Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-01-16
COOPERATION PLAN on
B. & 0. WILLARD SAYS


Continued from Page one)
Once more wish to make aclnowl-
edgement of the effective cooperation
which we received from the very first
from the men chosen to represent
our employees, as well as from the
grand officers Of the respective un-
ions. Before a very long time had
elapsed we could see that we were
also beginning to get the earnest CO.
operation of the men themselves. Il
was too much to expect that such a
new and novel idea would be accepted
in its entirety and all at once. The
superintendent / looked upon it
largely as an experiment for about
q year at the Glenwood shops. Dur
ing all that time we were getting ad-
ditional experience; we were develop
ing new angles of the problem, and at
the same time working out their solu-
ton, but after the experiment had
been running a year it was decided
that there was at least enough merit
in the plan to justify its extension to
the principal shops all over the Balti-
more & Ohio system, and on February
%, 1924, an agreement was entered
into between the officers of the Balti-
more & Ohio Company and the officers
representing the Federated Shop
Crafts in the Baltimore & Ohio serv-
ice, which provided for the appoint
ment of cooperative committees in 45
different shops. The agreement also
provided that twice each month meet
ings of such committees should be held
at stated times and places for the dis
cussion of such matters as might
properly come before them, the agree
ment itself enumerating the different
subjects that might be taken up for
discussion.
New View Point Needed
OF course, we expected when the
plan was extended to the entire sys-
tenn, that we might find objection at
certain points on the part of some of
the men, as well as reluctance on the
part of some of the company officers,
but the opposition was much less than
we had anticipated. The arrangement
contemplated an entirely new rela-
tionship which in turn demanded an
entirely new and different point of
view. The larger plan, however, has
now been in effect about eight months
and / am going to give a brief report
showing in simple outline what has
been accomplished in that time. In
accordance with the agreement which
l have already referred to and which
was entered into between the Balti-
more & Ohio management and it's en-
ployes in February, 1924, 657 meet
ings have been held between men rep
resenting the management and men
representing the employees. The aver
age attendance as such meetings was
IL. The average length of meetings
so held was " hours. Total number
of suggestions submitted for discus
sion, 5,272. Number of such sugges-
tions adopted, $3.50. Per cent Of those
adopted to the total proposed, 1872
Number of suggestions still under
consideration but not disposed of, 972.
Number postponed because the ex-
pense necessary to install them not
justified at the present time, 85. Num-
Der dropped because after full dis
cussion considered impractical, 405.
Please bear in mind that this record
of accomplishment refers only to one
phase of the results which have been
obtained from the new relationship
developed in the Baltimore & Ohio
service. The figures which l have just
read are sufficient, | think, to show
that the plan in this particular aspect
alone is very ideal one. 1t has actu-
ally been put into effect, meetings
have been and actually are being held
at regular intervals, suggestions actu-
ally are being made by employees and
officers for mutual discussion, and such
suggestions really are being given SER
ious consideration, and, as l have just
shown, during a period of less than
eight months more than $500 sugges-
tions out of 5,272 brought up for dis
cussion at the meetings of the CO.
operative committees have actually
been put into effect, and are today a
part of the Baltimore & Ohio standard
practice. These results of themselves
more than justify the arrangement if
nothing else had been accomplished
but, as l have already said, have q
feeling that the results indicated by
these figures are really the least of
all the accomplishments to be expect
ed under the plan.
Full Understanding Contemplated
First of all, the plan itself contem-
plates a full and sympathetic under
standing between the management and
the men concerning the problem con-
fronting them in the Baltimore & Ohio
service, and believe that only with
such an understanding is it possible to
have a satisfactory relationship based
upon mutual trust and confidence. The
cooperative committees that have been
formed between the managing officers
and the men employed chiefly but not
alone in the shop crafts are simply
one of the agencies made use of in
ry;v;no, affect IN the uolicv above ont