Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-08
MOVE To ABOLISH
RAIL LABOR BOARD
GAINING SUPPORT
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Especial Leased Wire to The Journal)
lEnnNrir ht loo1

WASHINGTON, March 5.-Organ-
e lied labor has lined up solidly be-
hind the Howell Barley bill which
proposes to abolish the United States
railroad labor board and substitute
efor it board of mediation and con-
Citation.
Friends of President Coolidge have
been saying in the last few days
.rthat he would veto the bill but there
is a general misunderstanding about
its provisions, and if it should pass
both houses of congress a veto may
. be said to be doubtful.
i The writer enormously stated
few days ago that the Howell Bal k
ley plan would eliminate the repre-
@sentatives of the public and leave
> the railway disputes to be decided
by the interested parties. The truth
Is the representatives Of the EN-
ployers and employees will alone con
stitute the membership of the four
- national adjustment boards which
ARE to settle grievances and con
flicts of interpretations on rules.
But the principal body, to be known
Mas the board of mediation and con-
ciliatiCn, will consist of five mem
hers, all of whom will represent the
public.
This is directly in line with the
recommendation of the late Presi-
dent Harding. At present, the rail
road labor board consists of three
Representative of the railways, three
of labor and three of the public.
Gives Impartial Judges
:, This means that three men, rep
'Tesenting the public, usually have
the deciding vote as almost invaria-
bly, the parties at interest influence
the votes of their representatives. To
cure this weakness, the representa-
tives of the employers and employees
will appear before the board or
mediation as advocates and pleaders
for their respective causes and the
judgment will be rendered by five
impartial judges.
The four national adjustment
boards are not to assume jurisdiction
over disputes unless the employers
or employees make application. This
means that if the sO-called company
unions and the railroad employers
can adjust working conditions and
wages between themselves, the ad-
justment boards will not come into
the picture at all. There are certain
company unions which are Directing
Ito the Howell Barley bill on the
ground THAI it is unnecessary, but
the advocates of the measure say
that long list of labor organizations
do want such tribunals and the bill
proposes to give them the machinery
for adjustment which they seek.
The Howell-Barkley bill combines
many of the features of the New
lands act, the Erdman act and the
present transportation act 1t has,
however, introduced one important
change which has been the basis of
opposition by railway employers. 1T
prohibits the employer from inter
fering in the selection of representa-
: ttves or from controlling the organi-
cations of employees so as to dictate
Z the selection of employee representa-
tives. This has been inserted to over
Y come the embarrassments encounter
ed by the present United States rail-
sroad labor board in determining eX-
actly who actually represents the en-
ployes on certain railroad systems.
It is the outcropping of the old fight
as between national labor organiza-
stions like the American Federation Of
Labor and such unions as have been
~ostered by the Pennsylvania railroad
for it's own employees. On the Penn
ssylvania nobody can represent the
sworkmen in dispute except persons
actually on the Pennsylvania S pay
roll.
: Cost Basis of Opposition
The principal weakness of the pres
ent transportation act has been the
failure of the parties at interest TO
form the local adjustment boards
crowded by law. These organizations
were left to voluntary action by the
employers and employees. Under the
, Howell Barley bill, the adjustment
! boards would be government institu-
tons, and therefore the minor gr1eV-
-ances and disputes which have piled
nigh the cases before the United
States railroad labor board would be
diminished because they would, so to
speak, be settled by the lower tribu-
nails.
.a, One of the objections to the bill,
:. said to emanate from the White
House, is the appropriation Of $780,
600 for the expenses of the new ma
chfnery. The proponents OF the bill
point out that $500 900 is now being
spent under the transportation act
! and that the additional 100000 is
good insurance against another rail-
road strike, particularly since the
i last one is estimated to have cost
. Jthe government about $4,000, 900,
while the railroads are known to
have spent many times that sum
themselves in fighting it.
: The proposed bill PROVIDES ABOUT
e 100000 for the maintenance of the
board OF mediation and Cancellation,
thus saving between 100000 and
100000 over the cost of the present
labor board, which saving would be
expended in the expense Of the four
national adjustment boards. Fully
100000 is appropriated annually by
congress for the interstate COM
f1erce commission, so, relatively
speaking. the amount needed to keep
peace between railways and their
employees is not as large as the sum
needed to regulate disputes between
the railways and shippers.
Several Of the railroads are luke
warm in their opposition to the bill
but certain roads which have always
Fought the present labor board and
its decisions are working tooth and
nail to beat the bill or force a presi-
Dental veto. 1t looks as if some ac-
ton will be taken on it before adj
iournment, or a filibuster against ad-
iournment may be started for the
Democrats and insurgent Repub-
leans are in the main in sympathy
s with the proposal.