The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-02-24
AS Ia the Brotherhoo,is.

Editor World: Several times of late have
read your gentle raps at the different railroad
brotherhoods in which you endeaVor To censure
them for trying TO get living wage and better
working conditions.
While am not at present a railroad employe'
for which am very thankful, Sor several years
did make a living, existence rather, at that
trade and maintain that II is today one or the
poorest paid classes OF skilled labor IN our
A carpenter, brcklayer, janitor or plumber
down his $S or $40 per day with time and a half
to double time for overtime work sundays and
holidays. eat three meals at home and spend the
evenings with his family or In somc.other way
which appeals 10 hm
How many railroad men do this well?
There are any number Of men In Tulsa and
surrounding towns who call themselves carpcn-
ters who could not put button on barp door
without splitting the button, yet they draw down
ms much for days work as the average
brakeman gets in two.
The brakeman gets his meals, such as they
are wherever he happens to be- and II you or
any other man can herd box cars from Sapuipa
say TO Alton and go into restaurant and salts
fy your inner mans demands for less than a dol
lar bill you either n dyspeptic or trying TO
end It all by the slow starvation route.
There are tool dressers right here and team
sters who save almost as much as tho brakeman
make and do not have to work from five to 10
years for promotion and have absolutely no re-
sponsibility,
did for its employees without being forced TO II
l would be pleased TO have you name It, as l
have been unable 10 find one instance.
You never heard of one even passing around
a cheap box OF cigars on Christmas, and the
word "bonus" is not In the railroad directors
vocabulary
There are a great many conductors working
on Oklahoma railroads who have been In serv-
ice OF the same road for 20 years with fine rec
ords, or they would not be working at all, who
are entitled to passenger Jobs by all that is
fair, yet they have 20 stand hitChed while some
cute little rascal who wouldn't know n box ear
from "A Ford gets the Job of collecting ranspor-
tation on the vanished cars
| suppose YOU would call the railroader "A
trouble maker because he protests at such as
that
About the most you can say for the majority
of these cute little boys who are taking the places
'of real men Is that they are more proficient In
ogling the young and good looking ladies and
more neglectful Of the elderly ones.
| do not blame them for getting the easy
money but cannot see where the Justice Is dealt
out by the railroad companies.
Come clean, now, and compare the railroad
mans job with any other OF the skilled labor
and let as know the result of your inyestiga-
lions.
We will all have n squawk coming untr the
man who uses his brains and has a little respon-
sihility will get "A salary comparable to that
which n large number OF illiterate and irrespon-
siblo mon are drawing down.
You let man build your house who has to
make his mark on the check when you pay him
for the work but / doubt very much whether
you would trust yourself TO his care and he was
the conductor and you knew he couldn't read
his orders,
Canvass the office buildings in which Won arc
located as TO the wage of its clerks, then com
pare with the same number of railroad clerks
that the railroad worker Is not such a "grab-it-
all as you think, Yours truly,
| Chelsea, February 2"