New-York tribune., 1921-05-15
Lbor w aste
lasts Millions,
Roads Charge
Gases Filed With
|nate Committee TO
.s,nort Attack ON the
ss,ional Agreements
Ii Pay for No W ork
4 ...es in, Titles Only
|ss Director General Is
epI,u,ed for High Costs
-. Washinaton gnreas

r. Hf9IstEAt z
~,;bune,s Washington BsrsaW
~ sssasrNGToN, May 1.-THE Asso-
!, Railway Executives to-day
i ) list of ten cases filed with
ID 81 s.ssts Interstate Commerce Com
sy Julius Kruttschnitts chair
!. he board of the Southern Pa
!. support his assertion that the
.ereements compel the roads
,ar much work that is not done.
~, TO him, the abnormal in
4 railroad labor costs is not
..hivh wages alone but also to the
agreements. The cases are
B !. he typical. They are:
pare Marquette Railway was
lied TO pay $e,s64 in back pay to
..oIovees because their titles un-
j .s..e agreements were changed by
...;s;on Of the director general,
8.s, ne nature Of their duties and the
i =, Of their work remained the
4 :, repairer on the Virginian Rail-
4, vas paid $1,000 for work he never
Ea Ne was laid off with other en-
Esv,.s because there was no work for
g. "a do. When he became entitled
1.s,r his seniority rights" to be re-
Lived he received back pay and
E4r!iras.
J ss,soO,ooO in Extra Time
r.. shop crafts agreement provides
ls when employees are required to
l.s in and out on their own time they
& j. paid for one hour extra at the
4 Of each week, no matter how few
Iz,s they may have worked. This
Il IN the first six months of 1920 cost
n railways $500, 600, or at the rate
n sS9O0,000 year.
Th The Chesapeake g. Ohio Railroad
~ work car repairers decreased Ala
II esnt and air brake repairers 33.4
II cent in efficiency under a guaran-
EGa fixed minimum rate an hour.
FOa the abolition of piece work on
4 Union Pacific Railroad in the wheel
L, at Omaha, Neb., the time required
!, the same work was increased 31.9
4 cent aad the output was cut down
lpsr cent; and in q coach cleaning
Ea at Denver the time required was
creased 3S.S per cent and the out
1t decreased 26 per cent.
A employee OF the Southern Pacifc's
sssdn. Ariz., shops was paid S50.05
II three days work because he was
la ia miles to repair 8 gas engine,
lzF-fve and one-half hours being
saltige overtime, most of which was
'snt in travelling or waiting. As a re-
y Of several emergencies of this
"a, ne was allowed 37T1a hours in
Eenty-three-day working month.
ralng S27216, and a pipe filter from
same shop was allowed 391 hours
4 tWenty-three-day month. earning
sl5Z, mostly punitive and double
4 g allowed while travelling in ad-
non to MS expenses.
sl4,4ss to Gang of Fifteen
! ! conspicuous example OF ridiculous
algn compensation to unskilled labor
va. Of a gang of men on the South
racine who place blue flag signals
falns IN yards and who couple and
'oople steam and air hose. When
ol these men are absent, car clean
we're used as substitutes, the clas-
eaton Of these being changed by
], Director General from watchmen.
y saoorers' pay, to carmen. anj
! pay awarded to January 1, 1918.
!. gsag consisted of fifteen men, all
.Alillea, and they were given back
curing Federal control of $14.436.
''a5aern Pacific employees whose
auty was to keep watch on sta
aafy engines and to stop the engine
sass anything went wrong, were re-
ssaed by the Director General as
selflesl workers." one man on the
: = take X division being given back
~ o. s2,581, another, s2,094; another.
es; another, S2,003, and six others
'uatS varying from $500 to $1,000.
slls Month for unskilled Work
aser the present classification rules
@s snop crafts, to change a nozzle
~ the front end of locomotive it
aesce,ssary to call a boilermaker and
heiper to open the door because
IS Doiiermakers work; to call a
man and his helper to remove the
~ ssf pipe, because that is pipemen's
:, and to call machinist and his
% ,ss 70 remove the tip, because that
work; also for the same
tip ~ ''4 'Ne
IN sn employed to couple and un-
ple pc. nose between the cars (not as
Sstt or hazardous a task as hitch
2 span OF muIes) are now classed
,sslnilen, men, receiving 80 cents an hour.
9me and one-half for Sundays
a .lloiieeays, averaging about s215 per
nn, tor working seven hours and
minutes a day.