Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-05-05
ARBITRATION AWARDS
DO NOT PLEASE MEN
ourChlcago Correspondent Gives
Voice to Their Feelings.
OUTLINE OF THE AWARDS GIVEN
Naqel Pointed Out as an
Enemy Of Labor. Railroad Members
File Dissenting Views. Labor Lead
ers Declare Case Fiasco.

Chicago, May 3rd-Because of the
unremitting hostility of Charles Nagel
of st. Louis, one of the two neutral
arbitrators, $4,000 engineers, fire.
men and hostlers in Western railway
territory received small considera-
ton at the hands of the federal board
which announced it's decision last Fri
day evening. This federal board con-
sisted of six arbitrators appointed un-
der the provisions Of the Newlands
Act and the final verdict upon the six
teen requests Of the engineers and
f1remen's brotherhoods lay with the
two neutral arbitrator, Charles Nag
ell and Judge Jeter c. Pritchard, of
Ashville, N. c.
The fact that Mr.. Nagel was for
years personal friend and counselor
Of AdOlphus Busch, of St. Louis; was
later co-trustee and co-executor of
the Busch estate and as such had d.
rect custody of something like $3,0OO,-
600 worth of railway stocks and bonds
caused officials of the two brother
hoods to protest his disinterestedness
to President Wilson and members of
the Board of Mediation and Concilia-
ton at Washington. These protests
| were In vain. Mr.. Nagel was upheld
by both the President and the media
ton board.
So far as the award itself is con-
cerned, it is considered virtually
worthless to the members of the engi-
neers' and firemen's brotherhoods. No
sweeping increase in compensation
rates was ordered; no drastic change
in rules helpful to the members was
agreed upon; no comprehensive or
concrete provision spelling standard
ization Of wages and hours of service
was offered to the men. Where there
were increases in rate of pay, they
were small. Here and there where
the rates seem to have been raised
considerably, careful analysis show
only a few engines were affected. 1t
was lean award.
Summarized, the award gives West
ern railroad engineers the following:
In passenger service 1850 engines
are in service of which S36 engines are
affected by the award, the total in
crease per day on such being $120.25
and for the year $44,11O.25;
For engineers in freight service, of
1877 locomotives in operation 1855
engines were affected by the award !;
the daily increase through the award,
$269,95; yearly increase $98,498.96.
For engineers in switching service
out of total Of 1915 engines the
award affects 2,245, involving daily
increase of $461.65 and a yearly in.
crease estimated at $168,5O2.25;
| Therefore, for the engineers, the
award affects 5,767 engines with an
estimated increase in pay of $S51.8
a day and $311,111.40 for the year.
For firemen in passenger service
of 1928 locomotives in operation, I'll
are affected by the award to the ex
tent of $74.05 day and $27028.25 a
year.
For firemen in freight service, out
of a total of II, 461 engines, the award
makes an increase on 1858 engines
$293.3S day or $107,0S3.70 a year.
Firemen in switching service Jared
a little better, as there are 1927
switch engines in Western territory
of which 1901 engines are affected
for total of $1,02S.15 a day and $685.,
PATS year.
The total number of engines upon
which increases for firemen were be-
slowed by the arbitrator is 1905; the
total cash increase is 81 1858 dav
and the annual increase for firemen
is estimated at $5O9,3S6.7O.
Brotherhood officials fear that when
the award is applied on the various
Western railroads many of these bene-
fits will be evaded or that service will
be cut down to such an extent that
the so-called boosts in wages actually
will mean nothing to the men.
Some of the other provisions of the
award to the brotherhoods are as fol-
lows:
Overtime increase In passenger SER
vice from As cents to rs cents an hour
and the day instead of being ten
hours, as in the past, is to run six
hours and forty minutes;
The minimum passenger rate for
engineers shall be $3.50 and for fire.
men $3.50 a day;