Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-10
100000 R. R. WORKERS
HIT BY PAY CUT PLAN
Reductions Will Wipe Out Ad-
vance of 22ia Per Cent
Made in 1920

More than $50. 900 Railroad workers
will be affected by the. proposed cut
OF wages on Eastern roads (reported
in yesterdays Every Evening". ac-
cordlng to the New York sun Fifty
two railroads were represented at the
New York meeting yesterday when
the reduction was agreed upon. The
wage cut In most cases. II was ind-
Gated, will wipe out tho last OF the
22h per cent advance granted in
1920.
The railroad managements already
had notified the men of their intention
to rcadjust wages. Yesterdays meet
ing concerned itself with the assem-
bling and correlation OF data on living
costs and wages in non Transportation
industries to be used In the approach
| ing conferences with representatives
| OF the workers and subsequently, when
| the disputes are carried to the United
| States Railroad Labor Board for final
| decision.
The next step will be notifications
next week to the various classes OF
railway employees of the amo ant of the
!
dates for conferences between their
representatives and the railway man
agrers. IL Is believed that these con-
ferences will be we'll under way on
most roads before the first of the year
and that the majority OF the resulting
disputes will have been certified TO
the Railroad Labor board by the end
of January or early February.
AZ result OF decisions arrived at
yesterday the carriers viii propose
that the present hourly pay of II
cents for boilermakers, sheet metal
workers. blacksmiths, electricians and
machinists be reduced to 81 cents. or
"a cents less than the rate which the
Western roads intend to propose for
similar classes of labor. The Eastern
roads will ask freight car repairmen
to take a cut of 10 cents, to an hourly
rate OF 50 cents.
Train service employees. including
engineers. fremen, conductors. switch
men and trainmen will lose the re-
mainder of the 22h per cent increase
granted to them I'm the summer of
1920. With about 1914 per cent of
that increase eliminated as OF July 1.
1921, the carriers now move for a
further reduction of 10 per cent.
Although the new rates ssought by
the railroads will vary with local con-
ditions. the proposed hourly scales for
the remaining classes of employees will
be generally as follows: Chief sig
nslmen and gang foremen, 67 cents
signalmen, 60 cents, signelmen's help
ers. AZ cents; track laborers on main
| line. 80 cents; track lsborers on
branch lines. 80 cents with maximum
+ of IS cents for work under exceptional
2 conditions; shop and roundhouse la.
, horers, 3 cents above track labor ir
{ the immediate vicinity, and freight
= handlers, 3 cents above the pay o
track laborers. Telegraphcrs an,
r clerks will lose practically the entir,
e remainder OF the increase granted IL
S 1920.
The railroads. at the close OF tn
s meeting yesterday announced. through
6 the chief of the Bureau of informa
e ton:
The railroads propose TO reques
{ the employees TO agree TO a reduction
. in the wage scales so as To establish
, them practically upon the basis in ef
y feet prior TO the Increases which wer
granted by the United States Rail
road Labor Board effective May
1920 So far as the occupations 4
" outside industries are comparable wit
. those in the railroad service. the rate
In such industries have been take
into account in deciding upon III
rates which the railroads will reques
:, hut as there are no occupations /
n outside industries comparable viii
ar those in the engine and train SCI
vice. il was decided to request III
"a employees 10 agree 10 the restore
10 ton Of the rates in effect immediatel
prior to May /. 1920"