The Harrison times., 1916-07-15
Eight Hour Day for Trainmen.

On March 10Th of this year the rail
road men engaged in train service ii
the United States made a simultaneous
demand upon their several companie,
for an eight hour day, and time
and one-half for overtime giyins
the companies until April 10Th Il
make reply,
On or before the 10Th the roads by
common consent had replied refusing
10 accede to the demands of the EN-.
ployees and making acounterproposi'
ton which the men declined TO accept.
Arrangements were then made for a
meeting in New York City June Isl
between the General Managers com
mittee and the Grand Officers and Gen
eral Chairmen of the four Brother
hoods. After fifteen days ofargument
the meeting adjourned without being
able TO reach an agreement.
In every state in the union the four
orders are now voting as TO whether
they shall accept the counter PROPOSE
ton of the General Managers, submit
the question to arbitration OF quit
their jobs.
The General Managers committee
is out with big scare headlines telling
the people how fair they have offered
TO be with the employees and how
they are willing tosubmit the equestion
under the Newlands act or to submit
the whole matter TO the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
To those who have not come in con-
tact with the workings Of the New
lands act their proposition may look
good but let us cite you TO how II has
worked out in two instances for the
engineers and firemen. Until this
time the railroad men in their organi-
zation have been divided into what
has been known as the Eastern, Wes-
tern and Southern districts. Because
of their geographical location there
has always been certain differences
that have been peculiar to the differ
ent sections, so that heretofore II has
been considered advantageous 10 pros
ecute wage requirements and condi-
tions separately.
In the present case however the de-
mand is so simple and all train service
employees coming under the Federal
Sixteen Hourlaw the different districts
have pooled their interests and have
presented the same demand Simultan-
eously in all three districts. Wages
in the Eastern district have always
been slightly lower than in the West.
In 1912 the employees in the East
made a demand for an increase IL.
wages because their pay checks were
growing smaller due to the bigger en-
gines and slower trains, whileiving ex-
penses were going up. Failing 10
reach an agreement the General Man
ager proposed that the proposition be
arbitrated, to which the men agreed.
The committee was appointed and af-
ter some months of work handed
down an award that in no wise equal
ed the employees increase in earning
power nor the increase in living eX-
penses. The men had confidently ex-
pected fair treatment and immediate
ly there was an uproar. The more
radical of them were for an out and
out reputation of the award. The
chiefs of the orders counseled patience
and the men grumblingly subsided.
Larger engines and adverse work
ing conditions were creeping into the
West so that the Western men become
dissatisfied also, and in the fall OF 1913
the engineers and fremen comprising
the Western district presented de-
mand for improved conditions and an
increase in wages. After almost year
of negotiations between the Brother
hoods and the General Managers COM
mittee, and failing TO agree, the mana
gers again proposed arbitration.
Remembering the experience Of the
men OF the east there was a storm of
protest but Stone and Carriers argued
that il would be better to try arbitra-
ton once more than to lose the sym
pathy OF the public who might con-
slider the employees as being unfair il
they refused
On December lSt 1914 the arbitra-
ton committee went into session and
Tour months later handed down an
award that, had the men been forced
TO acceptit, would have taken a hand
some slice out of their pay check.
Why are We telling YOU all this, and
why are the railroad companies spend
ing millions in presenting their side OF
the case? II is becausee we are both
pleading at the bar OF public opinion
and We do not believe that YOU want