Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-20
NO OVERTIME PAY FOR
SUNDAY R. WORKERS
Few Other Changes in National
Agreements Made by Labor
Board.

| Chicago, August 2o.-The United
States Railroad Labor Board yester-
day approved in effect the seven shop
craft rules relating TO overtime pay
ment. as provided in the national
agreement of the wartime railroad
administration. bat directed that the
railroad need not pay overtime for
absolutely necessary work performed
on Sundays and holidays.
For the first time in the history Of
the board minority member made
subtle a dissenting report. A. O.
Wharton, former President of the
railroad division of the American
Federation Of Labor. insisting on
recogrition of the national agreement
rules without change.
! The majority report was signed by
Judge r. AZ Barton and the other
Geven members. two of wheEn with
the Judge represent the public. three
/ the roads and two the unions.
One hundred and thirty-seven rail-
roads arc affected by today's decision.
The decision probably will be applied
| to all other lines as fast as their
cases come before the board.
/ THE Railroad Labor Board has de-
cided. the majority report says. shat
| the seven rules approved by the board.
corresponding TO the seven rules of
/ the national agreement, are just and
| reasonable and that they shall apply
tc each OF the carriers except in such
| instances as any particular carrier
may have agreed with its employees
/ upon any one or more OF said rules"
The decision then sets forth the
] following exception TO the payment of
time and one-haif for Sunday and
| holiday work:
Employees necessary to the opera
ton of power houses, nailluright gangs.
heat treating plants. train wards, run
ming. repair and inspection forces, who
are regularly assigned by bulletin to
work on Sundays and holidays viii
be compensated on the same basis as
or week days. Sunday and holiday
work viii be required only when abso-
iutely essential TO the continuous op-
! grafton of the railroad"
Another slight change is made in
the rule allowing five hours pay for
employees called or required &c report
for work and 80 work and who work
less than FIVE hours. Holding this al
lowance was a survival from the days
when ten hours work was the accept
ed standard, the board changed il to
read four hours pay. or cne-half day.
The decision does not affect any train
service employees. only the shop crafts
being parties to the dispute.
In his dissenting opinion Mr.. Whar-
ton objected to the rule which fixes
the salary basis of employees en-
gagged in emergency road work as 24s
hours per month. while the unions
claimed a salary basis of 263 hours,
including Sundays and seven holidays
during the year. The unions con-
tended the emergency employees were
in effect on duty twenty-four hours a
day. 365 days a year, because they
are subject to call any time.
ss,rhe boards decision Mr.. Whar-
tens opinion says, means that in ad-
dition to the reduction IN their
monthly salary of 3 cents per hour
(unfer the recent wage cut1 they are
to suffer a further reduction of ap-
proximately SIS q month by arbi-
trarily reducing the number sf hours
from 2e3 to 243 per month as the
ba sis of arriving at the monthly
salary.