Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-07-25

not question Of wages that is at the
seat of the cause of the wage cutting
that brought the strike on. 1t is said
that in all the history of the railroad
the Southern has had the biggest
freight business during the past few
months that it has ever had-more
than in war times, when the railroads
couldn't hire enough men and wages
went skyhigh. The men feel that the
wage reduction is not due to less earn
ings, but to determination to take
away from unionized labor all they
have gained after twenty-five years or
more fighting for n fair wage and talr
living conditions. For instance there
never has been until the past FEW
months ten freight crews employed be-
tween Columbia and Charlotte and
three passenger crews. with an aver
age of six freight trains day. Three
passenger crews run between Colum-
bia and Augusta, and two regular local
and one through freight crews. -Four
passenger trains are run each way
daily between Columbia and Spartan
burg, and numerous freight trains, ana
besides these there are others to Char
lesion, Savannah, Allendalc, Blackville,
and to Yorkvile and Charlotte over
the old Three C's line. Most of the
train crews run on n schedule of first
in, first out"
The men claim that some of them
have had their wages cut as much as
S5 per cent from the wartime peak,
and thu. the cost of living has not
been reduced half that much and that
railroad earnings have not been re-
duced, that freight and passenger rates
have not been cut in apy like propor-
ton and they cannot sec anything TO
the reduction of wages except fight
that if the cut in wages IS to be equal
lied by reduced freight and passenger
rates in equal percentage 10 wage re-
ductions and thus help bring down the
cost of living, they will have little TO
say about wage reductions, but that
they will not accept such drastic wage
reductions in the face of big business
and high freight and passenger rates
without Il further protest
The men also put up this argument
against reduced wages. They claim.
that the master mechanics, general
forcmen, roundhouse fOremcn, drop-pit
forcmen, machine shop foremcn, gem
eral forcmcn car repairers and all the
rest of the forcmcn, ali receiving from
$225 to more than $500 per month,
that of all of these not one has had
his wages reduced by q single penny,
and several of them, notably the mas
ter mechanics, last month received
substantial increases of pay Tin antlc-
ipation of the coming strike) without
even limiting at a desire for more pay.
| They also contend that of the passcn-
ger agents, freight agents (solicitcrs),
the law agents, the promotion agents,
agricultural agents, etc, etc, and inc
higher officials, supcrintendcnts. gen
cral superintendcnts, general mana
gers, assistants to vice presidents, vice
presidents, etc, none Of these have had
any reduction in their pay and that
no reduction is in sight The union
men want to know why, if this rcddc-
| ton of their pay is an economy move,
why shouldn't the economic move hit
the higher-ups.
| To be sure the men are protesting
wage reductions, but working condi-
| tions are also a factor. They can't
| see why if the railroads have repair
work on locomotives and cars to he
done, this work should be farmcd cut
to private parties, where, il the man
agcment of the railroads is as COM
petcnt and efficient as they would have
the outside world think they arc. this
work cannot be done equally as well
and us economically in their own rail-
road shops.
Yes, the railroad men are unit in
their determination to win their fight
and with the winning of their fight for
full recognition of their rights they
also mean TO see the end of the Fed
cr;ul Labor Board. Their opposition To
the labor board is based on tho fact
that in every question that has been
up to the board for settlement between
the railroads and III" men tine dcci-
siOnS of the Labor Board have been
almost invariably with and for tho
railroads, and further their opposition
to the Labor Board and its decisions
is based on the fact that when Il de-
csion is against the railroads the rail-
roads ignore it, and no attempt is
made for vigorous enforcement; but il
the decisions are against the workers
then the board attempts TO enforce its
rulings. In other WORDS, from the
standpoint of the men they get crow
all the time the railroads get the tur-
key. ....a-....
After talking with many railroad
men-men on strike and men who are