Evening star., 1921-12-01
PLAN so MILLION 81 WING
UNDER RAIL ECONOMIES
Railroad Labor Board Members Announce
Sweeping Changes in Shop Rules for
100000 Men-Ln Effect Today:

wiring. coupling or pipe connections
necessary to repair machinery or
equipment This work was previ-
ously assigned to electricians and
sheet metal workers only.
Under the new rules. engineers. fire.
men and cranesmen are not prohib-
tied from making such repairs to
equipment on the lines of the road as
they are qualified to perform. The
new rules thus allow train opera
tives to perform repair work even
though it is ordinarily considered
shop mechanics work.
The classification of the work of
the sheet metal workers, electrical
workers and car men has been
changed to allow some of the work
previously performed by them exclu-
sively to be done by their helpers and
to mechanics in other crafts where
the needs of the service require it.
New Freight Car Rule.
Another important change affecting
mon laborers to dismantle wooden
freight cars hereafter. Under the
national agreement only qualified car
penters were allowed to do this work.
About 6S per cent of the country'S s
freight cars are built of wood. The
| new rule will permit employees get
ting 1926 to IS a day to do work
previously required to be done by car
. men receiving 1854 day.
An entirely new rule promulgated
by the board for the first time Gre
ateS a new type of apprentice, to be
known as special apprentice. Regu-
lar apprentices are youths entering
the service between the ages OF Six
teen and twenty-one years and SerV-
ing four years apprenticeship, and
helper apprentices are those appren-
tices selected from the ranks of the
1al a a
be selected from young men between
the ages of eighteen and twenty-six
who have had a technical school edu-
cation. and they will be required to
serve only three years apprentice
ship before becoming journeymen
mechanics.
Many of the rules are highly tech
nical in character. Much time was
spent on the rules regarding cleo
trical railroads, which at present ap-
ply only to few roads, like the
Pennsylvania and New York Central,
Importance as the electrification Of
| the steam lines proceeds.
J Unions Taking Part.
The six shop crafts employees in
volved are the carmen, sheet metal
workers, machinists. blacksmiths.
bollermakerS and electrical workers.
hearing by the following organiza-
tions: Brotherhood Railway Carmen
, of America. International Alliance of
Amalgamated Sheet Metal Workers,
International Association of Machin-
! lists. International Brotherhood of
Blacksmths, Drop Forgers and Help
| ers. International Brotherhood of
Boilermakers. Iron Ship Builders and
Helpers of America, and the Interna-
tional Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers. All these are affiliated with
| the American Fedora ton of Labor
, and are enrolled in the railway en-
| ployes' department of that organiza-
ton.
The national agreement, supplanted
today by the new rules. was entered
| into with the employees of the United
States Railroad Administration Sep
| tember 20. 1919. From the first it
| was strongly criticized by the rail-
road managements and others be-
cause they contended it imposed un-
economic methods of operation on the