The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-15
WHY is A COMMISSION?

road labor board seems to indicate
that the board is falling into the class
of our own public utilities commits
sion. Soon there may be none SO
poor to do it reverence" Consider
able bodies of railroad workers also
are showing signs of rebellion against
the boards rulings.
Actions of all boards and commits
siens which are set up to settle con-
troversies thru arbitration or other
wise seem finally to reach the courts
before an actual settlement can be at
tanned. This fact gives rise to
thought that it might be as well to
dispense with all boards and commits
sions and leave the matter to the
courts from the start. Much expense
and delay might thus be eliminated.
1t is becoming more and more APP
parent that the question of wages and
working agreements as related to
railroads and their employees must be
settled finally by the parties con-
cerned or by the courts, the roads
acting individually instead of collec-
lively 1t has been discovered that
wages and working conditions ap-
plicable to one road and one terri
tory may not be applicable to an
other. The same is true of rates.
The manner in which the govern
ment director of railroads bequeathed
to the private managers a burden of
national agreements was shown re-
Gently by the testimony of E. I.
Whittier, a spokesman for the railroad
managers, at the hearing before the
senate committee on interstate COM
merce. These agreements were made
at various times beginning in 1919
and closing with an agreement made
February l, 1920, only one month be-
fore federal control was to be relin-
pushed.
The shipments agreement, which
was known as Rule No. 1, provided
arbitrary application of eight hours
for ia. work, regardless of diff
ferences in conditions, branch line
conditions, light traffic territories,
etc. That rule also prohibited piece
work, thus placing the most efficient
workmen on a par with the poorest
and discouraging efficiency and econ
omy.
The next four rules prescribed
starting and stopping times, single
shifts, two shifts, and three continu-
Gus shifts, and arbitrarily applied the
same starting time for single shifts
regardless of different conditions, and
prohibited overlapping shifts, disre-
| garding the fact that at, some periods
a maximum of work is necessary. In
some instances two or three shifts
were required where one or two would
take care of the work.
Rule 7 required that employees held
on continuous service after regu' r
working hours shall be paid one hour
for forty minutes service, or for even
one minutes service. They must not
be worked longer than one hour with
out being permitted to go to meals
and If called or required to return 70
work must be paid five hours time
for three hours and twenty minutes
service, or for any fraction of time
less than three hours and twenty min
utes, and in addition could be required
~ w O4iAy SNCn WOEk as nelQ or Calle1
for. Under that rule one railroad paid
for 1875 hours. altho receiving
only 49,719 hours of actual work.
Another rule required the railroads
to pay employees for one hour extra
at the close of each week for check
ing in and out on their own time. In
a period of Six months. this cost. the
railroads nearly $6,500,O0o.
Another rule required that only
men who had served apprenticeship
in the car department or who have
had four years practical experience
on car work should be eligible for EN-.
ployment as car repairers, whereas {
large proportion of repair work or
freight cars could be done by men o,
only few months experience.
1t must be apparent that it will re-
quire more than the order of a board
to cause the railroads to continue t,
submit to terms enumerated by Mr.
Whittier If the board abrogate thes,
terms 1t will encounter opposition
and possible disregard by the unions