Show RAILWAY LABOR FIGHTS PAY CUT WASHINGTON April 16 UP UP- UP Railway labor leaders threatened today to call a nationwide railroad strike if executives force a wage cut upon workers They challenged the directors of the Association of American Railroads Railroads Railroads Rail Rail- roads to set in motion the machinery machin machin- ery of the railway labor act which might force a reduction and warned them that labor would stop at I nothing short of a nationwide strike to maintain its present wage rates Heads of the railway brotherhoods brotherhoods brotherhoods brother brother- hoods took this position after re rejecting rejecting rejecting re- re proposals for a voluntary wage deduction George M. M Harrison Harrison Harrison Har Har- rison president of the Railway Labor Labor La La- La-I La bor Executives' Executives association and J. J J. J Pelley Association of American Railroads president announced the refusal jointly Pelley said that a meeting of ot class 1 member railroads will be called soon to ask the brotherhoods formally for a wage reduction No date for the meeting will be beset beset beset set he said until la r and management management management man man- man man- meet with Chairman 1 airman Burton Burton Bur 1 ton 1 K Wheeler D. D Mont of the senate interstate commerce committee committee com corn to discuss legislative proposals proposals proposals pro pro- to relieve the railroads' railroads critical critical critical cal financial problems Pelley said that a wage cut is necessary to save the railroads that the interstate commerce commissions commission's commissions commission's com corn missions mission's refusal to increase eastern passenger coach fares one-half one cent per mile had aggravated a situation situation situation situa situa- tion already critical Harrison speaking for the railway railway railway rail rail- way labor organizations said Those guys are just kidding themselves he said I 1 never heard of such a thing in my life as their attempt to reduce purchasing power while the president is pouring 4 into trade channels in an attempt to increase buying power |