Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-09-09

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with 48 hours pay for 40 hou
The change was even mo
of these railmen who had
be en- on seven-day assign
ments. They also were switch
ed to five-day tricks, with re-
lief men filling in on the re-
naming days.
Employees in the soc e q
incorporating" crafts are the
beneficiaries of the shorter week.
They're the workers who toll in
the officse, shops and round
houses; on maintenance of way
Ssnd signal sy S te m S; on key
boards and terminals, and at a
great variety of other jobs, other
than direct operation of trains.
For the million railroaders, it
is revolutionary d v a n e,
though it just brings them up to
the tape line with the great ma
jority of the nations workers
who won the 40-hour week years
before.
The achievement took years
of effort by 16 railroad unions
which represent the million en-
ployes. They started drives for
the shorter week several times
in the past, then sidetracked the
movements In favor of wage in
creases to meet advancing living
r lpsts.
Last year, they launched an all
out campaign both for the short
er week and a wage increase.
They won both after threatening
to strike. A Presidential Elmer
gence Board awarded a 7-cent
pay hike, which was retroactive
to last October l, and the 40
hour week, which was made ef-
fective September / to give the
railroads time to rearrange op-
erations. The combined g a n
boosts their hourly rates 26 per
cent.
Last spring, the unions and
railroads re C h e d national
agree ement embodying the
award. though they're still row.
ing over the terms of applying
at on some individual r o d s.
These disputes are now before
a Joint 40-hour week committee
of labor and management repre-
sentativse and will go to referees
whenever deadlocks occur, with
the decisions r e tr o C i've to
September l.
Most of the million workers
will be on a Monday through
Friday schedule, and for the
first time in their lives they IL
have Saturdays off as well as
Sundays to ge reacquainted with
their families. Therell be time
for fishing, for puttering around
the house, for spins out in the
country, for the normal life that
their neighbors lead.
Since the trains must keep
running seven days a week,
ere'll be staggered five-day
sthedules for some, though the
unions fought to keep such shifts
TO minimum and to assure that
all in this group will get either
Saturday or Sunday off, plus
one other day.
Operating" employees - those
who run the trains and work in
the yards-aren't covered by the
40-hour week. Most of these are
now on a combination mileage
and hour pay basis, and many in
high-speed passenger servi C e
work considerably less than a
40-hour week at 48-hours pay
for their members in yard serv-
ice and for others who are on
fixed six-day schedules.
Theoretically, tn e 40-h u r
week should bring 20 per cent
increase in incorporating" jobs.
When the issue was before an
emergency Board, the railroads
protested bitterly that they
would have to hire at least 200,-
600 more workers, at a cost of
close to S600,000,00 a year.
AS things have turned out,
they're trying to bull through
with no increase in employment.
All over the country they have
announced closing of freight de-
pots and many passenger stations
on Saturdays and Sunday. Many
other services and facilities are
being shaved down,
Managements have sent word
down the line to get ix-days
work done in five. Unions aren't
opposing the closing of less es-
sential weekends, but they have
served notice they'll resist any
attempt to impose speedups.
. President G.. E. Leighty of the
order of Railroad Telegraphers,
who served as chairman of the
joint negotiating committee of
the Is unions, expressed doubt
that the railroads are going to be
able to operate without some in