Evening star., 1950-08-24
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tie-ups on the Pittsburgh and
Lake Erie and the Elgin, Joliet
and Eastern which serve the ma
tion's big steel mills, are due to
end Saturday at midnight.
The strike threat has confront
ed the President with the alterna-
tive seemingly of seizing the rail-
roads as the unions have demand
ed before making new settlement
efforts. Asked at his news con-
ference today what he intended to
do. the President responded that
the strike call was so sudden and
unexpected that he had to take 1t
under consideration and would
give an answer later.
President Refuses to Answer.
Asked if that meant today, the
President said he couldn't answer,
adding that he had no idea that
the strike call was coming and
couldn't discuss the situation un-
til he knew the reason.
The President said that he had
had definite assurances that there
would be no strike from both rail
unions and management within
the past two or three days.
1t was then that the President
was asked if he did not feel he
had gotten the double-cross in
view of these assurances but he
refused to go on record on that
one.
The threatened strike, doubly
serious because of the war situa-
ton, climaxes a fight of a year
and half over wages and work.
ing conditions.
Under the Railway Labor Act.
which sets up a complex procedure
for handling of rail disputes, the
unions have been free to strike
since july Is.
Set for 6 AM. Monday.
The deadline for the walkout Is
6 am, local standard times, Mon
day. A strike of all railroads in
Canada is now in its fourth day,
so if the threatened walkout de-
velops in this country. all rail
transportation north of the Rio
Grande will be at a standstill.
The unions indicated hopes that
their full-scale strike threat might
force railroad owners, in seeking
to avoid seizure, to capitulate to
union demands. On at least three
prior occasions the unions asked
President Truman for seizure.
The carriers didn't seem opposed
to the seizure idea. At least, A.
e. Stoddard, president of the
Union Pacific Railroad, said in
Seattle last night that seizure
should be ordered Immediately to
prevent any interruption in mill
tary supply shipments to Korea.
I'VE are moving material which
1t is vitality important to expedite"
said Mr.. Stoddard, a former Army |
colonel. "We certainly cannot
afford to have the transportation
system tied up at this time"
Donnell Urges Action on Bill !
The threatened strike brought
a demand from Senator Donnell,
Republican, of Missouri, for "im-
mediate favorable action" on his
bill, pending in the Senate Labor
Committee, to outlaw all rail
strikes and require rail labor dis
putes to be arbitrated.
1.-THE interests of the public |
are paraRiouff and overshadow |
the interests of either the en-
'ployers or the employees of our
Nations railway system" Senator
Donnell said.
II President Truman seizes the
railroads. the rail workers would
become Government employees and
as such could be punished by the
courts through injunction pro-
ceedings for staying out on strike.
however. Cne unions have pledged
the men will work for the Govern
ment under seizure.
The usual course is for the Gov
ernment to require the regular
rail operators to continue as
agents of the Government. Wages
and other working conditions are
preserved intact, and profits are
accumulated by the carriers as
usual
Under past seizures, the Gov
ernment has required manage
ment and unions to keep negoti-
ating until such time as they
could reach an agreement and the