The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-08
WANT DOUBLE PAY
FOR HANDLING
BIG TRAINS
Engineers Present Demand
For Double Wage When
Working on Double Head
er Trains : Situation is
Still Unchanged and No
Trouble is Looked For.

"The request we have made for the
adoption of a rule guaranteeing dou-
BILE pay for handling trains of thirty
cars or more, when handled by more
than one engine, will not interfere in
any manner with the handling of long
trains by a single engine said j. 3.
w. Johnston, chairman of the Northern
Pacific committee of conductors that is
negotiating with the company as part
of the general movement for a 20 per
cent increase.
The proposition, while novel in it's
nature, naturally is incident to a re-
quest for compensation Which we
think we are entitled to. The using
of two engines increases both the risk
and responsibility of the train crew.
This, of course, is not so apparent
in mountain service, where the trains
run from twenty-five to forty cars, and
are necessarily handled by two and
sometimes three engines, dependent
upon the tonnage of the train. For
mountain service we are now paid so
per cent more than other service; that
is, in added mileage, which is known
as constructive mileage And for work
done on mountains entirely the rate is
in some cases as much as 33 1-3 per
cent in excess of that paid on the val
ley lines.
THE companies, however, do not
seem to be satisfied with this and are
double heading the trains on the val
ley lines where it has never been done
before, increasing the length of the
trains and the amount of the work to
unheard of proportions, and for this
We are allowed nothing
THE trains are often so long that
over eighteen hours are required to
make a division, and we are in many
instances required to call for rests be-
fore reaching division terminals. Under
these
qulred than in the past was required to
double an entire division. Our earn
ing capacity is consequently reduced
to from twenty to tWenty-four days a
month, where in the past we were able
to put in twenty seven to twenty-ei
days. 1t is to remedy this state of af-
fairs that our request has been pre-
Sented.'
Situation Is Unchanged.
There were no developments in the
local situation yesterday, negotiations
being temporarily postponed pending
the meeting of the general managers
of the roads to which the men have
presented their demands. All the gen
eral managers of the roads west of the
Mississippi have been invited to gather
in Chicago Friday when the situation
will be thoroughly discussed, and it is
expected counter propositions, as uni
form as possible in view of the different
circumstances of each road, will be
formulated and returned to the COM
mittees. The committees will then re-
port to their central body, and it will
pass upon the questions involved.
1t is generally understood among the
superintendent that the result of the
Chicago conference will be the formu-
lation of a proposition amounting to a
compromise, though it is impossible to
foretell what the terms of it will be.
Said a superintendent yesterday:
I'VE are disposed to grant what will
appear most reasonable. We will sub
init proposition to the men which we
will not be afraid to lay before the
public in case disagreements arise. /
have, however, no apprehensions of
any difficulty