The New York herald., 1921-06-28
LABOR BOARD CUTS
21O RAIL PAYROLLS
ABOUT $40O,OO0,0O0
Practically Every Big Road
in Country Is Granted
Wage Reduction.
IN EFFECT ON JULY 1
Average Of II Per Cent. Is
Maintained, as in It's
First Decision.
ALL CLASSES INCLUDED
Workers Are Expected to Ac-
cept Ruling in Referendum
Vote Being Taken Now.

CHICAGO. June 27.-The United States
Railroad Labor Board to-day extended
its wage reduction order, effective
July /, to practically every large rail-
road in the country. No change from
the average IL per cent. reduction
granted to 104 cSrriers on June 1 was
made by to-dav's decision. which
covered 210 roads.
To-days reduction order involved
practically all classes of employees on
virtually every railroad known as
Class 1 carriers which was not in
cluded in the boards original reduc-
every big road in the country. The
only change in the rates Of reduction
made by to-day's decision was in the
case of some marine workers.
About one-half of the roads included
in the decision were parties to the
original decision, the duplication re-
sulting from the fact that many roads
did not include all classes Of employees
In their first petitions for wage cut.
All classes of employees have now been
named In the submission Of some of
the roads. the wage cut. however. ap-
plying only to those employees of a
given road which were named in the
roads submission.
Restaurant Workers Included.
Rates of reduction for several minor
classes Of employees were added to
the order which was issued as an
addendum In decision 147. the original
wage reduction order. Chefs and other
restaurant workers. dining car en-
ployees, laundry workers and porters
were named in added sections of the
decision. Reductions of 60 per cent of
the increase granted to such employees
since February 2s. 1920 (the roads were
returned to private control by the Rail-
road Administration on March !, 1920
were directed for these employees.
Added sections covering marine work.
ers set the monthly rates of pay for
railroad marine employees in New York.
Philadelphia. Hampton Roads. New Or
leans, Natchez. Miss. Cairo. H.; st.
Louis, Duluth, Mimi. and on the Ten
nessee River.
The new wage decision will make a
reality of the estimated s400. .0o0, 900 an
nual savings expected when the boards
IL per cent. cut. effective July /. is
applied.
The new decision will make this cut
possible by ordering reduced wages for
employees not included In the original
case and also by including employees
on roads which were not parties to the
first hearing
Immediately following the announce
ment Of the Boards wage cut on June
] roads from every section of the
country poured in their applications to
the Labor Board for authority to make
similar reductions. A hearing set for
June 8 included a total of 164 roads, and
In the next two weeks sixty-one more
submissions were made and included in
q hearing for June 20. few roads
which had not included all classes of
employees In their first petitions for re-
ductions came in with the remaining
classes In the last hearing.
Many Of the roads which asked re-
ductions for only a part OF their en-
ployees at the original hearing In May
came back with applications to cover
all employees in these two later hear
ings. Virtually every railroad In the
country ulLeCleu Dy lllt l<dppT DOdi VI
$500, 900. 900 wage award OF July. 1920.
was included In one or more of the
three hearings.
Scale of Reductions Maintained.
Following the IL per cent. reduction.
which was generally unsatisfactory to
the roads. the carriers returned TO the
board with added insistence that the
1920 wage award be wiped out. The
board, however, was not inclined to
change It's scale of reductions determined
In the June l decision. and merely added
10 that decision employees involved In
the subsequent hearings.
4. .se two June hearings the roads,
for the most part. 90 ntented themselves
with reiterating the evidence presented in
May. Their arguments consisted chiefly
OF cost OF living statistics and conf
parison OF railroad wages with those In
outside industries. The employees took
up other factors laid down by the trans
portation act to be considered In the
determination OF just and reasonable
wages. Hazards OF employment. the
living wage and similar lines OF evidence
were introduced In an effort 10 prevent
any cut In wages.
While no definite returns have been
announced from the referendum being
taken by all the railway unions on
acceptance or rejection Of the IL per
cent. cut. Il was expected that confer
ences here on July ! would agree to