The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-02-24
LABOR RULES COST
ROADS MILLIONS
Public Directly Interested in
Effort to Stop Drain on
Carriers Income.
BIG SUMS FOR WORK NOT DONE
Railways Asking Labor Board to
Abrogate WastefuI Agreements =
Made Under Federal Control.

1.-The entire country, its consumers,
its farmers, its workmen, and even the
railway employees themselves, are d.
| rectIy interested with the railroads in
| cutting down railway operating ex-
penses'
This is the keynote Of the case pre-
scented by the railroads to the United
States Railroad Labor Board. now in
session in Chicago.
The railroads have submitted evil
dence TO the board to show why the
National Agreements affecting railway
/ shop labor should be abrogated, be-
| lieving that this is vitality important
step in the process Of reducing oP-
Grating expenses.
This step is not only necessary to
/ insure adequate earning power to the
railroads, but will make possible an
ultimate reduction in rates.
The agreements were made by the
| Railroad Administration just before
/ the end OF Federal control The sum
total of the rules and working cOndi-
lions provided by the National Agree
ments have increased the operating
/ expenses of the railroads by hundreds
] u itiilAOilS- anu nave uCCAC elSS0 N1AC
efficiency and output of the employees
/ in other ways resulting in losses
which cannot be calculated in dollars
and cents
I For several weeks the railroads
have been multiplying instances of the
absurd and extravagant results OF the
labor rules fastened upon them by the
/ National Agreements.
In one case cited before the board a
machinist was paid 1917 hours wages
! for work all performed within eight
| hours. This case illustrated the effect
/ of the rule that for each "caIl" the
worker is to be paid five hours wages
/ even if he works only ten minutes.
! The case of a car repairer on the
! Virginian Railway, who was recently
! paid over $1,000 for services which
were never rendered, and in addition
/ the same amount of overtime as was
made by his gang. was another exam
/ pie.
In connection with the rule that
none hut mechanics or apprentices
shall do mechanics work. the follow
| ing was cited to indicate its unfair
ness:
Five Hours Pay for 80 Minutes Work
THE FL PasO & Southwestern Rail-
! :-oad recently had an engine set out at
! Douglas. and about the time it was
ready to go to its train 1t developed
that Il window light was broken in the
! cab. 1t was necessary for the foreman
| to call carpenter to do the work that
] ne could have performed himself in a
/ few minutes The train was delayed
one hour and 80 minutes, and the en-
/ plOyee called to do the work was paid
! five hours for work requiring 80 min
utes''
The inefficiency created in infiexibIe
application of the rules contained n
the agreements in question was illus
trated in the following actual case
which recently occurred on the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad:
IAN engine was placed in the
/ shops for certain repairs Because
of the provisions of the National
Agreement, it was necessary that
members of five crafts perform
parts of this work formerly, the
| entire operation was performed by
the members of but two crafts"
! Sc, 500 COO for Work Not Performed
| How the railroads Of the country
we're compelled to pay almost Sc, $780,
| 600 in the first six months of 1920 for
service not rendered because of the
! effects of but one of the 49, rules in
| Guided in the Shop Crafts National
| Agreement was shown in the testi-
mOny.
| This punitive payment for work new
/ er performed was required by a clause
IN the National Agreement. which pro-
vides that when employees are re-
/ quired TO check in and out on their
own time they will be paid one hour
/ extra at the close Of each week,
The rigid classifcations of labor.
! when taken in connection with the
( rule that requires that a man must
have four years experience before be-
ing employed TO perform amy OF the
work listed in them. result in paying
rates applicable 10 men who are sup
posed TO be fully qualified for work
which does not require men of four
/ years experience.
To illustrate how the inflexibilities
! of many of the rules now enforced op-
crate 70 mulct the railroads OF large
sums for services which in the alb
sence of these rules could be obtained
for relatively moderate sums. evidence
was laid before the Labor Board show
ing that three men who were en-
IIoyed at n small pumping station in
/ Michigan. performing unSkiIled work,
/ would. when classified under the rules,
/ receive an excess of pay amounting
I 20 more than the value OF all the wa
/ ter pumped and current generated at
! this station.
The Chicago testimony contains lit
I orally hundreds Of instances such as
/ these, all supporting the contention OF
/ the railroads that the labor rules IN
der which they have been forced to
work are such as to prevent the ''hon-
est, efficient and economical manage
ment" demanded by the Transports
ton Act