Evening star., 1921-06-27
RAIL BOARD DGRANTS
WAGE CUTS TO 210
MORE BIG ROADS
Order Permits II Per Cent
Reduction Allowed 104 !,
Other Carriers June /.
MAKES $400, 900,
SAVING NOW POSSIBLE
Unions Expected to Accept Today's
Decision Without Interrupt
tion to Traffic.
By the Associated Press.

by the Associated Press.
CHICAGO. June 27.--The United States
Railroad Labor Board today extended
It's wage reduction order, effective
July l, to nearly every large Railroad
in the country. No change from the
average 12 per cent reduction grant,
ed 1o4 carriers on June l was made
by. today's decision. The boards
order today covered 210 roads.
The new wage decision of the Rail-
road Labor Board will make a reality
of the estimated $4o0.00O.o00 ANNUAL
savings expected when the boards 8
~ per cent cut, effective July l. Is
applied to all employees on all rail-
roads known as class l carriers.
Lops on 0O.OOo. 600.
When the reduction order was
issued it was estimated that, If ap-
piled to all employees on all class l
roads. it would lop approximately
$400,000.000 from the country's rail-
road labor bill.
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 an
nouncement of the boards wage cut
of the country poured in their appli-
cation to the Labor Board for author
ity to make similar reductions. A
hearing set for June included a
total of 1854 roads. and in the next
two weeks sixty-one more submis,
hearing for June 20. A few roads.
which had not included all classes of
employees in their first petitions for
reductions. came in with the re-
naming classes in the last hearing.
All Employees INCLUDED.
Many of the roads which asked re-
ductions for only part of their en-
ployes 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
$500, 100000 wage award OF July. 1920,
was included in one or more OF the
three hearings. -,
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
termined in the June l decision, and
merely added to that decision en-
ployes involved in the subsequent
hearings.
Arguments for Wage Cuts.
At the 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 of living
statistics and comparison of railroad
n
tries. The employees took up other
factors laid. down by the transporta-
tion act to be considered in the deter
mination of just and reasonable
wages. Hazards Of employment, the
living wage and similar lines Of evil
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 II per
cent cut. it has been expected that
conferences here on July would
agree to accept the boards decision
without any interruption of traffic.
About one-haf OF the roads in
cluded in today's decision were
parties to the original decision, the
duplication resulting from the fact
classes of employees in their first Pc
titions for a wage cut.
Other Employees Added.
Rates of reduction for several
minor classes of employees were add
cd TO the order today, which was
issued as an addendum to decision
i47. the original wage reduction or
der. Chefs and other restaurant
Wnrkers. dining car employees, laun-
Srv workers and porters were named
in added sections of the decision.
Reductions of 60 per cent OF the
since February 20. 1920. were direct
ed for these employees.
Added sections covering marine
workers set the monthly rates of
nav for railroad marine employees In
Saw York. Philadelphia, Hampton
oads N New Orleans, Natchez, Miss;
CAIRO III; st. Louis, Duluth. Mimi,
and on the Tennessee river.