Evening star., 1921-08-20
RAILROAD PAY CUT
BRINGS OPPOSITION
Labor Board Presents First
Divided Opinion on Over
time Question.
BY the Associated Press.

os tue ASSOCIATED freSS.
CHICAGO, August 19.-Presenting
a divided opinion for the first time
since its formation a year and half
ago. the United States Railroad Labor
Board yesterday, in a majority de-
cision. cut the overtime pay of GER
tain classes of shop craft workers.
while a labor member dissenting de-
clared the majority opinion does not
appear either just or reasonable"
The dissenting opinion was by A.
o. Wharton. former president of the
railway employees department, Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. which. with
the six federated shop crafts. was
involved in the dispute.
Two labor members Joined the ma
jority in signing the decision. Those
concurrinG where Judge r. NJ. Bar
ton, chairman; G.. W. Hanger, and
Ben w Hooper. representing the
public; Albert Phillips and Walter L.
Horace Baker. j. H. Elliott and
Samuel Higgins. railroad repre-
Sentatives.
Dissenting Opinion Surprise.
The dissenting opinion was a sur
prise, as the boards rule has been to
thresh out disputed points. issuing
the majority decision unanimously.
Seven rules affecting the overtime
pay of the shop employees on 1877
roads are involved in today's decision
The roads appealed for modification
of the national agreement rules, en-
tered into during wartime railroad
administration, and the majority
modified certain ones
Among the changes the majority
ruled that:
Employees regularly called for Sun
day and holiday work and perform
ing tasks absolutely necessary for
dDntinuous operation of the roads
shall not receive time and a half, but
only pay on the same basis as for
week days. No work not absolutely
necessary is to be performed on SUM-
days.
Employees at the completion of eight
hours work may be required to work
two hours overtime before being re-
leased for meals. instead of one hour,
as now provided.
Cut Overtime Allowance.
Employees called for work and not
working, or called for work and
working two hours and forty minutes
or less will be paid for four hours
overtime. instead of five hours under
existing rules.
Employees called one hour or less be-
fore their regular time will be paid
time and one-half for the overtime,
instead of the present five-hours' al
1owance.
Men called away from home will not
be allowed overtime for hours spent
sleeping. provided they receive at
least five hours relief out of every
twenty-four.
243 Hours Per Month.
Employees regularly assigned to
perform road work. and paid on a
monthly basis. will compute their
salaries on the basis of 243 hours a
= month instead of the present 1863
hours, with no overtime allowed for
hours worked in excess of eight per
day. and no time deducted for less
than eight hours work. unless the
employe lays Off of his own accord.
1t was this last rule to which Mr..
Wharton took particular exception
in his minority report. He present.
ed figures to show that 1t would re-
duce road employees approximately
SIS a month and give them an aver
age monthly salary of 81 below that
paid for the same class of work on
May 1. 1918, AT that time they were
getting S sfSg 4 month. Wharton said.
ON April go, 1920. the board raised
them to s223.50, and on June 80 Of
this year reduced them to $202.50.
Today's decision, he said, means a
further reduction to $1S7.
Agreement Of Twenty Years.
Mr.. Wharton contended the ma
tiona1 agreement rules were fair and
changed. They embody, he said.
rules mutually agreed on by carriers
and employees over period OF twenty
years, agreed on in some cases on
roads where the unions did not at
that time have a strong organization.
To upset twenty-year-old working
agreements at this time Is not Just
to the men. he contended.