The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-09
PROPOSED DEMANDS MAY BE CRITICAL Southeastern Roads Cannot Stand the Big Increase HOURS NOT AFFECTED Statement by Executive Committee Explains Plans for Employees De-
 mands in the Southeastern
 Territory
HOURS NOT AFFECTED

Washington, March -8-(Special. .)-"The railways of the southeast are facing a critical situation in the proposed de- mands of the Engineers, Firemen's, Con- ductors' and Trainmen's Brotherhoods, which have joined in a nation wide ef- fort to force the railways of the coun- try to grant further wage concessions, which would add millions of dollars to the pay rolls of the railways without erabling them to earn a cent more than under present conditions, or to in any way give better service to the public '' declares the executive committee of the Southeastern railways in a statement given out today.
 The demands of the brotherhoods are generally referred to as demands for an eight-hour day and time and a half for overtime, but they are not in reality for an eight-hour day in the sense in which that term is commonly under- stood" the statement continues. .The employees are not asking that they be relieved from service al the end of eight hours, as they realize that this is not practicable in road service, and the form in which the demands have been made clearly shows this. Thus the language of their own proposed demands is that on runs of 100 miles or less overtime will begin at the expiration of eight hours. This simply means that if a freight train requires, as it usually does, at least 10 hours to run 100 miles, the train and engine employees shall receive their day S pay for eight hours of work and shall receive time and a half for the two ad- ditional hours.
 NO LIMIT ON HOURS
 There is not a line in the proposals concerning road service that in any way limits the number of hours the employees are to work, and their proposition simply resolves itself into fixing the period at which overtime begins to accrue and after which they shall receive time and a bali instead of their regular hourly rate.
 "In discussion of the proposed de- mands in the official journal of the train- mems organization, the following expla- nation of the demands is given by one of the vice presidents of that Brother hood
 "There appears to be some differ ence of opinion as to what such a pro- posal involves, therefore it may be sea- sonable, to say that there is quite a difference between an eight-hour work day and an eight-hour basic work day.
 The first contemp1ates that eight hours shall be the maximum working time, and as rule where the eight
 
 tract relations between employer and employe, it is the constant endeavor to prevent working overtime except in cases of necessity. It appears that some of the men in the train serv- ice are of the opinion that this is the proposal of the organizations. How . ever this is not the case. The second, the eight-hour basic work day con- templates that eight hours shall be fha ho fnr dau'c O,.1x nd time in excess thereof shall be paid for as overtime, consequently under such provision there is no limit to the hours worked. The latter system is the one proposed by the train serv- ice bortherhoods and is in accord with the action taken by the delegates at the eleventh biennial convention of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.'
 "The proposals of the employees, as in reality formulated and officially eX- plained in the above citation, simply mean that they shall be paid more money than at present for the same work they are now doing. The matter, therefore, resolves itself primarily into a question of wages and conse- quently of increased cost.
 MEANS LARGE INCREASE
 Applying the proposed demands to the present condition of work would mean an increase ranging from 12 to 40 per cent in cost as the roads would be compelled in most cases to continue the present hours of operations since changes to escape the payment of over time would cause a higher percentage of increase than the figures already given
 "The railways of the southeast are in no condition to stand any increase in their operating expenses, much less increases as would result from grant ing these demands They already pay higher wages to train and engine en- ployes than are paid in other sections of the country where traffic is much more dense, and they have had no part in the rate increases which re- gently have been granted by the in- terstate commerce commission to rail- ways in other territories.
 Preliminary estimates show that on some lines the increase asked by the employees would more than wipe out all income after payment of operating ex- penSes, fixed charges and taxes. The railways would be forced either to se- cure increases in their rates or to low CT the cost of operation by curtail- ment of train service and reducing the outlay for maintenance and improve ments necessary to meet the transpor- tation needs of the rapidly developing southeastern territory.
 Tt is understood that the members