The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-08-10
MESSENGERS GET
S3S.4O MORE A MONTH
All Other Employees Will
Receive Increase OF
S32.64 Train Service
Employees Work on a 24O-
Hour a Month Basis,
While the Others Are on
a 2O4-HOur Basis.

Chicago, Aug. l0.--The United States
railway labor board to-day handed
down decision increasing wages OF
employees of the American Railway En-
press company, S30000,000 yearly
Eighty thousand men not provided
for by the recent S600,000,000 railway
wage award are affected.
The award is retroactive to May J.,
1920 The wage increase. amounting
10 Is cents an hour, will give messen-
gers and other train service employees
an increase of 1884 month. All
other employees will receive an increase
OF $32.64.
Train service employees work on
240 hour month basis, while all
other employees work on 2o4.hour
basis.
Under the terms of the Asch Cum
minis transportation act, the express
company will be permitted to raise its
rates sufficiently to meet the increased
labor cost. Arguments in the rate case
already have been presented before the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
To,day's award does not go into the
question of rules and working condi-
tions. As was the case last month
when the board granted a S600,000,0O0
increase TO railway employees, it was
announced that decision covering new
working rules would be handed down
later.
The award to expressmen is slightly
better than the average increase to the
railroad men, the board finding that
express employees, as class, were not
so well paid as men in other lines of
railroad work
For the purpose of the award the
board divided express employees IN five
classes, but the increase granted was
IN each case the same, sixteen cents an
hour. Messengers and other employees
in the train service whose hours are
computed on a basis of a 240-hour-
month, will receive an increase of
S3s.40. All other employees working on
the 204 hour per month basis will re-
ceive S32.64 more. The board directs
that pay from May to Aug. 81 shall
be paid to employe separately from
their September checks in order that
they may know the exact amount Of
back pay received.
Describing conditions in the express
service, the board says in its decisions:
"As in the case of the railroad en-
ployes, this long delay and succession
of dissppointments referring to the
unsuccessful efforts of the men 10 get
an increase last spring. coupled with
the pressure of further rise in living
costs, produced deep and not unreason-
able dissatisfaction on the part of the
express employe, as the wages paid to
the express employees were generally
less than those paid for analogous
service by the railroads and in many
other industries.
The express employees were thus
themselves called upon to make saeri-
fees as they believed far beyond those
Of any other class. For these reasons
and as a measure Of justice, it was de-
cided that this decision, when made.
would be effective as of May l. 1910,
and that the increases herein specified
should be slightly in excess of those
decided upon for railroad employees per
forming similar service
Presidents Of the express unions who
were present when the award was
handed down were non-eommittal on
IFS scceptability. but the general im-
preston was that the labor board had
been slightly more generous than 81.
ther the unions or the express com
panv had expected Two Of the un-
ions had demanded increases # s5l
per month. while the other two asked
en- increase Of SIS monthly
The Brotherhood Of Railway and
steamship Clerks. freiEh, handlers, =, :
press and station employee. tjll hold
grand lodge meeting here io-uisht
10 pass on the award About gGfsio
II the soooo express employes IRE -aid
% b members of this union