The Monmouth inquirer., 1922-06-15
UNIONS HIT BY
new WAGE CUTS
Over S6o,0oo,000 Is Cut From
Pay of 100000 Railroad Shop
men by the Labor Board.
MECHANICS LOSE 8 PER CENT
Present Decision Applies to Virtually
Every Road In United States
Unions Promised Action on
Unauthorized Slashes.

CnlcagO.-WaSeS OF more lldn 4UU,-
900 shop craft employees, members Of
the Railway Employees Department of
the American Federation of Labor.
were ordered cut approximately $780,
100000 in a decision by the Railway
Labor Board.
The ruling will go into effect July l.
the same day on which the recent wage
slash of the maintenance-of-way work
ers becomes operative. The new de-
creased scales were fixed over dis
senting opinion entered by the three
labor members of the board, Albert 0.
Wharton, w L. McMenimen and AL
bert Phillips. They are:
Supervisory forces, whether paid by
the month or hour, no decrease,
Machinists, boilermakers. black
smiths. sheet-metal workers, electrical
workers, car men Except freight-car
men). molders. cupola tenders, and
coremakers, Including those with less
than four years experience, all crafts,
z cents an hour.
Freight car men-9 cents an hour.
Regular and helper apprentices and
helpers, all classes-7 cents an hour.
Car cleaners-5 cents an hour.
Decision affecting $4,000 telegraph
ers. the next class + employ es to be
dealt with in a wage ruling, will not
be available for some few days. 1t was
learned. The reason for this, 1t was
explained, Is the chief questions in the
telegraphers' case is not how much
money shall be paid, but how inequali-
ties of pay on different roads shall be
settled.
The effect of this delay on pos
sihle strike would be considerabl, 1t
was -aid, for telegraphers are con-
| sidered the most important units in the
| traffic moving machinery, and are the
most difficult to replace quickly.
In making its order, the Labor Board
! reviewed decision No. 2, affective May
| 1, 1920, which increased the wages OF
this class Of employee shortly prior
to decline in living costs and wages in
general" and decision No 147, effective
July 1, 1921, levying reduction. and
| found that at is just and reasonable
| under the law and the evidence" and
| that "the board is of the opinion shop
employees will still be receiving. as a
| rule. wage in excess of that paid to
similar employees in other industries"
The present decrease will apply to
virtually every railroad system operat-
ing in the United States.
Upon the heels of the order, the
| oe.;o l..
matum filed with it last week by B..
NJ. Jewell, president Of the Federated
Shops Crafts, asking that immediate
| action be taken pertaining to certain
unauthorized wage reductions applying
to list of twenty-one roads.
When informed of the issuance of
the boards pay-cut order Mr.. Jewell
reiterated previous statement to the
effect final decision as to the accep-
tance or rejection of the order rests
with the membership of the organiza-
tions which compose the railway enl-
] ployees' department.
"a strike vote,' he added sis now
being sent out. returnable June 3d.
The minority report of the labor
members pontedly said the majority
decision was made with no conslu-
Grafton of human needs" and charged
it fails to carry out the function of
the board to set lust and reason
able' wage.
Suggestions for "some recognized
standard" to be worked out by the
board and used as a basis for future
wage adjustments, was contained in
this report, which consumed several
times the number of pages in the ma
jority decision
The labor members felt, they said,
that the board SHOULD Initiate study
which shall determine the amount
necessary to meet some recognized
standard and that it must use its re-
suits as basis for its decisions and
that it must, through those decisions,
transmit this information to the pub
lic."