The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-12-04

the announcement, and great many
people may not detect it unless their
attention is called to it. Further
along in his proclamation to the en-
ployes-and incidentally to the pub
lic-General Manager Humpe says:
1T has been deemed advisable, on
account OF the larger number of en-
ployes in the service, to adopt plat
form time, as it is quite inconvenient
to SO regulate the time off for meals,
that all can receive the same treat
ment.''
And right there is the 'joker" we
mentioned.
SuppOsing that the men average
eleven and one-half hours per day, in
Guiding forty-fve minutes off for
lunch. 1t does not matter what the
hours are insofar as the results are
concerned. John Jones, who is now
serving his first year, has been draw
ing 18 cents an hour, or $2.O7 a day,
being paid for the forty-five minutes
or one hour taken off for his lunch
YAH II lOl Iy-AFS MlAulCS. Ouu0I tAc
new schedule he draws 10 cents an
hour, which, if the old plan contin-
ued, would be $2.18k. But with the
19 cent schedule he is docked the
froty-five minutes he takes of for
lunch, or 1917 cents, leaving his wage
$2.O4 under the new schedule loss
to John Jones of 2 cents day I
We trust that John Jones will feel
properly grateful to the new board Of
directors who Increased" his COM
and before any adjustment was had
with the city.
Or John Jones may be called to take
out swing run at 6 in the morning
and work until o'clock He then
goes of after four hours of duty and
returns again at 4 in the afternoon
and works until IL at night. OF course
it is midnight before he gets home.
He has thus worked eleven hours plat
form time, for which he receives now,
if frst-year man, 5000. He must be
UP at in the morning in order to be
on hand to take out his o'clock car,
and the sleep he gets must be Sc
cured between midnight and S o'clock
| in the morning. He gets no pay for
the time between a. m. and p. M,
because he works platform time"
and we hope he is properly grateful
to the new board of directors who
raised his wages II cents a day at its
VERY first meeting, and before any ad-
justment was had with the city.
1t will be noted, too, that the new
board of directors very generously
offers to donate a SIS uniform to the
man who completes ten straight years
of service ION the platform" and in
addition the employe will be allowed
to wear tone stripe of gold or silver
braid on the left arm for each five
years of service, as special mark of
distinction"
| We trust that the employees are
properly grateful that the new board
of directors granted this special mark
of favor at its very first meeting, and
before any adjustment was had with
the city.
General Manager Humpe also an
nounced, in conjunction with the new
schedule, that the merit system. was
under consideration, with the Hkeli-
hood of it's adoption in the very near
future This is the most pleasing
part of the whole announcement, not
even excepting the increase in wages.
This, of course, is contingent upon
the merit system meaning something
more than mere trucking for official
favor-and there are those on the
A company payroll who are quite will
! ing to resort to that sort of thing.
I Before the public becomes pos
sessed of the idea that the new sched-
ule is an appreciable raise in wages
for the platform men, careful note
should be taken of the Joker" point
ed out. The table of comparisons
furnished by General Manager Humpe
makes a good case for the Traction
company-until one investigates it
thoroughly. Due notice should be
taken of the omission from that table
of the scale paid by the Ralston-
Omaha line. This is the newest trac-
tion company in the state, yet it pays
frst-year men ,26 cents an hour, sec
ond-year men 27 cents an hour, and
third-year men % cents an hour-and
all conductors and motormen are, in
addition, given two new uniforms each
year. Perhaps this will explain why
the Ralston-O Omaha line was SO care
fully omitted.
i A Jewish labor hall is about to be
Il