PAGENO="0001"
RAILROAD LABOR DISPUTE
(D7Oco!«=~O
HEARINGS
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON
INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
~TNEPIETH CONGRESS
~IZ~P ~ESSION
ON
ft. J. Res. 559
TO PROVIDE ~QR THE SE LEMI~N~' OP ~I~E LABOR nrs-
PUTE BETWEEN CERTAIN CARRIERS BY RAILROAD AND
CERTAIN OF THEIR EMPLOyEE~
MAY ~, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 2~, 25~ 31; JUNE 6, 7, 1067
Serial No. 90-7
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Interstate and Foreign C~mmerce
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
79-~O5 WASHINGTON : 1967
`1 tc~TcL1
PAGENO="0002"
O~'iN~*1fl~ A o~q~MMER~ 7
HARLEY 0. STAGGERS, West ~ir~i~iia, C1~a~rman
SAMUEL N. ~E~4 Maryland WILLIAM L~ S1PRINGE~R, I~iinois
TORBERT I~. MAc1X~NALD, MassaolhisettS 2. A RYOUNGEI~ CaUfo]?4~a
JOHN JAR1~IAN, Oklahoma SAMUEL L. DEVINE, Ohio
JOHN E. MOSS, California ANCHRR NEZ~SEN, Minnesota
JOHN D. DING1~LL, Michigan HASTINGS K1~ltTH, MassachuSetts
PAUL G. ROGERS, Florida ~lLENN CUNNINGHAM, Nebraska
HORACE R. KORNEGAY, North Carolina JAMES T~ BROYHILL, North Carolina
LIONEL VAN DEERLIN, California ~4~MES HARVEY, michigan
J. J. PICKLE, Texas ALBERT W. WATSON, South Carolina
FRED B. ROONEY, pennsylVania TIM LEE cARTER, Kentucky
JOHN M. MURPHY, New York EL RO~EIt1)~ ~WATKINS, Pennsylvania
DAVID E,.SATTERFIELD III, Virginia PQNALD 0. BRQTZMAN, Colorado
DANIEL J. RONAN, Illinøts CLARENCE J. ~3R0WN, JR~, 0b~o.
BROCK ADAMS, ~asbIi1gtOn DAN ~
RICHARD L. OTTINGE~, New York
RAY BLANTON, Tennessee
W. S. (BILL) STUCKEY, Ja., Georgia1
PETER N. KYROS, Maine1
W. E. W1LLxA~tSON, Clerk
KENNETH J. PAINTER, A8sistant Clerk
Professional F~taff
ANDREW STEVENSON WILLIAM J. DIxON
JAMES M. MENGER, Jr. ROBERT W. LI5EMAN
1 Appointed May 25, 1907.
II
PAGENO="0003"
QONTE~TS
Hearings held on- Page
May 9, ~
May 10, 1967~ --~- 7a
May 11, i9~~7 ~ ___~ ~. 115
~iay 16, 1967 15~
May 17, 1967. ~ ~_L.. ~ 185
May 18' ~ ~~Lv 217
May 23, 1967 ~ ~ 261
May 24, 1967 - - -~ - ....
May2~, L967~ ~ .-~-
May 31, 1967 355
June 6, 1967 ~1 397
June 7, 1967 ~. 439
Text of House Joint Resolution 559 3
Report of the, Department çf Transporta~~~~ 4
Statement of-
Bezmett, Donald, eour~~el, Brotherhood of Loemnotiv~ Firemen and
Enginemen
Biemiiler, Andrew J., dir~t~r, Department of Legislation, AFL-~CIO - 33~
Boyd, Hon~ Alan S., Secretary, Departme~~ of ~azisportatjon~ 73
Chesser, A. H., legislative. representatj~e, Brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen
Fahy, Judge Charles, Chairman, Special Media~1jion PaneL 5, 115
Gilbert, H. B., president, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and
Enginemen ~ - .~- - - - - ~- 35~
Ginsburg, David, Chairman, Emergency Board No..169~ 5
Greenough, A. J., president, Pennsylvania Railroad Co 439
Harris, Thomas B., asSociate general counsel, AFL~-Qj~. - - 333
Harve~r, Scott, Labor Eoorzomist~' Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Transportation Policy Development~ Department of Transporta..
t~Qfl~.
Ignatius, Paul R., Assistant Secretary. of. Defense (Installations and
T~iogistics)~_ -~ ~. - 398
Krause, Anthony, assistant general president, Brotherhood of Railway
Carmen of America (member, Executive Co~hcil, AFL-CIO Railway
Employees' Department) -- - - - - 261
Lane, Maj. Gen. John J., Commander, Military Traffic Management
and Terminal Service - - - 398
Leigbty, George B., chairman, Railway Labor ExecutWOs?Assocja
tion -~ ~ - - - - - 217 293
Luzia, Charles, president, Brotherhoodo~ R~4ilroad Ttainrnen~~ - - 375~
Marsh, Michael, director of research, Railway Labor Executives'
Association - ~- - 217
Meyer, Lt. Gen. Richard D., Director for Logistics, Joint Chiefs of
Staff 398
O'Brien, J. W., general vice president, Sheet Metal Workers' Inter-
national Associatiari (member,. Exeentive Couricil, AFL-CIO Rail-
way Employees' Department) 261
O'NeiJl, Francis A., Jr., Chairman, National Mediatibu Board 5, 115
Parks, Maynard, vice president, Missouri~pacifi0 Line& 159
Prin~e~ Gregory,. executive vice president arid general counsel, Associ-
atiQn of American Railroads - - - - 439
Quarles, W. B., Jr., vice chairman, National Railway Labor Confer-
ence , -~ 159, ~
Ramsey, Joseph W., general vice president, International Association
of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, representing the Executive
Council of the AFL-CIO Railway Employees' Department 261, 329
`It
PAGENO="0004"
IV CONTENTS
Statement of-Continued
Ramsey, Thomas V., international vice president, International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (member, Executive Council, l~age
AFL-CIO Railway Employees' Department) 261
Reynolds, James J., Under Secretary, Department of Labor 5
Rice, W. Thomas, president, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co 423
Schoene, Lester P~, ge~iera1 cpwisei, Railway Labor Executives'
Association ~ 217, 293
Wirtz, lion. W. Willard, Secretary, Department of Labor 5, 115
Wolfe, Edward, vice president, Intertiational Brotherhood of Boiler-
makers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpei~s .
Sept. 14,1962
(E.G. 11050).
Harry H. PlaIt, Chairman; Hubert
Wyckoff, Morrison Handsaker.
David R~ Stowe, Cimirsnan; Bryon R.
Abernathy, H. Raymond Cluster.
Saul Wallen, chairman; Israel Ben
Scheiber; Emanuel Stein.
Joseph Shister, chairman; Lloyd H.
Bailer; Edward A. Lynch.
Donald B. Str~us; Morrison Hand-
saker; Patrick I; Fisher, chairman.
Leo C. Brown, Chairman; Eli Rock;
Arthur M. Moss.
Theodore W. Kheel, chairman; Paul
N. Guthrie; Byron B. Abarnethy.
Saul WaIlen, chairman; Lawrence E.
Siebel, Edward A. Lynch.
James C. Hill, Chairman; Thomas C.
Begley, Arthttr W. Sempliner.
Arthur Ross, Chairthan; Paul I).
Hanlon, Charles C. Killingsworth.
Joseph Shister, Chairman; Walter F.
Eigenbrod. .1. Harvey Daly.
Paul N. Guthrie, Chairman; James 1.
Healy, Burton B. Turkus.
Paul D. Hanlon, Chairman; David
H. Stowe, Frank D. Reeves.
Keith J. Mann, Chairman; John F.
Sembower, Abram H. Stockman.
James C. Hill, Edward A. Lynch,
Theodore W. Kheel, Chairman.
Jacob Seidenberg, Chairman: I.
Glenn Donaldson, Robert I. Ables.
0
0
I
May 1,1962 - A-6406,
June 14, 1962 A-5896~ A-5739.
Aug. 30, 1962
No formal report, Aug. 11,
1962.
Mar. 4, 1963 (extension to
Jan. 5, 1963).
Dec. 311, 1962
Dispute resolved by mu-
tual agseement between
parties.
Nov. 10, 1962
A-5809, A-6063.
A-6582, A-6663.
A-6690L
A-6617.
A-6701
A-6671 A-6696.
PAGENO="0497"
Eastern, Western, Southeastern Car-
riers' Conference Committees.
Pullman Co.; Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific RR. Co.; New York Cen-
tral; Soo Line RR.
United Air Lines, Inc
Florida East Coast Co
Braniff International Airways, Con-
tinental Airlines, Eastern Air Lines,
Inc., Nati~na1Afr1ines, Inc., North-
west Airlines, me;, Trans World
Airlines, Inc.
Eastern, Western, Southeastern Car-
riers' Conference Committees.
National ltailsvay Labor Conference
do
Apr. 3, 1963
(E.G. 11101).
July 4, 1963
(E.G. 11115).
Oct. 9, 1963
(E.G. 11121).
Nov. 9, 1963
(E.G. 11127).
Dec. 11, 1963
(E.O. 11131).
Samuel I. Roseman, Chairman;
Nathan P. Feinsinger, Clark Kerr.
Jacob Seidenberg, Chairman; 1. Keith
Mann, Frank D. Reeves.
Paul D. Hanlon, chairman; Eli Rock,
Laurence E. Seibel.
Harry H. Platt, chairman; Derek
Bok, Paul N. Guthrie.
Ronald D. Haughton, chairman;
Lewis M. Gill, John W. McConnell.
James C. Hill, chairman; Joseph
Shister, Michael Deane.
Saul Wallen, chairman; Jean `P. Mc-
Kelvey (Mrs.), Arthur M. Ross.
Richardson Dilworth, chairman; Paul
1). Hanlon, Rabbi Jacob Joseph
Weinstein,9 Robert J. Ables, Lewis
M. Gill, H. Raymond Cluster,
Frank J. Dugan.
(Same as E.B. 161)
do
Ronald D. Haughton, chairman;
Jacob Seidenberg, Louis Crane.
Settled in conferencebetween parties
Wayne Morse, Chairman; David
Ginsburg;Richard E. Neustadt.
John Dunlop, B. Manning, 1. P. Drew
David Stowe, C. Rhemus, J. P.
Williams.
David Ginsburg, Frank J. Dugan,
John W. McConnell.
George E. Reedy, Jr., Roland Boyd,
N. Thompson Powers.
A-6700.
A-6794, A-6795,
A-6796,
A-6797.
A-6905.
A-6627, sub.
No. 1.
A-6898, A-6899,
A-6900,
A-6901,
A-6903,
A-6904.
A-6967.
A-7030.
A-7107.
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
BLE, BLF & E, ORC
& B, BET, SUNA.
BRCP
TAM
11 cooperating railway
labor organizations.
TAM
BRS -
RED
RED
11 cooperating railway
labor organizations.
5 cooperating railway
labor organizations.
BLF&E
Brotherhood of Rail-
road Trainmen.
International Associa-
tion of Machinists &
Aerospace Workers,
AFL-CIO.
TWU
TWU
6 cooperating shoperaft
unions.
BRT. IBEW, and JAM.
National Railway Labor Oonference -
National Railway Labor Conference~
National Railway Labor Conference -
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
5 carriers (EAL, NAL, NWA, TWA,
IJAL).
American Airlines, Inc
Pan American World Airways, Inc~
National Railway Labor Conlerence.
Long Island Rail Road
Jan. 3, 1964
(E.O. 11135).
Mar. 17, 1964
(E.G. 11147).
Aug. 18, 1964
(E.G. 11169).
Aug. 18, 1964
(E.O. 11168).
Aug. 18,1964
(E.G. 11170).
Sept. 24, 1964
(E.G; 11180).
Sept. 11, 1965
(No. 11243).
April 21, 1966
(No. 11276).
July 27, 1966
(E.G. 11291).
Sept. 30, 1966
(E.G. 11308).
Jan. 28, 1967
(E.G. 11324).
Apr. 12, 1967
(E.G. 11343).
Mayl3,1963
Nov. 2, 1963
Nov. 18, 1963
Dec. 23, 1963
No report (Jan. 20, 1964
agreement).
Apr. 3,1964
Aug. 7, 1964
Oct. 20, 1964
do
-
Nov. 5, 1964
None
June5, 1966
Aug. 27, 1966 -
Oct. 30, 1966
Mar. 10, 1967
Mayl2,1967
A-7127.
A-7128.
A-7173.
A-63l8.
A-7655.
0
0
ci
1lnterpretation of report to President dated Aug. 24, 1948. 7Named by White House.
2Clnfifieatiofl of report to President July 23, 1948. 8Withdrawn-A settlement was reached between the parties by an agreement dated
3lnterpretation of report to President dated June 29, 1949. Jan. 10, 1957 and effective Jan. 16, 1957.
4Appointed to serve 1st time. 9Weinstein appointed Sept. 22, 1964, to replace John W. McConnell who resigned
~ to serve as member of R.B. for 1st time. (E.B. 161-162-168 appointed Aug. 18, 1964, by separate Executive orders and heard by 4~..
6 See E.B. No. 63, under supervision of Government also. See E.B. No. 83, restraining same 7-man Board).
order.
PAGENO="0498"
Supplement to Emergency Board Index (Railway Labor Act)-Stri/ces occurring during or subsequent to the statutory period
Emergency board
No.
.
Carrier
.
Union
Datestoppage
began Duration
Maximum
number of
workers1
46
*47
55
t*62
70
*71
*73
76
78
81
83
*85
*87,*58&*58A
92 - -
*93
974
105
106
Bingham & Garfield Ry. Co
Southern Pacific Co. (Pacific Lines); Northwestern Pacific RB.
Co.; San Diego & Arizona Eastern Ry. Co.
Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee
National Airlines, Inc
Carriers represented by Eastern, Western & Southeastern Carriers
Conference Committee.
Wabash RE. Co. and the Ann Arbor BR. Co
Railway Express Agency, Inc -
Missouri Pacific RB. Co
The Monongahela Connecting RE. Co
Carriers represented by the Eastern, Western & Southeastern
Carriers Conference Committee.
Carriers represented by Western Carriers Conference Committee SUNA
Chicago & Iffinois Midland By. Co BRT~
Toledo Lakefront Dock Co. Toledo, Lorain & ~`afrport Dock Co~
Atlantic & East Carolina By. Co. and other carriers
Rnilwnv 1~mri~ss As~nt~v Tm~
BLF&E,ORCoTA
BLE
IU of AA of SB Railway & Motor Coach
Employees of America.
AIIPA International, lAM
BLF&E
BLE,BLF&E,ORC,BRT
BRC -
~ BLF & E, ORC, BRT
BET
ORC. BRT
Oct. 22,1947
July 21,1947
Mar. 27,1948
Jan. 23,1948
May 10,1950
Mar. 15,1949
Mar. 10, 1941)
Sept. 9,1949
Jan. 21,1950
(3)
June 25,1950
Apr. 27, 1950
June 18, 1950
Jan. 29, 1951
Sect. 23,1950
Mar. 9,1952
ILA Local 158 Al~ L
16 cooperating nonoperating labor organiza-
tions.
rrvr
(3)
Baltimore & Ohio RR. Co., neluding Buffalo Division (formerly
Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Ry.) and Buffalo & Susque-
hanna District. Chicago & North Western By. Co., including
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Ry., Louisvifie &
Nashville RR. Co., Terminal Railroad Assn. of St. Louis and
all other carriers represented by Eastern, Western and South.
eastern Carriers' Conference Committees (under supervision of
secretary of Army, E.O. 10155).
Railway Express Agency, nc..~.
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Co. and other carriers repre-
sented by Eastern, Western, and Southeastern Carriers' Con-
ference Committees.
16
I
91
307
7
8
39
45
2
14
3
26
41
20
4
1
58
150
270
1,240
~?75,ooo
10,000 0
9.240 ~
27,000
1,200 ~
(3)
59,000
123
(2) ITi
(2)
2,000
41,000
24,000
BLP&E
BRC June 29,1954
15 cooperating; nonoperating railway labor Mar. 14, 1955
organizations.
PAGENO="0499"
IBT -.
District 50, United Mine Workers of Amer-
ica, independent.
Flight Engineers, Int'l Assn., EAL Chapter,
lAM.
ALPA, International
BR?
TWU of A., Railroad Division and Railway
Employees Department, AFL-CIO, Sys-
Board No. 152.
Employees represented by labor organiza-
tions, members of the Railroad Marine
Harbor Council.
Flight Engineers International Association, 7 73,000
PAA Chapter.
Flight Engineers Int'l. Association (6) 17,000 ~
ORT 30 L5,000 0
BLE, BLF & E, ORC & B, BRT, SUNA~ 2 20,000 ~
11 cooperating railway labor organization&_.. (7) 2,023
International Assn. of Machinists & Aero~ 43 (2)
space Workers AFL-CIO.
0
`Data on stoppages involving 10,000 workers or more are taken from annual reports on 6Regular flight operations were resumed in September 1962.
work stoppages issued by BLS; data on. other stoppages are from annual reports of the Carrier has resumed operations with nonstriking employees and replacements.
National Mediation Board.
`No published data. Norx.-In the 9 cases marked by an asterisk, stoppages occurred during the statutory ~
33 stoppages occurred: Aug. 21-26, 1950, no information on workers; Dec. 13-16, 1950, period; in the 2 cases marked by an asterisk and a cross, stoppages occurred during and ~d
10,000 workers; Jan. 30, 1951 to Feb. 10, 1951, 70,000 workers. subsequent to the statutory period; in the remaining 23 cases, stoppages occurred sub- ~
~A stoppage also occurred on June 16 and 17, 1952, no information on workers. sequent to the statutory perIod.
`2 stoppages occurred in addition to that involving Eastern Airlines (see Board No.
120) Capital Airlines, Oct. 14 to Nov. 23, 1958, 7,000 workers; Trans World Airlines,
Nov. 21 to Dec. 3, 1958, 14,000 workers.
117
118
120&122
122
124
129
132
Railway Express Agency, inc.
Toledo, Lorain & Fairport Dock Co.; Toledo Lakefront Dock Co.;
Cleveland Stevedore Co.
Eastern Airlines
Eastern Airlines, Inc., Trans World Airlines, Inc., United Air
Lines, Inc., Northwest Airlines, Inc., Northeast Airlines, Inc.,
Capital Airlines, Inc., National Airlines, Inc.
American Airlines, Inc
Long Island Co
The l'ennsylvania R.R. Co
133 New York Harbor Carriers' Conference Committee
*135
144
147
154
f*157
166
(2)
Pan American World Airways
Eastern Airlines, Inc
Chicago & North Western Ry. and the former Chicago, St. Paul,
Minneapolis & Omaha RR.
Eastern, Western, Southeastern Carriers' Conference Committees
Florida East Coast Co
5 Carriers (EAL, NAL, NWA, TWA, UAL)
88
62
38
22
25
12
14
3, 700
200
14,000
(5)
21,000
1,350
72,000
23,000
Apr. 21,1957
July 7, 1957
Nov. 24,1958
(5)
Dec. 20,1958
July 10,1960
Sept. 1,1960
Jan. 10,1961
Feb. 17,1961
June 23,1962
Aug. 30,1962
Apr. 8,1964
Jan. 23,1963
July 8,1966
PAGENO="0500"
494 RAILROAD LABOR DISPUTE
[Telegram]
WAShINGTON, D.C., May ~t, 1967.
Hon. HAnLmr 0. STAGGERs,
Waskingtoa, D.C.:
The AFL-CIO, Maritime Trades Department-speaking on behalf of its 36
affiliated national and international unions and their more than 51/2 million
members-vigorously `opposes the administration scheme designed to suspend
the democratic rights of trade unionists in the current railroad dispute.
The administration is, engaging in a dangerous game of words when it tries to
convince the American people that its so-called plan for "mediation to finality"
does not intrude on the freedom of collective bargaining. By any name, this is
compulsory arbitration-rammed down the throats of unions which have been
patient beyond belief in their dealings with a recalcitrant management.
For months, the railroad industry has frustrated free collective bargaining.
It has stubbornly refused to enter into any meaningful negotiations with the
legal union representatives of its employees. Rail management has `made no
bones about wanting nothing less than the ultimate weapon-compulsion. The
blockades that the industry liSa erócted to free collective bargaining have been
designed to force Congress to enact such an undemocratic law The White House
now seeks to reward management for it~ destructwn of free bargaining by
giving them what they have always `sought.
At `my point along the way had Congress or the White house made it quite
plain that railroad workers-like other American workers-were entitled to the
right to withhold their services, the rail dispute would' never `have reached the
present crisis stage. Faced with the reality that the rail unions could strike,
after exhausting all of the procedures of the Railway Labor Act the industry
long ago would `have come to the `bargaining table and the two sides could
have hammered out their differences.
Up to~ now, management has had nO incentive to sit down and bargain-
indeed, its incentive has been to stay away from the table in order to increase
its pressure on the Congress and the administration to come up With compul-
slonary legislation that works to the disadvantage of free trade unionists
Even at this late hour, Congress can make the only sensible contribution to
ending this imj~ossible situation by rejecting compulsory arbitration by what
ever name and by affirming the right of free railroad workers to strike Faced
with the inevitable, management would quickly come to term's with its workers-
and the cause of free collective bargaining would best be served.
We urge you, then, to repudiate this move by rail management to make the
Government of the United States its not-so-silent partner at the bargaining
table The power and prestige of the Government should not be made a servant
of the rail industry. The p'~oposal by the President should not be accepte&-
for it would destroy the freedom of one group of workers, make the freedom of
all workers less secure, and, in the end, it would endanger the freedoms of all
Americans.
MAiuTIME TRADES DEPARTMENT, AFL-CIO,
PAUL HALL,
President.
Pwrnim M. MOGAVIN,
FJa,ecutive ~1ecretary-Treasurer.
[Telegram]
Nnw YORK, N.Y., May 10, 1967.
Representative HARLEY 0. STAuGims,
(Thairman, House (JoGnflierce CommIttee, House Office B'uil4ing,
WashIngton, D.C.:
The international officers of the Transport Workers Union of American, AFL-
ClO, representing 150,000 members throughout the Nation, strongly urge that
you reject President Johnson s strike ban proposal to force compulsory arbitra
tion on the Nation's railroad shopcraft workers. Such repressive legislation de-
prives them of their rights and `compels them to remain working under substand-
PAGENO="0501"
RAILROAD LABOR DISPUTE 495
ard wages and conditions while the railroads continue to operate at a profit.
Compulsory arbitration, by any name, is a tyranny that has no place in our free
society.
MATTHEW GUINAN,
International President.
DoUGLAs L. MACMAHON,
International Secretary-Treasurer,
JANLES F. HousT,
International Eoecutive Vice President.
~Telegra~n1
WASIIINGTON, D.C., May 8, 1967.
Representative HARLEY 0. STAGGERS,
Cha4rman, Honse Committee on Interst ate and Foreign Commerce,
Rayburn Office Building, Washington, D.C.:
The nation right to work committee respectfully requests the opportunity to
present Its views in connection with the proposal being considered for dealing
with Railway Labor Act strike emergency provision. Regardless of steps taken to
solve the current railway crisis we believe legislation should Im included to re-
move basic defects in the Railway Labor Act and prevent the recurrence of to-
day's threatened transportation paralysis.
Runs B. LARSON,
National Right to Work Committee.
ALEXANDRIA, VA., June 10, 1967.
Hon. HARLEY 0. STAGGERS,
Chairman, House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Rayburn
House Office Building, Washington, D~C.
DEAR Mn. CHAIRMAN: I appreciate the opportunity to submit the following
statement for the record on H.J. Res. 559. I am. an Independent economist who
has heard most of the testimony on this resolution. I have no professional con-
nection with either railroad management or railroad labor or any acquaintances
among them. My interest is solely that of one deeply concerned for almost 40
years in finding out why the United States economy falls to provide respectable,
suitably-paid jobs for all, without price inflation, and with fair treatment for all
groups. This statement particularly endeavors to supply a few statistics and
analyses on the more fundamental problems involved.
1. Enactment of the resolution is clearly preferable both to allowing a rail-
road strike and to legislation enabling the Government to "seize" the railroads,
but additional action by the Congress and by the Executive Branch is vitally
needed, along with a major change in a kOy American economic policy.
2. Enactment of the resolution will be far from a satisfactory solution of the
basic problems, for several reasons:
(a) If, following a failure of the parties to agree "voluntarily," the
determinations of the Special Board stipulated in the resolution are put
into effect (until not later than January 1, 19~9), a genuine settlement of
the basic differences will only be postponed for 18 months or so. There is
no reason to believe that such a postponement will reduce the gap between
the two parties.
(b) The difficulties caused for Members of Congress and the Presiden.t
by having to take the steps so far taken in this dispute and in having to
espouse this resolution-difficulties which several members of the Com-
mittee candidly deplored during the hearings-may create a pattern to be
repeated in further railroad and other labor disputes, unless measures arc
taken to prevent It.
(c) Since the determinations of the five-man Special Board ma~ turn on
the vote of a single member, and will In any case turn on the vote of three
PAGENO="0502"
496 RAItROAD LABOR DtSPtTE1
members, this procedure will make an important public Issue hinge on the
personal leanings of the Presidential appointees, without possibilities of
appeal or review.
(d) Injurious trends have been proceeding for 30 to 40 years both in the
railroad industry and U.S. industry generally, injurious trends which
neither determinations by the Board nor reaching of a voluntary agreement
offer any realistic promise of improving.
3. In the case of railroads these injurious trends are the heavy and progressing
losses which each of the four major groups concerned-the public, railway labor,
railroad investors, and the Federal and local Governments-have all suffered in
one way or another over the past 40 years:
(1) The American public is losing railroad service. A decline in the use of
railroads for passengers and freight, whether relative or absolute, should
be accepted if it means better service to the public, comprehensively meas-
ured. Problems, however, from the congestion, fumes, noise, etc., of truck,
automobile, and airplane traffic, now reaching crisis proportions, and the
surrender of more and more prime land in metropolitan areas to roads and
terminals which constitute a very heavy financial burden rather than a
source of positive tax revenue from that land, are crucial issues in which
greater use of railroads may be able to make a contribution.
(ii) Railroad labor has lost a very large amount of employment. From
1.8 million employees in 1924/27, the number has sunk to around 630,000-
a decline of nearly 2/3 rds.
Average annual earnings of individual railroad employees, on the other
hand, have increased 41/2 fold, from approximately $1,700 for 1926/80 to
$7,734 in 1966. Inclusion of all fringe benefits, amounting to more than $1,000
a year per employee in 1966, according to the 1967 Yearbook of Railroad
Facts (of the Association of American Railroads) would bring the compre-
hensive increase to over five fold.
Aggregate compensation of railroad employees increased % rds from
1926 to 1966, the same proportion that the number of employees declined,
Allowing for the reduction of the value of the dollar over that period, which
was about 50% as measured by the Consumer Price Index, aggregate com-
pensation in 1966 represented about 17% less purchasing power than was
paid annually during the 1920's.
Railroad employees also gained from the very sharp reduction in the num-
ber of employees killed and injured in railroad accidents yearly,
(iii) Financially owners of railroad stocks as a group have made out
much worse than railroad employees as a group or individually (on the aver-
age) since the 1920's. Dividends on railroad common and preferred stocks
have apparently declined in absolute dollar amount (according to the Inter-
State Commerce Commission figures published in the Department of Corn
merce's Historical Statistics of the United States and the annual Statistical
Abstract) (A further downwatd ad)ustment seems necessary to eliminate
double counting of railroad dividends paid on stock owned by other rail-
roads) After taking into account the decline in the value of the dollar own
ers of railroad stocks are receiving much less purchasing power today than
in their dividends during the 1920's.
If one takes into account the long periods since 1930 when dividends on
railroad common stocks in the aggregate have been at very low levels, their
owners as a group would have been far better off during these four decades
to have had their investment in bonds, savings deposits, or other forms.
1~ven in 1966, when railroad dividends reached their highest total in many
years, the rate of return on the owners' equity (capital stock plus surplus)
was only 2.80%, according to the Yearbook of Railroad Facts.
(iv) The Federal Government s receipts of income taxes from railroads
have been trending downward since World War II (except for the period of
the Korean War), and both it and some local governments are having to
appropriate tax funds to preserve commuter service by rail in some localities
and to pay part of the costs of developing high-speed passenger service be-
tween Washington and Boston.
4. The outstanding injurious trends affecting U.S. industry generally rather
than railroads in particular during the last 40 years are first, the huge inflation
which has advanced fairly steadily since the low point of the Great Depression.
As already stated, the decline in the value of the dollar as measured by the Con-
samer Price Index of the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been about 50% since
1926 As measured by some indexes of the costs of construction the price rise has
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RAILROAD LABOR DISPUTE 497
been larger-about three fold. Secondly, there have been long periods of excessive
unemployment and business depression.
The danger of further inflation is again increasing, now that the country is in
a period of mounting wage increases each year and is facing the prospect of
much larger Treasury deficits than during recent years.
5. Contrary to allegations by some, the price rises have not been due to dispro-
portionately large profits of corporations, speaking generally.
6. Within the ever-mounting total of aggregate wages and salaries in the
United States economy there is apparently a hidden gain of the best p'ud at the
expense of the worst paid. The latter have to buy goods and services containing
the costs of the former, and they are artificially barred from competing for many
of the better paid lines of work.
Steps by Congress and the Executive Branch to overcome that trend seem
essential to the nation's conquest of poverty, the improvement of cities, and other
goals. Allowing the more powerful bargaining groups unlimited scope to exert
their power to strike in obtaining ever higher wage rates and more wasteful
work rules will defeat those goals.
Respectfully submitted.
Gr~oiiau A. Enny.
(Whereupon, at 12:03 p.m. the committee adjourned, to reconvene
in executive session at 10 a.m., Thursday, June 8, 1967).
0
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