Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1915-05-06
Award Advances
RaiIroaders Pay

An arbitration award advancing to
some extent the rates of pay OF 64,-
900 locomotive engineers, ,firemen
and hostlers employed on the 100000
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 in
Chicago Friday.
A dissenting opinion was filed on
behalf of the Brotherhood of Engine
men, in which the arbitration was
branded as a failure and the New
lands law, under which it was ar
ranged, an inadequate device for the
settlement of industrial disputes. The
award, effective May 10, and binding
for one year only, frankly was de-
tclared rs merely postpoining for
twelve months the actual settlement
of the differences involved. The rail-
road members CT the board issued a
formal statement criticising features
of the regulations governing the ar
bitration, and remarking that certain
concessions, regarded as intrinsically
unjust, were made for the sake of
preserving peace with the employees.
Some of the more important fea-
lures of the arbitration were as fol-
lows:
/. Standardization OF rates of pay
on the weight of locomotives on drive
: wheels.
9 2. Overtime pay to passenger fire
l. men and engineers ranging from A
to rs cents an hour respectively.
8. Enginemen of steam power
may transfer to electric power when
Y installed without loss OF seniority
rights after May 1, 1915. The board
O was unable, because of the newness
n of electric railroad service. to fix
l. rates of pay in detail, but named
i $3.50 a day as the minimum for mo-
i tormen in passenger service and
n $3.50 for their helpers; $4.75 for mo-
.e tormen in freight service and $2.75
l. for helpers.
J. 4. Engnemen of milk trains, cir
lie Gus trains and other irregular service
e. such as pusher and helper, receive
l. the rate accorded on through freights
is an incease amounting to 10 to Is pei
cent
es 5. The men will be paid for della!
ne while in their cabs at initial and fina
ne terminals, and for time in excess o
oh thirty minutes spent in preparini
n their engines for service.
e. 6. Switch enginemen will receiv
IS. an advance in daily pay of % cent
ST. on small engines and Is on larg
ones.
M Z. Men held a day from home ter
a minals shall, after twenty-five hour
en- idleness, receive a minimum days pa
,ss for ten hours, based on last service
IT. out of each succeeding twenty-fou
IN hours until he gets run.
cd s. Through freight wage rate
,e- were advanced to 20 cents, increas
ell ing with weight of engines, and 2
W. cents on some of the extremely heav
", engines.
1w 8. Way freight enginemen will re
fit ceive 80 cents a day more tha
mt through freight men.
10. Surprise tests will be conduc
an ed in such way as not to endange
en- life, limb or nerves.
of II. Firemen will be assisted wher
to assistance is available in keeping co;
ir- forward, and the coal shall be brol
gn en- into proper sizes at chutes.
in 12. Where firemen on big engine
lea deem an assistant necessary the ma
it ter may, if necessary, be adjuste
through arbitration.
. 13. Firemen will not be require
to clean engines, nor will engineei
be required to fill grease cups, set u
wedges or perfor mother minor d.
ties about an engine where others al
available to do the work.
Among the requests which we
not granted were the automatic r
lease, time and half for overtime
freight and switching service, and Il