Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-01-06
Getting Ready
RAILWAY WORKERS UNIONS EX-
PECT BIG FIGHT
Engineers and Firemens BrOtherhOOds
and Shop Crafts Unions Pre-
pairing to Resist Proposed
Wage Reduction
(By Federated Press)

New York-The railway workers
unions are perfecting their plans for
a finish fight against the wage cuts
of 10 to 80 per cent which recently
were decided upon by 81 Eastern rail-
roads, affecting about 100000 men.
At meeting here of representatives
of approximately $4,000 maintenance
of way and shop crafts employees the
workers voted unanimously to reject
any proposal for a wage cut by the
rail executives, and they also by an
unanimous vote demanded an lmme-
diate increase in wages.
The attitude of the other railwork-
ers' organizations is shown by the
fact that all general committees of
adjustment, general grievance COM
mittees, general chairmen and other
officers of the Engineers and Fire
mems Brotherhoods have received de-
tailed instructions from the heads OF
their organizations outlining the pro-
cedure to be followed in the confer
ences which are to begin here with
the railroad officials on wages, rules
and working conditions, on Jan. 10.
Significant points in the letters,
which are signed by w. S. Stone,
grand chief of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers, and w. 5.
Carter. president of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Firemen and Engine
men, are:
owe recommend that the commit
tees of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers and the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen,
through their general chairmen and
executive committees, handle all mat
ters Jointly.
In every instance where the general
chairmen and executive committees
are called in by the railroads to dis
cuss changes in rules, should the COM
pany propose any changes in rules
that mean a reduction in wages, or
submit a request for a further de-
crease in wages, you are at once to
file counter-proposition requsting
the payment of expenses away from
home, and recommend that this re-
quest should be for so cents meal
and 50 cents for lodging for all such
expense incurred away from home.
You will also present request for two
firemen on all locomotives weighing
100000 pounds or more on drivers
when such locomotives are not equip
ped with mechanical stokers."
William H. Johnston, president of
the international Association of Ma
chinists, declared the recent announce
ment for Forthcoming further rail
wage cut means final Showdown
fight" "Wage reductions" he said,
will be contested in behalf of our or
ganizations, as we'll as all other crafts.
In fact, we are going to demand
five cents an hour increase in wages,
and we shall prove such an advance is
more than justified"
There are normally employed on the
railroads about 100000 members of
the machinists' organization, which
already has begun to prepare for an
emergency by establishing COM
.1issary fund.
"The action of the railroads in at
tempting to take away from the work
ers a living wage" he said, sis hav-
ing it's effect upon the mental attitude
of the workers. The roads cannot ex-
pect to get service from men who are
continually being prosecuted and
made the targets of wage cuts.
"The rank and file is going to settle
the issue this time. When the last
strike was called off it was with the
understanding that no further cuts
would be made Immediately. This time
three or four union executives are not
going to say whether We shall back
down or not"
Similar comments were made bv
Anthony Spair, head of the New York
District of the United Brotherhood of
Maintenance of Way Employees and
Railroad Shop Workers.
The members in the New York dis
trict of the shop craft unions in the
mechanical section of the Railway
Employees Department of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor have voted
almost unanimously for an assessment
of one days nay to be used in the
event of strike for the commissary
fund.