New-York tribune., 1920-10-25
Pay Cut Creets
Trucknen Who
Demand Raise
400 Employers Will Ask
Concessions by Labor as
Result of Decrease in
Prices of Commodities
Ten-Hour Day Proposed
$4,000 Union Men Had Made
Request for. Advance of
81 and an Eight-Hour Day

Four hundred employers, represent
ing the bulk OF the city's trucking
business, yesterday made a new kind
of reply to the demand of their en-
ployees for more pay. Without dis
cussing the union teamsters' demand
for an increase they determined on q
wage reduction.
Instead of granting an eight-hour
day and what roughly amounts to an
increase Of 81 a week for $4,000 truck
drivers and helpers, the employers will
ask these men to work a ten-hour day
for the pay which they get now for
a nine-hour day. The present wage
averages S37 week.
This concrete proposal was not men
toned in the business meeting, held
at the Waldorf Astoria under auspices
of the Merchant Truckmen's Bureau,
but was announced afterward by James
J. Riordan, chairman of the meeting
and president of the United States
Trucking Association.
IUtpIIcu III NeSOiut1OUS
1t was implied, he said, in resolutions
that the employers adopted unani,
mously. after shsrt speeches by some
Of the biggest truck owners in New
York. The resolution offered by Arthur
G. Mckeever, president Of the Ajax
Trucking Company, was as follows:
Whereas, Wages now paid in truck
ing throughout this city are higher
than those paid in other cities, which
fact handicaps local merchants when
in competition, and further is a detri-
ment to the trucking industry because
of the diversion of business to other
cities; and,
"Whereas, In combating the high
cost of living merchants have made
generous contributions through ma
tcrial price reductions, but no CORE
spending wage decrease has been con
tributed by labor; therefore, be it
"Resolved, That labor should share
with capital the burden OF restoring E
normal readjustment Of prices, and
that it is the sense Of this meeting that
substantial concessions should be OBJ
tanned from labor in order to make pos
sible lower cost Of trucking IN the
city of New York"
REPRESENTATIVES, Oh NE NdlIOlldl ~ }
Goods Association supported this res
olution along with the truckmen.
Mr.. Riordan appointed fifteen EN-
ployers to discuss the proposition of s
reduction with the agents of four local:
of the international Brotherhood O.
Transfers, the largest being Local S0'
They probably will confer Tuesday
the City Club. The employers com
mittee includes Mr.. Riordan, Arthu.
+ McKeever, j. j. Mcdonald, W. j. Nc
Cormack, f. r. Lowe. John A. c. ohm
son. Ernest J. Taroff, H. L. Kuhst. +
r. Baker, S. A Mangen, Arthur VIII
Jams. Isaac Seaman, Isaac Goldburg, I
B. Murphy and William Lowden.
Among the speakers yesterday wer'
T. l.. Crawford, of the Citizens Trans
portation Committee; Thomas Barry
executive secretary Of the Merchants
Truckmen's Bureau; j. c. Lincoln. o
the Merchants Association; Isaac Gold
berg. of the New York Team Owners
Association; Charles NJ. Patterson
president of the Austin Nichols Com
pany; Ernest J. Tarotf, Of the Nev
York Board Of Trade; L. j. Hunter, o
the United States Distributing Corpo
ration, and James Sherlock Davis, o
the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Less Pay O. Unemployment
They al held that the trend of tn
times was against further wage in
oreases, that the trucking business ha
been running at q loss and, therefore
teamsters may have to accept less pa
or face unemp oyment. Mr.. Davi
(contnuod on next paae)