Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-07-06
BOARD SLAsHES
ALL RAIL WAGES
Every Class of Workers Hit by
the Decision.
INCREASES ARE CUT oNE-HALF
Means Saving 70 Roads Of Abont
500. 900, 600, Il Is said-New
Schedule to Take Effect
July I.

ANlfA~Ns June -N.-lNe lhllfN
States railroad labor board extended
SIS wage reduction order. effective
July !. 10 practically every large rail-
road In the country No change from
the average l. per cent reduction
granted lO4 carriers on June was
made by the decision. The boards
order covers 30 roads.
The new wage decision of the Uni
ted States railroad labor board will
make a reality OF the estimated $780,
O0O,O00 annual savings expected when
the boards l. per cent cut. effective
July /, Is applied 10 all employees on
all railroads known rs class car
riers. The decision. drawn up as an
addendum 20 the wage reduction order
Of June 1. was made public here.
II adds practically every railroad In
class division 10 the original list Of
iO4 roads authorized 10 make the l.
per cent reduction.
Whe nthe reduction order was IS
sued. Il was estimated that. II applet
20 all employees on all class I roads.
Il would Top approximately S4O0OO0.-
600 from the country's railroad labor
bin. The new decision viii make this
cut possible, by ordering reduced
wages FOR employees not included In
the original case and also ~ Including
employees on roads which were not
parties 10 the first hearing.
Flood Of Requests Received.
Immediately following the announce
ment of the boards wage cut on-June
I. roads from every section of the
country poured In their applications
10 the labor board for authority 10
make similar reductions. A hearing
set for June included a total of 164
roads ard In the next two weeks 81
more submissions were made and in
Guided in a hearing for June 20. \
few roads which had not included all
classes Of employees In their first pc
titions for reductions came In with
the remaining classes IN the last hear
ing.
Many Of the roads which asked re-
ductions for only 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 affected by the labor boards
SGO0.0OOOOO wage award of July. 1920
was included In one or more Of the
three hearings.
Following the Il per cent reduc-
tion. which was generally unSatisfac-
tory Ia the roads. the carriers returned
To the board with added lnsistence
that the 1920 wage award be wiped
out. The board. however. was not in
clIned 10 change its scale Of reduc-
tons determined in the June ! deci-
sion and merely added 10 that decision
employees involved In the subsequent
hearings.
Advance Many Arguments.
At 'he two June hearings the roads.
for the most part, contented them
selves with reiterating the evidence
presented In May. Their arguments
consisted chiefly Of cost-0f-living sta
tistlcs and comparison of railroad
wages with those In outside indus
tries. The employees took up other
factors laid down by the transporta-
ton act "a. be considered In the deter
mination Of just and reasonable wages.
Hazards Of employment, the living
wage and similar lines of evidence
were introduced in an effort TO pre-
vent any cut in wages.
While no definite returns have been
announced from the referendum being
taken 10y all the railway unions on
acceptance or rejection of the l. per
cent cut. Il was expected that confer
ences here on July ! would agree 10
accept the boards decision without
..,,. fs,..rVttnffon of traffic