Show oo RAILROAD EN VOTING FOR FORE NEW E CONDITIONS en en Thousand in Utah to Join 0 in National Movement for or Shorter R Hours a ours r sand an anore and More Pay for or Overtime Industrial ore ay I reu Is s Feared to be e Imminent ORGANIZATIONS ORGANIZATION'S I IL TOGETHER FOR FIRST TIME oles are being g taken n by the Brotherhood rol o of ot Locomotive o Engineers n e and he be Brotherhood of Locomotive I Firemen and while the Order Railway f Conductors and the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen in ill Utah within a few days upon the proposition now under consideration old mand that railroads all over the United States grant an eight hour hour w with Ui time and aud a half alt for overtime Several Several meetings have been held jointly by these organizations n m m alt Lake at which this subject has been discussed National leaders re scheduled to arrive in Salt Lake within a short time to discuss the tiiA e latter further with them J The organizations have in the past worked independently each of ofie ne ie other For the tho first time in their history the they are united with a com com- ion mu objective B the ho Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the Brotherhood of Firemen and have been getting closer together soine r some time while the Order of Railway Conductors and the Brother Brother- od sod of Railway Trainmen also have gradually formed a closer working Bement r ement according to the views of men prominent in these Ons ns Sin n the the- United States men are casting their ballots on this l issue In Utah will be directly affected by the vote or mor more k railroad a I In P 1 Utah will be affected by r result sult of ofa a referendum vote pit It Is IS' IS being t taken en by four great aniz of f railroad emi em- em i in in the United States tates rid and t i tads Mute d on proposed demai demands is for forre r. r reio re re- io of t t their t e k day ayl w.-J w. t tum to io eight hours without corred corre- corre nd d ng reduction in pay for the paya pay- pay a of f one and one-half one time for all alle e in service in excess o of eight r Irs rs a day and for certain certai changes the tog existing agreements on work work- conditions that are in effect been been be be- I be-I en en the railroads and the union hat bat the railroads of the country accede to the demands demands' of the then n oyes without a fight is certain I the labor war are being per- per ted by railroad d manag managers rs all Jl over States They will use ceable measures they say and will educate the Ule people pf the ted d States as ns to lo their side lido ido of the thee e f f. f Bitter War i jibe to toI e ba battle le is Js precipitated as it it I if Jie be the moment the demands are arede 1 de ie and refused and and it is believed railroads will refuse them them one one I the bitterest t wars between labor Capital capital that has hag ever shaken in in- trial lv-al America will be begun h lie he railroad organizations that are ducting the referendum vote are Brotherhood of f Locomotive Eners Eners En En- ers the Brotherhood of I and the theer theor er or of Railway Conductors and the of Railway Trainmen h he voting will be e concluded during and the vote of each on in each state will be forwarded the national nation l he headquarters of f the ious organizations where the votes Ibe hie tabulated Announcement of 1 result will be made from the na na- headquarters or from the chairman of the Joint ex ex- Uv tive conference committee March MarchI I here are arc approximately or men in Utah who will affected directly or indirectly bya by action a tion of the four jour great labor or- or Not all of these are emed emred em- em red ed by the op operating departments the five railroads involved the involved the aver lver iv er Rio Grande the Western the Salt Lake Route Rout the Ore Ore- I Short Line and the Union Pacific but s s but if the tha op operating depart depart- its are tied up all other depart depart- suffer and their forces will be reduced as there will for them ut Ut Utah h is by no means the limit he scope of this gigantic cloud that ising icing on the industrial horizon of country That cloud covers corers not all ll of the tile United States but a at t of Canada as well s s s estimated that a quarter of a alion alion liart lion miles of railroad lines are to aff affected that nearly if not qui quite e are to be involved and industrial paralysis paralysis' will almost Continued on pa page e 2 2 I RAILROAD MEN Continued from page 1 inevitably follow fonow if it the extreme step of of- calling a general strike is taken F Figures Are Enormous The total wages paid by the railroads railroads rail rail- roads of at the country to the men IDen Inthe in inthe inthe the branches involved in th the demands is estimated at for 1914 while for the same year the total op revenues of all an the railroads were The total operating operating operating oper oper- expenses were and the total capital securities were The pr proportion portion of or railroad revenue paid to labor in 1914 was per percent percent percent cent as compared with per cent seven years Railroad men of Utah In these organizations or or- are paid an average of from 95 to a month In some branches of the service the pa pay Is considerably considerably con con- higher some passenger tn en an engineers drawing as high as 20 a month or more But they are few In number and must work many many years ears to get this While the greatest secrecy is being maintained by the railroad employee as to the result of the vote it is un no that sentiment is generally favorable to making lh the demands and It is believed that an overwhelming vote will carry that to sue suc sue sue-I cess Tl The e four labor organizations have in the past worked separately and have remained distinct each from the other A movement is well under way among the members of the four organizations organizations organizations or or- in Utah and in unison with the national movement to get together and to this end several Joint meetings have been held at which were representatives of ot the four I organizations These meetings have len been called called- ostensibly for tor social and fraternal purposes but the announcement announcement announce announce- ment was made when the call can was issued for th the first of these meetings here that the purpose was to lish closer relationship in all aU matters that pertain to the welfare of the em ero Receivership Is I. Feared While railroad officials In various parts of the country express the fear that If it tl the e unions vote to make the de de- de mands for tor increased pay as outlined It would tend to force virtually every railroad in America into the hands of receivers the matter of the increases In pay that may be demanded Is not the only one that troubles them The railroads have already organized organ organ- a publicity bureau by which they I purpose to carry their side of the case to every reader in the United States It is said by the railroad managers that all they want Is a square deal and that tho the whole people should be In possession of ot f every fact In relation to the case They say it is to give their side of the case ease a full airing for public consumption that the publicity bureau has been organized If It the roads are compelled to grant the reduction in the hours of labor constituting a day It will force torce an unusual burden of overtime on the roads an official of the Oregon Short Line said yesterday The proposed demands Include not only the reduction of the day to eight hours hours' work but they include a demand de do mand for payment of one and one half times regular schedule for tor all over over- time The Tho railroads have laid out their divisions and districts on the basis of often often often ten hours to the day and virtually all division and district terminals are ten hours bours apart in operating time If the demands are made and If if complied with It will result in payment of or three hours' hours extra eltra pay on the new basis for these runs over the Ule existing basis It would be virtually impossible to estimate what the increase would ag ago regate as overtime Is a variable quantity at all aH times and there is no basis on which it could be estimated accurately tely Railroad officials say that In the aggregate the increases in pay would amount to many millions of dollars In Inthe Inthe inthe the United States Utah's proportion of this increased pay would be enormous ous Officials say that wage increases granted by the railroads between 1910 and 1914 aggregate and that as a a. result of these increases to I the branches of the employee their earnings have Jumped in four lour years They make the statement statement statement state state- ment that the proposed increase would be in effect an Increase of 25 per percent percent percent cent in the freight speed basis for computing wages that it would In in- Volvo volve-an volve an increase of of- of per cent Inthe in inthe inthe the the over time rate and that more than other railroad employee would get 10 no iio benefits Four Ways Are Ate Open The railroads contend that they cannot cannot cannot can can- not afford to meet the proposed wage Increase demands demand as more than stockholders are receiving less lesS' than 2 p per r cent return on their investments In railroad securities The railroad barons contend that tl the e employee on the other hand get 45 per cent of ot the gros gross earnings and say further that though the men who are considering these demands demanda number now only 19 per percent percent percent cent Of all they are paid 28 per cent of ot the gigantic railroad pay payrOlls payrolls rolls of the country which aggregate a year These wage increases can be met In only four ways the railroad heads say Wages of or other employee might b be re reduced reduced ye- ye to make up the purse dividends which now average only 2 per cent might be reduced educed to the vanishing point betterment expenditures de demanded demanded de- de mantled by the government and by the public might be eliminated or or an a ap appeal appeal ap- ap peal might be made to the government through the Interstate commerce com corn mission for permission to increase all freight rates to such an extent that the difference might be made madel up l In that manner Although all the railroads in the United States are affected by the de deI demands demands de- de I mands under consideration th they y will handle the situation through a conference conference confer confer- ence of general managers for each of the three great districts into which the railroads are art divided Each district will handle its own campaign of publicity pub pub- public public MU education they term it Not all the men In railroad d service will be benefited if It the demands as now outlined are made according to the railroads' railroads side ide of the case While the demands will be made by the members of ot the four organizations ns the higher rates would be received d only by the tho men In the freight and yard service More than em em- would not be b benefited The passenger nger men would be out of ot the benefit class because the they now now- operate operate operate ope ope- rate under virtually an hour eight-hour day declare the railroad owners In the through service the passenger men are 1110 paid on a basis baste of miles or or at the i rate of fifteen miles an hour with flat rate for overtime Some conductors are able to make miles in a n. five 1 I or six hours' hours run ansI and earn as high as 50 a n. week eek with engineers in proper proper- tion They are rare exceptions Impossible Railroads Sa Say The freight men predominate not only in Utah but with one or two exceptions exceptions exceptions ex ex- ex- ex on every railroad in America The organizations are voting now In Utah An hour eight-hour day In the frel freight ht service service service ser ser- vice is a physical and an economic impossibility im I possibility according t to contentions made by the railroads The principal r reason lson Is the difference of f speed between between between be be- tween the freight and passenger trains and the tho fact that freight does not run on schedule as does passenger busi busl- ness ness As a result the railroad chiefs say freight trains be ed to bring men within a time limit The freight runs are made between division division division divi divi- sion terminals and these are the det determining determining deter deter- r- r mining factors An approximate of ot the hour eight-hour da day could be arranged operators say 1180 If it distances between divisional points were shortened If this were to be bedone bedone bedone done it would eliminate an enormous amount of overtime pay that will ac accrue accrue accrue ac- ac crue to the employee It If the demands are ore forced and complied with To re relocate relocate re- re locate these divisional points would work a n great hardship on the railroads railroads railroads rail rail- roads of the country at large say tiny the bosses Changes of Important pOints are not necessary reply representatives tives of or the men The divisional points points out of or Salt Lake on the main mainlines mainlines mainlines lines are ao as follows Union Pacific Ogden to Evanston Oregon Short Line Salt Lake to Ogden Ogden Og Og- den and Pocatello Denver Rio Ro Grande Salt Lake-Helper-Grand Lake Junction Junction Junc June tion Salt Lake Route Salt Tin Lake tic Lyndyll Western Pacific Salt Lake Designed as lIS Penalty To make the hour eight-hour day effective effective tive and practical In order to reduce the overtime charge time now being on the basis of the ten-hour ten day new nw 1 I sub subdivision points would of ot necessity be established d. d Th The employee contend that 4 ol fr their demands are not based on ona 4 1 a earn more more money so soIe 4 Ie 4 S much as on a desire to be able 4 4 to spend more time timp at their of I 4 homes hotnes and with their families 4 4 The jump in overtime is designed de- de 4 4 signed to penalize the railroads 4 tIc 4 for making th the men work 41 Ie i- i long hours and to make 4 I that penalty so GO heavy 4 4 that the road will be forced 4 4 for their own protection to arrange ar- ar 4 4 4 4 range the runs so that the men men 4 4 I can get In In shorter hours houra 4 The Tile railroads discount this contention contention contention conten conten- tion however by saying that the men eek seek the time long runs that their pay paychecks paychecks paychecks checks may be more ample In the lost last Issue of r the official journal journal journal jour jour- nal of the Railway Trainmen's organization organ- organ Val Fitzpatrick Vice rice president of or the national organization says There appears to be some difference difference differ differ- ence of opinion as to what such a proposal Involves therefore It maybe may may- be reasonable to lo say that there is quite a difference between an eight eight- hour day and an hour eight-hour basic workday The first contemplates that eight hours shall be the maximum working time and as a a. rule where the hour eight-hour workday obtains through contract relations between employer and employ employ-c it is the constant endeavor endeavor endeavor en en- deavor to prevent working overtime except In cases of necessity It appears appears ap ap- ap- ap pears rears that some of ot the men in the train service are of the opinion n that this Is is' is the proposal of or the However this is not the case The second the hour eight-hour basic workday workday workday work work- day contemplates that eight hours shall be the basis for a days day's work and any time In excess thereof shall be paid for as overtime consequently there is no limit to the hours worked New Voting Method Although there are many thousands of unions that have hav the subjects under consideration and the voting is being done almost simultaneously the |