Evening journal., 1921-05-18
ORDER CUT IN
RAILROAD wage
Conditions Justify Read
justment, Formal State
ment Says
RATES ALSO
MAY BE CUT

CHICAGO, May Is Omitted Press)
-Reduetion OF freight and pessen-
ger rates on railroads II expected
to follow the cut in wages OF la
borers.
Reduction in wages OF common
iaborers on all railroads amounting
to approximately s40O. 900, 900 will
be formally announced by the Fed
eral railroad labor board nhere
June l and will become effective
July /.
Although the decision on June 1
will AFFECT only unslilled labor the
attitude OF the board was UNDER
stood to be that it will reduce the
wages OF all classes OF employees on
all railroads. The June l decision
will be merely the first OF group
OF decisions affecting all employees.
The board stated in advance it's
position that wages should be re-
duced in order 10 allow all lines to
| file petitions to allow the readjust-
ment of wages before the final de-
cision was announced. At present
only eleven roads have asked wage
cuts, but all others are expected to
file the petitions before the wage
cut OF common laborers is announc-
ed on June l.
Normally there are about 100000
unskilled laborers employed by the
railroads of the country
Railroad executives here today |
] 60 a rn
garding the wage cuts. However |
they expressed general disappoint- |
ment that the cut would not be ef- I
fective before July 1, when prac- /
tically all Of the track rebuilding |
work for the year is completed.
Estimates today placed the reduc- /
ton OF wages in unskilled labor at
from ~ to 16 per cent.
The announcement. which said
that prevailing conditions Justify
to some extent. yet to be determined,
a readjustment Of wages was en-
tirely unexpected. and came only a
few hours after the close Of the hear
ings which have been in progress
since early in April. Neither the
roads nor the representatives OF the
unions had expected any announce
ment for several weeks.
on July 90. 1920, the board rem
dered a decision increasing the pay
OF all classes Of railway employees
/ approximately 81 per cent. or about
/ $500 900 900 a year.
Disputes filed since April 1S will
he heard on June 6. "it being the
purpose Of the board to make its
decision OF the disputes heard June
s effective July l."
The railroads completed their evil
dence May Z, and yesterday b. w.
Jewell. president OF the Railway
Employees Department OF tho Amer
ican Federation Of Labor, filed the
employees final statement.
The text OF the boards statement
follows;
Whereas. Under date OF Aril 6,
1921. the United states Railroad La
bor Board adopted a resolution
which recited. among other things,
that in the judgment OF the board
Il is possible to hear at one time
and decide in one decision. so far
as may be possible. the question as
TO what may constitute just and rea-
sonable wages for an classes Of en-
ployes Of carriers parties to decision
| No . as TO whose wages there may
be disputes; and.
Whereas. The board has now
heard the evidence and arguments
OF both parties to all such disputes
which were filed and docketed prior
to April is. 1921. but since said date
a large number Of applications for
decision on similar disputes have
been filed and there are reasonable
grounds TO believe still other such
applications are about to be filed,
and.
Whereas, the Railroad Labor
Board has this day, by formal reso-
ution, declared thht. in its iudg-
ment, based on the evidence before
II in the disputes already heard,
prevailing conditions justify to some
extent yet to be determined. re-
, adjustment downward of the wages
OF the employees OF the carriers.
which are parties to the disputes
already heard by the labor board;
therefore, be II resolved
. "CD That this board will on June
1, 1921, announce its decision. COW
ering the disputes as 10 wages be-
tween carriers and their employees.
which have been heretofore heard
by the board. to become effective
July /, 1921.
"(2) That Monday. June 6. 1921.
be set as the date when this board
VIII hear tho representatives OF the
l parties TO disputes filed since April
is. 1921, or which may yet be filed
and docketed prior TO June 6. it
. being the purpose OF the Railroad
, Labor Board 20 make its decision
OF the disputes heard June 6, 1921,
effective July I, 1921"