Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1924-04-18
NEWRAILROAD LABOR
BILL SUPPORTED BY
RAILWAY EMPLOYEES
PROVIDES THAT ADJUSTMENT
BOARDS SHALL INCLUDE MEM
BERS OF BROTHERHOODs.
If Cancellation Board Fails To Bring
Peace Disputes May Be
Arbitrated.

/ international Labor News Service)
WASHINGTON, d. c., April IT,
Strong emphasis is placed in the
Howell -Barkley railroad bill on di-
rect conference between representa-
tives of the railroads and of the rail-
road workers organizations as the
best menas of maintaining industrial
peace.
The Howell-Barkley bill, which is
supported by the American Federation
of Labor, the sixteen standard rail-
road unions and other trade unions,
proposes to abolish the Railroad La
Dor Board and substitute instead di-
rect mediation and voluntary arbi-
tration between the railroads and
their workers. The bill has been pre-
sented in the Senate by Senator How
ell of Nebraska and in the House by
Representative Barkley of Kentucky.
The new bill provides for:
l. Abolition of the Railroad Labor
Board.
2. Repeal of the labor provisions
of the Esch-C -Cummins law.
8. Establishing as duty upon both
parties to a dispute that they "exert
every reasonable effort to make and
maintain agreements" concerning
wages and working conditions.
4. Settlement by conference, if pos
sible, and sending of disputes not so
settled to an adjustment board, in
which the two parties have equal
representation.
8. Creation of four such adjustment
boards: (a) train service, (b) shop
men, (c) clerks and miscellaneous,
I'D marine workers.
6. Changes in agreements only after
this machinery has been used to
bring them about.
z. A board of conciliation, to act
when adjustment boards fail.
8. Arbitration boards which will act
only when both parties have agreed
to accept the award.
9. Challenge and appeal of award
on grounds of error or fraud.
The bill provides that the members
of the adjustment boards shall be
made up of an equal number Of men
form these groups, to be nominated
by each side to the President, ap-
pointed by him and confirmed by the
Senate, to serve three-year terms at
$1,000 a year.
Decisions.
Decisions of the board would be
made by majority vote and must be
given within 80 days, unless the par
ties affected agree to am extension
in time. The Cancellation board is to
be made up of five members, named
by the President. Their salaries
would be $4,000, and they would
serve seven years. They are not to
be connected with the railroad indus
try.
If the conciliation board fails to
bring peace, the dispute may go to
an arbitration board of three or six
persons and the decision would deal
only with the issues submitted in
writing. The bill provides that one
third of the board of arbitration shall
be chosen by the workers, one-third
by the railroads and these two-thirds
shall choose the third. If they fail
to reach an understanding on the
third within five days, the third ar
bitrator shall be named by the board
Of arbitration and Cancellation.
While the parties are to accept in
advance the award thus made, it is
provided that the award shall not
prevent any employe from quitting
work. A copy of the award shall be
filed in the Federal court and unless
challenged by either party within ten
days, shall be entered as a court judg-
ment.