The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-10
c. s. Labor Board Announces
Increase TOtalling $50, 100000.
Award Is Made Retroactive to
May 1, 1920.
UP S32 TO S38 A MONTH
Express Rates To Be Raised to
Meet Hike Later.
Nearly 100 Employees In Topeka
Under New Ruling.

Chicago. Aug. 10-Thirtv million
dollars today was added to the nations
express bill when the United States
railway labor board awarded the So
600 employees of the American Rail-
way Express company an increase OF
Is cents an hour. The decision IA
retroactive to May 1. 1920.
/ Under the terms of the Esch-Cum-
nuns nuns transportation act the express
company will be permitted to raise its
rates sufficiently to meet the Increased
iaDor cost Arguments in the rate case
| already have been presented before the
interstate commerce commission at
! Washington.
Decide Working Rules Later.
Today's award does not go into the
question OF rules and working condi-
tlons AS was the case last month
when the board granted a $500, ,OOO,O 600
increase to railway employees ii was
announced that a decision covering
new working rules would be handed
down later The express decision an
pHes 10 all express employees with the
exception of $500 shopmen who re-
| ceived an Increase of g cents an hour
on the railway award last month. The
10 cents an hour award is siixhtiv
I better than the average Increase to The
! ralIroad men, the board finding thar
express employees. as a class. were NOT
SO Wen paid as men in other lines of
railroad work.
Fall Under Five Clnsses.
For the purpose of award the board
divided express employees in five
classes, but the increase granted was
IN each case the same, l6 cents an
. hour Messengers and other en-
ployes in the train service whose hours
are computed on a basis of a 240-hour
saohtn' sae' VIII receive an increase of
SSS.4o All other employees worklre
on the 240-hour per month basis viii
| receive $32.64 more. The boarJ
olrects that payment from May l te
August 81 shall be made separatelS,
from the September checks in order
eilae tne employees may know the exact
amount OF back pay received. De
scribing conditions in the exnros,
sion: III us oecl-
AS in the case of the railroad er,-
ptoyes, this long delay and succession
1 . " appointments (referring to the
unsuccessful efforts of the men n oct
an increase early last spring. coupled
with the pressure of a further rise in
Hving costs produced deep and NOT
unreasonable satisfaction on the
part OF express employees. even to a
greater degree than upon many of the
railroad employees. as the wa ees maid
the express employees were generally
less than those paid for analogous
service by the railroads and in many
oshSi Industries. Tne express EN-
pIoyes thus felt themselves called ,InoD
to make sacrifices. as they believed.
IaT beyond those of any other class.
For these reasons and as a measure
or justice, il was decided that this de-
cision when made, would be effective
as or May 1. 1920, and that the in
creases herein specified should be
| slightly in excess of those decided
upon for railroad employees perform
| ing similar service"
! The brotherhood of railway and
1 steamship clerks. freight handlers ex-
press and station employees will hold a
grand lodge meeting tonight to mass
on the award. About $4,000 of the
10000 express employees are said to
be members Of this union
Last Increase January 1.
The last previous wage increase to
express company employees was $z5 a
H Rlontn, eItective January 1, 1919. Be-
/ 1ore todays award, the wages of the
various classes of workers were.
Chauffeurs, drivers, conductors and
helpers totalling $4,000, from Ss5 to
S125 month; depot men, truckers,
oiiiers and foremen, 10000, from 500
TO $3.50 month; office clerks. $4,000.
from $95 to $3.50 month. and mes.
Z sengers and other road men, 10000.
| from $50 to $145 a month.
-Four unions were involved-the in-
Iternational brotherhood of teamgters,
the brotherhood of railway and steam-
ship clerks. freight handlers, express
and station employees; the order OF
railway express drivers, chauffeurs
and conductors, and the order of rail-
way expressmen. The first two or
ganizations asked increases of rs cents
an hour. or about $51 a month, while
the latter two asked for fiat increases
of S35 month.
The express case was under consid-
Grafton by the board for several weeks.
/ following exhaustive hearings. The
demands of short line railway em-
ployes not affected by the recent rail-
hearing by the board August IS
A. Baliinger. president of the Order
| of Railway Expressmen. said his or
| ganization would accept the award as
a whole" but that he would formally
protest certain alleged technical dis
crepancies in the printed decision
Nearly one hundred employees Of the
American Railway Express company
in Topeka viii be able to take advan-
take of the ruling allowing them an
crease in wages. There are fifteen
drivers. eight helpers, fifty depot men.
eighteen clerks and eight messengers
living IN Topeka. Practically all To-
peka employees belong to the unions
Every empIoye of the American
Railway Express company. with the
exception of executive Officials and
the $500 shopmen benefited by the
railway wage award of July 20, is af-
fected by ,today's decision. The award
is the second by the railway labor
board which was created by the Esch-
cummin= transportation bill The