The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-03-05
Executive Committee OF Western Rail-
way Association Discussed Pro-
posed Eight Hour
Demand.
MAY MEAN HIGHER RATE
Time Demand 10 Said to Be Ono for
More Wages, and That the
Expense Would be
Enormous.

Inc executive COnmlttee or the as
ISOLATION of Western Railways has is
sued booklet which will be Of in
terest to shippers, in respect to the
demand for increased wages and an
eight hour day by the brotherhood OF
trainmen. . The booklets have been re.
ce1ved by the Keokuk and Des
Moines and have been sent to this
city from the Des Moines office. Ev
cry phase of the question Is covered,
and it is said increased rates must
follow the granting Of the demands.
The executive committee makes tho
statement that the employees demands
mean the following:
They mean an INCREASE of approx
mately Is per cent over present
wages, fixed by arbitration for the
same amount of work. They mean All
increase Of 8711a per cent as compared
with the present rates for over time.
To allow the increases would add
$1O0,000,000 year to the operating
expenses Of all railroads in the Unit
ed States for the benefit of men whose
average pay per day was increased
from thirty to forty-two per cent
from 1908 to 1914, while the wages Of
the western engineers and firemen
were further increased in 1915"
1t is claimed by the executive body
that the demand does not mean an
eight hour working day as represent
ed, but an increase In wages.
Must Raise Rates.
"Such large additions to expenses
as would be caused by accedfng to the
demands of the employees would rem
der imperative additional increases
in passenger and freigh trates," the
committees report declares.
Instead of providing for an eight
hour day, the rules which the labor
organizations propose would simply
increase the wages paid for the Same
amount of work, and the question re-
solves Itself into the single issue as
to whether or not the highest-paid
classes of railroad employees are en-
titled to still more money for their
services" the committee states.
That this is the case will be made
evident by a brief consideration Of
the methods Of computing the wages
Of railway employees under their pres
ent contracts and under those pro-
posed.
r.. Computing Wages.
I'm other lines of industry an eight
hour, or a nine-hour, or a ten-hour
day means that employees not only do
not work more than eight, nine, or
ten hours, but also do not work less
than eight, nine, or ten hours, for
days wage In railway train service
wages are on a dual basis-not mere
Iy on the basis of hours worked, but
also land mainly, on the basis or
miles run. In freight service on most
roads the wage schedules provide
will
or less, shall constitute days work.
This means that If a man is called for
work he is guaranteed a full days
paw no matter how few hours he
works nor how few miles his train
runs. II he works ten hours or more
without running 100 miles he Is paid
for his hours, and if he runs 100
miles or more in less than ten hours
he Is paid for his miles. If he either
works more than ten hours or runs
more than 100 miles he receives pay
ment for the overtime or excess mile
age, whichever produces the greatest
amount Of wages for him. Ten miles
run Is thus the equivalent OF one
hour worked, OF one-tenth OF a days
pay. On the dual basis If the train on
which a man is employed is slower
than ten miles an hour he is paid on
the hourly basis. and if it is faster he
is paid on the mileage basis. The re-
suit Of adjusting wages on the dual
basis Of miles or hours is that prac-
tically no employees now work more
than ten hours for days pay and
thousands work less than ten hours
and even less than eight hours for
days wage
That the shippers are the ones to
be vitality interested in this proposed
increase, is the statement Of local
railroad man. He believes that If
the increase is granted, the shippers
will be the ones to pay the expenses
In increased freight rates.