Evening star., 1948-03-28
BY the Asseeioted Press

An emergency board yesterday
proposed a raise of 151a cents an
hour for railroad engineers, f1remen
and switchmen, retroactive to last
November l.
The board, in a report to the
White House, also recommended
changes in IA working rules. These
changes included higher pay for
workers in yard service and crews
on lightweight freight locomotives.
Railroad officials and the presi-
dents Of the three brotherhoods in
the case gave no immediate sign
whether they will accept the recon-
dationS.
If they do, it will end a dispute
that started last June.
If they don't, it could mean a
national railroad strike April 26,
when 30-day waiting period re-
quired by the Railway Labor Act
will expire.
Earlier Strike Date Cancelled.
The unions have already set one
strike date, February /, but called
it off when President Truman ap-
pointed the Emergency Board jan
uary u.
David B. Robertson. president of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen and Enginemen. said in
Cleveland yesterday that the unions
will hold a joint meeting of their
general committees in Cleveland or
Chicago as soon as possible.
The 1914 cent figure amounts to
S1.24 day. This is the same raise
already won by all other railroad
workers.
The unions had demanded 80 per
cent with nobody getting less than
a s3-a-day increase.
The board, headed by William M
Leiserson, said yesterdays proposed
increase would apply to about 150,-
900 persons.
The board gave no estimates of
the total cost of its wage and rules
proposals. Spokesman for the rail-
roads Wage Committee estimated
the wage raise cost at $62, 1892 900 a
year on the basis of 1946 employ
ment. They said the 1872 cent raise
had been offered the three brother
hoods last November.
Back Pay Would be Lump Sum.
Back pay for about five months
would be paid in lump sum, be-
cause of the November l effective
date.
That date is significant 1t is
the same date when the trainmen
and conductors got their 1872 cent
raise in a separate settlement. So
yesterdays report would put all five
of the train-operating brotherhoods
on the same basis as far as wage
increases are concerned.
The board gave partial approval
ii II changes the unions sought
in working rules. It gave partial
approval to one change sought by
the railroads, and reported sympa-
thetieally on about four other de-
mands but referred the questions to
further bargaining.
The board gave complete approval
to one minor proposal that both
sides had agreed on.
And it turned down number of
proposals made by each side.
For example, it recommended the
withdrawal of union demands for
higher pay on night shifts, Sundays,
and holidays.
Board Cites Conflicting Agreements.
The board protested the fact that
the parties had been unable to agree
on so many rules issues.
It said that in its hearings at
Chicago 1t was subjected to "a bar
rage of conflicting arguments about
a lot of little details" Then it said:
That these parties were not able
to accomplish, by negotiation, even
this little kitchen job is cause for
real concern. In our Judgment this
kind of failure has, so far as COL
lective bargaining is concerned, ma
1ignant potentialities.
Besides Mr.. Leiserson, who is a
visiting professor at Johns Hopkins
University, the board members were
George E. Bushnell, chief justice of
the Michigan Supreme Court. and
w. Willard Wirtz, law professor at
Novfhu,octor,,