The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-09-08
Life Now Begins
At 40 (nours) For
Million RaiImen

million workers on the iron
Horse" life won't be the same
from now on. They shifted on
Thursday, Sept. /, from a six to
five day week, with AZ hours pay
for 40 hours work.
The change was even more
radical for some thousands of these
railmen who had been on seven
day assignments. They also were
switched to fve-day tricks, with
relief men filling in on the remain
ing days.
Employees in the so-called mon
operating" crafts are the benefic-
iaries Of the shorter week. They're
the workers who toll in the Offices,
shops and roundhouses; on main
tenance Of way and signal systems;
on keyboards and terminals, and
at a great variety of other jobs,
other than direct operation of
/ trains.
For the million railroaders, it is
revolutionary advance, though it
just brings them up to the tape
line with the great majority 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 employees.
They started drives for the shorter
week several times in the past,
then sidetracked the movements in
favor of wage increases to meet
advancing living costs.
Last year, they launched an all
out campaign both for the shorter
week and a wage increase. They
won both after threatening to
strike. A Presidential Emergency
Board awarded 7-cent pay hike,
which was retroactive to last Octo-
Der /, and the 40-hour week, which
was made effective September to
give the railroads time to rearange
operations. The combined gain
boosts their hourly rates 26 per-
cent.
Last spring, the unions and rail-
roads reached a national agree
ment embodying the award, though
they're still rowing over the terms
of applying it on some individual
roads. These disputes are now be-
fore a joint 40-hour week commit
tee of labor and management rep
resentatives and will go to referees
whenever deadlocks occur, with the
decisions retroactive to September
/.
Most of the million workers will
be on a Monday through Friday
schedule, and for the first time in
their lives they'll have Saturdays
off as we'll as Sundays to get re-
acquainted with their families.
There'll 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 run
ming seven days a week, thereH
be staggered fve-day schedules for
some, though the unions fought to
keep such shifts to minimum and
to assure that all in this group will
get either a 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 combination mileage and
hour pay basis, and many in high
speed passenger service work con-
less than a 40-hour week
at 48-hours pay for their members
in ward service and for others who
are on fixed six-day schedules.
Theoretically, the 40-hour week
should bring a 20 percent increase
in incorporating" jobs. When the
issue was before an Emergency
Board, the railroads protested Bit
terly that they would have to hire
ut least 100000 more workers, at
a cost of close to S600,00O,00O a
year.
AS things have turned out,
.hey're trying to bull through with
10 increase in employment. All
over the country they have ann
1unced closing of freight depots
and many passenger stations on
Saturdays and Sundays. Many
,ther services and facilities are be-
ng shaved down.
Managements have sent word
lown the line to get six-days work
lone in five. Unions aren't oppos-
ng the closing of less essential
operations weekends, but they have
erved notice they'll resist any at
empt to impose speedups.
President G. E. Leighty of the
order of Railroad Telegraphers,
Who served as chairman of the
oint negotiating committee of the
6 unions, expressed doubt that
he railroads are going to be able
o operate without some increase
n force.
"They may get by for a short
yhile without additional hiring by
,utting off some types of work,
uch as maintenance or car re-
he said. "But we think
hey'll be forced to add more en-
loves as time goes on. The 40