New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-22
B. 60. Separate
Peace Plan Jar
10 Executives
Decision of Road TO Deal
Directly With Strikers
! a Surprise After Plea
for Fight TO a Finish
Deny 1t Portends Break
Effect of Court Ruling That
Pennsylvania Election
Is Invalid Is Awaited

With the struggle between the rail
roads and their striking shopment
practically deadlocked in this section,
local interest in the walk-out of the
repair forces centercd yesterday on the
effect which three announcements from
other parts of the country are likely to
have on the local situation.
Most important of these was the
sudden decision of the Baltimore g.
Ohio to negotiate for separate peace
decision which apparently came as a
complete surprise to the executives,
who announced Thursday that no voice
had been raised against a. united fight
to finish at the Eastern presidents
conference that afternoon, at which
the head of the B. & o. was present.
John &c Walber, spokesman for the
carriers in this section, expressed con-
iidence yesterday that the unexpected
action presaged no general break for
cover on the part of the companies
most seriously affected by the strike.
but the union leaders were quick to
see In it the first sign of weakening"
Peace Proposal Nfinimized
Both sides united in declaring that
the peace offer would come to little.
Mr.. Walber said briefly that the heads
OF the Federated Shopcrafts knew too
we'll that their only hope of bringi,C
the stronger carriers to terms 4
through pressure for the weaker roads
to allow break in their ranks. and at
strike headquarters practically the
same opinion was expressed in>tN IF erent
terms. Locally the incident was i'm
p.ortant only as an index to the posi-
ton of the carriers, whose service is
beginning to feel the effect of the
strike, for the nearest B. & o. shops
are In Philadelphia and the repair
forces on it's subsidiary, the Staten
Island Rapid Transit Company, are not
covered by the peace move.
The second center of interest was
the possible effect of Thursdays de-
cision in the Federal Court of Appeals
| in Chicago on the solidarity of the
Pennsylvania company union, which,
the carrier asserts, has been 70 per
cent loyal heretofore. The decision in
question sustains the Labor Board in
declaring invalid the election of the
officers of that organization, with whom
the road has just concluded an agree
ment as to the wages and working con-
oAIiouS VI 4AO,UUO employees.
The reply to the court order issued
from the company's Offices here yes
terday over the signature of Vice
President w. w. Atterbury Was that
the roads course in the elections had
been sustained by the loyalty of IS
per cent of its shopmen and 30 per
cent of its other employees, and that
it would act upon the recent settle
ments as though they were binding,
pending an appeal to the Supreme
Court. The strikers, on the other
i hand, asserted that 81 per cent of the
Pennsylvania shopmen are now on
strike and on the bases of these con-
| ficting figures declared that the car.
ricr is now without leg to stand On
in its attitude towards the walk out.
Unions Charge Inconsistency
cat the very moment that the execu-
tives of the Eastern roads were an
nouncing to the Senate Interstate Com
merce Committee that they would not
restore seniority privileges to strikers
! because the unions are fighting the
government by rejecting a decision of
the Labor Board" the strike leaders
declared, "the judges in Chicago were
writing decision which allows the
board to ceusure publicity the same
Pennsylvania Railroad for having dis
obeyed one of its most important or
ders.
"The decision upholds the Labor
/ Board in it's right to announce that the
Pennsylvania settlements with So
! called representatives of it's employees
are not settlements at ALL because the
representatives were elected by only 10
per cent of the men. The other 90 per
cent, who wished to designate the shop
crafts unions as their representatives
were not allowed to do so hy the Penn