The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1922-11-11
LIVING WAGE THEORY
ATTACKED BY BOARD
Two Groups Of Rail Labor
Board Declare Idea
Communistic.

Chicago, IlI.-Attacking the theory
Of the living wage" as basis for de-
termining the wages of railroad work
ers, the public and railroad groups Of
the United States railroad labor board
in an opinion made public Monday de-
clared that such course "if carried to
its legitimate conclusion would wreck
every railroad in the United States
and If extended to other Industries
would carry them into communistic
ruin
The opinion in the form Of a re.
joinder TO a dissenting opinion filed by
X o. Wharton. labor leader in the re-
cent decision. increasing the payment
of maintenance of way employees two
cents an hour. declared that IL the en-
ployes were granted ~ to rs cent
minimum wage for common labor with
corresponding differentials for other
classes. an increase of 1857 per cent
in the nations railroad wage bill would
be necessary. This opinion, he said
would add .112.952,3S7 to the annual
payroll bringing It to $3.50, 445 1898,
which would mean. ii added. an annual
deficit to the carriers of S2.241 ,639,51S
Even If the Ascent minimum wage
requested by maintenance Of way
union men were granted and CORE
spending changes were made for other
classes of employees. the opinion said
an increase of 50.45 per cent in wages
would be necessary, adding 81 ,249. 800
1914 to the annual wage bill of the
roads, bringing 1t up to S3.725, 1874 $40,
thus forcing the carriers to face an an
nual deficit Of S37S,O7S,125
The phrase living wage" was term
ed in the opinion as "a bit of meliflu-
Gus phraseoogy, well calculated to de-
ceive the unthinking"
IF the contentious were that the
board should establish living wage
the majority would readily accede to
the proposition" the opinion said "As
a matter of fact. the board i'm this issu-
ance, as all others, has granted living
wage. But the abstract and elusive
thing called the living wage, con-
fessedly based upon a makeshift and
guess. can not receive the sanction of
this board, because 1t would utterly be
impracticable and would not be Just
and reasonable as the law demands"
Mr.. Wharton's dissenting opinion.
and the supporting opinion in reply are
attached to the formal decision in
creasing the pay of the maintenance of
way employees cents an hour, estab-
fishing minimums ranging from Is to
81 cents The United Brotherhood Of
Maintenance of Way Employees and
Railway Shop Laborers held strike
order affecting 100000 men in abey-
ance last July after the board had re-
duced wages pending a request for an
Increase based on the contention that
living had advanced and wages in other
Industries had been raised.
When the case came before the
board. the maintenance of way en-
ployes asked the board to subscribe to
the principle Of the living wage"
based on budget Of what was re-
quired for an average family OF five
persons to live in health and reason
able comfort. A majority of the board
refused to subscribe to this principle,
asserting that the transportation act
calls for establishing lust and rea-
sonable" wage and that just and rea-
sonable wage was In effect living
| wage.
The maintenance of way organiza-
ton asked the board to establish mini.
mum rates of pay Of 4S cents an hour
to replace rates then in effect ranging
from 23 to 35 cents. After a deadlock
lasting several days the board made
public it's decision handed down Sun
day increasing rates of pay cents an
hour and adding about $2O.O0O.O0O to
the railroad payroll