The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-08-13
EXPRESSMEN'S
WAGE AWARD Is
$3O,OOO,OOO YEAR
Company PASSES the Buck to
the Kicking Public

CHICAGO, Aug. 1O.-The Railway
Labor Board today handed down u
decision increasing wages Of employ
ees of the American Railway EX-
press Company $30,000,000 yearly.
Eighty thousand men not provided
for by the recent S600,0U0 600 rail
way wage award are affected.
The award is retroactive to May /,
1920. The wage increase, amounting
to 16 cents on hour, will give mes
sengers and other train service en-
ployes an increase of $3.50 a month.
All other employees will receive an IN
crease of $32.64.
Train service employees work on a
240-hour month basis while all other
employees work on a 104- hour basis.
Under the terms of the Esch-Cum-
mings transportation act, the eX-
press company will be permitted to
raise its rates sufficiently to meet
the increased labor cost. Arguments
in the rate case already have been
presented before the Interstate Com
merce Commission at Washington.
1t was announced that a decision
covering new working rules would be
handed down later.
The express decision applies to all
express employees with the exception
of $500 shopmen who were given a
13-cents an hour increase in the rail
way award last month. The 16-cents
an hour award is slightly better than
the average increase to the railroad
men, the Board finding that express
employees, as a class, were not so well
paid as men in other lines of rail
road work.
Four unions are affected by the
boards decision. They are;
Brotherhood Of Railway Steamship
Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express
and Station Employees.
International Brotherhood Of Team
sters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and
Helpers of America.
Railway Express Drivers, Chauf-
feurs and Conductors Local No. 72O
of Chicago.
Order of Railway EXpressmen.
For the purpose of the award the
Board divided express employees in
five classes, but the increase granted
was in each case the same, 16 cents
an hour. Messengers and other en-
ployes in the train service whose
hours are computed on basis of
|240-hour month will receive an in
crease of $3S.40. All other employees
working on the 204-hour a month
basis will receive $32.64 more. The
Board directed that pay from May l
to August 81 shall be paid to en-
ployes separately from their Sep
tember checks in order that they
may know the exact amount Of back
pay received.
Describing conditions in the eX-
press service, the Board states in its
decision:
GAS in the case of the railroad en-
ployes, this long delay and succession
of disappointments (referring to the
unsuccessful efforts of the men to
get an increase early last spring.
coupled with the pressure of a fur
ther rise in living costs, produced
deep and not unreasonable dissatis
faction on the part of express en-
ployes even to a greater degree than
upon many of the railroad employees,
as the wages paid to the express
employees were generally less than
those paid for analogous service on
railways and in most other indus
tries. The express employees thus
felt themselves called upon to make
sacrifices, as they believed, far be-
yond those of any other class. For
these reasons, and as a measure of
justice, it was decided that this de
cision, when made, would be effec-
Of I 40 bp
increases herein specified should be
slightly in excess of those decided
upon for railroad employees perform
ing similar service"
Presidents of the express unions
who were present when the award
was handed down, were non-cOmmit-
tai on the subject of its acceptability
but the general impression was that
the Labor Board had been more gen
erous than either the unions or the
express company had anticipated.
Two of the unions had demanded in
creases of S51 a month. while the
other two asked an increase of S35
monthly.
Bill to the Public
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1O.-Recom-
Jlldl SA PRESS IdICS bG III T
creased S30,000,000 to absorb the
wage award announced today by
Railroad Labor Board will be filed .
with the Interstate Commerce. Com /
soon, it was announced to-
day by T. B. Harrison, general 1
counsel for the American Railway
Express Company.
The express company already has
before the commission an applica-
tion for rate increases approximat-
ing S72 100000 to meet increased cost
aside from advanced wages and
should all of its recommendation be
adopted by the Commission express
charges would be increased so as to
produce total of more than $780,
100000 added revenue annually.
Smoke Chas. Sheets CHALLENGE 7,
10c Cigar.