Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-06-01
Rail WORKERS
PAY is SLASHED
Wages of 400, 900 Maintenance
OF Way Employees Cut
by Board.
BASED UPON ADJUSTMENTS
Decreases Decreed by the Railroad
Labor Board Are From One to
Five Cents an Hour,
Effective July I.

Chicago, May 29.-Wages of 100000
maintenance of way railway employees
are cut from to cents an hour, be-
ginning July /, according to de
cision announced by the railroad la
Dor board. The slash will mean an
annual saving of approximately S4S,-
100000 ON pay rolls.
The decision means a return to
practically the same scale as that
prevailing February %, 1920 when
the roads were turned back to their
owners, and is considered Indicative
of the size of cuts that will be made
in the scale of workers in other de-
partments.
dissenting opinion is filed by three
labor members of the board. 1t is
believed TO be the first time q dissent
has been registered under the sigma
ture of all members of a group.
Called insufficient.
The labor group contends that the
wage scale provided in the decision
is insufficient to sustain life on any
thing like the basis of American stand.
ards, They cite tables and opinions
of social workers and arbitration spe.
cialists to sustain the dissent.
The pay scale of maintenance of
way employees after July l win be
from % to SO cents an hour as com,
pared with the present rate of IS TO
40 cents.
In announcing separate decision
for this class of rail workers, the
board states that it is complying with
a request made by the United Broth.
erhood of Maintenance of Way En-.
ployees and Railroad Shop Laborers,
which asked that its case be given
precedence
The board calls attention to the
fact that this adjustment is based
on previous wage adjustments both
by the director of railroads under
federal control and by the railroad
labor board since that time.
All matters were based upon hori.
zontal increases or decreases of the
scales prevailing before federal con.
troll all of which were different in
various parts of the country and on
different divisions of the railroads.
The minimum rates authorized in
the present decision win apply only
on a few divisions in small group
of states, principally in the South
and Southwest.
The decision says in part:
"The board is of the opinion that
after the reduction under this de-
cision, common labor on the railroads
will still be receiving as a rule,
wage in excess of that paid to sim.
liar labor in other industries. and
that the same will be true of all other
classes of labor covered by this de
cision.
''The board is of the opinion, how
ever, that the hazards of the EN-.
ployment, the training and skill re.
quired the degree of responsibility
to the public, and other elements
mentioned in that statute (transpor-
tation act of 1920 combine to justify
the payment of a better wage to these
employees than is paid to similar
labor in outside employment.
Get Living Quarters.
ION a very considerable number
of roads the foremen and section men
are furnished by the carrier, living
quarters and fuel.
Moreover, the board is not in sym.
pathy with the idea that govern.
ment tribunal, empowered to fix a.
Just and reasonable wage for mep en-.
gagged in serving the public in the
transportation industry, should be
controlled by the one consideration
Of the low wages that may be paid
to other labor in period of TEN.
porary depression and unemploy.
ment. II is but just TO say that rail
road arrangements have indicated no
desire for such result"
In dissenting the three labor mem.
bers, A. o. Wharton, Albert Phillips
and w. L. McMenimen. assert that
under the new scale "the earnings OF
this large group Of railroad employees
will not provide the father Of fam.