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Show BAN PLACED ON CONTRACT WORK . Momentous Decision Is Handed I Down by United States Rail-; Rail-; : road Labor Board. : ' .i u. WORKERS HAD MADE PROTEST Action May Avert Threatened Strike ! Which" Would Have Involvtd Six Hundred Thousand Men Vote . . Finally Unanimous. t One ol the most far-reaching decisions deci-sions ever. Issued by the United States railroad labor , board came in a ruling rul-ing that places' a ban on the contract system, under which many roads are alleged to have been evading ' the board's orders as to wages, working conditions, and other matters. The decision, it was said, may serve to avert the threatened strike of 600, 000 railway shopmen and switchmen; The farming-out system, through which, in some instances, entire shops were let to contractors, who, not being under Jurisdiction of thet labor board, paid lower wages than those prescribed, has been a chief grievance of the shopmen. shop-men. . . . , The board's decision was, based on the Indiana Harbor Belt line case, but, it was said, will apply to all other, similar sim-ilar cases now pending before the. board. There are many of these, notably not-ably one Involving the Erie. Although It was reported .that one of the three labor board members representing rep-resenting the railroad group demurred for a time, the vote on the fanning out decision was. finally unanimous. . . . , ' In specific explanation as to the nature na-ture of the ease," the opinion said: "Contracts .have been recently entered en-tered Into by various carriers, purporting pur-porting to turn oyer to so-called In-, dependent contractors the1 wo'rk'bf the following classes of employees: "The six shoD crafts, the mainte- nance of , way, certain employeea embraced em-braced in the clerks' organization, the firemen and oilers, the hostlers . (embraced (em-braced In the engine service), and signal sig-nal department employees." ' The employees referred to those affected af-fected are said to number 150,000 are formally brought back under the labor board's jurisdiction, entitled to, the protection of Its rulings as totpay, working conditions, and the like. . Approximately 1,600 shopmen and maintenance of way men on the West era Maryland railway have been on strike several weeks In protest against the farming out of work by that road, GENERAL LABOR NEWS ' Labor councils In cities which have a major league baseball team are to be requested not to attend the games as long as former trudge Landis remains as baseball commissioner. At Haverhill, Mass., the arbitration board, of which N. A. Heard of Boston Bos-ton was the neutral member, settled the wage dispute between the manufacturers manu-facturers and the Box Makers' union by reducing wages from 3 to 18 per cent, with an average reduction of 11 per cent. The manufacturers asked a 20 per cent reduction. , The new prices will continue in effect for six months in eight factories, employing 400. Resolutions declaring they will .accept .ac-cept no further wage reductions under threat of a nation-wide strike were adopted by the delegates representing 150,000 members of the Amalgamated Clothing Worker of America. I'uy of the clothing workers was cut about 15 per cent lost year. It was followed by a six-months' strike In New York In which the closed shop was the chief Issue. A defense fund of $2,300,000 was raised to support the workers. A uniform wage reduction of $3 a month for the several grades of unlicensed un-licensed seamen on th Great Lakes for the 19! season has been announced an-nounced by the executive committee of the Lake Carriers association. A reduction of 25 cents per duy In the wage of the 40,000,000 laborers In the t'ttlWd Stales, 5scrcUi.7 .f Ltbor Davis declared, would decrease ' the purchasing power of the nation $10,-000.000 $10,-000.000 a day $3,000,000,000 a year. Combined common sense and Justice to all persons concerned In railroad labor disputes will be the means of a solution of every problem affecting the relations of railroads and their employees, em-ployees, Ben W. Hooper, chairman of the United States railroad labor board, said before members of the Brotherhood Brother-hood tf .Railroad Trainmen, In triennial trien-nial convention nt Toronto. Canada. More than 2.1HJO men are on strike in the Itarltun IUver (N. J.) Industrial district iK'cnnee a demand for wage Increases lias been refused. The following fol-lowing plants are closed: American uielf iiig and Itefining company. (HX) men; Barber Asphalt company, TmO men; Henry Maurer brickworks, 400 'lien; . Sayre & Fisher brick works r.00 men. Labor efticlency Is higher with UiWe liil'ts of eight hours each than with two twelve-hour shifts, according o Mil? engltieerif.g council of the Fcdcr ated American Engineering societies which recently concluded a national survey and found that more than 500.. OOO shii't wi rkers ure enfployed n American industry. The I'ottstown (I'a.) plant of the ,'agel Steel company, the I'nlversal Mill and seven puddling furtiacvs of the Glasgow Iron company have re-numed. re-numed. The Splcer automobile parts pliant bus reopened on part time. |
