Denver labor bulletin., 1917-11-03
ALL ROADS IN
WESTERN STATES.
There Has Been No Wage In
crease Under the Adamson
Law as Roads Have Found
Way to Avoid Pay for
All Overtime.

If Western railroads grant the de-
mands of the members of the Brother
hood of Railway Trainmen and the
order of Railway Conductors which
are being formulated at a conference
which began Thursday in Chicago it
will cost them millions Of dollars an
nually. The demands are to be sub
mitted at once by the representatives
of $4,000 brakemen, yardmen and con-
ductors.
Yardmen in Denver and all of the
other large switching centers of the
West will likely ask for an increase in
wages ranging from rs cents to S1.20
per day. The roads will be asked to
pay the men in the passenger service
on the mileage basis instead of stip-
ulated monthly wage.
Monthly Earnings Unchanged.
The railway arrangements are also
to be told that the Adamson eight
hour law is not working out to the
satisfaction of their freight service
men. 1t is claimed that all the rail-
road companies have to do to get
around the overtime after eight hours
is to move a freight train from term
inal to terminal at speed of 12h
miles per hour. In the yard service,
while the day's work has been short
ened two hours, the month"; earnings
remain the same as under the ten-hour
schedule
The trainmen and conductors are 60
ing after increased wages alone and
will not ask the companies for changes
in working conditions. They are go
ing to cite the wages of passenger
brakemen as an example of the need
of more pay for the workers. The
rate of wages on the Union Pacific will
be used by the men in their argument
as well as the scales paid on other
roads entering Denver.
Can't Catch Up With the Cost
The claim is to be made that on the
Union Pacific the workers are run
ming behind from $40 to $50 per month
after paying ordinary living expenses.
The minimum wage of a passenger
SS1.07 and tie maximum, $685., the
latter rate applying to the men run
ming between Cheyenne and Ogden.
The average, therefore, is between
SS1.07 and SS7.9S. With expenses at
both ends of the line the men claim
they cannot make both ends meet
Western passenger trainmen have
always been paid on a monthly and
not a mileage rate. In some cases
crews We're forced to make 1000 miles
monthly without extra pay for it. The
plan which is to be submitted to the
railroads today provides for 5,147
miles monthly for certain wage yet
to be fixed and for any miles in ex-
cess of that amount, the passenger
conductors are to be paid .0S2 per mile
and the passenger brakemen .02 per
mile.
Power to Change Rate.
The Western Association of Rail
road Men, comprising the conduct
ors and trainmen, met in Chicago in
August and decided to demand an in
crease of 10 per cent for those receiv-
ing less than 800 per month in freight
ceiving more than 500 monthly. The
executive committee of the Western
association, which opened its meeting
Thursday at Chicago has power to
change this rate and will undoubtedly
ask for more than the original de-
mands. They claim it is necessary to
do so on account of the high cost Of
living.
Have Unlimited Authority.
The move of the men in the West is TO
be contemporaneous with he trainmen
of the Southern and Eastern associs-
tions, making it nationwide affair.
Those at the meeting this week COM
prise only the executive committees OF
these associations, yet have unlimited
authority to act. The Chicago switch
ing district is included in the demands.
The movement has nothing to do
with the demands to be presented to
the railroads of the West by the men,
bers of the Switchmen's Union of
North America. The demands will be
first submitted to a referendum vote
of trainmen and conductors.
WORK ERS WILL NOT STRIK L