The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-06-04

RAILWAY WAGE
CUT 12PER CENT
New Scales of Pay Are An
s nounced For Practically All
Railroad Employees
COST OF LIVING
FIGURES CITED
Estimated That Four Hundred
Million Dollars VIII Be Slash
ed From Labor Bill

sss1N WlillOll OO1ld10 w 1AA ~ OAS"AN
ed From Labor Bill
Chicago, May 31.-An estimated
four hundred million dollars will be
slashed from the nations railway
wage bill when an order cutting
wages an average of II per cent TO
be handed down tomorrow by the
United States Railroad Labor Board,
becomes effective July 2. The order
affects members of thirty-one labor
organizations, employed on 104 rail-
roads.
While the decrease IS specifically
applied only to the roads whose cases
have been heard by the board. the
decision says it may later be applied
to any other road asking a hearing
under the provisions of the Esch-
CuEmins transportation act.
Percentages of reductions computed
by members of the board gave the
average of IL per cent, and the same
source estimated the annual reduction
in wages at approximately $4O0,-
s0o0.ee0.
The decision grants reductions
varying from evs to thirteen cents
an hour, or Arom to IS per cent,
and in the case of section laborers
completely wipes out the increase
granted that class of employees by the
$500, coo, 600 wage award Of July 20,
1890. For section men the reduction
was approximately Is per cent.
Switchmen and shop crafts We're Civ
en- a 8. per cent reduction. while the
train service men were cut approx
mately per cent. Car repairers were
cut about 10 per cent.
Common labor, over which the rail-
roads made their hardest fight. is to
be reduced six to eight and one-half
cents an hour, cutting freight truck
erss average monthly wages to s97.1e
rand track laborers to Sill. This new
schedule gives section men an aver
age daily wage of 1902 for an eight
hour day, although considerable testl-
rlony offered by the roads, particular
ly in the south, showed common labor
wages as low as $3.50 for ten-hour
day.
Shop craft employees and train en-
gine service men. except those in pas
senger service, are reduced eight
cents an hour Construction and sec
tion foremen are reduced ten cents
an hour.
Passenger and freight engineers.
who We're given increases of ten and
thirteen cents an hour by the 1920
award are to be cut six and eight
cents an hour respectively. Passenger
and freight conductors. who received
increases of twelve and one-haif cents
in 1 $50. are cut seven and one-half
and eight cents, respectively, by the
shgw schedule.
Train dispatchers and yardmasters
whose monthly earnings at present
Average $3.50 to $270. are cut eight
cents an hour.
The smallest reduction will apply
to office boys and other employees un-
der eighteen years Of age. who will
receive FIVE cents an hour less after
.Iig 1.
Clerks are reciassified so that en-
fering clerks. usually men and women
OF eighteen to twenty years Of age.
will receive monthly salary of $500
for the first six months and s77.50
for the second six months of service.
Clerks with less than one years eX-
perience now receive s120.
A new monthly schedule for floating
equipment employees on ferries, tugs
and steam lighters gives captains
$500. engineers $50. fremen and oil
ers $140. On lighters and barges
captains will receive s120 to $3.50. en-
gineers $40 to $3.50 and mates 800.
Tiia attitude of the railway unions
toward the decreases ordered remains
to be determined. The big broth
erflepds are expected to meet here
Juiyd TO consider the boards decis-
ion. which is effective on that date.
Claiming they were hi: hard by the
first relief granted by the board since
it set the advanced scale. more than
ten months ago.
The decision tomorrow vii; say that
since the 1920 wage award there has
been a decrease in the cost OF living
and 'the scale of wages for similar
kinds of work in other industries has
in general been decreased. These two
points were the chief contentious of
the railroads before the board. Testl-
meny was offered in the hearing
which began April IS. and ended May
4s. TO winter slump in business. rail
road managements have been clamor-
ing for several months for lower
wages. and the decision tomorro"
viii mark the show reductions OF ~
TO so per cent in the cost OF tood ana
clothing. Varying reductions IN
wages, mostly for common labor were
also cited by the carriers The toafd
believes" the decision says that.
based on the elements shown. the de-
creases fixed are justified and re4uir-
ed
whatever may be said as to the e:i-
gin or contributing causes, there has
been. and is. a marked depression m