New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-29
Hopeful Eyes
OF Rail Unions
OnParleyHere
Strike Leaders Believe Tues
days Session of l48 Ex-
ecutives Will Yield Com
cessions ON Seniority Rule
Doubt Carriers Strength
Threats of Disruption if Men
Return Unchastened Not
General Attitude. Is Said

General Attitude. Is Said
Executives of 148 railroads in all
parts of the country will meet in the
| board room of the New York, New
Haven & Hartford here at II o'clock
Tuesday morning to consider the peace
propositions which have grown out of
| the conferences between President
Harding and the leaders of both par
( ties to the shipments walk-out,
Strike leaders in this district turned
hopeful eyes toward the gathering yes
terday, in the expectation that from it
will come the announcement of conces
sions, particularly on the seniority is
sue. Feeling on this point in company
circles ran so high, however, that one
general manager informed his superb
ors that he would resign rather than
| attempt to operate the shops with the
strikers restored unchastened to their
| jobs. He declared that his lead would
be followed by the entire supervisory
force on the road.
The union chiefs announced in an
open telegram to B. M. Jewell, their
national leader, that they knew posi-
lively this attitude Is limited to a
small group of executives and that
these will be compelled TO yield before
majority opinion. No word to support
this assertion could be obtained from
the Offices of the New England roads,
the New York Central, the Lackawanna,
the Lehigh Valley, the Delaware e.
! Hudson or the Pennsylvania which,
together, employed about 40 per cent
of the shopmen in the country. All
these carriers seemed determined to
obtain an unconditional surrender, and
it was pointed out that no majority
vote Tuesday can bind them to give up
the struggle on which they have openly
embarked to establish their supremacy
in the repair shops.
Working Strength Almost Normal
In company circles emphasis was
laid on the New Ravens statement
that it has now replaced 1000 of its g.,
600 strength and has shop strength of
more than 4,700; on the Pennsylvania's
claim that it now has IA ,097 repair
men, as against $4,000 in June, and
that this number is increasing at the
rate of 500 day, and on a report from
the New York Central that it handled
during the third week of the strike
than during the second and that both
these figures exceeded those for the
corresponding periods Of 1921. This
last road has announced that on its
! lines east of Buffalo its shop forces
have been recruited up to To per cent.
| While many executives were inclined
to stress the moral aspect of the Sc
iority issue, declaring that it would
be 'beastly outrage" for the roads
( to go back on the promises they have
made to the new men, the majority
were increasingly frank in saying that
they did not want to have many of
the strikers back on their hands, even
as new employees, and that they did
not want any of them under terms
which would leave them in the same
frame of mind as they manifested just
| before the strike. And this increasing
frankness was itself taken as an indi-
cation of increasing confidence on the
part of the carriers
AS yet there seems to be no CON
certed plan among the more resoiu,e
carriers as to just what they want to
do in their shops if they can build up
a loyal force. Some seem firmly re-
solved to establish company unions
distinct from the A. F. of L. Others
would be willing to go on with the
Federated Shopcrafts if they will
adopt "less arrogant attitude No
desire to do away with collective bar
gaining or effect further wage reduc-
tions could be detected, On the other
hand, there are three things which
most Of the carriers apparently would
like to see in their shops.
Want Free Hand on Pay Scales
They would like free hand to es-
tablish pay scales graduated according
to quantity and quality, instead of hav-
ing to abide by the almost fiat 70 cents
an hour rate established by the Labor
Board. The agreement just drawn up
between the Pennsylvania and its com
pany unions provides for variation Of
pay between 60 and 81 cents an hour
for this work. John G.. Walber, spokes-
man for the Eastern roads, pointed out
that still greater differential exists
in industry here, and that this tends
| to keep the roads from getting the
cream of the mechanics,
Men worth 81 an hour will go to
plants where they can get it, passing
by the railroads 70 cent rate" he ex-
planned. Men worth 40 cents an hour
will keep away from industrial work
ard try to get under the big tent of
the fiat wage on the roads"
Many roads would like also to stimu-
late production by introducing piece
work.
In addition, they all want shop
force whose morale has not been
worked upon by agitators solidifying
the unions by creating the impression
that the employer is the natural
enemy.
A statement from the offices of the
Association of Railway Executives
pointing out that the shopmen are
striking for the restoration of punitive
overtime for work on Sundays and
holidays and for hours spent going to
and from work, and for the doing away
with the physical examination of ap-
plicants, was followed by the brief
comment that the Labor Board had
declared them an unfair imposition
upon travellers and shippers The inn
preston was created that the roads
are not willing to concede these points
Strikers Prepared to Fight
The union point of view on Tues
| days conference was set forth in the
telegram to Mr. Jewell, which started
out with the charge that company
| statements as to their success in re-
cruiting their shop forces and moving
trains are absolutely unreliable and
! the Sec1a ra tiop that tba c&r;lar. -,