Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-10
ADDS $3O,O(0,ODO
YEARLY TOEXPRESS
EMPLOYEES WAGES
Railway Board Awards &C.,
600 Men 16-Cent Hour
Iy Increase.

CHICAGO, August 10.-Thirty mil
lion dollars was added today to the
nations express bill. The United
States railway labor board awarded
the 10000 employees of the American
Railway Express Company an increase
Of Is cents an hour. The decision is
retroactive to May l, 1920,
Under the terms Of the Esch- Cum
MINIS tsportation.. set the express
rates sufficiently to- meet the in
creased labor cost. Arguments in the
rate case already have been presented
before the Interstate Commerce COM
mission at Washington.
Today's award does not go into the
question of rules and working condi-
tions. AS was the case last month.
when the board granted $600,000.000
increase to railway employees, it was
announced that a decision covering
new working rules would be handed
down later.
The express decision applies to all
express employees. save $500 >shopmen,
who were given an increase Of IS
cents an hour in the railway award
last month. The award to expressmen
is slightly better than the average
increase to the railroad men, the
board finding that express employees,
as classe were not so wen paid as
rrcn in other lines of railroad work.
Four Unions Affected.
Four unions are affected by the
boards decision. They are:
The Brotherhood of Railway and
Steamship Clerks. Freight Handlers
Express and Station Employees.
The International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Local No. 720
of Chicago.
For the purposes 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 employees
in the train service whose hours are
computed on a basis of a. 240-hour
month will receive an increase of
S3S.40. All other employees working
on the 204-hour per month basis will
receive $3264 more. The board di-
rects that pay from May l to August
81 shall be paid to employees separate
ly from their September checks in or
der that they may know the exact
amount of back pay received.
/ Describes Conditions In Service.
Describing conditions in the express
service, the board states in it's de-
cision:
"As in the case of the railroad en-
ployes, thfs;long delay and succession
of disappointments Creferring to the
unsuccessful efforts of the men to get
an increase early last spring., coupled
with the pressure OF a TURNER rise
in living costs, produced deep and
not unreasonable dissatisfaction on
the part of the express employe even
Ito a greater degree than upon many
of the railroad employees. as the wages
paid to the express employees were
Generally less than those paid Tor
analogous service by the raliroaos
and in many other industries.
The express employees thus felt
themselves called upon to make sac
rificss,' as they believed. far beyond
those of any other class For these
reasons, and as a measure of Justice,
it was decided that this decision,
when. made, would be effective as of
May.1, 1920, and that the increases
herein specified should be slightly In
excess of those decided upon for rail-
roads employees performing similar
service"
0mcials Non-Committal.
Presidents of the express unions
who were present when the award
was handed down were non-commit-
tai on it's acceptability., but the gen.
eral impression was%that the labor
board had been slightly more gener-
GUS than either the unions or the ex-
press company had expected. Two of
the unions had demanded increases
of $51 per month. while the other two
asked an increase of $35 monthly.
The Brotherhood of Railway and
Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers.
Express and Station Employees will
hold a grand lodge meeting here to-
night to pass on the award. About
66 900 of the $4,000 express employees
are said to be members of this union.
Affects 100 i'm South.
CHATTANOOGA. Tenn. August 10.
The increase in wages of 16 cents
per hour to employees of the American
hallway Express Company by the
wage labor board will affect approx
imately 700 employees in Chattanooga.
which is general HEADQUARTERS for the
south and southwest. The local in
crease will amount to $4,000 per
month. or $a3.2S per employe.