Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-05-28
NJ ADOO RAISES ALL
RAIL EMPLOYEES PAY
HE RECOGNIZES THE PRINCIPLE
OF THE BASIC EIGHT
HOUR DAY.
HIGHER FREIGHT RATES NOW
Railway Brotherhoods to Get Increase
of 10 to 40 Per cent-Day Labor
ers to Get at Least az Cents
More Per Hour.

Washington.-Gen pay increases
for nearly 100000 railroad employees
were announced Monday by Director
General McAdoo, effective next Sat
urday and retroactive to last January
1, carrying out substantially recon-
mendations of the railroad wage com
mission. The aggregate of the in
crease probably will be more than
$300000,000 a year, half of which will
be distributed within a 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
tons in the following particulars:
The principle of the basic eight-hour
day is recognized but, owing to ext
gencies 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.
Day Laborers to Benefit.
In addition to the ordinary scale of
increase, day laborers, employed main
ly on track work, are to get at least
215 cents an hour more than they re-
ceived last December 81.
A minimum of So cents an hour is
established for the shop trades, includ-
ing the machinists, boilermakers and
blacksmiths
Women are to receive the same pay
groes are to get the same as white
men for similar employment.
All increases now ordered will be
determined according to a percentage
scale based on pay received in Deem
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 increases now
approved, and consequently those en-
ployes will get little or no more.
No Wages to Be Reduced
To correct just such situations when
injustices are apparent will be one Of
the principal duties CT the new wage
board, whose creation was suggested
by the railroad wage commission. In
no cases are wages to be reduced.
Men working on the monthly, daily,
hourly, piece work and train mile ba-
sis will benefit by the new allowances.
Members of the faur leading railroad
brotherhoods whose pay was raised
through operation of the Adamson act
a IN IN
additional, a smaller increase than
they had asked of the roads shortly
before the government took control
The wage order applies to all en-
ployes of the 1874 roads now under fed.
eral management, but not to the so
called short lines unless they are re-
tanned by the government after July
Although 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
May Raise Freight Rates.
To meet the expense of the wage in
crease, the biggest ever granted tC
railroad or any other class of employ
L ees at jone time, the railroad admins
tration has discussed raising freigh
/ and assenger rates.
The percentage of wage increases
|. range from AZ for men who received
$46 a month lin December, 1915, dow
to small rate for those receivin,
l just under $3.50 and no more pay is al
lowed men who made $3.50 or more /,
: 1915.