Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-10-22
RAIL UNION HEADS
GIVE REASONS FOR
WALKCUT PROTEST
Reduction of Wages and EIimi-
nation of Rules That Would
Bring Further Cuts.
"MEN'S EARNINGS SMALL"
By Asaoclatad prenn

BY Associated Press TO Every Evening
Cleveland, Oct. 22.-Causes for the
strike Of railroad workers set to be-
gin in general at a. m, October go
are enumerated by w @. Lee, presi-
dent Of the Brotherhood Of Railroad
Trainmen. in statement to The As
sociated Press today. The statement
was issued, Mr.. Lee explained. be-
cause the public Is rather confused"
as to its causes. some believing It is<
for higher wages
Three causes were ascribed by Mr.
Lee:
]. The wage reduction Of July
2. Proposed further reductions.
3. Proposed elimination Of rules
which would mean stir further re-
ductions
Forwarding Strike Plans.
The three local brotherhood chiefs.
Mr.. Lee OF the trainmen: Warren s
stone Of the Brotherhood of Loco
motive Engineers, and w. S. Carter
OF the Brotherhood Of Firemen and
Enginemen, while preparing to obey
the citation to appear before the Rail-
road Labor Board in Chicago. next
wednesday, were also going ahead
with plans to carry out the strike. l..
=. Sheppard. president Of the order OF
Railway Conductors arrived last night.
Mr.. Lees statement as to the causes
Of the strike follows:
The public is rather confused as to
the causes for the railway strike. There
is a belief on the part Of some that
the strike Is for higher wages and is
not understood to be demonstration
against a wage reduction. 10 which has
been added propositions further TO re-
duce wages and eliminate rules which
would mean stNl further reductions
Wages at~Peak We're Inadeauate.
Railroad transportation employees
even when peak wages were paid. did
not receive advanced wages IL. keeping
with the increa sed living costs. The
daily rate paid transportation men
was hXed for hll classes IN the United
states in 1913. and regardless. Of the
increased costs of living, there were
no increased wages for these enpIoves
until January /, 1918, and only then
after most searching Investigation
had been made by the Lane Comma
sion to determine what should be the
reasonableness Of wages paid trans-
portation employees. This commission
reported that wages were fnadeauate
and contrary to public opinion. did not
measure up with wages paid in other
cldsses OF service.
$50 a Month Early in War Time.
The rate Of freight brakeman
between Chicago and New York was
1857 day, which was referred to by
the Railways in their publicity cam
paIgn as a princely wage, and the pub
lie naturally supposing that business
representing 50 much az the railway
business would tell the truth, accepted
the railway statement. sithout aues-
uon. II does not take long to deter
mine how much could be earned in a
month Of 80 days at rate OF s2.6T
per day. Until January l. 1918, ssO.1O
was the princely wage some fifty odd
thousand railroad men received. in
what is known as the eastern terri
tory. Other wages We're in proportion
to the wages Of the freight brakemen.
Rarely Employed Full Time.
With the reduction in the wages
Of July l, 1921. the present wage of
this employe is sI3440 for 80 days in
the month, and he is fortunate indeed
II he is able to make every day in the
month. The hazards of the service.
exposure to the weather. and very
many other reasons all contribute their
share steward making him an inter-
mittent, as Well as a piece worker.
Transportation employees are not paid
by the month. but by the day. or trip.
If business requires, they work. If
not they lose the time. There are
comparatively few men row making
full tiRe. There are thousands OF
these men out OF work, many of whom
have as high as 10 years service I
cause there is no need for them, while
thousands of others have to try to
live on few days a month, which is
all the railway service requires from
them.
Charges Unfair Propaganda.
Af~N - Dc AAANGA SlOpQ lndL no trans
portatiop wages are paid unless the
time is made. 1t is true that the rail-
way companies show wages earned in
much higher amounts than those
quoted, but they do not tell that the
higher monthly amounts represent fun
time and overtime. Ii is fair "a
assume that every one who is forced
to work extra time expects to b., paid
for IT,
The railroad companies have not
been fair in their propaganda az linst
the employees, and it is to be hoped
that before the trouble is over. that
preiudiced opinion based on railway
publicity mis-statements will under
stand the exact wage that may be-
earned through the normal day's
work"