The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-04
WAGE SCALE FOR
SHIP BUILDING

. The fun text or the uniform ma
nonal wage scale for shipbuildinf;
workers in all parts of the country.
! as awarded by the shipbuildins wage
adjustment board on Octobcr "a. 1918.
~ published in the Decen, Der number
; OF the Monthly Labor Rev "w. jua l.,
sued by the Department of Labor.
For wage-adjus. ment purposes ~
shipyards were placed in two divi@'
IONS. one including those of the Allan
tic coast. Gulf and Great Lakes dis
trtcts. and the other including those
on the Pacific coast The new scale
provides substantial increase over
existing wages. the basic crafts being
granted a rate of so cents an hour, as
compared with an existing rate of
soes cents on the Pacific coast and 20
cents on the Atlantic coast
The award affecting Pacific coast
shipyards Is retroactive to August /,
isls: the other award IL effective az
OF October I. 1918
The rates are based on cost OF iiv-
Ing figures supplied by the United
states Bureau of Labor Statistics,
which indicate an average increase of
30 per cent on the Pacific coast from
October, 1917. TO October. 1918. and
OF % per cent In the other shipbuild-
ing centers from December, 1917 to
ever. does not apply to laborers or to
every class of skilled mechanic.
In each district the board increased
the rates for lahorers and helpers
upon whom the burden OF rising
costs OF living falls most heavily. as
much CT more than is required by a
strict application of increase in cost
OF living reported by the Bureau Of
Labor Statistics" In the case OF GER
tain skilled trads, also. the board did
not deem II necessary or wise to ap-
ply this entire Increase In the cost of
living to occupations already above
the base rate of the scale for the
skilled trades"
Important features Of the awards
are provisions for % semi annual
(April ! and October u readjustment
Of wages on the basis Of changes in
the cost of living. as determined for
the board by the bureau of Labor sta
tistics: CD organization of shop COM
rnittees representing both workers
and employees to settle ward griev-
ances and go guarantees of the con-
tfnuation of open shop conditions
where row prevailing and Of the right
Of workmeu to Join unions without
company interference or tliecri
ton.
The awards made were first sub
mittcd to aua approved By the con-
ference of national labor adjusting
agencies. The award applying TO the
Atlantic coast, gulf and Great Lakes
shipyarts and that affecting the PIT
cific coast shipyards are substantially
the same
The principal characteristic OF the
decisions rs that they establish uni
form national wage n IS for practi-
cally all of the skilled trades. The
board adopted these uniform national
rates because experience has convinced
them that by this means only can they
put stop to hot shifting of en-
ployees from ward 10 yard and district
to district. VII; il continues to be a
ton end which causes enormous
Losses. both TO the workers and the
government The decision is in COM
plete accord with the urgent requests
Of representatives of both employees
and employers
Added arguments for uniform rav-
fionai rates are that citizens working
for the government~1nd work on
ships s now essentially government
work feel that they should ali be
treated alike; bat there are no longer
any marked differences IN the cost Of
living between different sections, and
that the Federal Employment Service.
rather than divergent wage rates, with
their unsettiing tendencies, should be
relied upon to effect whatever shifting
Of wage esruers Is necessary to the
carrying art Of the war program.
From the evidence submitted 70 the
board by the Bureau of Labor Stats
tics in references TO the increase In the
cost of living In the five Pacific coast
shipbGildnc centers and In sixteen
Atlantic coast. Gulf and Great Lakes
shipn1 BUILDING centers, they concluded
a. follows:
fs) Tho average Increase in the
eos5 OF living on the Pacific coast
from October. t9lT. to October. 1919.
Has , per cent.
tb) Applying this average increase
to the basic daily wage OF s5.a5, es-
the new basic wage for the $5.aa
crafts would be $500, OF 1SH cents an
hour
tc) The average increase in the cost
OF living in the shiphuilding cenfers
OF tEe Atlantic Coast, Gulf and Great /,
Lakes for the eight months from De-
cemhef, 1917, to August, 1918. was
Is per cent. In the abstence of sta
tistics for the precise period. Febru-
airy to October, since our first decision
for these Eastern shipyards was rem
dered, we assume that the Increase
for these eight months was tho same
as for the overlapping eight months
covered by the bureaus investigation |
tina. is, Is per cent.
"a Adding Is per cent to the basic |
hourly rate Of 10 cents would make
the new rate soH cents.
fe1 In the interest Of uniforrrits' !
and 10 comply with the unarimou
of the international and local /
representatives OF labor who appeared !,
before us for national wage scale. /
we have made the basic hourly wage
rate for the principal skilled crafts
so cents. !
MY VALET.
I'm hero 10 my valet In despite