New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-23
Co!mpers Says
Rail Men Got
An Unfair Deal
Have a Right To Be Disap-
pointed With Wage Award,
He Declares, Condemning
the Esch-Cummins Law
Sop Thrown to Workers
Honest Method Would Be
to Apply Increase to
the Individual, He Asserts

From The Tr:bune's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, July 22.-Whle it is
indicated railroad employees will not
strike, they are disappointed with the
award of the Railroad Labor Board
and have right to be, Samuel Com
rcrs, president of the American FEEDER
alton of Labor. declared Tonight.
Gompers said a sop has been thrown
to each worker under the operation of
the Esch- Cummins law, which he again
condemned.
He expressed the belief that the only
question about which railroad eXecu
tsves are worried is chow best to ex-
tract the required amount from the
public and declared that if "operat-
ing brains are put to work the solution
ii the railroad problem will De found
MIR, Gompers's statement said in part:
Much has been said in the press
about the estimated aggregate wage in
crease granted to the railroad men of
the country by the Railroad Labor
Board. The figure, S600,0 10000, is large
and it sounds imposing and awesome.
Most of us have no adequate idea OF
what so much money means or would
look like.
Should Apply Raise to Individual
IAN entirely unfair impression gains
ground by reason of this bulking of the
issue. The honest method of applying
the increase is to apply it to the lndi-
vidual. 1t is estimated thaa the average
wage of a section worker, under the
award, will be SOL per month, or less
than $25 week The average wage
OF an engineer will be aboua $3.50 q
month, or less than $40 week. These
are averages, so great many hun
Il a1,~
tons will get less than the estimated
average.
THE two classiications just cited
are the highest paid and the lowest
paid. In intermediate assifications
are the hremen, the conductors and
brakemen, the baggagemen, telegra-
piers, carpenters, car repairers, boiler
makers, machinists, gang foremen and
so-called unsklled workers. The stand
ard of living that is possible for these
classifications is not that which is pos
sible to men doing like work in other
industries.
"A SOP has been thrown to each rail
road worker under the operation Of the
Esch- Cummins law. Collectively they
may feel themselves morally bound to
accept it, but the whole theory of that
act is an indictment against the Esch-
Cummins law, of which time will con-
Wet the authors.
Says Men Are Disappointed
"The railroad men are disappointed
and they have right to be. The first
test of the wagemaking side of the
Esch- Cummins act is to them as much
of disappointment as it we'll could
have been. 1t is indicated that the
railroad employees will not strike tc
enforce fairer consideration of THEN
needs, but it must not be forgotten thai
If the award had been so low as t6
compel considerable of other means
of redress the men could have struck
only at the risk Of injuring their owr
cause.
There are other phases of the rail
road situation equally serious. The
country wants to know how this wage
increase is to be met. This whole
clamor and speculation is an evidence
of the intellectual bankruptcy of rail
road craftsmanship and Of railroad
operating genius. The railroad execu-
tives have the guarantee Of the gov
eminent that 6 per cent dividend will
be supplied by the government if i
cannot be earned by the roads. Tn,
situation need cause them no particu
lar worry, the only question being on.
of how to best extract the required
amount from the public.