The Connecticut labor news., 1921-06-10
RAILROAD WORKERS CLASSIFIED IN 800
 SEPARATE GROUPS
Labor Board Declares Arrangement Will Facilitate Adjustment of
 Wage Questions.

Chicago, June 10-The classification of the duties and responsibilities of en- pOyeS of American railways, at which the Railroad Labor Board has been en- gagged for several months, IS completed and the result published in a statement issued recently.
 It is declared to be "a complete, con- Sistent and scientific arrangement" and the board believes 1t will accomplish when fully in operation function anal agOus to that now performed by the uni form system of accounts Ill the diStribu- ton Ot revenues and expenses and in the standardization of the accounting records and practices" of railroads
 All railroad positions are separated in- to main divisions, which for convenience are called "services" These are the broadest divisions of positions and are determined irrespective of departmental lines. This grouping, the decisions says, admits of birds eye view being made of the entire range of railroad positions.
 The various positions are grouped in the occupatiOna1 classification under 17 ma jOr services, set up according to the general railroad functions as we'll as the special and peculiar requirements i'll rail- road organizations.
 The services are divided into 119 groups Within the groups are separate grades and distinctive titles, each of which is provided with a description of duties generally performed and illustra- tive examples of payroll titles.
 Outside of the executive, official and staff assistant service, which IS ungraded and unclassifed, there are 500 distinctive classes distributed under the remaining 16 services.
 "The occupational classification" the board says, lis not considered by the board nor should it be considered by rail- roads or other interested parties as set ting up jurisdictional lines for occupa- tions or as limiting the kind of work which employees may perform or the du- ties which they may assume"
 The purpose of the classification Is to furnish basis for the collection of wage and other data for homogeneous classes of railroad positions, to establish as nearly as can be a uniform termino- logy to be used in describing similar oc- equations, and to so classify positions that all railroads may have the same general understanding of the meaning of posi- tions and report wage and compensation data upon a uniform and consistent plan "
 The grouping of positions of widely different duties and responsibilities as we'll as rates of compensation is forbid den.
 The classifcations will enable the board to make comparisons with similar occupa- tions outside of the railroad service and to detect and measure irregularities in wages between positions in the railroads and outside organizations.
 Rules are established for making re- ports, railroads being required to give in detail information concerning employees. The board declares that 1t has been ham pered in adjusting wage controversies be- cause of lack of information concern ing the exact duties and responsibilities resting upon large groups. It hopes to be able to more satisfactorily meet its task with the classification 1t has pro- vided.