New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-26
ARB|TRATORS TUSSLE
WITH OVERTIME DEMAND
Trainmen's Requests" Taken
Up to Head Off MiSlnterpreta.
ton When Drafting Award.
BASED ON TIME AND A HALF
At Present These Employees Are
Paid Straight Wages for
the Extra Time Over
the Full Day.

The demand for overtime. in the list or
demands. or requests" as the men pre-
fer 10 call them, Of the trainmen ana
conductors on the Eastern railroads. was
discussed Yesterday for nearly an hour
during the afternoon session OF the arpi-
tration board while one Of the. witnesses
for the railroads was on the stand. ms
discussion, il was said, was held In order
that there should be no misunderstahd-
ing in the Interpretation OF the demahu
when the arbitrator are making their
award.
The witness on the stand AT the uhe
was John Patt srson. who said ne was
train master on the pittsburgh oiNiS'o"
OF the Pennsylvania Railroad. lie sa'o
that before he was appointed TO MS pres
ent position he had been brakeman A
fagman. a conductor and ysrd nas'e. =
being successfully promoted through
these positions until he became tram mas
ter In his testimony he said that ne
found the interlocking system saved time
He vas asked IL the conductors were
made responsible in case engineers IAN
their trains past signals
Under some conditions they wouio'
no said They would be liable TO pe
held responsible with the engineers IN
case they were supposed 10 nave the op-
portunity OF knowing the signals.
He was asked about overtime. anu
Elisha Lee. for the railroads. wanted the
attorneys for the employees to say What
tho overtime demand meant. There are
no extra rates at present for overtime
among the trainmen and conductors WIZ
are paid straight wages for overtime
u Garretson. FOR the trainmen, SAID
that the demand for overtime meant ulne
and n half for work over ten'hours IN
day no matter what the wages were or
how long the men were working on any
di,,sIon based on the schedule OF wages
demanded Some OF the arbitrators TOOK
mart i'm a discussion which then starteu'
,ho witness being merely a listener.
Elisha Lee pointed out that there "e'e
a number OF instances on some parts %
the Pennsylvania Railroad. where the
men are being paid higher wages Una"
those requested This was adihitted oH
Garretson. In one case, there was run
4, for which 1924 day vas PAID 10 tne
conductors. the days run occupying thir
teen hours lie said that II the overtime
demand is awarded Il will mean that the
nan an this run will be paid time and
half for overtime. after they nave dohe
ten hours work. based on the scheduieu
wages awarded.
The discussion switched 10 the general
,nterpretation OF the overtime demand IN
ca.es where the wages are higher than
those requested. Garretson said that tne
demands provided thar while the ROADS
which were not paying the wages re-
nues,ed would have 20 pay the increase
necessary 20 bring them up to the rates
asked they also provided that in cases
u.b.r. higher wages than those demanded
uere paid these wages were not 10 he
changed. The overtime In these cases
would. according 10 the demands be time
and q hall after ten hours. based on the
y ages the men were receiving
The witness was then asked H. i'm case
time and half for overtime after ten
hours were allowed the men would be
likely 10 delay work in order 10 make
overtime. lie thought that IT would look
a II there was r premium on delay. but
wher case OF one run OF seven hours
was mentioned thought ii unlikely that
the men on this run would try to extend
IL over ten hours.
F.. r. Hewitt assistant trainmaster on
the Albion division. who preceded Pat
ter.on on the stand said he had been In
his time chairman Of the grievance COM
mittee OF the traInmen and conductors
ORGANIZATIONS. against which Ire was tes-
tifving. He said that he could see no
logical reason why the employees OF the
road he was now working for should re-