The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-05-14
AWARD $4,000 RAILWAY
men INCREASED WAGES
Engineers, Firemen and Holsters Ben,
Gifted by Observation-Disclosures Nine
Eight Railroads in the West.

chicago, Hl.-An arbitration award
advancing to some extent the rates
OF pay Of $4,000 locomotive engineers,
tlremen and hostlers employed on the
10000 miles of line of ninety-eight
Western railroads in the great area OF
the United States and Canada bounded
on the east by the Illinois Central and
the Great Lakes, was signed Friday
A dissenting opinion was filed on
behalf Of the Brotherhood Of Engine.
men, in which the arbitration was
branded as failure, and the New
lands law, under which it was arrang.
ed, an inadequate device for the set.
tlement Of industrial disputes. The
award, effective May 10 and binding
Tor one year only, was frankly de-.
clared as merely postponing for a
tWelyemonth the actual settlement Of
the differences involved.
The railroad members Of the board
issued a formal statement criticising
features of the regulations governing
the arbitration, and remarking that
certain concessions regarded as in
trtnsically unjust were made for the
sake OF preserving peace with the en-
ployes.
The essential concessions made to
the men were:
l. standardization Of rates of pay
on the weight of locomotives on drive
wheels.
2. Overtime pay to passenger fire
men and engineers ranging from 44c
to Use an hour, respectively.
8. Enginemen of steam power may
transfer to electric power, when in,
stalled, without loss of seniority
rights after May l, 1915. The board
was unable, because of the newness of
electric railroad service, to fix rates
Of pay in detail, but named $3.50 day
as the minimum for motormen in pas
senger service and $3.50 for their help.
ers, $4.75 for motormen in freight
service and $275 for helpers.
4. Enginemen of milk trains, circus
trains and other irregular service,
such as pusher and helper, receive the
rate accorded on through freights, an
increase amounting to from 10 to Is
per cent.
5. The men will be paid for delay
while in their cabs at initial and final
terminals and for time in excess of
thirty minutes spent in preparing
their engines for service.
6. Switch enginemen will receive
an advance in daily pay Of Csc on
small engines and 15c on larger ones.
Z. Men held away from home ter
minals shall after twenty-five hours
idleness receive a minimum days pay
of ten hours, based on last service,
out of each succeeding tWenty-four
hours until he gets run.
8. Through freight wage rates were
advanced &c to zoe, increasing with
weight of engine, and 25c on some of
the extremely heavy engines.
9. Way freight enginemen will re-
ceiVe soc day more than through
freight men.
10. Surprise tests will be conducted
in such way as not to endanger life,
limb or nerves.
II. Firemen will be assisted where
assistance is available in keeping coal
forward and the coal shall be broken
into proper sizes at chutes.
u. Where firemen on big engines
deem an assistant necessary the mat
ter may, if necessary, be adjusted
through arbitration.
IS. Firemen will not be required to
clean engines, nor will engineers be
required to fill grease cups, set up
wedges or perform other minor duties
about an engine where others are
available to do the work.
IA. The weight or drive wheels of
each engine shall deposited where the
enginemen can have convenient ac-
cess to the information.
Among the requests which were
not granted were the automatic re-
lease, time and half for overtime id
freight and switching service and the
five-hour day in passenger service.