OCR Text |
Show STRIKE AVERTED Bl PRESIDENTS ACTION CONFERENCE TO CONSIDER THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE UNIONS AND RAILROADS. Representatives of Workers Obey Wilson's Wil-son's Request That Order for Walkout Walk-out be Cancelled, Tribunal to ConsJder Differences. Washington. The railroad wage controversy has been referred to a general gen-eral conference of union committeemen, committee-men, called to meet here February 23, for final decision as to whether the demands for increased pay will be pressed on the government or passed on to the railroad corporations, soon to resume control of their properties. Representatives' of the fourteen unions who have been conferring with Director General Hlnes since February Febru-ary 3 and whose spokesmen laid their claims before President Wilson Saturday, Sat-urday, have tentatively accepted the White House proposal for a tribunal, created either by law or on the president's presi-dent's motion, to consider the demands. Final word must come, however, from higher union authority, the conference of union heads. While union leaders feared the effect ef-fect of further delay on their membership, mem-bership, the possibility of a general strike appears to be remote. Officials of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of .Way Employees md Shop Laborers did not sign the ietter accepting Mr.-Wilson's Mr.-Wilson's proposal and their strike set for Tuesday was not called off until Saturday night. The brotherhood delegates dele-gates here, however, had telegraphed A. E. Barker, president of the maintenance main-tenance workers, urging that the strike be c?lled off, and Mr. Barker complied com-plied by postponing the strike indefinitely. indefi-nitely. The president supplemented the action ac-tion of the union leaders with a telegram tele-gram to Mr. Barker calling upon him to withdraw the strike order and to "make sure that no interruption to transportation occurs." Sir. Wilson said he felt sure that the officials of the maintenance of way union would realize that "you cannot in justice fo your membership and the cirzens generally of the United States persist In a course which is opposed to your obvious duty to the country." |