The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-01-05
BY w. c. CARTER.

BY w. c. CARTER,
President of Brotherhood of Locomotive
F'iremen and Engineers.
Railway wage statistics show that
by the overlooking of freight trains,
which in many instances eliminated
the mileage basis of payments to en-
ployees, the wage cost to the railroads
per ton mile of freight traffic has been
greatly reduced. Also the earnings of
employees for ten hour day have de-
creased greatly as a necessary conse-
Quence of the decline In the average
speed of trains.
Notwithstanding these changed con-
ditions, the railroads are able to dem
Onstrate that their employees earn
large amounts during months of heavy
traffic. 1t was shown in a recent arbl-
tration that some engineers In freight
service earned over 5000 during the
month OF October, 1913, and some fire.
men earned more than $125 during the
same period.
An investigation of these cases Of ap-
parently very high wages discloses
facts of which the following examples
are typical: One engineer earned
$212.95 In one month. He did it by
working 395 hours during that month
that is, he worked the equivalent Of
492 days of eight hours each during
that one month His average rate of
wages was $50 cents per hour. Again,
fireman who earned S135.29 in that
one month worked 412.7 hours, or an
equivalent of 51.6 days of eight hours.
His average rate of wages was 1913
cents an hour.
That these highly paid and overwork-
ed men In freight service are menace
to public safety is we'll known to ey-
erybody-e except the public. They serve
a purpose, however, by convincing ar
bitrators and the public that railroad
employees are already receiving a high
rate of compensation and should not be
granted relief.
This steady increase in the num-
Der of hours of work has been the
only way in which the railroad EN-
ployee has been able to keep his total
daily wage up to the level at which 1t
was in the days when it was possible
to earn his bonus by covering more
than ten miles an hour. Every increase
in size of freight locomotive and ton
mage of freight train has meant that
the employee must work longer In order
still to earn the same daily wage.
Naturally strenuous efforts have beer
made by the employees to change this
situation and to secure an increase il
the rate of wages an hour 50 it might
be the equal of that in the building ol
other trades and that fair days wage
might be earned without working over
time
Their only hope was q change from {
ten to an eight hour basis of pay. As
an arbitration board had declined to re
duce the locomotive hostlers twelve
hour day to ten hours and other arbi
tration boards had refused to increase
the rate of pay per hour, there was no
much to expect in that direction. s.
with the expectation of a possible con
flict they demanded the substitution o.
the eight hour for the ten hour basis
In existing wage schedules and al
overtime rate of time and one-half.
That what was really demanded wa
a lessening of hours of work Is shoWi
by the fact that IN terminal work also
where engineers, conductors, switch
men, firemen and hostlers are employ
ed entirely on the hourly basis, the de
mand was the same for an eight hou
day, with time and one-half for an.
work requiring more than eight hour
In a period of twenty-four.
This demand for an eight hour da,
meant a reduction in earnings for tn
large number of men heretofore WORK
ing more than ten hours day. Thei
opportunity to earn more than on
days wage was eliminated through tn
penalty overtime provision, becaus
In terminal work the railroad can a
ways change crews when the eigf
hours are up and naturally will do S
and employ new crew rather tina
pay extra overtime rates. The en-
ployees sacrificed higher wages In OF
der to get shorter hours.