Evening star., 1946-04-26
|U.S. Intervention Seen
As Last Hope 10 Avert
National Rail Strike
By the Assoeiotsd Press

CLEVELAND, April 26.-Ex-
cept for the possibility of fur
ther Government action-for
which there were wartime prece-
dents-there appeared today lit
tie chance to head off a Nation
wide walkout of nearly 800, 900
trainmen and engineers on May
18, halting rail traffic all over
the country.
Originally scheduled to begin
March II, the strike was resched-
uled yesterday as the two brother
hoods turned down the report Of a
presidential fact-finding board.
1t could be forestalled if the Ma
tons carriers made concessions in
conferences which are to open in
Chicago Monday, but labor observ-
ers here. pending word on the
carriers attitude toward the fact
finding report itself, doubted that
this development was likely.
Could Take Two Courses.
Further Government action could
take two courses, either seizure and
operation of the roads by Federal
authority, or resumption Of fact
finding efforts. through appoint
ment of a new board or reconven-
ing the old.
1t was recalled that in December,
1943, and January, 1914, when all
the rail unions scheduled strikes and
rejected fact-finding reports, the
War Department took over the
roads by presidential order. Presi-
dent Roosevelt AS sole arbiter set
tied the case of the trainmen and
engineers.
The enginemen and firemen, the
conductors and the sWitchmen re-
fused to accept similar settlement,
but finally Cancelled their strike call
and signed an agreement with the
carriers. The President convened a
special board to settle the case of
Is incorporating brotherhoods.
Whitney Stresses Determination.
A. F. Whitney, president of the
trainmen, said yesterday IF the
Government calls us to Washington,
we'll go, but the strike order won't
be called off until satisfactory
settlement is reached"
Last night the three other operat-
ing brotherhoods announced they
would join a move by the Is non
operating unions to reopen their
own case for wage increases higher
than the Is cents an hour boost
awarded them by arbitration boards
on April 3.
Since last July "a, all rail unions
have been seeking wage increases
and changes in working rules. The
trainmen and engineers, insisting
on keeping the two issues together,
declined arbitration. called their
strike and saw their case 60 before
q fact-flnding board The 10 other
organizations accepted arbitration
of the wage demands by two
boards, not pressing the
rules changes.
All the wage demands were closely
cents an hour for the
men, $3.50 a day for
the three operating groups which
accepted arbitration, and an aver
age of Is per cent for the train
men and engineers, working out to
about the same rate.
Awards in each case amounted to
Is cents an hour. Already the
Is incorporating unions have filed
notice they will reopen their case
for an additional IA cents. The
and firemen. the con-
ductors and the switchmen said they
would file their demand for further
increases" on May 3.
Addressing a combined meeting OF
representatives of the trainmen and
engineers yesterday, Mr.. Whitney
declared:
I'VE are now free to go our way.
We have complied with all the laws
Of the land. No one can stop us
but ourselves"
Rule Changes Are Ma jor Issues.
Changes in working rules were a
major issue in the strike case. The
trainmen and engineers had asked
for As changes, and in a joint state
ment late yesterday they said:
OF the As rules proposed by the