The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-08-16
The Wages the Railroad Men Struck
Against.

The strikers on the Baltimore and
Ohio have put their demands in writing
and they think that the figures ought
10 be higher than ever before. In fact
they demand higher wages than the road
ever paid. When the war broke out in
1861 engineers were getting from sl.33
to ~, fremen Sill to $l.75, and brake
men 5 TO Sl,33. The wages against
which they struck were 1926 to $2.9 for
engineers and $l,35 TO $50 for fremen
and brakcmcn, This is a little less then
in 1861 for the engineers, about the same
for the iremen and ten or fifteen per
cent. more for the brakemen. They
demand 1880 10 81 for engineers and 81
rs Il minimum for iiremen and brakemen,
which is about one-third more than in
1861. Vice-President Kings answer,
though courteous and polite, is not
entirely candid. He refers to the panic
of 1873 and the consequent falling off in
traffic, and says that the Baltimore and
Ohio company was the last company
which completes for the great trade OF
the west which made the reduction Of
ten per cent. This Is intended TO convey
the idea that the Baltimore and Ohio
had since the panic been the last to
reduce the wages of its employees This
is iallaciOus. During 1873 they could
make ten or eleven days week at S3 n
day by extra work. When the panic
came reduction was made putting the
regular pay at $780, taking off extra
time and the extra half day for Sundays.
In A ugust a further reduction of twenty
per cent. or fifty per cent. was made, and
the lircmen got Sl7j and $l.50. This
shows that the reduction has amounted
to over fifty per cent, since 1873, and
the work has been increased by length
ening the trains and reducing the mum
Der of brakemcn.
The strikes on the Pennsylvania was
against wages almost as high as the cx
IRENE demands OF the Baltimore and
Ohio employees, and quite AZ much if
their statement is true Under the re-
duction engineers got from 1883 to
1929. If itho men on the Baltimore
and Ohio only made eighteen days in
their best months these wages on the
Pennsylvania were certainly greater
than the former asked for. The Erie
was the next road where the men began
to starvc. Some Of their men were
making more than the fondcst dreams
OF the Baltimore men, and were doing
less work. Nevertheless they could
not "buy bread for their families" and
they struck The New York Central
was paying less than either of the
last two named roads, though more than
the Baltimore and Ohio. The run was
about the same. On the Lake Shore the
wages were lower still, being al follows:
For hundred mile runs, engineers, 1928;
fireman $l.l9, and brakemen, $l35.
These might be increased by overwork.
On the New Jersey Central wages were
the highest known, though the road was
in the hands OF a receiver. The hands
struck for tho only reduction made
since the war, and that II slight one,
three months ago. Even under that
engineers got an average Of $40, fire.
men SOC, and brakcmen $45 during
June. The Lehigh Valley was about at
an average. II was paying more than
the Baltimore and Ohio before the re,
duction. The Delaware, Lackawanna
and Western scale did not vary much
from that of the Iohigh Valley The
following gives summary OF the average
wages on the principal roads concerned
i'm the strike: