The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-25
THE RAILROAD WAGE AWARD.

1t is unfortunate JnaC the railroad
labor board, having decided to reduce
the wages of the railroad workers, did
not do it at once. The board expects
to announce specifically the details of
readjustment on June 1, but this is
not to be effective until July 1. and
now for five weeks longer the exag-
gerated payments for service on the
roads must continue. But this delay
will not be followed by refund to the
railroads of overpaid wages.
When the wages of the employees
were advanced, the roads were re-
quired to hand out back pay for the
time which the award had been under
consideration. Simple justice seems to
call for a similar course toward the
roads. but such action would not be
considered for a moment. If wages
will be too high July 1 they are too
high now. Why should the roads
continue paying extravagant amounts
for labor?
Under the national agreements, in
genious methods were introduced to
enable men. by having their titles
changed, to receive back pay and
overtime, which in their workings
amounted to fat bonuses. Mr.. Krutt-
schnitt of the Southern Pacific gave
the senate committee ten typical cases
which he stated might be multiplied
indefinitely. Among the incidents
cited were:
A gang of men on the Southern Pa
cific who places blue-f1ag signals on
trains in yards and who couple and
uncouple steam and air hose. When
any of these men were absent, car
cleaners were used as substitutes-the
classification of these being changed
by the director general from watch
men with laborers' pay to car men,
and back pay awarded to January 1
1918. The gang consisted of fifteen
men, all unskilled, and they were
given back pay during federal control
of $14.436.
Southern Pacific employees whose
sole duty was to keep watch on sta
tionary engines and to stop the en-
CINE in case anything went wrong
were reclassified by the director gen.
eral as electrical workers." one man
on the Salt Lake division being given
back pay of s2,SS1: another s2,o94;
another $4,000; another $2,003,, and
six others amounts varying from
81. 500 to $1,000.
A car repairer on the Virginia rail-
way was paid 1000 for work he never
did. He was laid off with other en-
pIoyes because there was no work for
him to do. When he became entitled
under his seniority rights" to be4re-
overtime.
The shop crafts agreement provides
that when employees are required &c
check in and out on their own time
they will be paid for one hour extra
at the close of each week, no matter
how few hours they may have worked
This rule in the first six months OF
1920 it is said cost the railways So
100000, or at the rate of $13,0O0,00C
year.
The unfafrness of all this has beer
made apparent but the railroads have
no recourse. Their money is gone
never to return, and the public now is
called upon to make it up to them thru
taxation and high transportation rates
The share which the employees will
pay, is not in proportion to what they
received.
| It is no wonder that the railroad
labor boart,, after patiently hearins
all the testimony on both sides ant
allowing the workers to submit all the
arguments possible. has finally decid
ed for a readjustment downward o
wages. The last of the arguments o
the workers was that even If the rail
roads were not able to pay wages OIL
the present scale, they should do 81
in the cause of humanity, and that tn,
welfare of the worker was to be con
sidered above everything else. Their
is however. a difference between wei
fare and a continuance of Iarg
bonuses. And it can be seen wha
effect upon workers in other line
such unfair advantages would have :
given to workers on the railroad
above every other class in the country