Evening star., 1948-03-27
Truman Board Favors
151-Cent Raise for
10000 Rail Workers
Unions Threatening Strike
Already Have Rejected
Same Offer by Carriers
By Joseph A. Fox

A presidential emergency board
today recommended a 1512-cent
hourly pay increase for 100000
railroad engineers, f1remen and
switchmen. retroactive to last
November /.
The offer is the same as the three
brotherhoods already have rejected
from the carriers. They have threat
ened to strike.
Under the Railway Labor Act, the
brotherhoods are required to keep
working for 80 days. After April
rs they will be legally free to strike
If they want to. The intervening
period will give the unions and the
carriers a chance for further nego-
tiation.
The 1914 cents an hour recon-
mendation amounts to about an liz
per cent increase. 1t is less than
half the increase which the three
brotherhoods had demanded The
board said the same boost already
had been accepted by about a mil
lion and a quarter conductors, train
men and incorporating employees,
and refused to 60 above the earlier
settlement.
Sought 30 Per Cent Raise.
The engineers, firemen and switch
men had asked 80 per cent raise.
with a SO per man daily minimum
increase. A 1871 hour boost
amounts to $1.24 day.
The brotherhoods also are de-
manding 25 changes in operating
rules. Railroads wanted changes in
IL. The board made technical
recommendations concerning these
points.
The award was handed down by
a board headed by DR.. William M
Leiserson, former chairman Of the
National Mediation Board. Other
members we're Chief Justice George
E. Bushnell of the Supreme Court
Of Michigan, and w. Willard Wirtz
Northwestern University law pro-
fessor.
Action of the board climaxes
negotiations dating back to last Oc-
tober, At that time the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers, the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Fire
men and Engineman and the
Switchmen's Union of North Amer
lea demanded a 80 per cent wage
increase or a minimum wage of SO
day.
Earlier, about a million non n-oper-
ating employees, including such
groups as clerks and shopmen, ac-
cepted a 1872 cent hourly award
from an arbitration board After
the three unions had come through
with their larger demand. the con-
ductors and trainment also settled
for 1872 cents.
Relied on Awards to Others.
The railroads offered engine work
ers and. switchmen the same figure
but they refused and threatened
to strike February l. President
Truman then appointed the emerg-
ency board to sift the issue
The board, reporting to President
Truman today, said that it had re-
lied heavily on the awards to The
other groups. 1t added:
The engineers, flremen and
switchmen had contended that since
their case had dragged into le48
they were entitled to some part OF
the third round of wage increases
which some other industries have
granted and argued that the other
railroad employees had received only
the second round in l947.
The board held, however. .hat
the case of these three organiza-
tions was only the unsettled re-
mainder of a single wage case in
volving all operating employees
which was started in 1947 by sec
ond-round' demand"
Incidentally, the trainmen and
conductors are planning to seek an
other wage increase, action being
scheduled next week.
The board was sharply critical OF
the various rule changes proposed
by the disputants, which date back
to the trouble in 1916, when there
was three day railroad strike. At
that time it was decided to hold of
year on all rules changes. After
that period expired, wrangling start
ed over the issue again.
The board said that there is a
danger" in many of the proposals
submitted which endangers the
very foundations OF the collective
1see RAILROADS, Page A-2D