Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1927-06-25
AN ANSWER TO MR.. C. ROSS

VIEWS
To the Twin City Herald:
In the issue of the st. Paul Echo.
dated June IL, an article appeared,
entitled &c. Ross Gives Views to
Porters on Plan of Industrial Rela-
lions Employed by the Pullman Com
pany."
Mr.. Ross does not state whose views
ne is giving and those who are famil-
lar with Mr.. Ross affairs know that
his own views are dimmed by colored
glasses, which were tinted by a loan
of the porters P. P. B. A. money han
died by the company for just such
purposes.
Mr.. Ross states that he knows of
no corporation who spends so much
patience and money trying to give
justice to it's employees. This is a
reflection on Mr.. Ross knowledge, for
the time, money and patience spent
by the company is not to give justice
to the porters but to prevent them
from taking steps by which they may
be assured obtaining justice.
He also praises the company for
having given the porters an oppor-
tunity for the past fifty years, to
serve the public ons.its cars. The
company would truly deserve such
praise, had it adequately rewarded
the employees during this period for
services rendered and allowed them to
prosper according to the growth and
prosperity enjoyed by itself But in
stead of doing this, it has grown
richer until it is one of the richest
and most powerful corporations in
the world by the sale of this service,
while these employees have been the
poorest paid group of railroad work
ers in the country. l therefore ask, is
this showing desire to give justice :?
Mr.. Ross data on collective bar
gaining would be all right were he
not basing his premises on fallacious
statements. He states that in order
to make the employee equal in power
with the employer, there must func-
ton some plan through which regu-
larly chosen representative may meet
their employer on an equal footing.
This is just what the Brotherhood of
Sleeping Car Porters claims, and
what the Industrial Relations Plan
does not allow. The representatives
of the employees, in this plan are
most irregularly chosen, under the
domination of the Pullman officials.
And every representative is subject
to dismissal from the service who
dares to raise a voice in the con-
ference with the employer in behalf
of those whom he is supposed to rep
resent, and is therefore everything
but on equal footing with the con-
ferees. I'd
Mr.. Ross pleads for fair. trial Of
the plan. Some of the most il
gent of the porters gave five.
of their best efforts trying tt
the plan to function to the adv
of the porters, with the result
at present the majority of theR
found or are seeking emplc
elsewhere, and the plan is funct
yet as it was originally intended
it should, for the interest of the
pany only. All the offices are
with hand-picked men who are VIII
to accept personal favors rather tt
porters' welfare.
The conclusion of every sobe
minded intelligent man must inevite
bly, be, that the only hope for aras.
justice to be obtained is by joining
and supporting an organization By
the porters, for the porters, and
whose sole aim is to demand justice
through the proper legal channels as
set forth by the Watson-Parker Bill,
and sanctioned and supported by all
the military forces of the United
States Government.
(Signed)
Paul T. Caldwell