Show WAGE INCREASE IS ALLOWED RR R. R R. R MEN JEN Advances to Employees Employ Employ- ees Based on Living Cost Totals MADOO MAY NOT APPROVE IT Report of Commission Commiss lon sub Submitted i ted to DIrector Director Di DI- rector General Res Results In Protest From Principal Broth- Broth Washington D D. D C. C May Mar 9 9 Railroad employees to the number of will receive wage advances ranging from 1 to 43 per cent to the lowest lowes paid workers the total aggregating aggregating according to the report of ot the railroad wage commission submitted submit submit- submitted ted to Director General McAdoo Mr McAdoo is expected expected to to adopt only part of ot the recommendations and probably will m make k a number of different different dif dlf- f ferent re t alignments in deciding e t lIng what wage Increases 1 s shall all be gral granted ed In general the director general advocates advocates ad ado higher pay for tor most most classes of of workmen to enable them to meet Increased Increased In In- creased living co costs ts but he has been represented as as favoring proportionately proportionate proportionate- ly larger increases for some soine some classes than for others now making the same pay He also is strongly opposed to granting wage Increases which h might disarrange the general scheme of pay pay existing throughout o other er industries Leaders to Protest The leaders of the four principal railway brotherhoods found on examining examining ex ex- the report that they had b been en recommended for less than half halt the Increases they had asked ot of the railroad managements before government government government govern govern- ment control started and which they repeated before the commission Their demands had been for an average of somewhat less than 40 per cent and Increases for them average less than 20 per cent Some union leaders who anticipated that the commissions commission's recommendations would not be be for as great amounts as they had asked already have appealed to Director General McAdoo McAdoo McAdoo Mc Mc- Adoo to amend the proposed scale to give tl them m higher pa pay Others however how how- how however ever ever ver virtually have agreed to accept the report The wage advances which h range all the way from 1 to 84 34 a month are Increases ab above ve the amount of pay each employee was receiving on December December December De De- De- De cember 31 1915 Employees who have received advances since that date dale will benefit now to the extent of the dIfference difference difference differ differ- ence between the their r present wage wage and that fixed by the wage commission The net cost o of the additional l pay to the railroads Is estimated at This Is exclusive of the estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated deficit of ot In government government government govern govern- 1 ment operation of the railroads this year as a result of which Director General McAdoo contemplates contemplates' advancing advancing ad ad- passenger rates at least 2 per cent and freight rates possibly as much as 15 per cent Based on Living Cost Coat The scheme of wage advances adopted adopt adopt- ed is based on an inquiry Into the cost of living which the commission found has increased approximately 40 per cent to the average railroad employee em employee receiving 85 a month The commission favors favors' a n shorter average workday presumably eight hours but decided that In the war var emergency the nation could not afford to put into effect a reform that would slow down the war var machinery and discriminate against other classes of workers being called upon for great sacrifices Rates Bates of overtime pay are not disturbed disturbed disturbed dis dis- dis- dis a and d the Increases are adjusted to the mileage basis of compensation of some employees a road engineer for tor example receiving an increase of 11 per cent in his mileage rate A scheme of applying the Increases to piece work and overtime Is also provided An Important feature of the report was the recommend recommendation that where the same service is rendered the pay I Ishall shall be the same without discrimination tion as to Rex sex or race Report of Commission The report of the commission consisting consisting con con- ng of Franklin K Lane secretary of the Interior Charles C. C McChord J J. Harry Covington and William R. R Willcox Is an exhaustive one In part the report says The requests which have come to tous tous tous us for or wage wage Increases wo would ld If If fully granted involve an additional outlay In wages of ot somewhat over per year ear In excess of the wage fund of last year which exceeded 2000 Some Some asked for an Increase of per cent in their pay pay and from this they graduated downward rd to to 10 per cent None were satisfied with their present wages An unprecedented d call had come for formen formen formen men of certain trades In connection with the new industries that had bad been created by the war In Europe and this lon long before our entry Into t th tI e e conflict Machinists and iron workers of all kinds found themselves to be essential to the great reat u plants and day labor of the most unskilled character rose ros into IniC high demand em nd Cut Off Oft Those Not Needed The commission recommends that during the the period of government conduct conduct con con- duct pf pt the railroads no s salaries I es paid to officials who are not essential to the operation of ot the roads shall be cl charged arged as as part of the operating expense ex ex- pense There should be constituted a tribunal tribunal tri tri- bunal or tribunals to continue the study of railroad labor problems c composed com composed com com- m. m posed In part at least of men experienced experienced In this kind of work for conditions conditions conditions con con- are are ever ever changing t |