New-York tribune., 1918-02-12
Railroads Evade
Overtime Rule,
Says Union Head
Shea, of Firemen, Tells
Wage Board Employers
Dodge Extra Pay

WASHINGTON, Feb. n.--Charges
by representatives of other brother
hoods that the railroad arrangements
had evaded or sought to discredit the
operation of the eight-hour law were
supplemented by statements of Tim
othy Shea, acting president of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen,
Enginemen and Hostlers. at to-day's
hearings of the Railroad Wage Com
mission.
eve want time and half for over
time, computed on minute basis"
Mr.. Shea said. 81 think l can say
that if this penalty is imposed very
little overtime will be paid, for the
managements will readjust the work
ing shifts to eliminate it."
Mr.. Shea asserted that many roads
had returned to the eight and nine
j, hour basis, and that in the case of
hostlers some roads had undertaken to
reclassify them so that they would not
come under the eght-hour law. He
cited particularly the Atchison, To-
peka G Santa Fe Railroad, where, he
said, hostlers were performing their old
tasks under a new name, working
twelve hours at the old rates.
Criticises Goethals's Report
The report of the commission
headed by Major General Goethals
which investigated the workings of the
eight-hour law, in accordance with the
act of Congress, was declared by Mr.
Shea to be filled in great part with
nf NJ hot ho H.. ho
lieved would be the cost of the law,
rather than tho actual expense of op-
Grafton.
"The roads have sought to make the
application of the law as expensive as
possible for two reasons" he said.
First, they wanted to discourage any
suggestions for time and half over
time, and. second, they wanted, what
ever the cost of the new basic day, to
have the bill paid by the public instead
of the roads.
"They succeeded in having incor-
porated in the commissions report
statements that originally were pre-
pared for presentation as partisan evil
dence.''
Increases in pay asked by Mr.. Shea
for members of his brotherhood
amounted to 10 per cent, generally,
with minimum wage of $3.50 day.
The possibility of basing the pay of
firemen on the coal used, with a view
to saving fuel, elected numerous ques-
tlons from Secretary Lane, chairman
tility of the union leader to any such
system.
Fear "Bonus System
eve found, when | was on the In
terstate Commerce Commission" Mr..
Lane said, chat lez> than 10 per cent
of fuel units were utilized. We are in
terested very greatly in making time
with trains to relieve congestion, and
also in the saving of fuel. Could not
the firemen be paid on basis of the
use Of coal 2"
"a bonus system ?" asked Mr.. Shea
quickly. 81 would oppose any such
plan. 1t was tried on the Pennsylvania
lines East, and experience showed
there was no accurate way of measur-
ing the fuel The experiment caused
more confusion and dissatisfaction
than any other innovation l ever
knew. The bonus system makes a GER
tain class of employees dishonest, and
L am opposed to anything with such a
tendency.
"There should be competent in
structors to teach firemen about COM
bustion, though, as a matter of fact,
We are not burning coal on railroads
any more. To use the railroad term,
it is real estate-slag, slate and dirt"
Mr.. Shea will continue his discussion
Of the eight-hour commissions report
tomorrow.
Dozens of kilograms were put into
the record, protesting against the re-
cent testimony of w. G. Lee, head of
the Trainmen's Brotherhood, referring
to train dispatchers as "train delay
ers." They came from employees Of
railroads in the West, chiefly Nebraska,
Wyoming, North Dakota, South Da-
kota, Missouri, Minnesota, Utah, Cali
fornia, Washington and Oregon.