The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-08
SOUTHEASTERN ROADS
HARD hit BY DEMANDS
bCrease Pay Under System Proposed
Dy TrAanmnen would Add From
II to 40 Per Cent To
Operating Expenses.
NO SHAPE TO STAND 1T
hess Roads Not Included In Nd
.vances OF Rates Recently Allowed.
All Time Over Eight Hours To BE
Counted Time and One-HaIf.

Washington. D. C., March THE
always of the Southeast are facing
critical situation IN the proposed
mands of the Engineers Firemen's,
bnductors and Trainmens Brother
pods which have Joined IN nation
|de effort to force the railways Of
e country 10 grant further wage
|ncessions. which would add mill
As of dollars to the payrolls of rhe
|iiwsys without enabling them to
I'm n cent more than under present
lnditions or 10 In any way give better
ryice ia the public" declares the
|ecutive committee of the Southeast
n railways In a statement given out
day.
.sThe demands IF the Brotherhoods
|e generally referred to as. demands
an eight-hour dav and time and
If for overtime. hut they are not in
aiifv for All eight-hour day in the
nse in which that term is common
understood" the statement. con-
,ues. The employees are not asking
al they he reliped from service at
a end OF eight hours, as they realize
HI they be relieved from service at
ryice, ard the form IN which the ce-
ands have been made clearly shows
In. Thus the language of their own
toposed demands is that on runs OF
e hundred miles or less overtime
lin begin at the expiration OF eight
burs This simply means that liz
hight train requires. as II usually
es- at least ten hours to run 100
lies. the train and engine employees
kau receive their days pay for eight
hurs of work and shall receive time
IA a half for the two additional
burs.
kerely Fixes Time For Overtime TO
n Start
ssThere is not a line in the pro-
bsals concerning road service that IN
~ way limits the plumber OF hours
= employees are to work, and their
koDosition simply resolves itself into
Anr the period at which overtime
kwins to accrue and after which they
all receive time and a half instead
their regular hourly rate
.Tn a discussion OF the proposed de-
ands In the official journal OF the
ainmen's organization. the following
n,anation Of the demands lis given os
Il ~ the Independents OF that
Motherhood:
:. .rhere appears TO be some diner-
- Of opinion as to what such
rnnoxal involves. therefore II may De
esonable TO saw that there IL quite
difference between an eignt-h"ur
crk -day and an eight-hour basic
crk-day. h+
= The first contemplates that eishe
hurs shall be the maximum WORKING
me. and as a rule where the eight
sur workday obtains through con-
act relations between employer anu
nnloyes. 1t is the constant endeavor
prevent working overtime except IN
ses of necessity. IL appears that
me OF the men in the train service
= NJ the opinion that this Is the pro-
sal Of the organizations. However
o 10 not the case. The second, the
eht-hour basic workday contem-
atos that eight hours shall ne the
Asis for q days work and any tune
excess thereof shall be paid for as
vertime, consequently under such a
lewiston there Is no limit to the hours
0rked. The latter system Is the one
rOposed by the train service brother
nods ana Is in accord with the action
Yen by the delegates at the eleventh
-anntal convention Of the Brother
pod of Railroad Trainmen.'
Question Of More Cost.
arhe proposals of the employees, as
keaNtv formulated and officially ex-
sined In the above citation, simply
sans that they shall be paid more
oney than at present for the same
~ they are now doing. The matter.
ssrefore. resolves itself primarily Into
auegtion Of wages apd consequently
increased cost -
@Xpplying the proposed demands to
" rresent conditions of work would
~ an increase ranging from q
"a per cent In cost. as the roads
AMID Be compelled in most cases to
entinue the present hours Of opera
|ons since changes to escape the pay
I'M OF overtime would cause a
iwher percentage OF increase than the
rures already given.
s<The railways OF the Southeast are
no condition to stand any increase
their operating expenses. much less
Iaeh increases as would result from
renting these demands They al
ady pay higher waEes to train and
Nlne employees than are paid In
1s sections ~ the country where
n much moro donoe, and They
- X ~ ~ 4x.Gtx fn6fN 66nr