The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-27
MEN Will ACCEPT
TWO CENT RAISE
Local Chesapeake and Ohio
Employees Decide for
Compromise.
NEW RULES GO IN EFFECT
Agreements Provide for Adjust
ment OF Lay-Offs and Safety
of Men.

~ decisive vote in favor of accept
Ohio Railway Company for HAT in
crease of cents an hour in the wages
of all men employed in the motive
power departments of the road was
the elimination of Il spirited meeting
of the local Chesapeake and Ohio Rail
way employees, held last night in the
Labor Temple. on North Fifth Street.
The decision was reached after a thor
ough debate of the question by repre-
sentative men of the organization. and
II IS believed by prominent labor men
to be indicative of the trea tment the
proposition Will receive at the hands
along the line
wages of this branch of the service
was begun at the annual conference
between representatives of the en-
ployes( and officials of the road last
April. The men for whom the increase
was demanded are all employed in the
seven allied divisions which together
constitute the motive power employees,
namely, machinists and helpers. boiler
makers and helpers, blacksmiths, car
workers and ?ipeiitters. The original
demand of the men was an increase of
cents an hour, but in the course of
the numerous conferences which have
since taken place between the two fac
tions compromise agreement Of .
cents an hour was reached and needs
only the ratification of the individual
workers to go into effect Mt once.
Conditions of Labor.
While the machinists' wage rate was
the important bone of contention. five
other changes in the general rules
affecting the employees of the road go
into effect at once as result of the
joint meetings held sine last April.
They are ameliorative and safeguarding
In their character. and represent con-
cessions to the demands of the men,
going into effect at once. without the
usual referendum.
The first of the modified rules pro-
vides for an assistant. who is to be
present in every instance in which a
mechanic is at work on an engine under
steam, In order to afford him the nee
essary assistance In case of accident.
No such assistant was provided for in
the old rules. Another change In Il
rule of prime Importance to a large
division of the mechanical force does
away with the overlapping system or
working men. and Substitutes for il a
system of shifts. which stop work and
resume work at the SAME time.
Reduction of Hours.
In the matter of iay-offs at times or
the falling off of demand for labor,
another important modification was
agreed upon as a result of these con-
ferences. and will go long way, 1t is
, hoped, towards distributing the hard
ships of slack times and make the bur-
dens easier 10 bear. The old rule bear
Ing upon this point provided for re-
duction in the hours of work per week
from the normal fifty four TO forty
elght hours before a reduction in the
working force was permissible. The
new ruling increases the margin to
forty hours per week. forbidding the
discharge of employees until the forty
hour rate is reached and passed After
that Point II is left to the discretion
OF the company either to decrease fur
tner the hours per week or to redupr
the force.
rev rule governing the disposi-
ton of employees after they have pc-
come incapacitated for heavy work
puts into binding form what has lone
been the practice of the Chesapeak.
and Ohio Railway. 1t provides for the
employment OF these men at easier
forms of labor and In tasks which
make smaller demand upon their
strength and agility. Another provis-
ION requires the company. before either
reducing the number of hours per week
or the size of the force. 10 post a no.
tice five days in advance of such action.
While the wage increase, if ratified
pS tne lndiVldual members OF the fed
Grafton. VIII mean a two-cent per hour
ADVANCE IN wages for the men em..
ployed OH the main line OF the Ches.- :
peake and ohio between Newport News
ana cincinnati. IL Will carry with il
az the same time provision for the
increase OF Tie wages in force nov
between Cincinnati and Chicago Of
an ADDITIONAL one and one half cents
Ter h'hr. The scale on the branch
uiNlsion mas been by that much lower
IMAM that in force on the main line.
ana the agreement provides for zen
Lni eguhilZatlon in wages on both
ONO lines before the general increas,.
III Two cents per hour is applied.
flsures obtained from labor men
Tnow mat some $3.50 men will benefit
Whom are employed on the Indiana di
istoh. ana VIII therefore obtain an
'pSoIute increase of three and one-hah
cents per hour. In the opinion of thosn
in touch with the spirit Of the men thc
proposition Will carry by a safe ma
jorlty' with perhaps some opposition
70 20 ~ on the part of men in virginia.
because Of the fact that even unde,
ne increase the Chesapeake and ohin
wage will still be 81 10 cents Der
hnour' as compared with IS cents Der
nlour paid by the Seaboard Air Line
southern and Atlantic Coast Line
me assent OF 10 per cent. of all tho
IS required for ratification. and three
men nave been dispatched from Rich.
mono mono TO take the vote. They are e. r
lyoMuS' OF richmond: Thomas f. XII
hayhe, OF huntington, w Va, and ID
Donovan, OF Richmond. ali members
OF the executive board of the Chess
reahe and Onto Federation. Their
completed Saturday. when the resnI, oe
me pieoiscite VIII be telcgraphed TO
Negotiations for these fnr-reachin.,
pest spirit and have been free fr. ~,
az y,i "a, uhPlea as The increase in