Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-07-26
Endeavored to Fix Such
Rates of Pay As Will Pro-
vide a Decent Living and
Educate Workers Children


ployes and others Interested W
give below the most pertinent fact
and arguments of the railway iabo
board in making its recent wag
decision. The following is copie,
verbatim from the published re
port:
On December 2s. 1917, the presi
dent, as a war measure, under tn.
possession and control act of Au
gust 20. 1916. took over and op
Grated through the director gen
eral of railroads approximately 8,
per cent of the railroad mileage o.
the country. The transportation
act of February 2S. 1920, termi.
mated federal control and on March
l these railroads reverted TO their
owners.
From August. 1914, to Deem
Der. 1917, the wages of railroad
employees remained substantially
Cnaltered. BY December, 1917, the
social and industrial changes which
accompanied the world war had
thrown such wages seriously out of
line with those in other industries
and with the cost of living. A
short time prior to federal control,
organizations of railroad employees
presented to the arrangements re-
quests for substantial increases.
The director general on January ] 0,
1918, appointed the Lane commits
sion" referred these requests TO it
and empowered it to investigate
the compensation of railroad en-
ployes and TO make such recon-
mendations as should be deemed
proper. On the basis of the COM
missions report the director gen.
erals order No. 81 was promul-
gated on May 25. 1918. 1t increased
the pay of railway employees then
receiving less than $3.50 per month
by percentages graduated from 40
per cent to the lower paid en-
ployes to zero per cent to those
receiving salaries of $249 per
month. The principle back of this
order was thus stated in the Lane
report: I'm fairness sufficient in
crease should be given to maintain
that standard of living which OBJ
tanned in the pre-war period
and upon those who can best af-
ford to sacrifice should be cast the
greater burden"
General Order No. 81 was based
upon the cost of living at the time
it was formulated. These costs,
however, continued to rise through
the years 1918 and 1919. In Janu-
airy, 1919, the shop crafts and
thereafter other railroad employees
presented requests for further
a
$500, 100000 per annum. The di-
rector general transmitted these
requests to the president. who, on
August 25, 1919. urged the en-
ployes to refrain from pressing
them, pending a better opportun-
ity to estimate the permanence of
high living costs.
In February. 1920. these costs
having continued to rise and rea-
sonable time for the appearance of
n trend toward lower living costs
having elapsed. the organizations
of railroad employees renewed their
requests for wage increases to the
director general. who declined to
act, and was supported by the
president in so doing, in view of
the approaching termination of
federal control. The president,
however, on February 13. agreed to
use his influence toward the estab-
lishment by congress of legal ma
chinery to deal with controversies
between the carriers and their en-
ployes. On February 2s. 1920. the
transportation act became law.
This act provides for the appoint
ment by the president of a rail-
road labor board which shall de-
eide disputes with reference to
wages and working conditions of
railroad employees. Section 301 of
the act provides that all such dis
putes shall be considered and, If
possible, decided N conference be-
tween representatives of the car
rier concerned and representatives
of its employees. At the suggestion
Of the president, the requests for |
increases in wages and for changes
in working conditions submitted to
the director general in February |
were the subject of conference be-
tween representatives of the car
riers and of the organizations con-
cerned This conference extended |
from March 10 to April ]. 1920, |
but resulted in complete failure to
agree.
This long delay and succession
of disappointments, coupled with |
the pressure of a further rise In |
living costs produced deep and not |
unreasonable dissatisfaction on the
part of railroad employees who felt
themselves called on to make sac
rifices, as they believed far beyond
those of any other class. Never
theless, the great majority have
to serve and to conduct
the transportation of the country,
awaiting with disciplined and pa
triotic patience. the reduction of
living costs. the decision of the di-
rector general on their requests,
the action of congress. the conclu-
sions of the conference, the ap-
pointment of this board, the pres
entation of evidence to it and this
decision. Eighteen months will
have elapsed when this decision is
from the original presen-
Ia ton in January, 1919. of the first
of the requests which it in part de-
termines. For these reasons and
as a measure of justice it was de-
cided and announced by this board
on June IL that this decision, when
made, would be effective as of May
1, 1920. and would apply accord
Ing to the time served to all en-
ployes who were in the service as
Of May 1 and who have remained
therein or who have come into the
service since and remained therein.
The board, on the day after its
members were confirmed by the
senate (April Is. 1920). received
the controversy which had been so
long pending and which had re-
NAMED so long unsettled in spite
Of the efforts and conferences
noted above. From that day un-
I'll the date of this decision it has
been constantly and assiduously
engaged in receiving evidence,
hearing arguments, reading and
the many volumes of
testimony offered and the many