The New York herald., 1922-06-25

FOUR ROADS GUILTY
! OF FARMING WORK
Violations Of Transportation
+ Act Laid to Lines by the
Labor Board.
EMPLOY OUTSIDE FIRMS
Decisions Will Not Improve
the Strike Situation, Is View
Of Labor Leaders.
EMPLOY OUTSIDE FIRMS

CHICAGO, June "a (Associated Press).
day of violations of the Transportation
act and the orders of the United States
Railroad Labor Board In six decisions
covering the contracting of work to OUT
side firms. an issue over which the
railway shopmen of the country are
now taking strike ballot.
Three of the four roads were de-
clared to have violated the law in farm
Ing out shop work, while other decisions
embraced the maintenance of way de-
partment and clerks and freight hand
lers
The Indiana Harbor Belt, recently
declared to be in violation of the Trans
portation act because 1t had farmed out
shop work, led the list of guilty, be-
cause the road had leased track repair
work on a 5 per cent. cost plus basis.
Other roads named were the Chicago
and Great Western; st. Louis, Mounds
vile and Mexico and the Missouri, Kan
sas and Texas.
Reiteration Of the boards stand that
work contracted to outside firms, which
pay lower rate or whose working
conditions are less favorable than those
of the labor board constitutes a VIOLA
ton of the law. came on the eve of the
shop unions canvass of their strike vote
on the contract question and two
others.
In connection with the decisions Ben
w. Hooper, chairman of the board, is
sued statement in which he indicated
that the board might take some active
step to bring about compliance with
its decisions and thus relieve the griev-
% L r. Al a.
protests against contracting are con-
cerned.
1t was also pointed opt that under to-
days DECISIONS the employees of the con-
tractors are brought under the jurisdic-
tion of the board and It's orders 1t was
said at the boards offices that such en-
ployees would be entitled to recover back
pay where they had not received the
boards rate of wages.
Chairman Hooper declared he "still be-
lieved the carriers will all get in line
with the boards decisions on this ques-
ton"
'The board has not held that such
contracting cannot have the effect of re-
moving the railway employees from un-
der the application of the transportation
act" Mr. Hooper said But to my mind
contracting at lower wages than those
set up by the board Is so unjust and un-
fair to the employees and so violative of
the spirit OF the transportation act. that
public sentiment cannot uphold it,
Shop union officials declared the deci-
sions could have no effect on the strike
vote.
"The new decisions do not. improve
the situation" said John Scott. secretary
of the union. "The fact that the board
after months got busy and put out these
decisions doesn't give us any assurance
that contracting will cease or that there
viii be no further violations of the law
We had one decision ruling the same
thing and it did no good. These further
orders merely aggravate the situation"
To-day's flood of strike ballots, union
leaders said, prevented any meeting of
the general committee, members Of
which gave their aid in counting the
pink. blue and white slips. 1t was said
that the committee might not be able to
announce its action on the vote for sew
eral days.