| OCR Text |
Show I 'I SHOPMEN CARRY CASE TO HARDING I NEXT STEP, IN RAIL STRIKE UP, I TO WHITE HOUSE AS JEWELL I OUTLINES UNION GRIEVANCES I j Declaring That Roads Have Violated Board's De- I cisions in Nearly 100 Cases and Men Were I Forced to Quit, Jewell Says Shopmen I Are Willing to Meet Executives I to Reach Agreement I on LWages I CHICAGO, July 13. (By the Associated Press.) The striking I shopmen carried their case to the White House today. H The move marks a new phase of the nation wide suspension, now H in its fourteenth day and gave promise that the next step toward a H settlement might be in the form of action by the president. H Such action as was taken by the chief executive in the coal strike H is suggested by the new move of the shopcrafts leaders. H B. M. Jewell, head of the railway department of the American H ; Federation of Labor, today sent a telegram to President Harding re- H plying to the president's proclamation on the strike situation and H ! opening a new phase of the grievances of striking railway shopmen. H j Railway peace activities, which loomed large on the strike horizon H Wednesday, stumped partlcipatably to- H (day while rail executives, union lead- ers and railway labor board .members M awaited the new angle of the develop-ment. develop-ment. JEWELL HOPEFUL. Chairman Hooper of tfre board, was H ln private conference with railroad Iff presidents again toaay, however, fol- H owing tho flat refusal of a committee H from the carriers Wednesday to talk H to the strikers as long as they remain away from the sheps Mr. Hooper de- lj clined to discuss his future plans, but B B. M. Jewell, president of the shop- H men, still maintained a hopeful atti- H tude. V The strike leader declared he be- H lleved the roads would soon relent and H get down to business with the strikers' H representatives. H REASONS FOR STRIKING B The telegram which was signed also B by the six international presidents of B the rallwayr shopcrafts, declared that B the strikers had walked out because B wages fixed by the labor hoard were H ln violation of tho provisions of the B Transportation acl and because of the B violation of ths labor boards' position B by the railroads. B The strikers insisted that no inter- H ruptlon of commerce or interference B with the mail had been caused by any B unlawful act by the shopmen. The B telegram laid such interference di- Bfe rectly to the attempt of the railroads E to operate with incompetent workmen. BJ President Jewell and his associates g reiterated their desire to cooperate ln an effort to bring peace but declared IBB that up to tho present the rail ex- ecutlves had refused to meet the rep- P resentatlves of the employes. fe. TEXT OF TELEGRAM. P The text of the telegram follows. r "It appoora from your proclama- ' tlon of July 11 that Incomplete lnfor- p mation has ban furnished you con- f,, cerning the present dispute between the railroad operators and employes. It' "Ninety-two railroads have v iolated P the transportation act or decisions of j? the labor board in 104 cases These IEK Involved not only contracting out work P In shops but also wage .decreases, in- terpretations of rules and right of em- R ployes to elect their ovn representa- K1' 'tlvea. When the Pennsylvania rail- r road refused to comply with the boards ruling. Federal Judge Page pj held that the Hoard's position on B or rules was only advisory. Th- B railroads have refused ever since pas- jKj sage of the transportation act lo E abllsh national board of adjustment described In the labor board as the . W central pari of the machinery to de-cide de-cide disputes bjtween the carriers and their employes. LOW BASIS OF PAY. j$ "The railroads have made all ne- B grotiations merely formal thus throw- m Ing on the board an impossible bur- Br den of arbitration The board has I' abolished overtime pay for Sundays B and holidays enjoyed for 30 years even X on unorganized roads. The bonrd haN fe established a rate of pay of $800 a year though tho department of labor fixed Iih hare cost of living at over iK.- JH00 and a minimum comfort budget It at over $2300 "When the basic wag Is unjust it V follows that all wages graded up- at', wards tor skill and responsibility art- P i ' unjust ;K; "Organized employes support your ? ' declaration of May 23. 1921, that the fc; lowest wai,'e must not be only enough W' for comfort, but -t insure that the struggle for existence shall not crowd fir ("Continued on Pago Two,) NEXT STEP IS UP TO HARDING Rail Strike Situation Out-I Out-I look Not Quite So Bright As Wednesday (Continued from Page Onoi out things purely worn, living for, and that it should provide for amusement, amuse-ment, recreation and saving "I VIOLATED CLAIM "Employe have never violated any deoleion Of the board; hut the rali-ioad-' hovo violated decisions and cna-ployes cna-ployes havo refused to work under w i . s fixed by the labor board which violated provisions of the Transportation Transpor-tation act, ' "The board has attempted to unload un-load financial burdons of railroad management upon employes through Inadequate wages and will undermine tho health and prosperity of tbe next generation. After exhausting all otlter methods the employes sought again to obtain a conference and agreement with the railroad exeotltlves, Only as h last resort did they strike We respectfully re-spectfully Insist that no interruption ' of commerce or Interference of malls WM reused hy direct or unlawful acts , of the organized employes. Such In-: In-: terruptions and Interference results Inevitably from .ittempte of railroads i to operate with insufficient, intompel-i intompel-i cnt and unjkilled workmen 'Such interruptions und interferences interfer-ences will continue until urgeement Is obu.lned upon lust and rcasonablo wages betWMQ the representatives of the skilled employes and railway executives ex-ecutives who up to date have refused cv-n to meet the employes' reprcsen tallves. AVe stand ready to cooperate whole heartedly with any effort to bring aJOU( such an agreement " i ld ( l. DEPLORED 1'nion headquarters of the shopmen Issued a statement deploring tho re-' potted violence In connection with the I walkout and declaring that tho or-nnlzr-d union strikers were ronduct-1 i lng "nn orderl well disciplined! 1 strike " The statement threw the blame for any lawlessness on Irresponsible per- sons, aggravated by the presence of i troops, railroad "gunmen" and United ; States marshals. The strikers sought the support of public officials and the press In preserving law and order, the statement said, continuing. " 'No violence' WSS the first and is the ilandmg order Of tho employes' or- iru nlz:it Inn Tli. r:i 1 1 mil I m., n ,r-, mjnlo have responded with armed guards, federal marshals carrying guns and Injunctions. :Uul the militiamen bearing bear-ing rifles and machine guns "The hands of our 400,000 men are BRiptJ Tli work they arc ready to do for a fylr wage is denied, their hands arc clean The railway man-acements man-acements have mobilized men in whoso hands arc guns. It Is to them and not to u that tho newspapers and public Officials should cry B warning warn-ing "'No Violence, gentlemen!'" |
