The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1921-02-11
LABOR RULES COST.
ROADS MILLIONS
Public Directly Interested in
Effort to Stop Drain on
Carriers Income.
BIG SUMS FOR WORK NOT DONE
Railways Asking Labor Board TO
Abrogate WastefuI Agreements
Made Under Federal Control.

The entire country, its consumers.
its farmers, its workmen. and even the
railway employees themselves. are d.
rectly interested with the railroads In
cutting down railway operating ex-
penses."
This is the keynote OF the case pre-
scented by the railroads 10 the United
States Railroad Labor Board, now in
session In Chicago.
The railroads have submitted evil
dence 10 the board 10 show why the
National Agreements affecting railway
shop labor should be abrogated. be-
lieving that this is a vitality important
step in the process Of reducing op-
Grating expenses.
This step is not only necessary 10
insure adequate earning power 10 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
ments have increased the operating
expenses of the railroads by hundreds
of millions. and have decreased the
efficiency and output of the employees
I'm other ways resulting i'm losses
which cannot be calculated i'm 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 n
machinist was paid 1611 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 five hours wages
even if he works only ten minutes.
The case of a 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 FL Paso & Southwestern Rail
road recently had an engine set out at
Douglas, and about the time il was
ready TO go to its train ii developed
that a window light was broken i'm the
cab. 1t was necessary for the foreman
TO call carpenter to do the work that
he could have performed himself I'm 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 inefficiency created in infexible
application of the rules contained i'm
the agreements I'm question was illus
trated in the following actual case
which recently occurred on the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad:
"An engine was placed i'm the
shops for certain repairs. Because
of the provisions of the National
Agreement, ii 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"
$500, 900 for Work Not Performed
How the railroads OF the country
were compelled TO pay almost $500
900 in the first six months of 1920 for
service not rendered because OF the
effects OF but one Of the 49, rules in
cluded in the Shop Crafts National
Agreement was shown i'm the testi-
mOny.
This punitive payment for work new
er performed was required by n clause
in the National Agreement. which pro-
vides that when employees are re-
quired 10 check in and out on their
own time they will be paid one hour
extra at the close of each week.
The rigid classifications OF labor.
when taken In connection with the
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 10 men who are sup
posed TO be fully qualified for work
which does rot require men of four
years experience.
To illustrate how the infiexibilities
of many OF the rules now enforced op-
crate TO r1ulct the railroads OF large
sums for services which in the alb
sence of these rules could be obtained
for relatively moderate sums, evidence
was laid before the Labor Board show
ing thatthree men who were en-
ployed an small pumping station in
Michfarf performing unskilled work.
would, when classified under the RULES,
receive M excess OF pay amounting
to mor@fbap fhe value Of all the wa
ter pumped and current generated at
this station.
The Chicago testimony contains lit
orally hundreds Of instances such as
these all supporting the contention OF
the railroads that the labor rules un-
der which they have been forced 20
work are such as 10 prevent the "hon-
est, efficient and economical manage
ment" demanded by the Trapsporfa-