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Show pESS SOUGHT IN RAILWAY WAGE HEARING I THREE STEPS I SUGGESTED Bl I LABOR LEADER I President Jewell Advocates Putting Collective Bargaining Bargain-ing Into Effect At Once CONFAB ON NATIONAL AGREEMENTS URGED Organized Propaganda Works Against Employes, Federation Federa-tion Spokesman Says ' HICAGO, Feb. 17 A recess of one moih in the hearing before the railroad labor board on the application applica-tion of railways for abrogation of the I national agreements, wns asked today by it m Jewell, president of the rail- 1 way employes' department of the Am-erican Am-erican Federation of !ibor. Mr. Jewell Jew-ell said the unions needed until March M t.. prepare their rebuttal testimony. According to Mr Jewell's contention. conten-tion. It Was not until E T. Whiter. chairman of the carriers' committee before the board, had completed the roads' evidence on January 27 that the brotherhood representatives knevt JUSt what the real objections to the national agreements were. Mr Jewell said that tf the brotherhoods broth-erhoods were compelled to start their rebuttal before March 14. the cvl- J dence they would present would nec-smartly nec-smartly constitute an incomplete case. The board took the request under ad-visement ad-visement and the union leader then read a prepared statenont. JEW El 18 STATEMENT, Immediate application of the prln-Olple prln-Olple of collective bargaining to 'tho railroad labor situation was advocat-led advocat-led by Jewell. He said that only by such means could the present con-trovcrsy con-trovcrsy be settled and a national cri-Mia cri-Mia .ii transport.it fori avoided. I Suggesting that the roads' fight on the present national agreements is merely a smoke screen, Mr. Jewell proposed three steps for tho board to take, as follows: THREE STEPS PROPOSED. First Refer tho national agree ments to n joint conference of rep-resentatlves rep-resentatlves of the railroads and the brotherhoods, the board agreeing to pass Immediately upon any differences which may arise from such negotla- Second That the board confer with the employers and employes on estab-jlishmeut estab-jlishmeut of boards of adjustment oi contemplated by the transportation Third Tint instead of filing a flood of Individual complaints on wages of unskilled employes, the American As-SOclattOn As-SOclattOn of Railway Executive" through W. W, Atterbury, chairman of its committee on labor, confer with representatives of the employes af- STAND or FALL. He stressed his argument that the real Issue before the board was whether the fundamental principle of collective bargulnlng was to stand or t fall and asserted that nil delay In ad- justing pending questions could have been avoided if the employers hud either met the union representatives in conference- or joined with them In establishing boards of adjustment. He asserted that this procedure was em-bodied em-bodied in the transportation act and accused the roads of violating that law by their alleged faluro to adopt tho methods he advocated. "We are not fighting for perpctu.i-tion perpctu.i-tion of any unreasonable rules or working conditions." he said. "We do not wish lo cause the, roads un-reasonable un-reasonable expanse and never have supported any rules that do this. ORG 1NIZED PROPAGAND V Mr Jewell charged that organized I propaganda was being directed at the board at the behest of tho roads and "We have boon astounded that your honorable body has not taken judicial notice of this propaganda. The chair-man chair-man referred last Wednesday to reso-lutlcns reso-lutlcns received from chambers of commerce and other commercial or-ganlzations. or-ganlzations. "We consider such efforts as gross and Inconceivable improprieties. The position of this board is analogous to that of tho supreme court of tho United States Any such attempts to 'ffect its decisions would be treated H as contempt of court and Incur dras-tic dras-tic penalties." Mr. Jewell said that in showing un-Willingness un-Willingness to negotiate on a national scalo. the roads were "centralizing their own bargaining power and ele-centralizing ele-centralizing that of the unions." and that the employers were trying to crush tho local organizations, espec-lally espec-lally those recently formed, and thus weaken tho unions. |