The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1921-02-16
LABOR RULES COST
ROADS MILLIONS
Public Directly Interested IN
Effort to Stop Drain on
~. Carriers Income.
GIG SUMS FOR WORK NOT DONE
Railways Asking Labor seard %
Abroqate WastefuI Agreements
Made Under Federal Control.

Abrooate Wasteful Agreemsnee
Made Under Federal Control.
sThe entire country, its consumersI
its farmers, its workmen. and even tne1
railway employees themselves, are all
rectly interested with the railroads IN
cutting down railway operating Ell
penses."
This is the keynote Of the case pref
sented by the railroads to the Un'teo
States Railroad Labor Board, now IN
session in Chicago
The railroads have submitted ev1-
dence to the board to show why the
National Agreements affecting railway
shop labor should be abrogated, be-
lieving that this 10 a vitality important
step In the process Of reducing op.
Grating expenses.
This step Is not only necessary to
insure adequate earning power to the
railroads, but will make possible an
ultimate reduction in rates.
The agreements were made BY the
Railroad Administration just before
the end Of Federal control. The sum
total Of the rules and working condi.
tons provided by the National Agree
mepts have increased the operating
expenses Of the railroads by hundreds
| Of millions, and have decreased the
efficiency and output Of the employees
in other ways resulting In losses
which cannot be calculated In dollars
and cents
For several weeks the railroads
have been multiplying instances Of the
absurd and extravagant results Of the
labor rules fastened upon them by the
National Agreements.
In one case cited before the board o
machinist was paid 1914 hours wages
for work all performed within eight
hours. This case illustrated the effect
Of the rule that for each "call" the
worker is to be paid Ave hours wages
even If he works only ten minutes.
The case Of car repairer on the
Virginian Railway, who was recently
paid over $1,000 for services which
were never rendered, and In addition
the same amount Of overtime as was
/ made by his gang, was another exam.
pie.
In connection with the rule that
none but mechanics or apprentices
shall do mechanics work, the follow.
ing was cited to indicate its unfair.
ness:
Five Hours' Pay for 80 Minutes Work
1.-THE Ell Paso & Southwestern Rail.
road recently had an engine set out at
| Douglas, and about the time 1t was
ready to 60 to its train it developed
that window light was broken In the
cab. 1t was necessary for the foreman
to call carpenter to do the work that
he could have performed himself In a
few minutes. The train was delayed
one hour and 80 minutes. and the EN-.
ployee called to do the work was paid
five hours for work requiring 80 min.
utes"
The inefaciency created in infiexibls
application of the rules contained in
the agreements in Question was illus.
trated In the following actual case
which recently occurred on the Balti.
more & Ohio Railroad:
IAN engine was placed IN the
shops for certain repairs. Because
OF the provisions of the National
Agreement, 1t was necessary that
members Of five crafts perform
parts of this work; formerly, the
entire operation was performed by
the members of but two crafts"
$6,500,000 for Work Not Performed
How the railroads of the country
were compelled to pay almost $8,5OO..
OOO In the first six months of 1920 for
service not rendered because Of thu
effects Of but one of the 1872 rules In.
cluded in the Shop Crafts NATIONAL
Agreement was shown Id the testi.
mony.
This punitive payment for work new,
er performed was required by clause
IN the National Agreement, which pro-
vides that when employees are re.
CURED to check In and out on their
own time they will be paid one hour
extra at the close of each week.
The rigid classifcations OF labor.
when taken in connection with tho
rule that requires that a man must
have four years experience before be.
Ing employed to perform any Of the
work listed In them, result In paying
rates applicable to men who are SUP.
posed to be fully qualified for work.
which does not require men Of four
! years experience.
To Illustrate how the infiexib,iities|
OF many Of the rules now enforced on
crate 10 mulct the railroads of large
sums for services which In the NIB.
sence OF these rules could be obtained|
for relatively moderate sums, evidence
was laid before the Labor Board show.
Ing that three men who were EN-.
ployed ut a small pumping station in
michigan, performing unskilled work.
would, when classified under the rules
receive an excess of pay amountlne|
to more than the value Of all the WIN.
ter pumped and current generated nj