Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1921-06-03
Rail WAGES Are
CUT Y PER CENT
New Pay Scale Begins July | On
104 Lines-Members of 81
Unions Affected.
SAVING OF 400 MIlL|0';
Decreases Announced in Report Hand
Cd Down by U. S. Labor Board;
Follows Plea Of Roads Fer Re-
lief from Heavy Burdens.

Chicago-Four hundred million dol.
lars year will be slashed from the
nations railway wage bill when an or
der to be handed down by the United
States railroad labor board takes full
effect. The decree is effective July !
on l04 lines. Granting the petitions
tof the companies, the board will direct
an average cut Of IL per cent which,
eventually, win apply to all the rail-
road employees of the country. Mem
bers Of 81 unions 6re affected imme'
.dfately.
The cuts range from five to Is cents
an hour, or from 5000 month for
apprentice boys to $26.52 for the bet.
ter paid skilled labor, figuring on an
eight-hour day basis.
Some Increases Wiped Out.
The decision granted reductions
varying from S to 10 per cent, and in
the case of section laborers, complete.
~ wiped out the increase granted that
class of employees by the $500, 000, 600
wage award Of July 20, 1920. Section
men who have been receiving 1910 for
an eight-hour day were cut to 1902,
the same figure in effect under federal
control. The reduction was approx.
mately Is per cent.
Switchmen and shop crafts were
given a 9 per cent reduction while the
train service men were cut approx.
mately Z per cent. Car repairers were
cut about 10 per cent.
May Later Apply to All Roads.
While the decrease is specifically ap.
piled for the present only to the 104
roads whose cases have been heard by
the board, the decision says it may
later be applied to any other road ask
ing hearing in accordance with the
provisions. of the Esch:C ummins trans
portation act.
The railroad labor board recently re.
classified the various employers in con-
nection with railway corporation, and
this, 1t was pointed out, may have
some effect on labor costs.
The board also, a few weeks ago,
ordered abrogation of the national
working agreements, to become effec-
tive July l. At the hearing on the pc.
tition for abrogation of these agree.
ments, railroad witnesses estimated
savings in labor cost as high as $780,
100000 annually. This would be in ad-
dition to the saving possible through
the current wage reduction decision
Based on Present Scale.
The decision is based on the present
rates of pay as established by the
$600,000,000 wage award of July TO-,
1920. Common labor pay, over which
the railroads made their hardest fight,
is to be reduced 6 to 8h cents an hour,
cutting freight truckers average
monthly wages to 1910 and track la.
borers to Still. This new schedule
still gives section men an average
daily wage of $500 for an eight-hour
day, although considerable testimony
offered by the roads, particularly, in
the South, showed common labor
wages as low as $3.50 for 10-hour
day.
Cut for Shop Crafts.
Shop crafts employees and train and
engine service men, except those in
passenger service, are reduced cents
an hour. Construction and section
f0remen are reduced 10 cents an hour,
cutting their average monthly pay to
e145.
Passenger and freight engineers who
were given increases of 10 cents and
Is cents an hour by the 1920 award
are to be cut six cents and eight cents
an hour respectively. Passenger and
freight conductors who received in
creases Of 1914 cents and 10 cents in
1920, are cut ~ and 8 cents respec-
lively by the new schedule.
Train dispatchers and yardmasters
whose monthly earnings at present
average $3.50 to $270 are cut s cents
an hour.