The New York herald., 1922-06-20
What the Rail Wages Really Are,

What the Rail Wages Really Are.
If it were true, as declared in the
defiant letter of some of the rail-
road union officers to the United
States RAILROAD Labor Board, that
the lowest paid employees have been
degraded below a level Of bare ami
NAL subsistence" and the earning
capacity of the employees in the
higher grades reduced below a
standard of healthful and decent liv-
ing"-if that were true the wage cuts
ordered by the board, slight though
they be, would be indefensible. But
it is not true. 1t is nowhere near
true. +. t m
The record is very clear. In re-
spect of the particular unions and
crafts whose officers signed the state
ment the facts of plain record are
empbatically and irrefutably con-
trary to what the union officers and
leaders assert. TA
The average wage in 1914 fol-
the railway machinists, boilermakers
blacksmiths. sheet metal workers
electrical workers and molders was
$78.75 a month, while last February
after the first wage readjustment, il
was S1S401 month. This shows an
increase in wage of 134 per cent.
In the summer of 1914 the average
wage of car men was s62.s4 a month
while at the close of last year it was
nearly three times as high at s1s06;
a month.
In the summer of 1914 the averag;
wage of signal gang foremen was
$3.50 a month. In February of thi!
year it was $205.72, or an increase o.
more than las per cent. The average
of signal men in 1914 was $71.20; II
February last s1s1.05, an increase ot
more than 154 per cent. For assist
ant signal men the wage went vi
from $60.4O to $137.47, or more thar
1877 per cent.
Stationary engineers had their av
erage go up from s77.37 in 1914 II
$15s.42 in 1922; stationary firemer
went up from s68.21 to $1s6.26.
Now the officers of the foregoing
unions cannot be ignorant of these
facts and figures, because they were
all put into the record at the hear
ings before the United States Rail
road Labor Board and the officers oi
the unions followed closely every
word of testimony and every scrap o
exhibit that were submitted to tn,
board. These facts and figures have
not been disproved and cannot b'
disproyed, so when the officers of thl
unions to which the wage average:
apply put out such statement al
they have put out they know 1t Is 6
false statement.
And those union officers know
while the average wage of the ma
cllinists, boilermakers, blacksmiths
&C., was up 1874 per cent. the cosi
OF living increase by the United
States Department OF Labor figures
was so much lower than the wage
increase that with their wages ex
pressed in terms OF commodities
rents, &C., those employees we're 81
per cent better off than they eyel
had been before the cost of living
went up. They know the car men
with their wages expressed in term:
of commodities, rents, &C., were 81
per cent. better off. They know th'
signal gang foremen were A pei
cent. better off, the signalmen nearly
4S per cent. better off and the as
sistant signalmen 32 per cent. bet
ter off, They know the stationary
engineers were 10 per cent. better
off and the stationary flremen more
than 25 per cent. better off,
AS for the section gang workers
largely the common labor on tn,
roadbeds, the average monthly wag,
in 1915 was s44.17; now. 1t is s9s.SS
This is an increase Of 1874 per cent
Station, storehouse and warehous,
employees, watchmen, freight truck
ers. showers, &c, had an averag,
wage in 1915 of s51.72, which wen
up to $119.7s. or an Increase of 131.'
per cent.
What the leaders Of those railroad
unions are fighting against, there
fore. is not, as they say, wage read