The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-13
CREWS
NOT INCLUDED IN
8 HOUR DEMANDS

New York, Jan. 13-Railroad en-
p1oyes in passenger service are not
included in the demand for an eight
hour day being voted on by more than
$4,000 men in the United States
This fact was learned yesterday
from a study of the ballot and came
as a surprise to many who thought
the Chicago conference was for uni
versa1 uniformity of hours.
The ballot bears the approval of
w. S. Stone, grand chief engineer,
Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers; W. S. Carter, president,
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
and Enginemen; L. E. Sheppard, act
ing president, Order of Railway Con-
ductors; w. G. Lee, president, Broth
erhood Railroad Trainmen, and others
in secretarial positions in the four
brotherhoods.
The exclusion of employees in pas
senger service from the demands does
not mean that they will not partici-
pate in the voting that, in the event
of a. strike, they will refuse to stand
with the others for new scale Of
hours. 1t simply means thaat, as far
as they are concerned. they have no
demands to make and are satisfied
with the present terms of their en-
ployment-
This being, to very large extent, a
selfish world one railroad man said,
ct may explain why many in passen-
ger service are preaching moderation
and caution in the face of radical
strike talk. Why should a passenger
conductor, who has won his way
through hardships and years Of SER
vice, sacrifice himself for a freight
tratnman whose condition is far better
than was the conductors in the old
days? It's a strain in human nature,
although, if a strike is voted. all or
Il I0Jx Sfo
gether. In fact, those in passenger
service could not work if the others
quit
About 10000 men are affected by
the paragraph in the ballot eIininat-
ing passenger operatives from the
eight-hour demand. These already
work less than eight hours a day. The
daily mileage for through passenger
conductor is 1855 miles. arranged on
a speed basis of 20 miles an hour.
In other words, his regulation
working day-and the same is true of
brakemen in through passenger SER
vice-iS seven hours and Is minutes,
or Is minutes shorter than he would
get if given an eight-hour work day.
After working seven hours and As
minutes he is paid overtime.
The hours of employment for a
through passenger engineer are even
better. His daily contract calls for 100
1It11GSS Oh d SpCSO DdS4S u ~ IAl1A0S
per hour. or work day of just five
hours, three hours shorter than he
would enjoy under a general eight
hour, work day. And the same is true
of firemen in through passenger ser
vice..
= HYiu will see,'' said the railroad
man quoted above, that the men in
passenger service have a very good
reason for not joining in the eight
hour demand
Figures obtained from official
sources yesterday disclosed that prac-
ttcally half the. burden in the demand
forj an eight-hour day will fall on
railroads in the Eastern district,
which includes New York and the
territory east of the lines of the IL
inois Central from Chicago to ST.
Louis and north Of the Baltimore &
Ohio. There are two other districts,
the Southern district, which covered
the territory south of the lines of the
Baltimore & Ohio and east of the
Mississippi, and the Western district,
which includes everything else as far
west as the Pacific, Coast.
sit is not impossible said the rail-
road man, that a majority of those in
passenger service will vote NO in the
campaign now being conducted, fear
ing. a strike, but they are too few eff
fectiveIy to resist the other depart
ments. Still, it is an important factor
to be considered, and certainly hurts
the cry for a universal eight-hour
j.