The Washington times., 1915-05-03
Labor Organization
Means Increased WAGE
Award to Enginemen and Firemen Shows Facility
With Which Skilled Work Has Secured Larger
Compensation-GreatA Army of Train
men Efficient.
By JUDSON C. WELLIvER.

raised by 1912 to $500, or 25 per cent.
There were. in the later year, $4,000
Of them.
"Other trainmen" are classified to-
eether for the statistical purposes.
There re were in 1912 no Less less than than
the total hss 2f snsneeTts and
lied sanR and In bsaS te tbe sb4F ms si" Wnsn
being compromised with the grant Of
pretty regular increases eases % OF wages s,o TO
power. So It is found that they
achieved an increase of 36 per cent in
their wages through the ten;,gear
This last t-mentioned classic incation
does not inclIde ccrductors: who In3 ar are .
an average OF ss.as per day In 1908;
| by 1912 this had been hoisted to $40,
an increase of 2S per cent. There,
again. skill. character and organisa-
50. 600 Conductors IN 1872 Tor whom
| statistics were made up.
One more group of the best organized
and most expert employees. though they
are not engaged in the movement or
| trains. shows the same results-the ma
| chinists. There were $1,000 OF these in
| 1912; they had earned in 1903 an average
Of $3.50 a day; by 1912 1t was raised to
/
| actly the same ratio of increase as the
conductors had gained.
Realm Left Behind.
with these classitications the best
| organized wage-earning groups are
finished: and Immediately 1t Is dis
| covered also that the realm OF the
largest WACO increases has been left
behind. But 1t cannot be overlooked
that there is one group of unorganized
employees who have managed to get
their share. These are the general Of
| fiCers, men who in a broad way have In
their hands the fixing Of cornpensa-
tions: and 1t Is found that their wages
have gone up. in the decennial period
from an average of $l1.N to Sl4.s2 or 81
per cent. In other words, they had
much the largest absolute advance, and
the largest proportionate increase save
| only the tiremen. These fortuna tes
however constituted very much the
smallest group. there being reported
In 1912. only $3.50 of them.
While the general officers enjoyed ar
| advance of 81 per cent, 1t is noted tina
"other officers" were raised only Ill
per cent from an average of 1915 Il
&.R; general office clerks were raised
from &2.2l to $3.50. or 13 per cent Sta
ton agents. body of highly responsible
employees who handle hundreds OF mil
lions of money and commonly serv'
long hours, but who are unfortunate II
the matter OF compensation because the,
are not strongly organized. were aver
aging only $1.S7 in 1903 and received al
increase of IS per cent in the ten years
to s2.22 in 1912. Other station men go
only l5 per cent advance. from $164 t
use
1t has already been observed that tn
unskilled men got much the least in
creases. For example. section foremel
advanced II per cent from $l.7S to = 90
: other trackmen, IA per cent. from Sl.S
to $3.50: employees account tioatin
equipment" were raised only Il pc
cent from SILL to S.37.
The vast number of railroad EN-
, ployes, contrary to widely entertaine
r misapprehension. are not strongly or
ganiZed To revert to the figures, 1t
found that at the end of the decenniur
, covered by these calculations there wer
, LIS 900 employees dealt with by the wag
, reports. or these 3S1. 900 had receive
from 2S to 70 percent advances in wage!
and these We're. except only the sma
group of general officers, the highly OF
ganized and skilled workers. On tn
other hand. 65s, 900 had received from
{ per cent reduction in wages up to Il pc
3 cent advance.
: The increase Of 40 per cent to the fire
men looks highly impressive. But tn
decrease Of per cent to another elias
Is at least entitled to consideration. Th
. class which sustained this reduction 4
in numbers, about 60 per cent as larg
4 as the class that got 40 per cent rails
5 But 1t is the least organized and skille,