The Connecticut labor news., 1921-06-17
WANT R. R. BOARD TO CUT MILLIONS
 MORE FROM MEN
Officials Demand Another Pay De- crease Before Last One Goes
 Into Effect.

Chicago, June 16-New factors devel- oped before the Railroad Labor Board when 1t resumed hearings on the demands of carriers for wage reductions The railroads are demanding that time and one-half for overtime be abolished and that the board standardize wages accord ing to the traffic rate regions established by the Interstate Commerce Commission
 These demands followed a statement by J. w. Higgins, representing 6o Vest ern lines, that the 12 per cent decrease recently ordered is not adequate and that railway officials of the country will nOw stand squarely on their original requests for wage cuts" that will strike off the 20 per cent increase allowed by the board year ago.
 The hearings now being held are on the petitions of 138 roads that probably will receive the benefit of the wage re- auctions ordered last week, but which had not filed their applications in time to be included with the group of 1O4 roads first heard Railroad officials are and revised demands and later represen- tatives of the workers will be per1nitter to enter rebuttal
 The attitude of advocates of the rail- roads who have been heard creates an impression that they are ernbo1dened i'll an effort to obtain new and more rig orous concessions from employees Hig- gins statement bristled with belliger- ency and was completely void of the spirit of compromise.
 Over the objection of w. s. Carter. grand chief of the Brotherhood of Fire men and Enginemen, John c. Walber, representing the Eastern roads, asked for the substitution of pro rata pay instead of time and one-half pay, the present rate, for overtime i'll freight and yard service Mr. Carter declared that this proposition was a matter of rules rather than wages and had no place in the pres ent hearing
 Wa1ber, however, insisted that time and one-half was "injected into the wage schedules as a pay increase move" and the railroads insisted that 1t should have attention now.
 The status of negotiations over work ing agreements between employees and in- dividual roads is anything but satisfac- tory,' B. M. Jewell, head of the Railway Employees Department of the American Federation of Labor, declared. Many roads have insisted on negotiations with a committee of employees from each craft or department or other division, in vio- lation of the principles laid down by the Labor Board.
 The question came before the board in an effort to straighten out the tang1e Submissions were made by the Chicago x Eastern Illinois, the Chicago, Burling- ton & Quincy, Texas & Pacific, Missouri, Kansas & Texas and Cincinnati Indiana polls & Western.
 Mir. Jewell told the board that the employees under the jurisdiction of the various union committees were plainly defined in the national agreement classi- in accord as to which employees each rep resented. Samuel c, Higgins, for the railroads, replied that the roads did not all agree with the national agreement cassihcations and maintaken by the car riers, he said, indicated with each group of employees as they saw fit
 Not a single agreement for any group of employees on any road has yet been signed, MT. Jewell said, despite the fact that under the order of the Labor Board of April 16 all negotiations must be com pleted by July 1. The position taken by the carrier, he said, indicated an attempt to return to the 10-hour day. r. Whether the employees will submit to the 12 per cent reduction will be deter mined by the workers themselves in a vote taken within the next few weks Mir, Jewell announced.