Evening star., 1944-01-06
Rail Operating Union,
See Fresh Hope for
Settling Pay Dispute
Ey the Associated Press.

sider basic wages frozen for the
duration of the war by President
Roosevelt's decision governing
two other brotherhoodS.
That development, plus the ap
pointment of a special presidential
board to consider the incorporating
case, revived hopes of an early set
tlement which would permit an enc
to Army control of the Nations
railroads.
The carriers position in the con.
troversy was to be presented toda,
to committees and general chairmer
summoned to Washington by chief
Of the three operating unions-con
ductors, flremen and switchmen-tt
determine course of action.
Fearful of Freeze"
These three groups have expressed
apprehension of a freeze" even i.
the Governments general wage
policy should be changed, and thi:
fear has deferred them from &C.
cepting arbitration or the terms OF
the Presidents arbitration award te
the trainmen and the engineers.
The carriers have urged that the
award be applied to all five groups
cents more an hour for, or in liey
OF, overtime and away-from- home
expenses, and a weeks paid vacation
The scent increase and the vaca-
ton are frozen for the duration by
the terms of the award, but the car
riers do not consider that this freeze
applies to basic wages. This con-
firms similar assurance given by Wal
Mobilization Director Byrnes.
The practical effect is basic S.
cent raise, applied horizontally Just
like the cents awarded earlier by
an emergency board, with nc
changes in existing overtime rules
and practices.
Win New Point.
The incorporating employees ap.
parently won a new point in thei,
campaign for more pay by the Pres
ident's appointment of the Emer.
gency Board in language that
seemed to limit the issue to that OF
overtime.
The unions had contended that
only this issue should be open tc
discussion; they had baked at re-
opening a wage increase previously
recommended for them.
The statement mentioned unset
tied claims for wage adjustments of
the incorporating employees which
were not presented" at the time
the board made a previous report
recommending sliding-scale in
creases in regular time pay ranging
from 4 to 10 cents an hour.
Spokesman of the unions said that
language seemed to limit the board
to consideration of overtime pay
claims but they said the actual
presidential order resubmitting the
case was less specific.
Statement Reviews Negotiations.
The statement recited the history
of the negotiations, in which the
Is unions at first refused the reg
ular time increase, then accepted
it at the time a year-end strike was
called off and at the same time
presented the new claim for over
time compensation.
1t mentioned that the carriers
and the incorporating employees
had not been able to agree with
respect to such additional claims,
and at another point said the spe-
cial panel was recalled to consider
"the unsettled claims for wage ad-
justments."
The question in the minds of
worker spokesmen was whether that
language went as far as the White
House statement in limiting the
issue.
In calling off their strike, the
unions offered to submit the over
time issue-and only that issue
to arbitration by Mr.. Roosevelt. The
railroads, however, though they had
accepted the regular time pay order,
contended that the whole issue
should go to arbitration, including
the regular time rates. In view
of that disagreement, the case never
reached the point Of presidential
determination.
ICC Against Drafting r. r. Men.
The new move toward settlement
of the wage dispute of the biggest
segment of railroad workers came
while member of the Interstate
Commerce Commission was protest.
ing at the Capitol against drafting
railroad men.
j. Monroe Johnson told the Sem
ate Interstate Commerce Commit
tee the armed forces ought to re-
store to the industry every man
theve got now to avert a trans
portation calamity"
When Senator Reed, Republican
of Kansas brought up the recent
threat of a railroad strike, saying
a walkout would be damned near
treason" Mr.. Johnson replied:
"It would be worse than treason
If anything could be worse than
treason"
Senator Reed caid the subcommit-
tee investigating railroad equipment
shortages had broadened it's inquiry
to include the ICC complaints that
the continued drafting of railroad
workers imperils the operation of
the carriers.
Manpower Shortage Cited.
Mr.. johnson said there is a short
age of manpower now of between
10000 and 250,000 workers that
could prove dangerous to the war
effort.
Asserting the peak movement still
lay ahead, he added, however, Il
know that the peak actually al
ready has been reached unless man
power is supplied to handle the
additional volume"
Mr.. Reed said that as soon as
testimony by Mr.. johnson and pre-
vious witnesses has been printed
the subcommittee will call in Off
cials of the Office of Defense Trans
portation, the ICC, the Selective
Service System and possibly the
War ManpoWer Commission for a
conference to determine what steps
should be taken.