Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-02-09
That National Agreement

That National Agreement
Now that the labor leaders are de-
nouncing the railroad managers for
their request to have the wartime
national agreement ended it is peril
nent to inquire into the terms of that
agreement. An incident is related of
the railroad sending two plumbers
the line to set up some heating ap-
paratus which took but few hours
of their time, but owing to train
schedules they were compelled to sit
around. receiving overtime SO that
when they finally arrived home each
had to his credit $40 due him from
the railroad for that days adventure.
On the Chicago, Great Western
Railroad it is stated that a wrecking
crew, arriving back at its home sta
ton two days after it had left to
clear a wreck, put in under this ma
tional agreement claims for time and
a half and double time during the
night periods when they were not
working, and Notwithstanding that
the wrecking outfit was equipped
with sleeping and dining facilities
and the men were free to rest, sleep
or eat from 9 p. M. to A. NJ, they
claimed and were paid total of 1S
hours and 80 minutes pay, represent
ing time while they were performing
no work.
Manifestly such conditions as
those such exactions of the roads
revenues when nothing is given in re-
turn, whether made by the employees
or by the managers, are bound to kill
the goose that laid the golden egg.
No enterprise can long be prosperous
under such conditions. And these
instances are by no means rare. it
seems.
One is related of the repair of a.
broken car window. The foreman
was capable Of repairing it but was
not permitted to do so. The right
man" had to be sent for, the train
was held an hour and half while he
did the job and he was able to COL
lect of the road five hours pay. And
here is the way they would, under
this agreement, be compelled to go
about the removing and replacing of
a headlight generator: first an cleo
trician to disconnect the wires, a
sheet metal worker to disconnect the
pipes, machinist to unbolt the old
and bolt on the new generator. Then
the sheet metal worker who has been
sitting around consents to rise and
reconnect the pipes and the electri-
clan who may have been having a
game of "seven-up" with the helpers
now connects the wires. If these
men happen to be keeping house how
many and what experts are they en-
ploying to wash the dishes?' This
inquiry may seem impertinent, but
is It when we realize that a corpora
ton no more than the individual can
afford foolish waste of effort?
No doubt there has been cause of
complaint and men have been set to
tasks by incompetent or inconsider-
ate foremen to which they should not
have been set, nevertheless it ought
to be plain by this time that it is alb !
solutely impossible to prescribe rules
TO remove all the unreasonablenessl
OF the world. And such evidence as
we have goes to show that this has
been attempted in the case of the !
railroads in consequence of which
they are tangled up and are being
robbed, robbed by the very men who |
have as much interest as anyone that
they shall prosper.
Now this Rule No. s doesn't look |
to be so full of mischief. Here it is:
"All overtime. 80. outside of bull
letin hours, up to and including the |
sixteenth hour of service in any one
24-hour period. computed from the
starting time of the employees regu- |
lar shift, shall be paid for at the rate
Of time, and one half, and thereafter
at the rate of double time, up to the
starting time Of the employees regular ,
shift"
We have no doubt there were good
grounds for effort on the part Of II e
employees to discourage requirement
of their services over unreasonable
periods. but surely it is not to the
advantage Of anyone in the ultimate
result to continue such performances
as are reported possible and existing
under this rule. 1t ought to be alb
rogated in the interests of all con-
cerned.
II tho aha pdopuueut of Hoo Ts,a "a