The Washington herald., 1918-06-20
TRACTION MEN
GIVEN HIGHER
WAGES FRIDAY
W. R. & E.. Capital Trac-
ton and W. V. R. Co.
Affected.

Based on the present high cost
Of living. voluntary increase in the
pay Of trainmen for the Capital
Traction Company, the Washington
Railway and Electric Company and
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Railway
Company, to take effect Friday,
June 81. was announced yesterday
by the three roads affected.
Under the terms OF the new scale
as submitted to the Public Utili-
ties Commission for the District.
the minimum wage from the date
in question will be 80 cents an hour
for men in their first year: SO cents
second year; 80 cents third year;
IS cents fourth year, and So cents
an hour for all men who have COM
pleted four full years service.
Pay Of the Capital Traction Com
pany has been increased seven
times since 19O4-four times by
voluntary action Of the company, and
three times under agreement with
the men. officials of that line an
nounced yesterday. Corresponding
increases have been given switch
men. barmen and all other employees
with each advance in the wages of
motormen and conductors. 1t was
also stated.
First Wage Agreement.
In 1904, trainmen on the Capital
Traction were receiving a uniform
wage of 20 cents an hour. January
1, 1905, the company voluntarily
gave the men a straight increase
Of 21-2 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 receiv-
ed rom SIS to 800 a year. additional.
The first wage agreement between
this company and its employees was
reached March Is. 1916, when a slid
ing scale, based on length Of serv-
ice, replaced the bonus arrange
ment. This established pay at from
% Ia to 81 cents an hour, with the
maximum amount reached in the
tenth year of service.
The agreement ran upntil March
IL. 1917. and was replaced by an
other contract between the company
and its employees calling for a wage
of from rs to 30 cents an hour. with
luo uldAuhuIu ICdGhCu NhO SSNChIA
year Of service. This contract was
lowed for wage revisions at the end
Of each year.
October 26. 1917. or practically five
months before the time when a
wage revision might be sought un-
company voluntarily boosted the
- fr
recognition of the increased cost of
living brought on by the war.
Under the terms of the contract of
March II, 1917. the wage question
was reopened in March, 1918, and q
new scale adopted 1t was to run
for a period of one year and gave a
minimum wage of 80 and a maxi
mum wage OF IS cents an hour, with
the top figure attainable in the fifth
year Of service.
It is this scale the men have been
operating under since March. The
increased amounts announced vol
UNFAIRLY by the Capital Traction
Company yesterday are under this
scale.
W. r. & z. Increase.
III It's SldlCHlcnN " lHC
Utilities Commission, the Washing
ton Railway and Electric Company
declared that the increase in pay
just announced was the fourth with
in a year for motormen and conduc-
tors, and that the company within
the last few weeks had increased
wages to men employed in the car
shops and in all other branches OF
outside work.
W. F. Ham, vice-president Of the
system, stated yesterday that the
directors had recognized the in
creased cost Of living, and that the
new scale involved an increment of
thirty-three per cent since March
IL, 1917, on which date a general
advance of two cents an hour be-
came effective.
Since that time four other in
creases have been put into effect. 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.
Ofhcials Of the -vir-
ginia Railway Company stated last
night that this is the fourth time in
the last year that the corporation
has increased voluntarily the pay of
its men.