St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1955-07-15

der winch uininR car employee
for an investigation and revamI
which he labeled as obsolete.
Powell's statement in full fol-
lows:
AT the request of Richard w.
Smith. International Vice Prcsi-
dent OF the Hotel and Restaurant
Employees and Bartenders Inter
national Union, A. +. Of L., which
represents ninety percent OF the
nations railroad dining car work.
ers, l have recently surveyed en-
ployment conditions in the rail-
road industry. As a result Of this
survey. ! am convinced that these
conditions warrant a full scale
Congressional investigation Of the
railroad companies. with a view
to amending the Railway Labor
Act In order TO insure that we
have suitable legislation on the
statue books to limit employee
work loads.
Sufficient evidence already ex-
lists TO indicate that these in
creased work loads are now, and
have been for some time. en-
dangering the health and safety OF
railroad employees as well ms
passengers.
MIR. Smith. who Is also Secre-
tary-Treasurer of the Joint Coun-
ell OF Dining Car Employees, the
railroad division OF the Hotel and
Restaurant Union advises me that
the railroads have severely cut
crews In the dining cars In line
with their recent economy and
modernization policies. These cur
tailments have been so drastic as
to lower morale and the health Of
the dining car crews to the ex-
tent that their very lives are en-
dangered. Mr.. Smith cited one
example wherein so-called
buffet car attendant, the sole
employee In a dining luncheon car
consisting OF 30 seats is not only
expected 10 serve the passengers,
but also 10 prepare hot meals. /
am advised that similar condi-
lions obtain In dining car de-
partments on many major rail-
road lines.
The railroads. on the other
hand, argue that the dining cars
must pay their own way. This ar
gumcnt. according TO Mr.. Smith
and other high-ranking labor Of
ficials is fallacious because techni-
cally speaking, apart from the
ticket sellers, no other employee
or department on the railroad
takes in any money at all TO d.
rectly cover his own wages and
expenses
Il am equally disturbed by the
unequiyocal fact that although
the various Fair Employment
Practice CFEPc) laws have strug-
gled valiantly with the problem
Of discrimination against Negro
employees. additional legislation
is necessarw to insure that jobs
in all departments and divisions OF
the railroads are open to colored
employees. The policies OF most
railroad companies are such that
Jobs outside the departments ira
ditionaliy filled by Negroes are
closed to Negroes with ms much
as twenty and thirty years Of
tenure on the same line.
with the increased work.
loads and severe curtailment Of
dining car crews, unless other
branches OF the railroad industry
are opened TO colored employees,
the displaced dining car workers,
despite their long years Of faith
full service, will find themselves
unemployed.
without question. the best In
terest of the dining car employees
involved will be served most by
fair, just, up-ts-date legislation
effective representation and by
which requires a revamping Of the
obsolete Railway Labor Act.
am confident that Congress will
back up this contention after a
fuil-fledged investigation which
shall demand In the immediate
future"