Evening star., 1950-06-25
5 Western Railroads
Facing Strike Of
5witehmen Today
Rx the Asseeioted Press

Ch1LA1O, Junc AT. 1puA
Western railroads ordered whole
sale freight and passenger train
cancellations today in prepara-
ton for a complete shutdown be-
fore their switchmen strike at 6
A. M. local time tomorrow.
The fifth railroad singled out
for the strike-the Great North
ern-said it will do its best" to
keep trains running.
The strike deadline neared
with direct peace talks broken OF
and no sign the walkout would be
averted. Strike instructions have
been given to 1000 switchmen on
the five lines.
President Arthur j. Glover OF
the AFL-Switchmen'S Union OF
North America and members OF
his strike committee left the peace
falks in Chicago late last night to
return to the field and run our
strike"
ONeiII Pessimistic.
Chairman Francis A. ONeill OF
the National Railway Mediation
Board said he was in a telephone
contact with Mr.. Glover and
would keep working" for some
break. but he gave no word OF
optimism. He repeated that no
thing is cooking in the boards
attempts to bring about post
ponement, compromise or settle
ment.
The strike would tie up vital
aegments of the Nations pas
senger and freight transportation
from Chicago to the Pacific Ocean.
It has been called against the
s,0o0-mile Chicago, Rock Island
6s Pacific System, the 1,195-mile
Western Pacific; the 1,500-mile
Chicago Great Western; the 2,413-
mile Denver g. Rio Grande West
ern and the 8,000-mile Great
Northern.
Only the Great Northern will
attempt to operate. The others
have announced they will shut
down for the duration OF the
strike.
Runs Will Be Completed.
Generally the four railroads sus-
pending operations have arranged
their schedules so all runs will be
completed by the strike deadline.
They have declared embargoes on
freight or warned that such goods
will be subject to delay"
The Rock Island Cancelled its
Los Angeles bound Imperial, sched-
uled to leave Chicago at $50 pm.
tCST) today. The last Great
Western passenger train out Of
Chicago left this morning for
Oelwein, Iowa.
The union called the strike in
protest against June IS recon-
mendation of a Presidential fact
finding board. The board rejected
the unions demand for a 40-hour
work week with the same take
home pay they now get for a 49,
hour week. The board. proposed
instead a 40-hour week with an
1S cents hourly pay boost.
The Rock Island planned to lay
off 81 900 of its $4,000 workers and
thousands Of other employees will
be made idle on the other roads.
Another Strike Threatened. q
The switchmen's strike call
comes almost on the heels of a
six-day strike of locomotive fire.
men and enginemen that dis
rupted service on five key rail
systems in the East, South, Mid
west and West May 1915. That
was the Nations first multi-sys-
tenn rail strike in four years.
The walkout, if it is not averted,
could be followed by a Nation
wide railroad tieup after July Is.
The railroads say a coast-to-
coast strike of 100000 trainmen
and conductors after that date is
imminent"
The switchmen's strike would
affect operations on a sixth road
The Chicago. Burlington & Quin-
cy Railroad said it would drop it's
Chicago to San Francisco Califor-
MIA Zephyr. The railroad said
the Rio Grande and Western
Pacific have advised they cannot
operate the train west of Denver
during any switchmen's strike.