Evening star., 1948-06-15
|Swifchmens' Leader
|b|ames Truman for
Failure Of Rail Farley
~ the Assoeiofsd Press

BY the Asseeia.sd Press
A. J. Glover, a railroad union
leader, today blamed President
Truman for the failure of nego-
tiations to settle the railway Ia
Dor dispute.
Mr.. Glover, president of the AFI
Switchmen's Union, told a congres.
sional committee that John r. Steel
man, Presidential Assistant, told un.
ion chiefs at a White House meet
ing on May 7 that Mr.. Truman I'm
sisted" they must accept the recon-
mendations of an emergency board
| Appearing before the Joint Com
mittee on Labor Management Rela'
tions, MIR. Glover said: I'VE think q
settlement could have been made ir
these mediatory conferences with DR.
Steelman, except for the attitude Of
the President
Court Order Obtained.
To prevent strike by the en-.
gineers, firemen and switchmen, Mr.
Truman seized the railroads on May
10 and the Government got a court
order against the walkout.
Mr.. Glover said that A. F.
Whitney, president of the Brother
hood of Railroad Trainmen. settled
with the railroads in November and
shortly afterward was reported by
the press as meeting with the Presi-
dent Of the United States at the
White House"
He continued:
Naturally I can not know the
purpose of that meeting, but it has
created great deal of speculation.
Business Week on May IS, l945
carried this article:
Behind the rail seizure is tan
gle of presidential politics and union
politics. A. F. Whitney's Trainmen
has been raiding the AFL Switch
men and Robertson's Enginemen
Brotherhood. That's why these
unions felt forced to hold out fol
more than Whitney settled for. But
when Whitney agreed to call of his
feud with Truman and support
him for reelection, Whitney exacted
promise-that Truman wouldn't
let Whitney's rivals get a better
settlement.
! Settlement on Merits Urged.
Mr.. Glover then added: Regard.
less of union politics, we think these
cases should be settled on theil
merits and presidential politics
should not in any way influence the
final settlement"
In Cleveland Mr. Whitney denied
emphatically that he had reached q
private agreement with President
Truman. He said his meeting with
the President was brief and that nc
political or labor matters were dis
cuSsed.
I'VE only discussed our May, 1916
clash when the President ended the
rail strike), and we both said We
regretted it. I said it was just
water over the dam and the Presi-
dent said the same. All of this ]
reported to the press afterward."
David B. Robertson. president OF
the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen and Enginemen, backed up
Mr.. Glover's account of the White
House talks. He said:
Evidently the railroads received
some encouragement in their posiz
don as It was made very clear to
us during our meetings with DR..
Steelman that his mediatory efforts
Had been circumscribed sby,the Press
ident of the United States to the ex-
tent that any agreement reached
must be within the confines of the
emergency board report"
Johnston Discusses Rule Changes.
Senator Donnei. Republican, OF
Missouri, interrupted Mr.. Robertson
at that point.
Did DR.. Steelman tell you that?"
Senator Donnell asked.
YES" said the witness, a small,
white haired man who talks in a
deep, empnatlc voice.
After Mr.. Robertson came Alvan-
ley Johnston, chief of the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers. He
discussed complex changes in work.
ing rules that the three unions are
demanding.
The emergency board referred to
by the witnesses recommended GER
tain rules changes and a wage in
crease of 1512 cents an hour.
This was the same amount ac-
cepted by Mr.. Whitney's trainmen
and Is other unions that have en-
ployes on the railroads.
Leiserson Choice Criticized.
The railroad companies accepted
the boards report. The unions re-
iected it, saying they have a per-