The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1916-05-05
FAIR AND JUST:
An Elgh-Hour Work Day For
Ruilroud Train Service
Men Will Muke Better
Citizens.
transportation Brotherhoods' Pub
IicIty Bureau. Cleveland.

tfrt-J ~~'~N~ - - ~'--''
A statement has been frequently
made by the railroads that the
present demands of the railway
train service employees are not real
ly for an eight-hour day, but are in
tended to secure increased wages.
This is not true, as the employees
composing the four brotherhoods
want shorter hours. They want
their working day to be as near
eight hours as it can be made.
To any reasonable person it will
be apparent that it will be useless
to secure an eight-hour day unless
there is some penalty attached for
overtime. In all the trades where
the eight. hour day obtains, there is
an extra charge for overtime; other
wise, there would be no eight-hour
day, the work would 90 on at
the same rate per hour just as long
as the employer cared to work the
men.
1t has been amply demonstrated
that eight hours hard work is
enough for any man and any hours
he works more than eight, simply
draw on his reserve, energy and vi
tality, shortening his life and his
available working years, It has also
been proven that a man working
eight hours is more efficient, does
better work, and is in every way a
better citizen than a man working
longer hours.
The railroad train service en-
ployes, in asking the railroad COM
panies for an eight-hour day, also
ask for time-and-one-half for over
time, but this extra rate is merely a
penalty" upon the railways and is
considered an effective method for
preventing overtime. Overtime
is commonly called blood money!
and saps the very life out Of the
We trust that the pub
lie will consider the fact that it is
the overtime" and exposure that is
wearing out" the employees and
prompts many employers to set their
age limit at 81 to 35. In
other vocations a man can work at
least 80 years mote the difference
in railway work. Considered in this
way the railway employees could. in
exact justice, ask for twice their
present rate Of pay, but the employ
es are not seeking the enormous
increase" but desire better living
conditions.
The physical aud mental strain
on train, service employs, compelled
to work long hours is beyond COM
prehension by the average mind
Virtually all the accident and old
line insurance companies classify
railroading as extra hazardous,
many Of them refusing to insure
railway employees on account Of the
great risk Of loss, and where these
employees are injured, there is def
mite limit set on the amount Of the
risk, and an extra charge is made
to the insured.
In reality, the railway employee
receives a less hourly rate Of COM
pensation than almost any other
trade. A hod-carrier receives $3.50
for eight hours-or about So cents
an hour. The highest paid train
conductor receives SIS cents an hour.
If the hodcarrier worked as many
hours as the railway conductor he
would draw a larger salary and
could then be named by the rail-
ways as the "aristocrat Of the labor
world"
II the railways complain that
"time.and-a-half' means in some in
stances an increase, let them avoid
the increase by avoiding the over
time, for that is the desire and pur-
pose Of the employees.
The railways claim there was an
increase in wages to the men, of