The Washington herald., 1922-01-23
RAIL LABOR BOARD
APPROVES PREWAR
SPLIT TRICK RULE
Effect of Decision May
Save $5O,O00,O0O to
Traffic Lines.

CHICAGO, Jan. zs'-Whdt lhe
railroads declare will amount to an
annual saving of s5o.ooo,ooo in nor
NAL trafic times is Topped of the
pay of 100000 railroad clerks,
freight handlers, express and sta
ton employees in a decision made
public today by the Railroad Labor
Board, in abrogating certain war
time working agreements and max
ing important changes in others.
The most important changes in
the rules are abolition Of time ana
a half overtime until nine hours
have been worked and the re-estab-
lishment of a prewar time rule al
lowing railroads to employ men on
split tricks in small towns where
work is intermittent.
The split-trick rule will not only
save railroads millions OF dollars
annually, it is stated. but it will
also mean the reopening of. many.
small railroad stations which have
been closed because OF excessive
cost of maintaining them under the
national wartime agreements. In
other words, the decision puts the
milk station" back on the railroad
schedule.
Three Members Dissent.
The board reached its decision
only after lengthy deliberations, and
the document Is featured by the
most pronounced split In opinion of
any decision yet given out. There
is a dissenting opinion signed by
Samuel Higgins, ]. H. Elliot and
Horace Baker, railroad members of
the board, because the majority did
not decide upon ten hours before
overtime is effective. instead of
nine, and an answer to this dissent
ing opinion in which the minority
is charged with being obviously in
error" is signed by Ben H. Hooper
and G. W. w. Hangar. public mem
bers. and W. L. McMenimen, labor
| member,
A. o. Wharton, a labor member.
while voting with the majority did
not sign with them. and filed a sep
arate statement because he insisted
on overtime after eight hours.
Chairman Barton did not sign either
statement, and III. W. Phillips, labor
member, did not take part in the
deliberations because of illness.
Deny Political Reason.
1t is unoficiallN charged in rail-
road circles that the majority de-
cided to favor the nine-hour day be-
fore overtime payment, instead of
ten hours for political reasons, stat
ing that this is a move to influence
the committee of 100 of the feder-
| ated shop crafts. now in session
here, mapping out the policy to be
adopted for their 100000 members
In the Congressional election next
fall. This charge is emphatically
denied by the board majority, IL
being declared the case is settled
wholly on it's merits.
The railroads charged in present.
ing their case that they were COM
PEELED to pay station employees in
small way-stations full time every
day. although they spent most of
| their time in other occupations ano
were only on duty at the infrequent
Intervals when trains stopped. The
majority report confirms this con-
tention, and hereafter such en-
ployes will be paid only when on
duty. As a result of the national
agreement many small stations
we're colsed entirely and service
greatly hindered.
Minority Gives Statement.
We dissent from the decision of
the majority of the members of the
board" declared the minority opIn-
ion, of the railroad members, with
respect to rule 81, which provides
punitive payment for service rem
dered beyond the ninth hour, for
the following reasons:
Prior to Federal control of rail-
roads, clerical forces generally were
paid on a monthly rate basis which
covered all service rendered. Other
classes of employees covered by the
clerks agreement, including freight
house laborers and other station
employees, generally worked ten
hours per day and were paid a,
pro rata rates for all time worked;
ordinarily the same hours of service
per day are now required to NEE,
business needs throughout the
country along the lines of the car
riers :"
The above statement must be
considered in connection with the
following" answers Ben Hooper
and other majority members to the
decision. "it is obvious that the
statement is erroneous to a very
large degree; II is also rather in
definite.
The majority report then takes
several technical submissions TO
prove that the 100000 clerks were
not subject to the ten-hour day be-
fore the wartime agreements were
put into effect.