Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-03
NEW RAILROAD LABORRULES
TO SAVE ROADS HUGE SUMS

IS HUGE SUMS
posed of carmen, where sufficient
men are available, but when need
ed, men of any class may be taken
as additional members Of wrecking
crews.
Another important change affect
ing car men is that which allows
common laborers to dismantle wood
en- freight cars hereafter. Under
the national agreement, only quail
fled carpenters were allowed to do
this work. About 60 per cent OF
the country's freight cars are built
Of wood. The new rule will permit
employees getting 1925 to $500 a
day to do work previously required
to be done by car men receiving
$5.S4 a day.
New Apprentice Type
An entirely new rule promulgat-
ed by the board, for the first time,
creates new type of apprentice to
be known as special apprentice"
Previously there have been only two
kinds Of apprentices in the skilled
shop crafts, regular and, helpers ap-
prentices. Regular apprentices are
youths entering the service between
the ages of 16 and 81 years and serv-
ing four years. apprenticeship, and
helper apprentices are those appren-
tees selected from the ranks of the
helpers. Special apprentices are to
be selected from young men between
the ages Of Is and &c, who have had
technical school education, and
they will be required to serve only
three years apprenticeship before
becoming journeymen mechanics.
Rules which required certain
standards of force and equipment
to be maintained for doing certain
kinds of work have been modified
and some discontinued. thus elimi-
mating the expense of maintaining
unnecessary men on the rolls. Other
rules have been changed to allow the
use of forces assigned to particular
classes Of work on other work, when
there is no work of their particular
class to be performed.
Many of the rules are highly tech
nicaI in character. Much time was
spent on the rules, regarding electrl-
cal railroads, which at present apply
only to few roads like the Pennsyl-
vania and New York Centray but
which will become of increasing i'm
portance as the identification of the
steam lines proceeds.
The six shop crafts, employees In
volved are the carmen, sheet metal
workers, machinists, blacksmiths,
boilermakers and electrical workers.
They were represented at the rules
hearings by the following organiza-
tons: Brotherhood Railway Car
men Of America, International ALI
ance of Amalgamated Sheet Metal
Workers, International Association
Of Machinists, International Broth
erhood of Blacksmiths, Drop F'orgers
and Helpers, International Brother.
hood of Bpilermakers, Iron Snip
Builders and Helpers Of America and
the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers. All these are at
filiated with the American Fedora
ton Of Labor and are enrolled in the
Railway Employees Department OF
that organization.
The national agreement, supplant-
ed Thursday by the new rules, was
entered into with the employees by
the United States railroad admins
tration September 20, 1919. From
the first it was strongly criticised
by the railroad arrangements ana
others because they commended it i'm
posed uneconomic methods Of opera
ton on the railroads, limited the dis
erection and control of the manage
ment and greatly increased the cost
of operation. The railroads also
complained that they had no voice in
making the national agreement
which they declared was wished
on them by the railroad admins
tration. The employees have main
tanned that very large part of the
national agreement had been put into
effect on various railroads, prior to
federal control, by the voluntary act
of the arrangements, and that 1t
fairly represented current enlighten-
ed Thought of the carriers and en-
ployes as to working conditions and
rules.
In two previous decisions the
board disposed of twenty-four shop
craft rules mainly concerning over
time pay. Thursdays decision prac-
tically completes the rules for these
crafts, with the exception of few
minor matters on which an agree
ment is probable. These the board
has referred back to the roads and
the employees for settlement by
them