore didn't
mean anything"
The Railroad Labor Board was
blamed by Mr.. ConIon for not reveal
ing to the public the full and serious
import Of the nationwide strike of
the shop craftsmen, quoting one men,
Der as remarking, I'VE hear this strike
talk every six months" The public
was fooled, he said, into believing
that there would be no walk-out.
Then when we actually did go out,
an effort was made to put us in the
light Of opposing the government and
interfering with the transportation
Of the mails. There was talk of
mobilizing a fleet of trucks to carry
the mails. and when we responded
Bring on the trucks and we will help
put them in condition. and get the
mail issue out of the AFFAIR talk of
this nature ceased"