The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-06-10
PROPOSED REDUCTIONS
IN WAGE SCALE


mates that $4,000 Missouri railroad
employees are and will be affected by
the average twelve per cent cut in
wages ordered by the United States
Railroad Labor Board, effective July
/, next, and thct this army will re-
ceive less total pay by $11 100000
than for the fiscal year ending June
80, by which day 93,5o0,000 will have
been doled out to those whose future
earnings have been slasfed by this
Federal power. If the cut is accepted
and full year put in by the affected
toilers, without strikes or lockouts,
they will receive during the next IL
months, total of $S2, 100000 for the
same amount of labor and time as was
exacted in the fiscal year Just about
to close. .
Despite the general belief that rail-
road employees during and since the
world war earned phenomenal pay,
the average monthly earnings of rail-
road workers whose wages are regu-
lated by the United States Railroad
Labor Board, Missouri and all other
states, during the fiscal year which
closes June 30, next, when full time
only was put in, was $l41.2S, or only
about $1,700 year.
For the next twelve months, COM
mencing July /. next. the average
full time monthly earnings will be
$124.33. The individual cut in wages
averages $685.. The proposed slash
reduces the average annual earnings
from $1,7OO to $1.496. The average
yearly wages cut is $204.
Few Workers Exceed 5000 a Month
The compilations which follow, TAX
en- from the 1920 Missouri Red Book of
the State Bureau of Labor Statistics,
lists railroad workers who averaged
more than 5000 a month, full time on
/ ly for the fiscal year which closes at
the end of this month, giving the av-
erage monthly earnings by occupation
according to the scale Of the United
States Railroad Labor Board which
went into effect July /, 1920.
Yard masters, $27O; yard masters
assistants, $3.50; train dispatchers
1858; shop foremen, $249; passenger
engineers and motormen, $3.50; pas
senger firemen and helpers, $219;
freight engineers and motormen, $276;
freight firemen and helpers, 1902;
yard engineers and motormen, 5000
passenger conductors, 1888; anC
freight conductors, $24S. 0vertim,
earnings are not included in the com.
pilation just given.
Average Monthly Pay, 1920-21, by
Occupation
The United States Railroad Labol
Board in its official salary and wag'
schedule promulgated July 20, last
the scale, which has just been slashed
divided tie railroad workers of Mis-
souri, and other states into ten groups
according to the class and nature O
the work done.
Group is made up of all yard mas
tiers and assistants and train dispatch
ers and directors. The monthly full
time earnings of this group durinl
the year which is about to close av
erage $259.03. The reduction is eigh
cents an hour.
Members of group 2, consisting o
clerical and railroad station forces, in
Guiding train announcers, all callers
gatemen, baggagemen, freight han
dlers, all clerks, office boys and mes
sengers, telephone switchboard opera
tors, watchmen, janitor and elevate
service men, freight helpers, car sea-
ers and scalers. inspectors and misce
. ianeous laborers, earned an average G
s121,89 a month. The reduction rang
as from 6 to 13 cents an hour.
Those composing group three, cor
sisting of maintenance-of-way inspe'
) tors and foremen. masons and bricl
> layers, carpenters, structural ire
E workers, section men and helpers ar
n unskilled laboyers, construction for
e men and gang men, gatemen, fiagme
p drawbridge operators. and engin
: house men, earned an average
4 $103.53 a month. The reduction RAM
g es from seven to ten cents an hour.
e Group a, consisting of shop emplo,
!, es, including all foremen, machinist
: and boiler makers. blaeksmiths, she
e metal workers. car cleaners and {
r helpers and apprentices. earned an a
e erage Of $154.78 month, with Il
S highest paid, gang foremen, averagir
" s249.25 and the lowest paid, regul'
S apprentices, averaging 500. The r
Il duction averages cents an hour.
+, Group 5, consisting Of telcgrapher
II faIanhoners intarlockers leva, ma.