Denver labor bulletin. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-19??, 1918-06-01
DIRECTOR MADOO ANNOUNCES WAGE
RAISES OF 100000 RAILROAD MEN
Only Slight Degree from Recommendations of the
Commission, Appoints Federal Board Adjust
Irregularities Conditions and Disputes Orders
Back Pay from January ].

General pay increases for nearly
nounced Monday by Director General
McAdoo, effective today Saturday
and retroactive to last January l,
carrying outsubstantially the recon-
mendations of the railroad wage COM
mission. The aggregate of the in
creases probably will be more than
$500, 900, 900 a year, half of which will
be distributed within few weeks as
back pay in lump sums ranging from
about 500 to nearly 5000 each.
The director general departed from
the wage commissions recommends
lions in the following particulars:
The principle of the basic eight
hour day is recognized, but owing to
the exigencies of the war situation,
hours of employment are not actually
reduced and overtime is to be paid pro
rata; future adjustments of pay are to
be made on the basis of eight hours.
Laborers Get Raise.
In addition to the ordinary scale of
increase, day laborers, employed main
ly on track work, are to get at least
2k cents an hour more than they re-
ceived last December 81.
A minimum of IS cents an hour is
established for the shop trades, in
Guiding machinists, boilermakers and
blacksmiths; and women are to re-
ceive the same pay as men for the
same work, and negroes are to get
the same as white men for similar
employment.
To work out multitude Of inequal-
tiles of pay among employees doing
similar work in different localities and
other injustices caused by varying
IF of
organization, the director general Gre
ated new board of railroad wages
and working conditions.
To Conduct Investigations.
This board, consisting of three labor
ecutives, will conduct extensive inves-
legations and recommend wage and
other employment changes.
All increases now ordered will be
determined according to percentage
scale based on pay received in Decem-
Der, 1915, and any increases which
have been allowed within that time
will be deducted. In many cases
raises in pay in the last two and a
half years are about equal to the in
creases now approved, and conse-
quently those employees will get little
or no more.
To correct just such situations when
injustices are apparent will be one of
the principal duties of the new wage
board, whose creation was suggested
by the railroad wage commission.
In no cases are wages to be re-
duced.
Men working on the monthly, daily,
hourly, piece work and train-mile basis
will benefit by the new allowances,
and members of the four leading rail-
road brotherhoods, whose pay was
raised thru operation of the Adamson
act are to receive from 10 to 40 per
cent additional, smaller increase than
they had asked of the railroads shortly
before the government took control.
Applies to 1874 Roads.
The wage order applies to all en-
ployes of the 1874 roads now under
federal management, but not to the
so-called short lines unless they are
retained by the government after
July l.
1t affects employees of terminal,
union station and switching COM
panies, lighters, ferries and tugs
owned by railroads, but not employees
of railroad boats, lines on the lakes,
rivers or coastwise traffic.
Altho Pullman cars now are under
government operation, Pullman en-
ployes will not benefit unless the rail
road administration decides eventually
to retain management of the cars
Adoo appealed to railroad employees to
forget dissensions and disappointments
arising under private control and to