The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-25
B. 6 0. PRESIDENT
DEMANDS RETURN
OF TEN-HOUR DAY
Awful Shock to Class
Collaborationists

WASHINGTON, June 24.-One
partner in the "B & o Plan" is COM
ing out from under his cover Of
Liberalism" and showing his true
colors. President Daniel Willard of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad de-
mands the ten hour day. He is con-
WINGED that the class collaboration
scheme he succeeded in getting his
machinist and other shop craft emf
ployes to enter has sufficiently weak
ened the fighting spirit of the entire
staff so that he can make a direct
assault on their standard of living.
Union Officials Shocked.
Willard and eight other railroad
presidents issued formal statement
yesterday that the eight hour day
must end on the railroads and the
nine or even ten hour day come back.
Wizards friends among the upper
ranks of the railroad union bureau
cracy are said to be both panied and
shocked at this sudden desertion by
their fellow class collaborationist.
Editor Fred Hewitt of the Machinists'
Journal, after first fully assuring
himself that the report was official,
permitted himself to remark: Sab
surd! The railroads can be quite sure
that we do not intend to go back
on the eight hour day after we have
struggled years to attain it."
Good By "Good Feeling"
1t is understood that the ultra-con-
servative Labor" organ of the six
teen standard railway unions, will be
even more outspoken, and will review
the long slow struggle of labor to
establish the eight hour day, which
even Congress and the supreme court
had finally to advocate in the form
of the Adamson law. Labor" also
will reprove the present combination
of employers led by Willard for
their temerity in ending "the era of
good will obtaining on the roads in
the last two years"
The rank and file workers in the
railroad industry, those of them who
have survived the gradual reduction
of jobs during the last two years are
not surprised. They feel that Willard
is never less friendly to them than
when he is advocating some strength
sapping program by which they are
to assist the employers destroy union
ism.
B & o Plan Spreads.
Willard cooperated with the Ma
chinists' union and other shop crafts
to install the so-called "B & o" plan
of union-employer cooperation. This
plan has later been adopted by the
Canadian National, Chicago North
western and Chesapeake & Ohio. He
was also instrumental in leading
railway executives to approve the
Watson-Parker act, which provides
machinery for the mediation and ar
bitration of labor disputes to pre-
vent strikes on the railroads.
Rank and file pressure on the dele
gates at the recently concluded
Switchmen's union convention forced
them to strongly repudiate the Wat
son-Parker act, and to call on their
officials to fight it.
Officials Forced to Act.
The inadequate increases in wages,
following tardily on the heels of in
creased labor per man and decreases
in the number of men employed has
raised much dissatisfaction among the
rank and file workers and forced
other union executives to more or less
plain attacks on the Willard plans,
the "B & o" and the Watson-Parker
law. Says c. j. Golf, president of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Fire
men and Enginemen; in formal dis
sent to the inadequate wage increase
the Cancellation board awarded the
this week:
Skilled workers in other lines of
industry have demanded and re-
ceived their share of the national in
come. Railway employees in the pres
ent case, instead of forcing their
claims, have petitioned for justice.
1t appears from this award that what
is economic justice is not a matter
which can safely be submitted to the
judgment Of others"
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