Imperial Valley press., 1943-12-16

they remain in private hands. Ihey
are specifically exempted from gov
ernment seizure b. the Smith-Con-
nally act. but other War-powers acts
would probably permit the presl-
dent to order the roads taken over
in case of strike or other emergen-
cy. ..
In World war I, there was no gov
ernment machinery already eStap-
lished to mediate and adjust rail-
way labor disputes. Today, there
is the National Mediation Board
set up by the Railway Labor act OF
1926 to handle just such cases. On
tor of this, to handle the 20 cents
an hour wage increase demands
made by the Is incorporating un-
ions for their 100000 members last.
December, the president named an
emergency panel to review a find
ing ALREADY made by the National
Mediation Board, which had been
unable to settle the dispute. The
emergency panel awarded an
cents an hour increase.
SECOND AWARD 4
Director Fred M. Vinson of the
Office of Economic Sterilization
rejected the first panel award and
a second presidentially appointed
emergency panel was named to re-
view the findings of the first panel.
1t has come through with awards
varying from q cents an hour for
IL pnnfc
hour for lower paid workers. A
senate resolution calls for setting
aside this second award and return
ing to the first. In this situation,
the Is incorporating unions called
for a strike vote.
Tracing the historical parallel,
you must go back to the Adamson
law, passed in September, 1915. This
law, first established the eight-hour
day for train and engine employees.
Over the Adamson law was fought
one of the bitterest battles in
American labor history, leading
right up to the eve of Americas
declaration of war the following
April.
Railway labor groups had been
negotiating for wage increases
through the carly part of 1916
and even before, on bases similar to
those arguments advanced today
that railwa9 labor wages have not
| advanced as fast as the cost of liv-
ing nor as fast as increases in
other Industries, to which the rail
/
| Conferences broke down in June
on the eight-hour issue. In August,
| the hrotherhoodS reported ga per
cent. OF their membership favored
strike. Faced by this threat, eight
/ hour" law was then introduced in
Congress, passed quickly and signed.
STRIKES THREATENED
" Instead of settling the issue, how
ever, passage of the law only served
I to sti' u3 the dispute. Many rail-
roads sought injunctions to stop
enforcement. In retaliation, the
unions threatened strikes if the law
was not put into effect by Jan. l,
1917.
Labor agreed to hold off on
strikes and the railway manage
ments agreed to hold up all other
suits until the supreme court could
rule. Hearings were held in jan
uary. But the railway unions con-
tinued to use the strike threat
without actually striking. On March
13 a freight strike was called for
March II. On March 16 it was de-
layed 48 hours On March 18 Presi-
dent Wilson announced that strike
must not be called because of the
imminence, of war; and On March
20 the supreme court finally hand
ed down its decision upholding the
Adamson law, thus settling the is
sue.
The wage issue involved in the
AdamSon law decision was not
however, settled b. the supreme
court decision. That came later
through settlement made by ar
emergency committee appointed by
President Wilson, which awarded
the train and engine service en-
ployes the same pay for eight hours
work that was formerly given fol
10 hours work. This was the start
of the World war I wage. increase
awards, which will be considered
G., ,rAI ,,, -. to