Evening star., 1944-01-15
Rail Unions Due
.ToNotifyArmy
Strike Is Ended
; Operating Groups
Reach Agreement
On Poy Increases
By the Associated Press.


Three railroad operating
brotherhoods probably will give
the War Department formal no.
tice today of complete cancella-
ton of their strike, removing at
least one bar to the restoration
OF the carriers to private con-
troll.
The unions reached an agree.
ment with the class / railroads yes
terday, providing for an overall
wage increase of 8 cents an hour
and a weeks vacation, but agree
ments with 43 short-line railroads
remained to be signed. The brother
hood chiefs expected no dificulty
about that, but deemed it feasible to
withhold official notice to the Army
until the short lines signed up.
The settlement was announced by
the White House in making public
an exchange of correspondence be-
tween President Roosevelt and John
j. Pelley, president of the Associa-
ton OF American Railroads, who
told Mr.. Roosevelt that the carriers
and representatives of the firemen,
conductors and switchmen had
reached the same basis of agree
ment to which the trainmen and
engineers earlier had been com.
mitted.
Strike Is Off,"
Presidential Secretary Stephen T.
Early told reporters that the strike
is off," so far as the operating
unions are concerned.
The wage dispute involving the
10 incorporating unions, including
more than a million clerical, me-
chanical and laboring employees, re-
NAMED unsettled as special presi-
Dental board continued hearings on
claims for overtime benefits.
The Army may decide to retain
nominal control of the railroads
until the incorporating dispute also
is settled, though previously 1t. Gen.
Brehon B. Someryell, chief of the
Army Service Forces who is operat-
ing the railroads for the Secretary
of War, cited only the operating
case as the bar to the termination
of his custodianship. He said at
least two of the three brotherhoods
which settled their differences yes
terday, had not Cancelled their strike
but merely postponed it for the
duration of Government operation.
The brotherhood chiefs replied that
fhau hod 1nynn 'o11 ~, at,
and that a strike voted by the rank
and file remained live issue while
the dispute which provoked it re-
mained unsettled. -
Could Set Another Date.
Actually, the incorporating union
chiefs could set another strike date,
though that is considered unlikely.
When they called of their December
30 strike they said only that I'VE
are withdrawing approval heretofore
granted the employees to stop work
80"
The agreement between the car
riers and the firemen, conductors
and switchmen carries the same
money benefits which the President,
as an arbitrator, awarded to the
engineers and the trainmen three
weeks ago. Of the 9 cents awarded,
4 cents is basic increase, and
cents is in lieu of overtime or away.
Trombone expenses. The cents,
however, also goes into the basic
rates.
The firemen. conductors and
switchmen, however, believe their
contracts eliminates freeze" they
say is contained in the contracts
covering the trainmen and engineers.
This is highly controversial point,
but, at any rate, they obtained con-
tractual language that is different
and is clear. They are prohibited
from bringing up overtime, expenses
and vacations during the war, but
they are not specifically prevented
from asking higher basic rates or
seeking changes in other rules at
any time.
The agreement already executed
between the carriers and the engi-
neers and trainmen, Mr.. Pelley told
(See pATT pOAnC De- o.