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Show (BOARD REFUSES TO BREAK WAGE AGREEMENTS I ' " I Roads Lose First Round in Fight to 1 Cut Employes' Pay I HiCAGO, Feb. 10. The federal railroad labor board today de-' Died the request ot the American Association of Railway Executives 01 immediate abrogation of the national ivac areiMiieuts with the brotherhoods and establishment of a new basic rate for unskilled labor la-bor predicated n loeal conditions. Tho decision came before ts. M. Jewell, president of tho railway employes' em-ployes' department of the American Federation of Labor, had started his reply to the statement made for the railway executives last week by W. v. Atterbury, of tho Pennsylvania railroad. It was totally unexpected, but Mr Jewell made his statement nevert bcless. The board held that It had no Jurisdiction Ju-risdiction over questions Involving expense of operation and suggested that neither the roads nor the unions Interrupt the pending hearing on Standard rules and working conditions with "further unwarranted demands." PRT OF CON8PIRA V. Mr. Jewell's statement charged that tho request for Immediate abrogation of the national working agreements were part of a conspiracy to disrupt unionism. He asserted that this movement, so far as tho railroads were concerned, I was engineered by financial Interests and absolved from his charges a ma-Jorlt ma-Jorlt of the men engaged In active I railroad management Referring to ' the statement made January 31 by W W. Atterbury. vice president of the Pennsylvania railroad and chairman of the labor commi'toe of the executives ex-ecutives organization, Mr. Jewell said: Lot KOI T THREATS NT2D. "General. Atterbury abused tho courtesy of the board In granting him an opportunity 10 speak under its j sanction, by using that privilege m vainly attempting to coerce employes I of tho roads by threaten Ink' them 1 with a lockout. If the ultimatum which he laid down is not immedlate-I immedlate-I ly accepted." I He added that throuch the pub-. pub-. llcpv which the Atterbury statement I attained, the "union employes already I were brought face to face with w hat I virtually is a lockout." The present hearing separated by I agreement rules and working condf-' condf-' Hons for wages. The decision on ' wages was rendered last July. Judge : Barton said and tho rules hearing 1 convened on January L0. JUDGE W ANTS TIME. "If anv 01" these rules and working conditions are unjust and unreasonable." unreasona-ble." said the decision, "they ronstl tute an unwarranted burden upon the railroads and upon the puh'lc. It Is therefore, the duty of ths board to use the utmost practicable expedition. ' consistent with the necessary time for I hearing and consideration, In determining deter-mining whether any of tho rules and working conditions now in effect arc unreasonable The board Is endeavoring endeavor-ing 10 perform Its obligation and will be better able to succeed In doing so if It Is not further Interrupted by the Introduction of unwarranted demands bv either parly. JFAVKLL S STATEMENT. Conspiracy on the part of American railroad executives and financiers to destroy tho organizations of railroad workers and re-establish autocratic financial control of tne transportation Industry, was charged hen- todaj by B M Jewell, president of the railway department of tho American Federation Federa-tion of 1-abor. who appeared before the United States railroad labor board. .. Mr Jewell also charged the railroad rail-road officials with 'framing up" of evidence. Ho asserted that in last) week s statement state-ment to the board by W W. Attc.--burv, chairman of the labor committee commit-tee of the American Association QX Railway Executives, attempted to "falsely convince tho public that high rates due lo financial irregularities and inefficiencies of railroad management" manage-ment" are attributable to unions of ruilroad workers and "to obtain a weapon from, which to exact from the government full payment of the exorbitant, ex-orbitant, claims which the railroads are making, and to coereo and threat- 41...... 1 ,.-r.-L-ri- l.v the snec- ej in,- lainKJU " ' - tro of unemployment and reduced wages." XUTOCKATIC CONTROL. Mr Jewell charges that Mr. Atterbury Atter-bury IS the spokesman of a powerful financial combination seeking to reestablish re-establish "this autocratic control from which tho war has freed US and which was especially exemplified by conditions on tho Pennsylvania railroad." rail-road." "Mr. Atterbury.' be added, represents repre-sents a conspiracy attempting , to cast discredit upon the government in its administration of the railroads and to destroy the legitimate organizations of Ihe railroad employes. Mr. Atterburj undoubtedly knows that the present plight-of the roads is not due 10 the Inefficiency of the employes. em-ployes. He knows that it lo not due to mistreatment accorded to roads under un-der federal control. One significant thing he said In the courso of his ultimatum. ulti-matum. 'You cannot mako retroactive tomorrow the savings that should have boon made today.' This should be a bitter pill to many a small investor In railway socurltles who has lost saV- ings through the squandering of railroad rail-road wealth for which the financiers aro responsible " RAID OS Pot M rS. "And now Mr. Atterbury discloses the determination of the conspiracy to make a raid upon Ihe pockets or tho railroad employes, whose annual earnings still average less than the 1 cognised standard of a living wage By this raid be says he can secure (Continued ou Pate WO) Roads Lose First Round in Fight to Cut Employes Pay (C ontinued from Page one. 1300,000.000. Other raids will follow, according to his own etntement, al-Itbougb al-Itbougb a three months' truce mut be declared." "Thin conspiracy," adds air. Jew il. I "alms at the ultimate destruction of Ithe orRiinizalion of the workers of the 1 count! y anJ the bt traduction Of hao-tlc hao-tlc Industrial conditions dominated tiy the huge economic power of an absentee ab-sentee financial combination Srhlcb had up to thin period practically the control of the working and living conditions con-ditions of millions of wage earners and their Camillas " u w i t i ) RBI Rl Rl i i i i The railroad unin chief demanded that the board recall Mr. Atterbury and reijuire him to rumlsh "a full lt of tho rullroad- IhS point of view of which he expressed " Mr. Jewell .said that this action ! would exonerate 'the numerous railway rail-way executives" who would repudiate Mr. Atttrbury's vlewa. "We hardly need point out to you. Mr. Chairman." he said, "that the r.illr.'.d having u your wage decision de-cision as h lever to obtain the hlgh-st freigbt and passenger rates ever accorded, ac-corded, are now anxious to be rid of the protection which this board affords af-fords to the employes of th railroads. They know that the quickest way to accomplish this purpose will be to cause ih board to stultify and destroy Itself by a decision such as that ask-d ask-d 1 Mr. Atterburv. ,r.,T ruP1 lho re- -,b!lshment of U17 conditions of employment on railroads rail-roads is to deny to railroad employes recognition for invaluable servk. and as unjust u., it would be to suggest r.r"?rd b" had f0' the millions of valiant defenders of liberty who made tile supreme sacrlflo. |