The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1921-02-17
LABOR RULES COST
ROADS MILLIONS
Public Directly Interested In
Effort 10 Stop Drain on
Carriers Income.
BIG SUMS FOR WORK NOT DONE
Railways Asking Labor Board 70
Abrosa,e wasse'ul Agreements
Made Under Federal Control.

The entire country, It's consumers
Its farmers, its workmen. and even The
railway employees themselves. are a.
rectly Interested with the railroads IN
cutting down railway operating .x.
I penses"
/ This IL the keynote % the cnse pre-
scented by the railroads to the United
States Railroad Labor Board. now In
session In Chicago.
The railroads have submitted evi.
dcnce 20 the board 10 show why the
National Agreements affecting railway
shop labor should be ahrogated, be
licving that this 10 a vitality importsn,
step In the process Of reducing op-
Grating expenses
This step II not only necessary 20
insure adequate earning power 20 the
railroads. hut will make possible an
ultimate reduction IN rates
The agreements were made by the
Railroad Administration Just before
the end ~ Federal control. The sum
total of the rules and working condl-
tlons provided by the National Agree.
ments have increased the operating
expenses ~ the railroads by hundreds
81 millions. and have decreased the
efficiency and output ~ tho employees
Ia other ways resulting In LOSSES
which cannot be calculated In dollars
and cents.
For several weeks the railroads
have been multiplying Instances 90 the
absurd and eNtrpvagant results ~ the
labor rules fastened upon them by the
National Agreements
In one case cited before the board q
machinIst was paid 1914 hours wages
for work all performed within eight
hours This case Illustrated the effect
~ the rule that for each "call" the
worker l. to be paid five hours wages
even II he works only ten minutes.
The case ~ car repaircr on the
vlrEinIan Railway. who was recently
paid over si.ODo for services which
were never rendered. and IN addition
the same amount ~ overtime as was
made by his gang. was another exam.
pie.
In connection with the rule that
none but mechanics or apprentices
shall do mechanics work, the follow.
Ing was cited 10 indicate its unfair.
ness:
Five Hours Pay for 20 Minutes Work
THE III Paso & Southwestern Rail.
road recently had an engine set out at
Douglas. and about the time u was
ready 70 60 20 It's train 10 developed
that n window light was broken IN the
cab. II was necessary for the foreman
10 call carpenter % DO the work thar
he could have performed himself In
few minutes. The train was delayed
one hour and 10 minutes. and the EN-.
ployee called TO do the work was paid
Eve hours for work requiring 30 min
utes."
The inef'iciency created In infexlhle
application ~ the rules contained IN
the agreements In question was Illus
trnted In the following actual case
which recently occurred on the Baltl.
more & Ohio Railroad:
IAN engine was placed In the
shops for certain repairs. Because
Agreement. Il was necessary that
members Of FIVE crafts perform
parts Of this work formerly. the
entire operation was performed by
the members 81 but two crafts"
81. 500 900 for Work Not Performed
How the railroads Of the country
were compelled 10 pay almost sd5Oo.
an IN the first six months Of 1890 for
service not rendered because OF the
effects OF but one 81 the 49, rules In
cluded In the shop Crafts National
Agreement was shown In the testi.
mony.
This punitive payment for work new
er performed wns required by CLAUSE
in the National Agreement. which pro.
vides that when employees are re
quired 20 check IN and out on their
own time they win bee paid one hour
extra NJ the close ~ each week.
The rigid cllssihcntlons OF labor,
when taken 10 connection with the
rule that requires that a man must
have four years experience before be
Ing employed o. perform any Of the
work listed In them. result In paying
rates applicable 60 men who are sup.
posed 10 be fully qualified for work
which does not require men OF -four
years experience.
To Illustrate how the inhexiblllties
~ many Of the rules now enforced op.
crate 10 mulct the railroads OF large
sums for services which In the ab-
sence OF these rules could be obtained
I Tor relatively moderate sums. evidence
was laid before the Labor Board show
I lng that three men who were EN-
ployed at small pumping station IN
Michigan, performing unskllled work.
/ would. when classified under the rules.
receive an excess ~ pay amounting
| TO more than the value Of all the VA
ter pumped and current generated a,
! this station.
The Chicago testimony contains NJ
/ orally hundreds 81 instances such rs
these. all supporting the contention ~
the railroads that the labor rules un-
der which they have been forced TO
work are such as 10 prevent the hon.
II .au.t..s .pA asaNaunlaal