Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-02-20
LABOR BOARD
LOSES POWER
10 FIN WAGES

BY iHtVrnauansl Labor New Service
Chicago. Feb lS-fhefs Is great
weeping and enashinT OF teeth in the
camp of Ben " Hoover. chairman Of
the United States Railroad Labor
Boald, ever the taet thst the man-
ayers Of more than 50 Western rail
roads have made individual Wage set.
Elements With the Brotherhood Of L..
connective Engineers ard Brotherhood
ct Locomotive Fitemen ara Engine.
men totally disWeanl,ug the recent
decision Of the board as applying e.
50 Western railroads.
Hooper and his fellow haard mem
bers ATE IN saekclelh and ashes, a.
they see their hdeh envisioning of
the future d,sslnated They nov see
The end Of their auteefatiS reiEn over
the lives and destinies Of the railroad
workers Of the country, Totally dis
credited IN this wholesale manner.
their chasing of rainhoWs DER. they
see their finely upholstered Sl0e0O-as
year Jobs vanishing along with the
spending Of the 100000 year that
lt costs the Government Ter the up
Keep Of the Railroad Labor Boaid.
Hooper Sought Courts Aid
HooDer and his board projected
themselves into the Western railroad
wage negotiations last MAY. and SUM
moned the officers Of the two broth.
elheods to appear before him and sub
mlt testimony This they declined 10
DO, setting forth various legal reasons
why Hoonsr had no right 20 take a
hand Following this. Hooper aps
pealed 10 Federal Judge james II.
NilkerSon. who became notorious dur.
ing the shopmens strike of 1922. vii.
kefson eomplaeently lent a hand aud
held the brotherhood officers in con.
tempt
Attorneys for the brotherhood APP.
pealed the two cases TO the United
States supreme Court The hearing
In the first case in that court was
set for Tuesday, February 4, The
case has been moved up on the cal.
endaf TO Mondao March :. but il Is
not likely to be heard until after the
presidential Inauguration.
Hooper and his board handed down
a decision" based on testimony
otyefes by the railroad managers at
hearings before the board at which
the officers Of the employees ahsenled
themselves. that there should be n
B per cent increase IN wages, bat
ordered several outrageous changes
in the working rules that more than
offset the suppoStious increase In
wages.
Workers Ignore Hooper "Declsion'
The employees refused 10 recognize
this decision and went ahead with
negotiations on the individual prop.
critics. They gained FIRST blood
when they obtained a settlement with
the Southern Pacific Of a per cent
increase in wages and no changer In
working rules. The settlements on
the other Western roads are based on
the Southern Pacific agreement.
And that Is not all of the woe that
Is in store for Hooper. International
Labor News Service has learned on
high authority that the managers Of
several Western railroads are serious.
ly considering the advisability of ig-
noring another decision Of Hooper
in reference 10 the wages OF eonduc=
tors and trainmen. Hooper did not
like the working rules as applying to
this class of employees and proceeded
TO emasculate them. Some OF the
more fair minded railroad managers
now say that the old working rules Of
the conductors and trainmen should
be restored in order to avoid discfm.
In favor Of the engineers and
firemen.