Evening star., 1918-06-19
TRACTION MEN GET
ANOTHER PAY RAISE
Increase by Both Companies
Prompted by Cost of
Living. .
PAY 32-38 CENTS HOURLY

The Capital Traction and Wash
ington Railway and Electric COM
panies today announced a voluntary
increase in wages to trainmen and
all other employees, to take erect
Friday, June 81.
Both companies have adopted
uniform scale for trainmen, ranging
from 80 to 3S cents an hour. This
is an increase Of cents an hour for
the first four years Of service ana
cents for the fifth year.
First-year men will receive 81
cents an hour. second year. 33 cents;
third year, "a cents: fourth year, IS
cents; fifth year and up. 3S cents.
Living Cost Prompts Action.
The increases were made in recog-
milton of the increased cost Of tv-
ing, officials of the companies said.
For the Capital Traction Company
the increases call for an expenditure
of more than 100000 increase a year
in wages. They affect 75O trainmen
and 396 other employees. or a total OF
1,146. Officers Of the company are the
only ones not affected by the raise.
The new scale gives an average wage
Of 35 cents an hour to trainmen.
Pay Of Capital Traction Company
trafnmen has been increased seven
times since 1so4-four times by volun-
times under agreement with the men.
Corresponding increases have been
given switchmen, barnmen and all
other employees with each advance in
the wages of motormen and conduc-
tors.
Twenty Cents an Hour in 1904.
a uniform wage Of 20 cents an hour.
January /, 1905, the company volun-
'tarily gave the men a straight in
crease of 24 cents an hour. This
wage continued until July, 1908. when
a bonus system, based on length OF
service, went into effect. Under this
system the trainmen received from
$25 to 800 a,year additional.
The first wage agreement between
the. company and its employees was
reached March is, 1915. when slid
ing scale, based on length of service.
replaced the bonus arrangement. This
established pay at from 23h to 81
cents > an hour, with the maximum
amount reached In the tenth year of
service.
The agreement ran until March IL.
1917. and was replaced by another
contract between the company and it's
employees calling for wage of from
rs to 80 cents an hour. with the maxi
mum reached in the seventh, year Of
service. This contract was for a Pc
riod Of three years and allowed for
wage revtstons at the end of each
year.
Boost Last october. So"
!. October 26. 1917, or practically five
months before the time when a wage
revision might be sought under the
terms of this contract, the company
voluntarily boosted the pay of train
men cents an hour. in recognition
of the increased cost of living brought
on by the war.
Z Under the terms of the contract of
March II. 1917. the wage question was
reopened in March, 1918, and a new
scale adopted. It was to run for u
period of one year and gayeaa mini
mum wage of 80 andS-a 4 maximum
wage of IS cents an hour. with the
of service. 1t is this scale the men
have been operating under since last
March and which is now replaced by
the increased amounts voluntarily an7
nounced by the company today.
W. B. and z. Raises. =
Vice President W. F. Ham of the
Washington Railway and Electric
Company said today that the new
scale. involved an Increment Of 30
per cent since March IL, 1917 or,
which date a Ganeral advance Of 2
cents an hour became effective =
Since that time four other. increases
have been put into. effect, he said, so
that "a motorman or conductor en-
ployed by the company will from next
Friday be earning "a for every 50 he
earned fifteen months ago. =
The company within the last few
weeks has. increased wages Of men
employed in the car shops and in all
other branches of outside work.
Announceme emf that the companies
had adopted a uniform wage scale
was commented upon favorably by
members OF the PUBLIC Utilities Com
mission. One member Of the commits
sion said it indicated a spirit Of CO.
operation between the companies
which was most encouraging" Z
There was much elation among
trainmen and other employees when
notices of the increases were posted
at the barns and shops. The news
came aR a rom nlato