Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-01-26
LIMIT ON OVERTIME.
OF RAIL WORKERS.
New Rules Affect Clerical and
Terminal Hands.
SPLIT TRICKS APPROVED
Two Shifts For Intermittent Work
Over Span of More Than Eight
.Hours-RuIes Effective February 1.

Over Span of More Than Eight
.Hours-Rues Effective February 1.
Chicago.-The abolition of penal
overtime payments until after the
ninth hour of work, and authorization
of "split tricks" instead of compelling
overtime payments, or two shifts for
intermittent work over a span of
more than eight hours, are important
changes in rules governing railroad
clerical and terminal employees issued
by the United States railroad labor
board.
The new rules, which become effec-
tive February l, supersede the nation
al agreement made by the federal ad-
ministration with the Brotherhood of
Railway and Steamship Clerks,
Freight Handlers, Express and Sta
ton Employees, which has been III eff
feet since January /, 1920. About
100000 employees are affected
Application of the new split trick
rules and elimination of time and one
half pay for the ninth hour are ex-
pected to save the railroads millions
Of dollars. Labor board statisticians
estimating that the amount would
reach $150e0,000 annually. During
the rule hearings many roads testified
that baggagemen, train announcers
and other employees doing intermittent
work. many of them young boys or
aged men formerly paid ST5 a month,
were receiving SITS to $500, due to
operation of the overtime rule This
overtime will now be eliminated.
The eight-hour day was retained in
principle, however, as ere collective
bargaining and union recognition.
The new rules cover all points in
clerical working agreements not COW
cred by rules negotiated between indi-
vidual roads and their employees.
Time and one-half Lay Low applies
only to the terth hour of work or
thereafter, and to hours worked if
held on duty more than two hours
when called for extra work. Sunday
and holiday work will be paid at
straight time, except where the rail-
road agrees to do otherwise.
Reopening of many mall railway
stations, Improvement of service TO
small towns and on suburban lines is
expected to follow the adopti,n of the
new rule as to intermittent work. 1t
will not be possible for the railroads
to place responsible employees at the
smaller stations at all train hours
without the expense which they claim
now is prohibitive. and which has
resulted in the closing many sta
lions and the handing of others over
to caretakers and janitors at ONE
hours of the day.
The new rule announced by the
board provides that where actual serv-
ice is intermittent, eight hours actual
time on duty within a spread Of twelve
hours shall constitute a days work.
When employees actually work more
than eight hours within the span or
when held longer than IL hours to
perform their work, they are to be
paid time and one-half for the extra
time. 9s
Under the old national agreement,
an enpioye received overtime pay
after expiration of eight hours from
the time he first went on duty, al
though he may have had several hours
of sidleness due to the fact that there
was no train service nor other duties
to perform.
Charges that employees actually
farmed or performed other work for
themselves in such intervals have
been one of the outstanding features
of the criticism levefed at railroad
conditions under federal control.
Where all til work at station due
to the arrival and departure of trains
only in the morning and evening
comes within spread Of twelve hours,
such an employee, under the new rule,
would work in the morning, be releas-
ed in the middle of the dFy without
pay and report in the afternoc for
the remainder of the days work. Un-
der the old rule, he was paid over,
time for the evening work or two
shifts employed, which later was gen
orally done. t-t