Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1927-02-10
MEDIATION BOARD
GRANTS PAY RAISE
AND HALTS STRIKE
Seven and Half Percent
Granted Employees
In Southeast

between southeastern railroads and
labor organizations representing their
train service employees granting
1-2 per cent wage increase, effec-
tive February l, was announced here
Tuesday by the federal board of med
iation. The settlement eliminated
any possibility of strike of brake
men and conductors and concluded
negotiations which have been in pro-
gress here for a month.
Twenty trunk line railroads in the
southeastern territory, including all
the principal systems except the
Southern railway, and $4,000 of
their employees are covered by the
agreement. The wage increase grant
ed is identical in amount to that
, which was received by train service
employees of eastern railroads, after
being fixed by board of arbitration
arranged by the mediation board.
The Order of Railway Conductors
and the Brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen asked the southeastern rail
roads last fall for considerably lar
ger increase than the IL percent
obtained today, but negotiations were
finally broken off. The two labor or
ganizations in consequence took a
strike vote of their membership in
the southeast but after the returns of
the vote had been forwarded to Wash
ington for counting, Samuel E. Win
slow, chairman of the mediation
board, asked both the railroads and
the brotherhoods to renew discussion
The request was granted and the
strike vote was disregarded by the ma
tional officers.
The agreement announced was
signed by W. N. Doak, as vice presi-
dent of the trainmen's brotherhood,
and l.. E. Shepherd, as president of
the Order of Railway Conductors. P.
r. Albright, general manager of the
Atlantic Coast Line, and chairman of
the managers conference committee
in the southeastern region, with his
associates accepted the settlement in
behalf of the railroads.
The amount of wage increase OBJ
tanned was agreed upon some time
ago by the negotiators, bat the con-
tracts also relate to large number
of regulations and working rules upon
which detailed controversy was con-
Quoted during the period Of negotia-
tion and prolonged the discussion.
In railroad circles it is expected
that demand for wage increases will
be preferred in behalf of the engi-
neers and firemen, and if so commit
tees representing these organizations
and the managements are again like
ly to be called into negotiations. The
locomotive men were recently given
in the eastern region the increase
granted to the train service employees.
The elimination of the Southern
railway from the controversy and the
ensuing wage award is due to the
existence of an Independent contract
between that road and the trainmen.
The articles of this agreement runs un-
til next March and will be replaced
after that time either by new con-
tract or by an acceptance of a settle
ment somewhat similar to that which
other railroads in the territory took
today.
Chairman Winslow, of the media
tion board, gave out only brief
state after the notice of the settle
ment had been transmitted to him by
the parties to the negotiations. Both
the labor organizations and the rail-
road managers agreed to leave all
to the board, and refused
to discuss the settlement further than
to confirm the boards announcement.
The various changes of working
rules and regulations which were for
in the new agreement were
said on the whole to be matters of
detail, and to make little effect in
present train service methods.
The railroads calculate that their
wage payments to the $4,000 men
given the increase will now be about
S3,3OO,00O a year above those now
made.