The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-05-06
Applies TO Three Glasses Of
Canal Employees
DON'T AGREE ON OVERTIME
Wages of Steam Shovel Men Liberal
Enough, Says the Secretary-Raise
d
Salaries of Construction Loco
motive Engineers.


cision by Secretary Taft, affecting rates
of pay, hours of labor. etc.. the 18TH
mus of Panama, following his recent
investigation of the various complaints
received here from time to time, was
made public at tie White House today.
after President Roosevelt had given his
approval to the secretary's recommenda-
tions. The decision applies to three classes
of canal employees: First, steam shovel
men, embracing engineers, crane men and
firemen; second, construction locomotive
engineers, and third, construction train
conductors.
One of the grievances of the men was
the putting into operation on April l of
rules restricting leave of absence. On
this question the secretary says:
''The old regulations were advertised on
the printed announcement sent out by
the commissions agents; that every man
who has come to the isthmus has come
there with the understanding that the
old regulations were to apply.
1T seems to me that good government
requires that the old regulations, as to
leave shall not be materially changed
and shall remain as a part of the con-.
tract and that, while there are some
provisions in the new regulations which
would make for the more stringent en-
forcement of the governments rights and
more certainly avoid possible fraud, they
should not be adopted, applicable to men
who come to the isthmus under the old
regulations
Summary Dismissal.
Taking ~ the subject of summary dis
missal with 5ut hearing or giving reasons,
which was complained of by the canal
employees, Secretary Taft says that he
has given his approval to the plan of
Colonel Goethals, whereby t is proposed
to dispose of such cases through COM
mittee consisting of one representative
of the craft of the employe proposed
for DISMISSAL, one representing the fore
man or higher official proposing dis
charge and one representing the commits
sion, final action to be taken by the
commission.
Much attention is then given to the
question of wages of the steam shovel
men, who on March 10 last. applied for
increases as follows: Engineers, from
s210 to 5000 per month; crane men, from
$1S5 to $3.50 per month; firemen, from
$50 SO to $110 per month. In reaching the
conclusion that the present rates OF pay
are liberal ones, Secretary Taft says:
"a careful examination into the rates
of pay prevailing throughout the United
States shows that some four years ago
the usual rates of pay for steam shovel
engineers were SIS month and for crane
men, $50; but that in the interval since
the enormous demand for new construc-
tion has increased the wages of both,
so that the average throughout the coun-
try may be said to vary from 500 to $40
for crane men and from $3.50 to S160 for
engineers.
Lower In New York
.In New York. where the rate of liv-
ing Is high, there are engineers. who re-
ceive $175 and proportionately less. In
work on the Mississippi as high as $500
a month is paid shovel engineers, and the
employment agent of the commission at
Plttsburg reported early this year that
the demand was so great that wages Of
engineers were tending toward $500 per
month. In Alaska the rate for engineers
is reported to be $500 and for crane men
$3.50.
Upon the isthmus the conditions under
which the different men work in respect
to the character of material and the dis
tance of the dumps are so different that
1t has been impossible to graduate the
pay or offer bonuses for high yardage.
The only method is to fix fiat rate for
the whole class.
tion which it's Importance deserves, 1
have reached the conclusion that the ex-
listing standard of pay for the shovel
engineers and for the crane men is a lib
eral one and ought not to be increased,
except under some provision of reasonable
increase applicable to all employees of the
commission who are paid by class rates.
AS already seen, the rates paid to the
isthman shovel engineers are certainly
from 25 to 35 per cent higher than the
average of those paid in the states, and
this by no means states all the difference
in favor of the isthmian terms of en-
ployment
"a steam shovel man on the isthmus
can count on twelve months constant
employment in a year, and steam shovel
men in the United States cannot expect
to be employed more than nine months in
the year. Mr.. Stevens estimate is that
every steam shovel man in the states
should count on a loss of four months
instead of three in each year.
Six Weeks Leave.
Second, every shovel man on the 18TH
mus is entitled to six weeks leave with
pay as a vacation, so that he receives
twelve months pay for ten and a half
months work.
Third, steam shovel men on the 18TH
mus work but eight hours day, whereas.
many, though not all, of the steam shovel
men IN the united states work ten nourS
day."
Secretary Taft takes issue with the
steam shovel men in their contentious
that they were told that they might count
on gradual increase in their wages and
that the one increase they had received
was equivalent to bonus and therefore
was no increase at all. He says that the
increase granted was greater than any
possible bonus and that, moreover, there
was nothing in the contract or printed
announcement which assured these en-
ployes of a gradual increase in pay. He
adds, however. that the government may
well afford in its own interest as we'll as
In the interest of the employees to pay q
premium for length of service, such as
obtains in the army. His recommenda-
ton on this subject has been approved
and the commission will be directed by
the President to put the plan into eff
feet at once. 1t provides yearly in
crease of per cent of the class or basic
rate to be paid all skilled men, engineers.