The New York herald., 1921-12-16
Lower Freight Rates Prom
ised if Commerce Com
mission Agrees.
MEETING SET FOR JAN. 16
Country's Annual Wage Bill
Will Be Reduced $500, ,O00,-
900 to $400,O0O,00O

The fifty-two railroads embracing
the territory north of the Ohio River
and east Of the Mississippi formally
notified their 100000 employees yes
iertlay of their intention to reduce
wages For employees In engine.
yard and train service the carriers
propose q reduction OF 10 per cent,
while all other transportation work.
crs, including shopmen, maintenance
of way men, track laborers, round
s.oese and shop iaborers, bridge and
building mechanics, signalmen, tele-
graph operators, agents. clerks and
station employees will ie reduced to
scales of pay corresponding with the
-;oiny rates paid in other industries.
The net result would be to wipe out
The remainder Of the general increase
Of 221s per cent. made in 1920, OF
which about 1919 per cent. was elini-
mated on July l last, and to cut the
annual wage bill OF the country's rail-
roads as a whole between $500, 1000, 900
and $400,00o.ooo. The railway man
agenents have promised that the re-
ssiltlng saving will be passed on TO
he public in the form Of lower freight
-aacs. Steam carriers OF the West
and South are making the same move.
Notices sent to the local union chair
r1en for each class OF employees re-
quest them to meet the railway man
igers in conferences beginning January
Is to dispose of the formalities that
must precsde the certificat!on of the
Disputes to the United States Railroad
Labor Board for final decision.
To Consider New Demands Also.
In the same or similar conferences
the recent counter demands of the shop
men and the maintenance of way men
for increased pay will be considered and
certified separately as controversies to
the board by their union leaders. 1t is
probable that the entire issue OF rail-
way waSss Will have been formally laid
before the labor board by late Feb
ruary
Under the new pay scales engine en-
ployees will receive wages ranging In
The following amounts for the first 100
.nitss of each run: Passenger engineers,
from q minimum OF $500 to $40; pas
senger firemen, 81 to Sass; freight engi-
neers, $6.0S to s7.2S: freight firemen,
a.2t to $5.A. The basic working day
for engine employees in passenger SER
rics Is $50 miles and in freight service
90. For work in excess of that number
sf miles the employees are paid at reg
1lar mileage rates.
To train crews the following daily
wages are offered: Passenger conduc-
sors. s6; ticket collectors. A.So; baggage
men. $i.i6 to $3.50; flagrnen and brake
Dlen in passenger service. 81. Freight
conductors would receive S592 for an
eight hour day; freight brakemen. si.fS:
yard engineers. from $500 to s6.0S; yard
siremen. S4.56 to A.16: yard conductors,
s5.s3 and yard brakemen, s..
Shopmen. including machinsts, boiler
makers, sheet metal workers, black
smiths and electricians. now receiving
70 cents au hour, would be reduced %
an average rate of 62 cents hourly.
Freight car repairmen would loco 30
cents Of the present hourly pay of 70
cents. while their helpers would be re-
duced to 42 cents an hour.
Seek Five Cents an Hour Cut.
Tn the maintenance OF way department
mechanics In bridge and building work
setting from 72 to II cents an hour will
be asked to take cut Of cents an
hour. Track iaborers on main line Sec
tions would be reduced to 80 cents and
on branch lines to 80 cents. while round
house and shop iaborers would be
dropped to rates between 33 cents and
30 cents. Slgnalmen and maintainers
would get from 81 to 62 cents an hour,
while their helpers rate would be AZ
cents.
The new rates for telegraph operators,
station agents and other workers In that
ge~s~>'. classification would vary widely
from minimum wage OF as cents and
would eliminate the entire increase
granted In the summer Of 1920.
For clerks entering their service with
out previous experience the railroads
propose $50 monthly for the first six
months, $50 for the second half year.
$40 for the second year and $3.50
monthly thereafter unless promoted to
higher positfcns.