Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-02-24
U. S. Railroad Labor Board
Asked to Stop Payments for
Work Not Done.
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prevailing under present working rules
and conditions. General w. W. After.
bury, vice president Of the Pennsyh
vRnia railroad, In statement to the
board In session at Chicago said Ia
part:
Many railroads are not new earning,
and with present operating costs and
trafic have no prospect OF earning,
even their bare operating expenses,
leaving them without any net return
and unable to meet their fixed charges.
The emergency presented can be met
either by an advance in freight and
passenger rates, or BY q reduction 10
operating expenses.
With declining prices and wages In
industry and agriculture, the country
demands that the seiveney Of the rail-.
reads must be assured by a reduction
In operating expenses and not by q
further advance Of rates.
The National Agreements, rules and
working conditions forced on the rail-
roads as war measures cause gross
waste anu lnel1CleHCy.
Would Save 100000 900
estimate that the elimination of
this waste would reduce railway OPP
Grating expenses at least S300,G00,000.
1t would be far better to save this sum
by restoring conditions Of efficient and
economical operation than TO reduce
wages.
We believe that as the wages of rail.
road employees were the last to 90 up
thcT should also be the last to come
down, but we do insist that for an am,
pie wage an honest days work shall
be given, The public has the right to
insist that this must be obtained.
The public has also the right to ex.
pect that the railway executives, with
the cooperation of the regulatory
bodies and the employees, will as r.
idly as possible reduce the cost OF
way operation 80 as to insure even
ly reduction in rates. Ultimately a
readjustment of basic wages will be
required. Meantime 1t is to the inter.
ests of all concerned, including labor,
that the rules and working conditions
shall be made conducive to the highest
efficiency in output per man.
Losses In Income lrreparable
When wages have been too low the
harm done has been offset by retroac.
tive increases. Losses Of railway net
operating income are irreparable You
cannot make retroactive tomorrow the
savings that should have been made
today.
The board cannot possibly write the
rules and working conditions of every
railroad in this country and adjust
them equitably to varying geograph-
ical, operating and social conditions.
1t rests entirely with the board to
determine whether this whole situa.
ton shall drift into chaos, and or
derby procedure become impossible eX-
Cept at the price Of railroad bank
ruptcy financial shock and still wider
unemployment.
The Labor Board can prevent this
catastrophe by declaring that the Ma
tionaI agreements, rules and working
conditions coming over from the war
ser,od are terminated at once; that
the question Of reasonable and eco
nomical rules and working conditions
shall be remanded to negotiations be-
tween each carrier and its own en-
ployceS; and that as the basis for such
negotiations, the agreements. rules,
and working conditions in effect on
each railroad as of December 81, 1917,
shall he established
If the board will do this, the Labor
Committee Of the Association of Rail-
way Executives will urge upon ev-
cry railroad company a party to De-
cisOn No. 2, that no proposal for
the reduction Of basic wages shall be
made within the next succeeding nine
ty days. This will afford an oppor-
tunlty to gauge the economies which
can be accomplished through more
efficient rules and working conditions.
1t also will afford additional time
in which to realize the benefits Of
further decline in the cost Of living.
Relief imperative and Equitable
The course which We are recon
II not only imperative but
equitable.
The War Labor Board declared that
the war period wss an interregnun, to
BE- used neither By employer nor en-
pioyss fer the purpose Of lettering
Or impairtns the position Of either.
To perpetuate ~ the normal rules
and working coalitions on the rail-
roads, the eItraoDsinary provisions OF
the war period Ia a distinct violatio0
OF all promises. The war has now
been over moro than two years. Tho
time has como whom, II the railways
arc to be efficiently and economically
In accordance with the pro-
Visions of the Transportation act, nor
nal conditions Of employment and Of
conditions must be restored
s.d Increased efficiency Of labor be
sapsred.
49,