The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-24
ENVIRONMENTS UNION
 WINS CASE BEFORE J. s. PERPETRATORS
Eight-Hour Day and Five Cents an Hour Increase on 13 Eastern and Mid
 dle Western Roads

New York, December 2s.-An eight-hour day, an increase in wages of cents an hour and straight pro rata overtime was granted to the members of the Switchmen's union employed by 13 east ern and middle western railroads, in an award filed here today by the federal board of arbitration that heard their dif- ferences.
 The decision of the board had been eagerly awaited by the railways in gen. eral and the four major brotherhoods of railroad trainmen for what bearing it might have on the controversy between them over the Adamson act, in which the eight-hour day is question at issue.
 RESUME OF DECISION
 The decision today in the switchmens S case says: That eight hours or less shall constitute a days work" Gives "an in- crease of cents an hour on the present rates of pay" and rules that overtime shall be paid at pro rata rates, "to be computed on the basis of the actual min- utes worked.'
 Switchmen at present receive a maxi mum hourly rate of 40 cents. The award increases this to 45 cents, so that, as ex- plained tonight by Judge Charles B. Howry. chairman of the board, on the eight-hour basis. they will receive & SO for a days work, 40 cents less than they re- cevied under the ten-hour basis. By working 10 hours under the new rate thaV will tu than under the old rate.
 STATEMENT IS MADE
 In statement appended to the award by Judge Howry and Professor Jeremiah w. Jenks, the neutral members of the board of six. it is declared that the long hours of switchmen do not imply "exces- sive physical labor;" that 1t has been established that fit will be not possible to make the actual working eight-hour day effective in the case of more than a small percentage of the switching crews" and that with the exception of one ex- pertinent, the testimony was unanimous to the effect that the efficiency of swich- men of the shorter work day would be only slightly increased. so that the bur
 
 most entirely upon the railroads" While the swtchmen asked for a 10-cent in- crease, the statement emphasizes the point that the 5-cent advance is the largest given in any arbitration. The in crease was granted. the neutral arbitra- tors explain, because of the high cost of living and the hazards and hardships of the work
 heavy burden upon the railroads. which owing to the interstate commerce law they are unable to transfer to the ship pers and thence to the public"
 They add that it is the duty of the properly constituted governmental author ities to protect railway interests in this regard, so far as it is necessary
 SWITCHMEN DISSATISFIED
 The arbitrators were not unanimous in arriving at their decision, although all six signed the award. James B. Connors of Chicago. assistant president of the Switchmen's union. and w. A. Titus of Cleveland. vice president of the union, who represented the switchmen on the board filed minority report, dissenting from the award of the cents an hour in- crease and the pro rata overtime E. F. Potter of Minneapolis, assistant general manager of the Minneapolis, St Paul and
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