Show MEN GIVE GlYE STATEMENT Of ISSUES cial l Declaration tion Made by as t to Demands tALL ALL ROADS UNFAIR Alleged Weaknesses of Employers Employers' Employers Employers' Employ Em Em- ploy Case Are Referred Referred Re Re- To With the approval of the feder- feder ted hoard board of railroad Representing the Brotherhood of locomotive Engineers the Broth- Broth of Railway Trainmen the of Locomotive Firemen md nd d and the Order of Ranva Railway Ran Rail way vay va Conductors a statement has been in which the representations of ot otlie the lie are made with regard reg-ard to proposed demand for certain h hanges in pay and working conditions The subjects upon which the railroad rail rail- road o d are now voting include i. i Demand Iemand for an hour eight-hour day and andor Tor or or time and a a. half halt for overtime be beyond be- be yond the eight hours' hours limit The staten state- state n nt which is signed by H. H E. E MeIn- MeIn tyre vice chairman follows In the eight hour houx and time and a aalf alf talf dispute that is now before the country for tor or settlement the ire ra r not asking for a raise in pay pay they they ire ra re asking for h Improvement of their conditions They are asking or or an hour eight-hour day to give them themore note more ore time at home home it it is not for an enormous increase in wages as some eople would have tave the public b believe rie jo G employee ask for time and a half halfor f or overtime V- V but this extra rate rata is a penalty upon the railways irid I d Is considered an effective method roi oj preventing overtime Overtime is s 8 commonly called blood money and ands s saps Ps the very life out of he em- em byes loyes The trust that the public will consider the fact tact that it ISh is ish h overtime and exposure that is Swearing w we ring out the and prompts employers to tu set their es Lg g limit a at 21 to 35 In other voca- voca lons a a. man mali can work at least thirty note rears note the difference in railway ork work considered in this way the rail- rail ay could in could exact justices Justice justice- jask s for twice their their- present rate of pay hu the are not seeking the enormous increase but desire better conditions Pay Really Low Jn reality the railway re receives reM re- calves a less hourly rate of compensation tion than almost any other trade trad a a. a h hid d carrier receives for eight eighth h hours rs or about 66 cents an hour the highest paid train conductor receive 5 55 ao cents an an ho hour r if the hod carri carrier r worked as many hours as the the- railway conductor he would draw a larger salary salary satar sal sat ar ary and would then be named by the railways as the aristocrat of the labor w world id If the railways s complain that time and md a half means means means-in in some instances instances- an seven eighty and a half per cent In Increase in- in Increase crease let them avoid the increase by bya a avoiding iding the overtime to for for- 1 that Is the desire ire and purpose of the th the government work eight hours why why not the railway The railways claim there was an in increase in- in cri crease se In wages o the men of between Band 42 per cent from 1903 to 1914 this is partly true but the price at of living living living liv liv- ing and the additional work required of the has more than offset it aI als ls the said wage increase came rn to the holding regu- regu lat assignments and established hours fort service but the very great majority df Of t the who who work In the ir Iri reg regular lar freight service and a are ae e allowed to work work- the day if sufficient shi shipments ments come to hand but who lose the days day's work if it the business does not come come t come these ese irregular freight service loyes gained almost nothing but wr were we're crowded back to an hourly compensation com corn Instead Instead of mileage basis basis- by excessively long trains or in other words The railways railways to to recover the 1913 lila to 1914 wage Increase increase gave gave each ot Irregular freight crews two trains to handle handle Instead instead ad of ot one one and and not only deprived other crews of ofa ofa ja a ti- ti train ti-itin in and their days day's work but kept th the thi double train dragging along So Soth the the- thenet net net result of this is ls I really a de- de crease in the earnings of ot the great majority of oyes since they are forced from fast miles at so much per mUI to slow long Jong hours at the same rat per hour and handle two two and and ot often n three trains three trains where before they handled one and many other duties added There are many railways that require the full sixteen hours work wOrl work work-at at at atall atall all times times from from their and it itse se seems that tl th the only reasonable and humane remedy for this practice must be bethe the proposed hour eight movement R Railways Can Recoup The railways declare that the em- em em em- are demanding a in increase increase in- in crease but admi admit that upon many lines and in many places there will be but little lItle change For Forthe the sake of the whole tru h admit there will be some Incon- Incon i shrable rable increase but in the light of past experience the can easily predict from what source the railways will quickly recoup themselves themselves them them- selves seles additional duties for is always a fertile field for retrenchment retrench retrench- ment met But if the win this thin the public will sOon son find them theman an Improved class of workers and cHIz citizens citi cHI z zens ns and along with this the public wIlt will also secure an Improved railway service and prompt freight movement f he he public who who who-do do not always ays understand understand under under- stand railway conditions and railway workers hear hea only the railway side of th the story story but to all stories there ar are sides and very much so so to thia story In the railway talk of moving te terminals there is but little to heed th railways can expedite their freight service and continue with their present te terminals nals If they really realty wish to do so in some bine few cases there may be a couple couple cou cou- of hours overtime Let this mattel mat mat- tel ter be not misunderstood for if the tran cannot make the terminal within wIthin with wIth- in th the eight hours It may still continue and make it as promptly as possible possible- al always ys of course within the legal sixteen six six- teen hours To Io the public the railway are not an always open book the tho em- em em em- loye out of work must leave his tamill fam tam iJ ill ily and nd go in search of employment and nd the who remains at worl at-worl worl wor and nd is worked his portion and his Idle ellow fellow workers worker's portion also Is thus kept ept on duty so long and under such trying conditions that he ho becomes any any- t thing hing but a a a- good good citizen and may may some some- t times imes forget his good manners In d dealing ealing with the public but for a a. p proper roper Judgment the public should k know now and consider that the said em em- p loye may have been on duty fifteen h hours ours and twenty-five twenty minutes and andow n now ow has about an hour and a half to get g et home and have lunch and retire a and nd after about four tour hours and a half s as ao sleep leep will be called again for the same o old ld round and thus it goes in winter o or r summer and day of night or rain o shine or to sum It all aU up one might well wen say what Is the use And now l later ater on in a moment of great weariness weariness wean wean- n ness ess some one falls asleep or forgets and a nd then the papers are filled with another anther an another an- an o other ther story of a great railway y op t ot ter en At the Investigation of ot the em em- p concerned the management deares declares de declares de- de d clares ares it the fault of the human element element ele ele- ele ment for all aU other safeguards were ing In g good Od order let the public weigh this j Judgment Impartially they Impartially they may find it t the he inhuman element that brought about this man man man- failure they will thus understand that this was the real cam cause e of the disaster it w was s the fault of the conditions not the f fault fult of the theman man but the tho man manis is punished The railways claim that a man called for service regardless of how few his hours or miles of work must be paid a day they complain of this but do not say that this js s not always so are not pal paid paia for work not performed Quote Quote- Quote President President Wilson President Wilson has said that the workers have a right to say Bay under what conditions they will work the railway merely ask that the public approve their effort fox for foxa fOla a rea rca reasonable condition The will not go on strike if it possible to avoid avoid it but they ar are determined to secure tail fair conditions of employment For In Instance In- In stance when stance when an engineer has drawn a check for and a conductor a check for a for months month's work the railway railway railway rail rail- way may c call Il attention to this but neglect to say siy that these men work worked d fifteen hours and twenty-five twenty every day in the month and secured most of their sleep in a box car Caboose caboose ca boose out along the line later when these men lay off to recuperate their big check must of course dwindle and soon these men are broken dOWL dowa dOWLand and are dumped on the scrap heap with the other old machinery and may be taken in by some kindly relative or perhaps find room in some distant home maintained by the organizations Thus they conclude their days these days these soldiers of the great transportation transportation transportation trans trans- army these army these men who have safely transported countless numbers of passengers and endless trains jf f f freight though the engines and cars become larger and yet larger and though the trains become even longer and though the hours of service become become be become be- be come more intensely fierce the raIlway railway rail raIl- way still measures up to his work In the great railway yards the switchman whose tired feet teet strike the engine footboard or the cinders all day day or or night night or or the man in the cab who pulls and throws the levers back and forth all an day day or or night working night working among countless and conflicting signals signals sig sig- sig- sig nals and endless danger and every evers condition of weather thes these are the true soldiers of industry these men should not need to ask for better con con- better conditions should have hake been given them ye years rs ago twelve hours hours or or more Is their present day or or night night wh when n eight hours should be their limit There are various kinds of railway managements they are mostly good some soma are really fine and among the managements there are men who are dare intensely buman and are courteous and obliging at t all times toward these men the have the kindliest feeling but but but-as as in contesting sides sides sides- the lines are drawn and though sides sides-I the feeling will continue friendly the contest contest con con- test will be determined The fostering fostering fostering-by by some railways railways- of various unfair conditions and their usual to an any and all suggestions suggestions sug sug- toward improvement and their complaint about unfair regulations regulation has S provoked a reproof from one of the most conservative of our public men men men- In a speech before the New York Traffic fic ftc club on February 21 President ex Taft reproved the railways for their misdeeds and their heir opposition to the laws of the land and to reform He accused them of corrupting councils and legislatures and defying the interstate interstate inter inter- state commerce commission an and being generally unreasonable and then warned warred warped them of a a. possible gov government i ownership The general public will give this conservative speaker serious consid consideration ration the may well feel teel they have able counsel upon their side I |