The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1920-07-21
.21PER CENT RAISE:
FOR RAILWAY men
Labor Board Gives S6OO,OOO,-
600 Boost in Wages.
RETROACTIVE TO MAY /
Carriers Will Seek Greater Freight
and Passenger Rates-Workers Ap-
pear to Be Dissatisfied.

Chicago, July 21.-Six hundred mil
lion dollars was added to the pay en-
Ne!ope of the nations 100000 rail
road workers III the first award
handed down. by the United States
railway labor board The boards de-
ciSl0n is retroactive to May |.
|. Rejecting the demands of the or
ganized rail unions for increases to-
falling approximately one billion dol-
lars the board decided about sixty
per cent of that sum would be lust
increase To meet present living CON
dlti0nS
The award adds approximately
tWenty-one per cent TO the present
pay schedules. Railroad officials have
declared any pay increase awarded
the men must be followed by cor
responding Increase IN rates. They
plan, il is said, TO file new tariffs with
the Interstate commerce commission
as soon as they can be prepared.
An eighteen per cent increase in
freight rates will he necessary to
meet the award. F. r. Whittier, repre-
before the board, announced
The railroads. Mr. Whittier said, af-
FER conference with the western
managers association, will accept the
boards award and apply its terms i'm
mediately.
Whether the award as given will
Stave off the threat of a general rail-
road strike remains to be seen. The
leaders Of virtually every one of the
SIXTEEN big railroad unions were pres
ent when Judge X. NJ Barton. chair
inan of the board, handed down the
decision. They left Immediately to
present the award to 1000 general
chairmen, who had come here to pass
upon its acceptability
The union presidents refused to
make any comment before the meet
ing. The approximate terms of the
decision had been known to them
Monday. They believed then their.
men would stay In line, at least until
referendum vote can he taken.
Nearly month will he needed for the
referendum
The union men as a whole do not
seem satisfied with the Increase au-
thorized, but there was no. talk prior.
to the executive session of a general
strife Rhe heller grew the sssss
would submit the question to ref
erendum vote.
The maximum increase granted any
class was eighteen cents an hour, or
S3672 a month. the biggest pay check
due when the back paw settlement is
made August l, will he for $l1O1G..
FL ginemen. tiremen and helpers In the
yard service will receive this amount
The board provides the back pay
checks shall be made out separately
so each man will know the amount he
receives from that source
Seven things were taken into con
sideration In arriving at the award.
the preamble of the boards announce
ment says. They were: The scalp
paid for similar kinds of work In
other industries; the relation between
wages and the cost of living; the haz-
ards of the employment training and
skill required; degree of responsible
ity; character and regularity of the
employment, and inequalities In In
creases and treatment resulting from
previous wage orders.
The Increases provided in the
boards award follows:
Passenger Seryice-Engineers and
motermen, iremen, helpers, 80 cents
day.
Freight Service ce-Engineers fire.
men, helpers, S1.O4 a day,
Yard Service-Engineers, firemen,
helpers, IS cents an hour
Passenger Service = Conductors
ticket collectors, baggage men, flag
men and brakemen, $50 a month. Su-
burban service passenger employees,
$50 month.
Freight Service-Conductor flag.
men and brakemen, $l04 a day.
Superseding rates established by
the railroad administration thn board