The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-12-22
TO RECEIVE LOWER
PAY.FOR ADDITIONAL
NINE-MONTH PERIOD
Compromise Agreement Reach
ed Following Hours of De.
bate During Night
NEITHER FULLY SATISFIED
Carriers Had Wanted Indefinite
Extension, Workers Six
Month Period

Chicago, Dec. 22.-(PeOne million
railway workers early Thursday
agreed to continue to accept pay
checks 10 per cent lower than the
standard scale for another nine
months. When the current agree
ment expires Jan. 81 the employees
will have felt the effect Of the cut
for one year.
Their decision, assuring their en-
ployers huge saving In operating
costs until next Oct. 81, was reached
at 1904 a. m, after II days Of nego-
tiation with nine officials of the roads,
The last IA hours witnessed continue
GUS conferences as the union leaders
sought to find common ground on
which their men and their employers
could stand. They found it In a COM
promise proposal made by the roads,
but 1t was almost upset by opposition
from the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen and Enginemen.
That large and powerful union with
held approval for several hours. Even
on the last roll call Is votes went
against it. Shortly after midnight the
group lined UP with the 20 other shop
crafts. An hour later the chairman
Of the labor groups, Alexander p.
Whitney Of Cleveland. chief Of the
trainmen, signed the agreement with
William F. Thiehoff. general manager
of the Burlington line and spokesman
for the roads.
Sore But Satisfied
I'm sore but satisfied" Thiehoff
said afterward. I'VE signed in the
spirit Of compromise and in the face
of immediate necessity. We did not
get all We desired or think necessary"
Whitney said his organizations were
pleased" but that they still do not
agree that the reduction will be help
full to present economic conditions"
Whitney described the holiday
season as al unsatisfactory" time
to negotiate. The approach Of
Christmas day made his $500 asso-
ciates, some of them 1000 miles from
home, impatient to end the confer
ence.
On the other hand, the carriers
were faced with restoration Feb.
of the basic wage rates, which re-
main unchanged under the present
agreement. Payrolls would have gone
up $4,000, 900 month.
The agreement bound both sides
not to propose a change for extern
sion of the agreement or a change
in the basic rates until after June Is.
Each side agreed that any change
proposed between June Is and Nov. l
should be handled under the railway
labor act "as expeditiously as reason
ably possible" and entered into by
owners and employees Of all the ma
TONS Class / roads.
Threat Hangs Heavy
The railways threat of q 20 per
cent reduction in the basic scale es-
tablished in 1926 hung apparently as
heavy. II not heavier, over the
workers Thursday. It's representa-
tives have said the 10 per cent tenn
porary cut is inadequate, and that
restoration of the old rates would
ruin the carriers. Stipulation Of fu-
ture negotiations under federal law
was considered a victory for the
roads, for labor sought to postpone
it by proposing one-year extension
OF the current agreement without
reference to it.
The roads made concessions in
their original proposal. It was for
an indefinite extension until changed
under the labor act. However, an.
other joint conference such as this
would be the first step If the act
were invoked by either side, then
refuge in the federal board OF five
mediators. Submission to three ar
bitrators would be the final. UNI
appealable step.