The Connecticut labor press., 1920-07-24

formal lists.
Sentiment hereabouts is about equal
iy divided on the acceptance of the
award if it is as published, but else
where about the country there is 9
strong feeling against acceptance. In
Chicago where the brotherhood heads
are meeting to discuss the awards there
is an absolute deadlock on the recon-.
mendati0ns for acceptance or reJeutipIa.
The following unions have Virtually
agreed to accept the award, accardl1ls
to word coming from the conference
room: Brotherhood of Railroad Tram
men, Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers, Switchrnen's Union of North
America, Railroad Shop Laborers,
Brotherhood of Locomotive FiTemen
and Engineers and the Masters, Mates
and Pilots Association of America.
Submission of the award to refer
endum with recommendation of accept
ance was reported as decided upon by
the chiefs of the International Associa-
ton of Machinists, Sheet Metal Work
ers' International Alliance, Brother
Freight Handlers, Express and Station
Employees, Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers, International Brotherhood of
Boilerrnakers, Iron Shipbuilders and
Helpers of America, and the Interna-
tionaI Brotherhood of Blacksmiths,
Drop Forgers and Helpers
The brotherhood of Railway Signal
men and the Railway Employees De-
partment of the American Federation
of Labor have, it was said, decided to
submit the award to referenduns with
recommendation.
The first definite acceptance of the
award came late Wednesday from the
American Train Dispa atchers' Associa-
ton, whose president, G. Luhrserl,
characterized the work of the wage
board as "Herculean task courage
ously performed"
The association, which is not affiliated
with the American Federation of La
Dor, was made party to the proceed
ings after the hearings started. The
new scale gives the dispatchers Is cents
an hour increase.
Action of the maintenance of way
employees leaders II tnought to be
indicative of the solution which most
of the other brotherhoods will adopt.
Officials of that union agreed to accept
the boards decision under protest and
then began drawing up set of new de-
mands to be presented within 10 days.
The Order of Railroad Telegraphers
has announced its intention of sub
mitting the award to strike vote and
the Order of Conductors is reported as
undecided as to its course.
While so far there is no question
of strike, and probably will not be,
the railroad men generally are disap-
pointed with the award and have right
to be, declares President Gompers in
statement at Washington. Mr.. Com
pers says sop has been thrown to the
workers under the operation of the
Cummins-Esch law and he again heart
lily condemns that law because it pro-
vides for just such sops being offered
and no settlement of the trouble. He
expressed the opinion that the railroads
have only one interest in the matter
and that is how much they can gouge
the public for under the head of pass
ing it on to the workers. Mr.. Gompers
said:
Much has been said in the press
about the estimated aggregate wage in
crease granted to the railroad men of
the country by the Railroad Labor
Board. The figure, 5000, 100000, is large
and it sounds imposing and awesome..
Most of us have no adequate idea OF
what so much money means or would
look like
"An entirely unfair impression gains
ground by reason of this bulking of the
issue. 1t is estimated that the average
wage of a section worker, under the
award, will be $101 per month, or less
than SIS a week The average wage
of an engineer will be about $3.50
month, or less than $40 week. These
are averages, so great many hum
dreds of workers in these c1assifica-
tions will get less than the estimated
average.
'The two c1assifcations just cited
are the highest paid and the lowest
paid. In intermediate classihcations
are the firemen, the conductors and
brakemen, the baggagemen, telegra-
pliers, carpenters, car repairers, boiler
makers, machinists, gang foremen and
so-called unskilled workers. The stand
ard of living that is possible for these
classihcations is not that which is pos
sibIe to men doing like work in other
industries.
"A sop has been thrown to each rail-
road worker under the operation of the
Esch-C Cummins law Collectively they
may feel themselves morally bound to
accept it, but the whole theory of that
act is an Indictment against the Esch-
Cummins law, of which time will con-
vict the authors.
"The railroad men are disappointed
and they have right to be. The first
test of the wage-making side of the
Esch-C -Cummins act is to them as much
of a disappointment as it well could
have been. 1t is indicated that the
railroad employees will not strike to en-
force a fairer consideration of their
needs, but it must not be forgotten that
if the award had been SO low as to
compel consideration of other means of
redress the men could have struck only
at the risk of injuring their own cause"
Continued on Fifth -Page.)