The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-06-17
PAY Us NOW, YOU
WAIT Is YEARS
Railroad Managers Taste Blood
and Want More.

w dSuliIS JOll, -. -, June IL he
railroad arrangements have licked
their lips over the II per cent cut
in wages to take effect July 1st
decided it tastes pretty good for a
starter and are bowling for more
as is evidenced by demand made
upon the Railway Labor Board at
Chicago last week for the total elm
ination of the entire raise in wages
granted last August.
At the same time they are de-
handing in curt terms, and with
much show of heat, that wages be
cut to the bone, they are impor-
tuning senators and congressman
to pass a bill giving them the right
to collect over S700,000,000 alleged
to be due them out of the treasury
of these United States, and at the
same time to give them the right
to have fifteen years in which to
pay the $800,000,000 they owe the
government. In other words, they
want the people of this nation to
pay them all they claim the govern
ment owes them without delay and
without investigation, despite the
fact that the contracts entered into
between them and the government
expressly stipulated that any
amounts owed by them to the gov
eminent should be deducted from
what they claim the government
owes them.
They claim that if the money
they allege Uncle Sam owes them
is to be offset by what they owe
him, they will fail in paying the in
terest on bonds and dividends on
stock which will drive them into
bankruptcy. Please page the SEN
ators and congressman who voted
for the Cummins -Esch Bill.
The railroad shop workers and
other employees are voting on wheth-
decided upon by the Labor Board
and their decision ny put another
face on the whole matter. One
thing is certain at this writing
there is nothing modest about the
arrangements and their demands.
They want the whole hog, tail and
squeal included.
How vt Works Out
The labor-hating press opines
that the railroad workers should
willingly and gratefully accept a
greater reduction than twelve per
cent, as they received an increase
during~ federal control of over two
hundred per cent. They further al
low that twelve per cent is so little
that it will do "the country" no
good and claims that the measley
twelve per cent shows up as very
small as compared with 200 per
cent.
The statement that wages of rail
road workers increased two hun
dred per cent during government
control is not a fact, but if it was,
a twelve per cent decrease in the
total wage is considerably more
than reduction of twelve per cent
ir the increases alleged to have been
granted. If the percentage of in
erase was as stated-two hundred
per cent-then a man earning 500
before such increase would be earn
ing $500. A reduction of twelve
per cent of $500, would mean the
loss of $36, while a reduction of
twelve per cent in the increase said
to have been granted-$200-w
amount to $24.
AS the average pay of the rail
road worker is not now and never
has been over $4,000 per month,
a twelve per cent reduction means
the loss of about $500 each month
by railroad workers. And Just re-
member that many are paid con-
siderably less than $4,000 per
month. There's many man work
ing for the railroads who makes
less than $1,000 a year and de-
Quoting twelve per cent from that
sum means the loss of $120. The
poorest paid employees are the ones
hit the hardest and in many in
stances they lose more than twelve
per cent. When you are paying
sent, sending children to school and
trying to get by, 1920 is no
measly sum. The glib-newspaper
hack who wrote the Junk referred
to above would howl like an Indian
if he had to submit to the loss of
$120, but then, what's he hired
for if not to belittle honest labor
and eXalt exploiters?