The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-09-01
President Stevens Letter

The following letter from George w
Stevens, President of the c. & o. Rail-
road, was received here yesterday by
local trainmen:
Richmond, Va, August 80, 1916
TO THE EMPLOYEES AND TO THE
PUBLIC:
A crisis having arisen in the rela-
tons between tie employees engaged
in train and yard service and The
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Com
pany, and 1t having been decided by the
men representing the employees to or
der a strike, effective Monday, Septem-
Der 4th, to enforce their demands. il Is
due to those employees who are affected
and vitality Interested in this move
ment, and whose positions are placed
in jeopardy If strike is undertaken
to other employees whose work and
compensation will be temporarily sus-
pended by reason of the stoppage OF
trains, and to the public whose COM
fort, welfare and business activities
will be seriously disarranged, that a
full and correct statement of the whole
issue involved in this controversy
should bo presented.
The Representatives of the train and
yard men have demanded that overtime
shall begin after eight hours service
either on the trains or in yards, in lieu
of the existing agreements, which al
the time they were negotiated and
agreed to were considered extremely
liberal. The term, "An eight hour day
is misnomer when considered in con-
nection with railway train service. EN-
ployes in this service are paid on eth
err the basis of miles run or hours con-
sumed, whichever will produce the
greatest wage. L. other words, the
computation is made on the basis OF
eleven miles per hour, and IL that aver
age Is not maintained. overtime on a
pro rata or on a more liberal basis
is paid for all additional time con-
sumed. Employees in yard service are
literally compensated on the basis OF
ten hours of service, and when over
time Is made the remuneration is on q
pro rata or higher basis.
The railway companies have pro-
posed to continue paying the men who
are involved in this movement on the
same basis as heretofore, and set up
a new account with each man, based
on twelve and one-half miles per hour
in freight service, and eight hours per
day In yard service. and pro rata over
time, effective September LIST. 1916; the
supervision Of the accounting to be
under the direction of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, and the money
to be held in the treasures of the rail-
way companies pending a decision by
a commission to be appointed by the
President of the United States to de-
termine whether the employee is en-
titled to the full amount or 70 a per-
centage OF the same. or to decide II the
present compensation is adequate. This
commission to be composed OF men not
In any way involved In the controversy.
The Chesapeake and Ohio manage
ment, whose relations with its EN-
ployes have heretofore been SO entirely
satisfactory and whose aim Is now, as
before, TO accord fair treatment to ev-
cry one in the employ Of the Company.
considers this proposition 10 be an
eminently fair one, and one that should
be accepted.
During the period OF nearly twenty
seven years In which have been con-
nected with this Company in various
capacities. all differences between the
employees and the management have
been successfully overcome without
strike conditions being imposed. ana I
sincerely hope that a considerable
number OF the employees affected win
continue 10 have the same confidence
and reliance In the management that
they have had IN the past nnd remain
AT work pending satisfactory adjust
mopl or the present critical conditions
TO those whose action viii Ia a large
nlIasuIa % influenced By ne Insurance