Show VOICE OF THE PEOPLE By Salt Lake Lal-co Telegram Readers Deplorable Switchman Fight Points Up Basic Problems Editor Telegram Please al allew allow allow al- al low lew me to reply to Mr Leroy Lerey D. D Atkinson who in turn wrote wrete to answer Mrs Don Den Marrelli's comments comments com com- ments concerning the recent strike of the switchman's union To paraphrase your own letter letter letter let let- ter Mr Atkinson I am struck by the fact that you yeu instead of Mrs Marrelli have apparently overlooked the most important fact about the strike in question that being that Mr Truman only threatened drastic action against one ene side of the two t bodies involved in the dispute It was notable and reprehensible sible to all honest workmen that our president decided to use the threat of troops to force an unjust settlement upon upen these workmen who had patiently gone through 16 months of fu futile futile futile fu- fu tile bargaining in a vain attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt to obtain nothing more or less than what 60 of the workers on American railroads today already enjoy namely the 40 10 hour heur week It was also notable notable notable not not- able that Mr Truman did not net action against the railroad railroad rail rail- road read management or to take takeover takeover takeover over all the profits of the rail rail- roads reads It is well to remember that the switchmen s of this country feel just as strongly about protecting protecting protecting pro pro- our homes hemes and liberties as you yeu do de also that during the time you were on Bataan these same workmen men were on the job jeb often working 16 hours a day and 56 hours a week to get the stuff to you And now new six years later we are still working the 56 hours a week at straight time lime Must time never march marchon on for the railroad workers of America It is deplorable Mr Atkinson that you yeu and the rest of the readers of newspapers today can cannot net be informed of the true causes of this strike as you should be But you should realize realize realize real real- ize that many of these same switchmen were also on Bataan Bataan Bataan Ba Ba- Guadalcanal Normandy and various arious other theaters of ef the last war and the main concern concern con con- cern of these boys beys today is Did we fight the last war to become the labor laber slaves of an injunction injunction tion tien to further the profits of the American railroads and spur them on to still stin further abuses Our point then is this Are railroad labor laber unions to be given their constitutional rights to use economic pressure or must we forever forc be slaves to either accept accept accept ac ac- ac- ac the conditions dictated by bythe bythe bythe the American Association of Railroads or be slapped in the face with an illegal injunction issued by any available federal judge irrespective of the justice of our cause 1 Louis B. B Brown |