The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-08-31
How the Railroad Strike Came

From the Kansas City Star.
With the strike of che railway shop.
hen still, unsettled, inquiries have
come to this office as to the history
If the trouble, and the contantions
Of the opposing sades. Directly IN
volved in the striks. as it has devel-
oped are three parties:
The railway shopmen, numbering
about four hundred thousand, whose
business is to keep railroad rolling
stock in repair.
The railway executives or the man
:gement Of the roads.
The United States railroad labor
boand The board with its nine mem-
bers, Is commissioned to represent
equally the railroads, the employees
and the public. 1t also represents
the government, but is itself without
power to enforce its decisions.
The beginning to the present strike
is closely related to the existence and
acts of the board, which was design
ed, in the interest of all parties con-
cerned, directly or indirectly, to deal
with questions affecting wages and
working conditions of railroad en-
ployees. The board was authorized
by the Esch-Cummins transportation
act of 1920. 1t is the function of tn,
board, IN the interest of unInterrupt-
ed transportation therefore public
welfare, to adjust the wages of rail-
road employees, on the basis of hv-
ing costs, in accordance with the ma.
ture of the work done and in relation
to wages paid similar labor in other
lines.
One of the first acts of the labor
board was to award, in May, 1920, a
wage increase to all classes of rail
road labor, which represented total
advance of 600 million dollars. In
this act of the board railroad labor
concurred heartily. This wage ad-
vance, following material increase
in January of the same year, placed
,he pay of railroad workers some
Chlng like IS per cent higher than the
wage scale of 1917. Increased living
costs were the primary factor in the
boards action two years ago.
Then came the business depression
and the reduction in the cost of livinl
Railroad earnings went to pieces.
sharp economies were forced and the
roads appealed for reduction in
wages. This was granted in the sum-
mer of 1921 to the extent of 400 mil
lion dollars year.
There was insistent pressure. from
sAssaaaea agsth asi: 3eEsE- fssu p..s!ies
were unable to grant In spite of the
wage reduction as they were not
earning reasonable return on their
investment. They could reduce rates,
they said, only by reducing their ex-
penses through another cut in wages.
and they insisted that certain groups
of their employees were being paid
more than the market rate. For in
stance, they contended they could hire
thelr repair work done more cheaply
by private contractors than they
could do it in their own shops at the
scale approved by the railroad labor
board.
About two and half months ago
the interstate commerce commission
ordered general 10 per cent reduc-
ton of freight rates, decreasing the
annual revenue of the roads about 400
million dollars. The railroad labor
board then felt called upon to go
gain into the wage question. Follow
ing extended hearings which were
attended by both railway executives
and labor representatives, the board
ordered wage cuts of 48 million dol
lars a year, affecting four hundred
thousand maintenance Of way men.
of 60 million dollars, affecting the
same number of shopmen, the men
now on strike, and of 261a million dol
lars, affecting clerical and station
workers.
This decision of the board still left
The pay of all classes concerned ma
terla!ly above the levels of 1917. and
IN many instances slightly above the
level existing in 1920 prior to the
wage advance ordered by the board
1t left shop mechanics with wage
"f 1913 cents al hour. compared with
77.S in July Of last year, 85.3 in Iay
of 1870 and sos in December OF 1917.
1t allowed carmen 64.4 cents an hour.
compared with 73 cents u year ago.
81 cents two years s.go and 37.7 cents
in 1917. 1t cut the pay of clerks 8
cents an hour to 58.5, a class of men
who were paid 345 cents five years
ago. Common track laborers, among
the lowest paid, unskilled labor, were
feft by the recent cut with 1927 cents
an hour, compared with only 1913
cents in 1917. Stationary firemen and
oilers were left with 1915 cents an
hour, 3 cents more than in January,
1920, and more than double the paw
OF 21.8 cents five wears apo