Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-05
NEXT TO BIGGEST
ADVANCE WAGES
Million Men Benefited and
$4,000, 600 Added to
Railway PayroIIs.
effective. AS OF SEPT. !

Nearly d Iillil1OIl TdluOdu cHIptos eS.
including all clerks. track lahorers
and maintenance f-way men. are to
receive wage increases of s25 month,
the equivalent of 81 day or -
cents an hour, over the pay they re-
ceived last January 1. under a new
wage order issued today by Director
General McAdoo. Advances are eff
fective as of September l.
This order, affecting half the rail-
road men in the United States and
adding approximately s150,oOO. 900 to
the annual pay roll. in calculations of
labor representatives, represents the
second largest aggregate increase ever
granted in American industrial his
tory.
1t is supplementary to the general
railroad wage order issued nearly
four months ago. providing for about
30o.000.O00 increases. For the classes
of employees affected it supplants pro-
visions of that order
Voluntary Increase.
Most employees covered by the new
order have made considerably less
than 500 a month. The voluntary
increase was decided on by the di-
rector general after investigation by
his advisory board of railroad wages
and working conditions of the pay
of men doing similar work in other
industries.
The order specified that eight hours
is to be considered the basic day.
overtime up to ten hours is to be paid
pro rata, with one and one-half the
regular rate for overtime past ten
hours.
Thousands of woman clerks employ
led by the railroads are to receive the
same pay men for similar work.
The Interpretation of similar work
is left to executives.
Back pay from January l will be
made under the former general wage
order. The advances now granted will
he figured on top of the wage last
January l. rather than on the pay re-
ceived in the immediate past under the
general wage increase.
Glasses Benefited.
Classes sharing in the increases,
with the new minimum rate for each
Track iaborers,. ss cents an hour,
Those doing clerical work of any de-
scription, train announcers, gatemen.
checkers. baggage and parcel-room
ers., operators of office and station
equipment devices excepting teleg-
raphers, whose application for wage
increases is under consideration), to
foremen and other supervisory forces
month.
Office boys. messengers and others I'M
der eighteen years Of age and station
attendants, $4o a month.
JanitorS, elevator and telephone
switchboard operators, office. station
and warehouse, Waterman, $40
month.
Stationary steam engineers. and
chief stationary engineers, $40 a
month; stationary firemen and power
house oilers, $50; locomotive boiler
washers. 38 cents an hour, with max
imum OF so cents an hour: operators
of transfer and turn tables, 40 cents
an hour.
Laborers employed in and around
houses and warehouses excepting
harbor employees. to be provided for
separately. such as engine watch
men and wipers. fire builders, ash-pit
men. boiler washers, flue borers,
truckers, stokers, shippers, coal pass
ers, and coal-chute men 81 cents an
hour, with maximum of 43 cents an
hour: other common labor in these
departments. % cents an hour, with
maximum of 40 cents an hour
Maintenance of Way.
ment those receiving the s2a month
or l. 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 buildings. bridge painter.
signal construction. mason and con-
crete. water supply. maintenance and
plumbing. s115 month for assist
ant foremen of these classes: and
for foremen of classes known as coal
chute. coal wharf, fence gang. and
for ditching and hosting engineer and
bridge inspectors, s105 a month.
Track foremen, 500 a month: as
sistant track foremen, cents an hour
above rate paid laborers whom they
supervise.
Mechanics in maintenance-of -way
and bridge building departments who
, were not included in wage advances
for shop craft several weeks ago, SO
cents an hour: helpers and mechan-
les in these. departments not pro-
vided for in the wage order affecting
shop men, 43 cents an hour.
Common Labor.
Common Iaborers. IS cents an hour.
with maximum of 40 cents.
Draw bridge tenders and assistants.
pile drivers. ditching and hosting
firemen. pumper engineers and pump
ers. crossing watchmen or flagmen,
lamp lighters. add SIS a month to wages
of January l.
Coach cleaners are to receive
minimum of IS cents an hour. with
maximum of 40 cents This is ordered
as supplement to the action affect
Ing shop men.
For groups not specifically mention
ed among the preceding classified
lions, the standard increases of SIS
month, or l. cents an hour, were
ordered.