Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-02-10
RAILROADS FIGURES
LOOK GOOD To men
Offer Made to Withdraw Arbitra'
ton Il Compensation Claimed
Is Guaranteed.

on the forces from whom they had
been taken by the engineers and
flremen's brotherhoods in the Western
wage arbitration skirmish in Chicago
this week. Figures offered by the
companies showing extremely high
pay for passenger and freight en-
ginemen were used by the employees
as possible basis for settlement
compromise which the railroads hur-
riedly refused to accept.
This neat bit Of strategy was the
work of William S. Carter, president
Of the firemen's brotherhood, who
snapped up the data submitted by
the companies at Tuesdays and Wed
nesday's sessions and suggested that,
then and there, on that basis, there
might be a settlement and the whole
controversy thus summarily ended.
One or two people present had views
of sleek and content Capitalism shak-
ing hands agreeably with grimy and
sinewy Toll with everybody happy
and better wage and hour conditions
in effect. 1t was dream.
The stenographic report of these in
cidents Of the week disclosed that
taking part in the colloquy were Pres
ident Carter, J. H. Keefe, the COM
panies expert statistician, who was
then on the stand; James M. Sheean,
counsel for the companies; Charles
Nagel, neutral arbitrator, and w.
L. Park, Vice-President Of the Illinois
Central Railroad, another arbitrator
Holding the mirror up to this event
so that future historians may under
stand that in this arbitration at least
| the railway brotherhoods were anx-
ious to meet the companies on their
own terms, the dialogue covering this
incident is produced herewith.
Mr.. Carter:-I understand that you
! have ascertained through this com.
| pilation that the average pay of en-
gineers entirely in passenger service
is Sill an nour, and that includes
everybody who worked in passenger
service?
Mr.. Keefe:-Entirely in passenger
service. The average earnings per
hour for the hours for which they
were compensated, was Sill.
| Mr.. Carter:-And if you called a
man and he did not do anything else
but work one day in passenger ser
vice, the average rate per hour is
SILL.
Mr.. Keefe:-Well, that is the aver.
age for all of the 5,12S men, regard
less Of the number of hours that they
may have worked per day.
Mr.. Carter:-Now, presuming that
there was request made by the rep
resentatives of the employees that the
proposition how submitted for arbi
tration be withdrawn and that the
present rate per hour as shown here
be adopted in lieu thereof on basis
Of five-hour day, you, as general
manager or assistant general man
ager of one Of the roads, would you
be willing to accept that proposition
pay Sill per hour?
Mr.. Sheean:-And no compensation
i
except on an hourly basis?
Mr.. Carter: That is all, on five.
hour day?
Mr.. Sheean: On any number of
hours day?
Mr.. Carter: Five hours.
Mr.. Sheean: If it is all to be by
the hour-is it to be by the hour? Go
strictly on an hourly basis of com.
pensation.
| Mr.. Carter: Yes, we would say
strictly hourly compensation basis.
Mr.. Sheean: No days in it, merely
hours?
| Mr.. Carter: Yes, there will be a
day in it. We want to break away
from railroad practice, but we say
eight hours day and time and a
half overtime. Are you willing that
all the propositions be withdrawn?
am trying to show that the wages
the witness says are now being paid
are far preferable to our requests,
with all this added burden of in
creased compensation. If you will
pay the engineers and firemen-en-
gineers in passenger service, Sill an
hour, and firemen in passenger ser
vice, 70 cents an hour it is so much
better than we are asking here, am
almost convinced that if the compan-
les had thought about it before there
had been arbitration, we would have
accepted it, and there wauld have
been no arbitration.
Mr.. Nagel: It is not too late yet.
Mr.. Sheean: No, it is not too late,
Mr.. Park: Are you willing we
should go to an hourly basis?
Mr.. Carter: Eight hours day, and
time and half for overtime.
Mr.. Park: No, on an hourly basis.
Mr.. Carter: l see what they want
to do. They want railroad men not
to have the privileges which other
men have who work on an hourly bas
is. They are willing that we should
take the bitter but not the sweet.
say this,-if they propose to give us
an eight hour day in freight service
with time and half for overtime, as
in any other service, and pay engi
neers in, through and irregular freight
service SIC an hour, it will make
about SO a day for that lot
working ten hours, and the fire
men in through and irregular freight
service A cents an hour, time and a
half for overtime after eight hours, il
is so far better than we are asking
for, am sure that the next movement
will be for that purpose.
| IN Wednesday tho following dia