Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-06
MILLION RAIL
GET RAISE OF
SIS A MONTH
Order Effective as Of Sept. !
Adds approximately $780,
O00,C00 to the An
nual Payroll.

Washington. Sept. S.-Nearly 1000
600 railroad employees, including
clerks, track laborers, and mainten'
ance OF way men, are to receive wage
increases of SIS a month, the equiva-
lent of ST a day, or II cents an hour
over the pay they received last jan
uary |, under wage order issued
by Director General McAdoo. Ad-
vances are effective as OF Septem-
Der |.
This order. affecting half the rail-
road men in the United States and
adding approximately $l50000,O00 to
the annual payroll in calculations of
labor representatives, represents the
second largest aggregate wage in
crease ever granted in American in
dustral history. 1t is supplementary
to the general railroad wage order
issued nearly four months ago. pro-
viding for about $300,000000 increases
and for the classes of employees af-
fected, il supplants provisions OF that
order.
Most of the employees covered by
the new order have made consider
ably less than 500 month and the
voluntary increase was decided on by
the director general after inyestiga-
ton by his advisory board of railroad
wages and working conditions of the
pay OF men doing similar work in
other industries.
Classes Benefited.
Classes sharing in the increases,
with the new minimum rate for each,
are as follows:
/ Track iabnlers, 2s cents an hour. with
maximum Of 40 cents an hour.
Those doing clerical work OF any descrip-
ton. train announcers, gatemen, checkers.
bArgage and parcel room employees. train
and engine crew callers, operators OF office
and station equipment devices excepting
telegraphers whose application for wage
increases Is under consideration, together
with chief clerks. foremen. sub-foremen and
other supervisory forces of the preceding
grouns. $3.50 q month.
Office boys, messengers others under Is
years OF age, and station attendants. S45 a
month.
Janitors, elevator and telephone switch
board operators. office. station, and ware
house watchmen, $40 month.
Stationary steam engineers, and chief sta
tionary engineers. $40 q month. stationary
fircmen and power house oilers, $50; loco
motive boiler washers, 50 cents an hour.
with maximum of SO cents an hour. operat-
ors Of transfer and turn tables, IS cents an
hour.
laborers, employed In and around shops,
round houses. stations, storehouses and
warehouses excepting harbor employees. to
be provided for separately, such as engine
watchmon and wipers, fircbuildcrs, ash pit,
boiler workers. etc, 81 cents an hour. with
maximum OF 4S cents an hour: other COM
Lob In hes de y
an hour. with maximum of 10 cents an
hour.
Track Workers Included.
In the maintenance of way depart
ment, those receiving the SIS a month
or Il cents an hour increases over the
pay of last January |, together with
the minimum for each class, are as
follows:
Foremen OF the kinds Of work known as
building, bridge, painter. signal. construc-
ton, mason and concrete. water supply.
maintainer, and plumbing $1lb month;
for assistant forenen of these classes, and
for foremen OF classes known as coal chute.
coal wharf, fence gang, and for ditchlng
and hoistiug engineer and bridge inspectors
sos a month.
Track foremen 500 month; assistant
track foremen, five cents an hour above
rate paid iaborers whom they supervise.
Mechanics In maintenance Of way and
bridge building departments who were not
included In wage advances for shop crafts
several weeks ago. So cents an hour; help
ers and mechanics in these departments,
not provided for in the wage order affecting
shopmen, 4s cents an hour.
Common laborers. 2s cents an hour. with
maximum of 40 cents,
Drawbridge tenders and assistants, pile
drivers, dltching and hosting firemen,
pumper engineers dnd bumpers. and cross
ing watchmen or flagmen. lamplighters,
add $25 q month'to wages Of January 1.
Coach cleaners are to receive mini
mum OF 2S cents an hour. with q maximum
OF 40 cents This is ordered as a supple
ment to the action affecting shop men.
For groups not specifically mentioned
among the preceding classifications. the
standard increases Of s26 month or IL
cents an hour were ordered.
In No wa Cps raceiyed undar fhe