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Show Conductors and Trainmen Decide to Abandon 'Big Four' Pool CLEVELAND. O., Oct. 1 1 Method of settling aK and worklnp agreements agree-ments bstween the "Big Four" transportation trans-portation brotherhoods and the railroads rail-roads has entered a new oca, and If the present course of negotiations ia continued, the country for isveral years at least, will not be threati-nd with a complete tis-UP of railroad transportation through a concerted strike of thes brotherhoods on all lines of the nation, "W. G. Leo, president presi-dent of the Brotherho.nl of Kailroal Trainmen said Tuesday. The situation which developed in 1915, as a result of the eight hour fight, and again last fall, when the trainmen, conductors engineers and firemen's brotherhoods 8'Mit out na-tlon-wld strike orders, probably will not again occur. Decentralization of all wages, rules and working negotiations and a r.-turn to tho system prevailing for twenty yearn prior to the time when the four train service brof.herhr.ods were forced by the "eight Iiout fight" to pool their strength into what has slnco become famous as the "Big Four' railroad brotherhoods, has already set in. in the vl. iw oi Mr. Lee. IN TWO GROUPS. The new alignment of. the transportation trans-portation brotherhoods probaMv will find the Brotherhood of Hal I road Trainmen and the Ordr of Railway Conductors in one group and the Rrot herhonrl of Locomotive Engineers. Brotherhood of Locomotive Plremsn and Englnemen and the Switchmen's union of North America in the other. "I feel that I am able to handle my organization to a better advantage to get more for my men and to wont more effectively all round If the trainmen train-men and conductors go it alon far as wages and working rules are concerned." Mr Lee said. "This w!o business, with all railroad rail-road labor unions on one side, and J nil railroads on the other, with tho railroad labor board In between, got I too big for any one man or a few men to handle. It was loaded with I dynamite for the country as well as jfor ourselves and the. executives. No Bane government would permit any i faction or class to paralyze the transportation trans-portation business of the country and i thereby punish the innocent, who are I always In the majority. The only way out was' to separate." AGREEMENTS SIGNED. So far as strikes, wages and working work-ing rub s negotiations are concerned, tho "Big Four" no longer exists. The brotherhoods wdll continue to work together on legislation, non-partlson political and purely organization matters. mat-ters. Mr. Lee pointed out that the traln- men and conductors, dealing Individ-I Individ-I ually with railroads In the eastern r. gional district and by regional con- r aces lor the western and sovith- astern regions, have just completed I contracts with virtually all railroads In United States, continuing present Wages and working rules for a period I of a year and continuously thereafter p1 ..n a" days' notice from either j party. These agreements were obtained without consulting or working with i the engineers or firemen's brotherhoods. brother-hoods. ENGINEERS' VIEWS. Asked a few days ago if the switchmen's switch-men's union joining the engineers and firemen in negotiations with the New j York Central meant an intention to ; work with the swltchnu n hereafter. Warren S. Stone, president of the En- j glneera said, "No." It meant only thai Since th trainmen and con- . lu tors already have settled th switchmen, firemen and ourselves are I all that Is left." Negotiations carried on with Individual In-dividual roads or at most with regional re-gional groups, the consequence of a railroad strike wdll be much less dangerous. dan-gerous. A strike on one road would I probably not lead to governmental j , interference, it was pointed oht. STRIKES I OO COSTLY "A nation wide railroad strike Is . iknot possible today," Mr Leo said. "It! .r,is the railroads and the unlonsj I wh,lch Indulge in it more than thv can afford 'o lose. The shopmen'ji .strike proved that. When a strike j gets so big that it can't bo controlled then the government will step in and control it. This results generally in legislation detrimental to all con-lerned. con-lerned. "Trainmen and conductors are go- ing to handle their business hereafter j in the different regional groups, fo" Which the machinery Is already pro-I I vtded." Mr. Lee continued. "They will I j handle their wage matters alone in the future, at least as long as I am i president. I sincerely hope that all ' such matters will be settled in con- fer n and without the need of using the strike power." PIRS1 SIGN OF BRE K. Decentralisation of railroad labor organizations nnd a return to tho I "normalcy," which obtained before' the elpht hour fight and the period i of government control are In part the i following of a drift which began early tMs year but aro also direct results; of the shopmen's strike. That strike! 1 cleared the fftr, taught both unions j and railroad managers that strikes, and government interference in strikes I was costly. Mr. Leo expla'nej, and brought to , both sides the question; "We got along for a good many years. I always finding some way out of our I difficulties; why can't we do it I again?" ' Tho first sign of a break in the' "Big Four " came as the result of a divergence in policy last October when strike orders were sent to all four brotherhoods and the switchmen's switch-men's union and later rescinded During the shopmen's strike a break between the Vwo groups of brotherhood leaders occurred when Mr. Leo differed wdth the policy of the engineers' and firemen's sporadic walkouts. Mr Lee Insisted that trainmen train-men should not walk out unless a strike was properly authorised. The f-nlneers' and firemen chiefs Instructed In-structed their men that they could stay at homo if equipment was dan-erous dan-erous or armed guards threatened their safety. Kailroad workers have not yet won all the concessions in railroad operations opera-tions they are entitled to, Mr. Lee said. "Men past thirty years of age aro j virtually barred from gettlug jobs on a railroad," ho said "If they lose I their Jobs after that age thoy are out of the railroad business. "We have no federal or state compensation com-pensation laws to provide for the injured. in-jured. One of the big needs of tho future Is some plan for caring for the widows and orphans, aa well as the man himself, that Is worn out in tho service. There must bo ample provision made for the railroad worker work-er who Is past his period of usefulness. useful-ness. But as far as possible we hope to obtain these things through conference con-ference and through legislation." |