Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-07-21

subsequent negotiations bll
specifically rejected proposal
for arbitration to settle un
resolved issues.
Direct discussions between
the parties proved unfruitfu
: and on June 4 the Secretar.
and Assistant Secretary O
' Labor Joined with the Nationa
Mediation Board in the negotia,
: tons. On June is the Presiden
, requested the parties to extenC
: the 30-day statutory status quo
: period until July 10 and they
: agreed to do so. After further
; intensive bargaining had moi
| produced agreement, the Sec.
; Rotary Of Labor made specific
| proposals for the disposition Of
two key issues relating to fire.
men and the consist (make-up)
Of train crews. The carriers
accepted these proposals. The
brotherhoods rejected them or
the ground that they involved
arbitration.
On July 8, the President pro-
: posed that the parties agree to
submit all issues in dispute fol
final settlement to Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court
Arthur j. Goldberg. The carriers
accepted this suggestion, and
the brotherhoods rejected it on
the basis that 1t provided for
binding third-party settlement
Of unreSolved issues.
On July 10, eight hours before
the time the carriers had set
for the PRONUNCIATION Of their
rules and the time the brother
hoods had set to strike, the
President asked the parties and
they agreed to maintain the
status quo until July 20 in order
to permit a subcommittee of
the Presidents Advisory Com
mittee on Labor-Management
Policy to review and report to
him, for transmittal to the
Congress, the facts and issues
in controversy and the respec-
tive position Of the parties.
ISSUES AND POSITIONS
OF THE PARTIES
The issues in dispute include
employment Of firemen, consist
of crews, interdivisional runs,
combination of road and yard
service, manning Of self
propelled machines, wage struc-
ture and fringe benefits, en-
ployment security, and training.
1. Employment of firemen.
Present rules require. with
certain exceptions, that there
be two men Ian engineer
and a fireman) in the cab of
diesel passenger, freight, and
yard locomotives. Typically, a
"head-end" brakeman also rides
in the cab of diesel road freight
locomotives. 90 The carriers
by their notices sought the
right to remove all firemen
Except In passenger service) ,
contending that the work tradi-
tionally performed by firemen
has almost entirely disappeared
or could be performed by other
employees. The brotherhoods
commended that firemen are es-
sential for safe and efficient
operations as well as for relief
of engineers and for training
future engineers.
The presidential railroad
commission concluded that
firemen ARE not so essential
for the safe and efficient oper-
alton Of road freight and yard
dieSels that there should con-
tinue to be either a national
rule or local rules requiring
their assignment on all such
dieSels." 1t recommended that
firemen with less than 10I
years seniority be separated
from service, with various pro-
visions for severance pay, re-
training, and preferential hir-
ing rights on other railroad
jobs. Firemen with over 10
years seniority were to be re-
tanned with full job rights.
In its report, the emergency
board concluded that there
should be determination, by
bargaining and by neutral pro-
ceedings. If necessary, of "those
situations, If any. which will
continue to require the pres
ence of a fireman in order to
assure adequate safety, and to
prevent placing an undue
burden upon the remaining
crew members"
The board suggested nego-
tiating a procedure whereby
positions could be eliminated
as they became vacant, but
which would permit the broth
erhoods to question the elm
ination on the grounds of safety
or undue burden. Disagree
ments would be settled by local
negotiations, or, failing agree
ment, by a special referee
procedure.
All firemen - except those
hired recently or those working
only irregularly-were to con-
tinue In the employ of the
carriers although firemen with
less than 10 years. seniority
could be transferred to other
comparable jobs with an earn
ing guarantee. For those
electing to withdraw from serv-
ice. educational scholarships,
retraining allowances, and
separation allowances were
recommended.
In the ost-emergency board |
negotiations, the brotherhoods
made an offer to agree to a
reduction in certain categories
Of jobs ION an attrition basis) |
which they estimated would
include $500 such jobs of the
approximately $4,000 firemen
jobs In freight and yard service.
The carriers rejected this
offer for various reasons,
among them that the condi-
tons attached TO 1t would re-
dttaa tho Y1,,rahav. ~ iohe