The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-05-27
100000 RAIL
WORKERS RAISED
General Increases to Employees
Announced by Director
McAd00.
ORDER effective June |
Commissions Decision Involves $780,
OO0, ,0O0-Haif of the Amount Is
Due for Back Wages-AIl
to Benefit.

Washington, May 27.-General pay
Increases for nearly 100000 railroad
employees were announced by Director
General McAdoo, effective next Satur-
dAy and retroactive to last January l,
carrying out substantially recon-
mendatiOns Of the railroad wage COM
mission.
The aggregate of the increases
probably will be more than $500, ,OOO,-
600 year, half of which will be dis
tributed within few weeks as back
pay in lump sums ranging from about
500 to nearly $500 each. -
The director general departed from
the wage commissions recommenda-
tiOn in the following particulars:
Eight-Hour Day Recognized.
The principle Of the basic eight
hour day is recognized, but owing to
exigencies Of the war situation hours
OF employment are not actually re-
duced and overtime is to be paid pro
rata; future adjustments of pay are
to be made on the basis Of eight hours.
In addition to the ordinary scale Of
increase, day laborers, employed main
ly on track work, are to get at least
21A cents an hour more than they re-
ceived last December 81.
A minimum Of 55 cents an hour is
established for the shop trades, In
Guiding machinists, boilermakers and
blacksmiths.
Women are to receive the same pay
as men for the same work and ne
groes are to get the same as white
men for similar employment.
To Fix Inequalities.
To work out multitude of In
equalities of pay among employees do
ing similar work in different locali-
ties and other injustices caused by
varying rules Of employment and con-
dition Of organization, the director
general created new board Of rail-
road wages and working conditions.
1t consists Of three labor representa-
tives and three railway executives,
which will conduct extensive inves-
LEGATIONS and recommend wage and
other employment changes.
determined according to a percentage
scale based in 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 half years are about
equal to the increase now approved,
and consequently those employees will
get little or no more.
To correct just such situations when
tnjustices are apparent will be one
Of the principal duties Of the neay
wage board, whose creation was sug-
gested by the railroad wage commits
sion. In no cases are wages to be re-
duced.
Piece-Workers Benefit.
Men working on the monthly, daily,
hourly, pieeework and train-mile basis
will benefit by the new allowances, and
members Of the four leading railroad
brOtherhoods whose pay was raised
through operation of the Adamson act
are to receive from 10 to 40 per cent
additional, smaller increase than
they had asked Of the railroads short
ly before the government took control.
The wage order applies to all en-
ployees Of the 164 roads now under
federal management, but not to the So
called short lines unless they are re-
tanned by the government after July 1.
1t affects employees Of terminal,
union station and switching compa-
MES, lighters, ferries and tugs owned
by railroads, but not employees of rail-
road boat lines on the lakes, rivers or
coastwise traffic.
Although Pullamp cars now are un-
der government operation, Pullman
employees will not benefit unless the
railroad administration decides event
ually to retain management of the
cars.
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