Evening journal., 1919-08-27
AmaIgamafed Federation of Railway
Mail C'e ks and Their Plea for Justice

TO the Editor Of The Evening Journal
keokuk. Iowa, Aug. 20, 1919
Sir:-We wish to call your attention
TO the present condition OF the Rail-
way Mail Service and TO request an
early and earnest effort on your part
TO alleviate these conditions
As you perhaps know our Railway
Service is the most important service
of our Government and a service on
which every business OF the country
depends. It Is the chief fundamental
on which every business is built and
without which no industry could oper-
ate. 10 differs i'm every respect from
every other class Of labor and differs
in every way from any other position
under the jurisdiction OF the Post
office Department on account Of the
study scope and the grilling hard work
IN the car This service has been made
the nrget Of every cruel fling >of the
pOstOfllce Department. and we have
had enough study and grief heaped
upon us to discourage the most cour-
ageOus Of men. 10 is impossible TO
state all these abuses as Il would re-
qulre a letter Of extraordinary length,
but we will endeavor 10 give you a
general outline Of The situation as it
at present exists.
The sflary paid clerks I'm the Rail
way Mail Service is, and always has
been the lowest salary paid for the
same amount Of mental and physical
effort We are required 10 do more
memorizing and 10 have more concrete
knowledge Of our studies than any
one in the world. yet we do not re-
ceive rs much salary as an ordinary
labOrer. The salaries of railroad men
running I'm the same trains will show
how we are underpaid and a table Of
salaries paid these men is given below.
Freight brakemen, about $3.50 to $3.50
per month.
Passenger brakemen, shout $40 to s2iO
per month.
Conductors. about $40 to $500 per
month.
Engineers, about s2GO to $3.50 per
month.
Fircmcn. about $3.50 TO $500 per month
In addition 10 this these men were
granted bonus as back pay from the
time their controversy with the Gov
ernment began They receive time and
one-half for overtime. Can secure a
pass over their line or other lines by
making application. These men have
again asked for an additional increase
of So per cent claiming II was i'm
possible 10 live OH their present wage
as stated above. How do you expect
The Railway Mail Clerk who has the
same expense as these railroad men,
TO exist on his meagor salary2
Not any OF these men do One-half
the work we do. and they get about
One-lnlf time off with nothing to do
but resi- The railway mail clerks put
i'm long. strenuous hours on the road,
and then during the time of duty
study as much as some lawyer prior
20 trying some big case. But very
few Of these railroad men are educat-
ed men and they are in no more dan
ger than the clerks People who know
claim that it requires more knowledge
io run an automobile than a lOcomo-
tive. Clerks who have fired some OF
the largest locomotives i'm the past,
claim that the work in a railway post
Office is much more strenuous. The
only knowledge required OF conduc-
tor is TO read a few simple train or
ders and his book Of rules. Passenger
brakemen riding the cushions with no
more knowledge required than to call
stations and 10 sell and resell news
papers on which they make big adj
ditional profit. Then compare the
foregoing with the salary Of a railway
mail clerk who must memOrlze more
than a college professor drawing a
salary Of 5000 TO Si5,OOO a year and
work at high speed under severe ner-
Vous tension distributing mail matter
while the train is in motion.
Then considering other classes OF
labor. we find hod carriers drawing
20 TO % cents per hour and carpenters
with a wage scale Of so cents to 800
per hour. Plumbers 500 per hour
and other classes of labor in proper
tion and these jobs could be consid-
cred as childs play in comparison
with the study and service required
Of a railway mail clerk.
The most severe study is required
OF railway mail clerks than any other
class Of labor. For example, the writer
has been examined on the following
territory which is only an ordinary