The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-25
Railway Workers and Shop
Committees

Unskilled labor bears the biggest part of the
wage cuts that American capitalists are handing
out If in addition to doing that class OF labor
called unszilled-altho in many instances 1t re
uuires higher degree of special skill than many
socalled trades-the workers are unorganized the
wage cuts are merciless.
Railway labor, below that of the brotherhoods-
engineers firemen, conductors and trainmen, key
occupations that the railroads try to keep salts
feds VIGOROUSLY underpaid. Yet since 1920 the
railroads with the advice, consent and coopera-
ton of the government railway labor board, have
been deliberately and steadily reducing wages of
the great majority of the railway workers.
Clerks, telegraphers and signalmen, according
to the figures compiled by Leland Olds statstician
for the Federated Press, have suffered reductions
of approximately per cent These occupations
are fairly well organized and can be included in
the lower strata of the labor aristocracy.
But leaders, baggage handlers, freight handlers,
building mechanics (who the railroads do not
occupy the favored position they do in outside
building trades) section foremen, section aborers
and crossing aagfnen have received cuts averaging
little over 20 per cent and ranging from 1872 per
cent for crossing agmen to IA per cent for section
foremen.
Maintenance of way now average 1919 for
an eight-hour day. This is getting back to "nor
malcy" with vengeance as it is almost as low as
pre-war wages in many occupations.
The important thing to remember in connection
with this wholesale wagesashing is that it is con-
Quoted by government agency-ah agency which,
when it was set up during the war by the Wilson
administration was hailed as great victory for
labor by the takers. But government agencies, in
America especially, have way of changing and
extending their functions, of perpetuating them
selves in line with the pronounced increase OF gov
eminent Capitalization beginning during the war
and continuing since that time.
Government ownership is not looked upon favor
able by the railway magnates, but government
ownership and control of living standards of rail
way workers is quite all right.
The majority of the railway workers, by these
figures are shown to have been beaten down to the
standard Of common labor. Their organizations
are very feeble where they exist at all, but the
railway labor board has created the necessary at
mOsphere for organization to flourish.
The first step in the transportation industry
must be the creation of shop committees and their
extension into a national network. These shop
committees, in addition to handling the daily
grievances of the workers, must be used to bring
pressure on the existing unions and as the nucleus
of an organization campaign. 1t is ridiculous to
assert, as the labor takers do, that the railway
workers must be left to the tender mercies of the
company unions
Low wages, long hours lack of job control, cap
italist and government tyranny, together spell
response to a militant organization drive.
All the necessary conditions for renewed ac-
tivity of the railway workers are now present in
the industry, but whatever is done will have to be
in spite of the labor union bureaucrats and the
labor aristocracy like the brotherhoods who have
received per cent raise while the great mass of
workers were getting wage cuts.
Every day get "sub" for the DAILY WORKER
and a member for the Workers Party.