The special train of Governor Stanford, president of the Central Pacific met this train of immigrants bound for California at Monument Point, a few miles west of Promontory, Utah, where the last spike was driven in the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The railroad president was en route to the ceremony at Promontory when this picture was taken.

50 Years Ago

More Time to Really Live

Since beginning my railroad career I have witnessed three revolutionary changes in the hours of service of maintenance of way employes--changes which were accompanied by weird predictions on the part of those who were opposed to the changes ranging from "it can't be done," or "it is impossible to maintain the tracks and bridges with such short hours of work," to the pessimistic prediction that it would bring bankruptcy to the railroads.

When I first started work the hours of service were regulated by the rising and setting of the sun; otherwise, no definite hours were prescribed. These hours were commonly known as "CAN TO CAN'T," meaning the gangs were required to work from the time they could see in the morning until it was no longer possible to see how to tamp a cross tie or pull a cross-cut saw on a straight line.

These were the days when a section foreman usually received $45.00 per month, and overtime was an unheard-of luxury. The bridge foreman was receiving around $55 per month for the same kind of service. The trackman received from 75 cents to 90 cents per day. The carpenter and bridgeman received a rate of pay proportionately low.

This "CAN TO CAN'T" work-day was gradually reduced to 11 hours in the summer months--6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.--with usually one hour for lunch, and finally to an established 10-hour day. When the 10-hour day came into effect, the employes felt that they had really accomplished a great economic change; that they would then have at least a little daylight time to spend at home each day in the summer and become acquainted with their families. This was the first great change.

The second and most revolutionary change up to that date came in September, 1919, when by the provision of our National Agreement, the 8-hour day with overtime thereafter, came into being. This change brought about rejoicing and happiness throughout the land, but also again many weird predictions as to what would happen. Many practical maintenance of way employes felt that it would be humanly impossible to maintain the tracks and bridges working only 8 hours per day, 6 days per week, because this agreement contained a clause which provided for penalty pay for Sunday and holiday work--something unheard of or undreamed of by most of our people.

Up to that time it was felt, and conscientiously so, that there were certain types of work such as repairs to house tracks around the freight depots, passenger-station tracks, roundhouse tracks, street and highway-crossing repairs, which could be done only on Sunday when business was slack; but this fallacy was also exploded--we made the change and Sunday work almost completely disappeared except, of course, in cases of emergency. The 8-hour day went into effect smoothly; dire predictions failed to come true and no railroad, to my knowledge, has ever claimed that it went into the hands of receivers or became bankrupt because of the 8-hour day.

Our people found time to really become citizens of their communities. They began taking an active interest in the civic, social and political lives of the communities in which they lived. Many of them are serving on school boards, as Sunday school teachers, as members of city councils, and even as mayors. Our people have found time to read and educate themselves and become all-around better citizens. The world, in general, has benefited by this great economic change.

In 1932, while I was serving as secretary of the so-called "Shorter Work-Week" Committee of the American Federation of Labor, the Committee was discussing a shorter work-week, thinking that it might have a wholesome effect on industry as a whole and contribute something toward bringing an end to the terrible depression in which the country was then floundering. The Committee seemed to be quite general in its feeling that a shorter work-week should be brought about; but many of the Committee looked at me with astonishment, and some with almost horror on their faces, when I proposed that we make it plain that we wanted the work-week reduced without any loss in earnings.

It was my theory that industry could stand a shorter work-week without reduction in take-home pay, and that the country needed it to bring about a stable economy. After all, a mere cut in hours with no reference to pay would amount to no more than a share-the-work scheme, with nobody earning enough to live on. I felt that we should fight for the principle of retaining full basic weekly wages. Our report to that convention was predicated on these thoughts.

In making the report to the Convention, which recommended the shorter hour work-week without loss in the basic weekly wages, we stated: "There can be no hope for the return and maintenance of prosperity, except on the basis of reduced labor hours and steadily advancing living standards. . . Labor hours must be reduced and wages maintained and increased. That's something vastly different from the spread-work movement with its pay reductions now urged in many quarters."

We further recommended that the wages of the working people should be maintained and steadily increased, in keeping with the expansion of productive efficiency. For seventeen years our maintenance of way people have expanded their productive efficiency. We have seen the total number of employes in the maintenance of way department of the American railroads steadily reduced, yet the tracks and bridges have been maintained in a high degree of efficiency; and the railroads have been doing a greater business year after year.

I have dreamed all of these 17 years of the day when the 40-hour week with 48 hours' earnings would be established for the maintenance of way department employes. Thank God, I have lived to see that dream come true! On March 19, 1949, a historic agreement was signed at Chicago, Ill., between the 16 non-operating organizations and a carriers' conference committee representing about 99 percent of the total railroad mileage in the United States. This agreement provides that September 1, 1949, the 40-hour week with 48 hours' pay and two consecutive rest days each week, will be put into effect. In addition, we secured an across-the-board increase in pay of 7 cents per hour effective October 1, 1948. Thus, the third change has been brought about.

It is true that workers in other industries achieved the 40-hour week earlier; but, in most instances, they did not preserve their 48-hour earnings. On the other hand, we on the railroads in one fell swoop secured the shorter week without loss of earnings--and a 7-cent increase on top of that. Now we will have two leisure days each week for rest and recreation, to enjoy our homes and our families--more time to really live! Yes, I think with justifiable pride we have a great cause for celebrating the most progressive, outstanding and important rule change in the history of the railroad industry. The year 1949 will be long remembered in the railroad industry because of this momentous achievement.

By BMWE President T. C. Carroll, May 1949 BMWE JOURNAL.

@ Sub-Heading = 100 Years Ago

@ Sub-Heading = Fickleness and Firmness

Some time ago the officials on the A.T.&S.F. Ry. adopted and began to enforce a rule which meant a gradual but finally a general and permanent decrease in the wages of section foremen. The method resorted to was to pay all foremen hired after a certain date $5 less on the month. The apparently slow but in reality fast process of reducing foremen's pay by letting out old foremen, hiring new ones at a reduced rate of wages and suspending old foremen for a few weeks or a few months, and then hiring them again at the reduced rate of wages, has been continued until very nearly all foremen on the system are working for reduced wages.

The natural law by which employers of labor are governed is to buy labor as cheap as they can get it, and so long as men following the same occupation remain in disunion and compete with each other for employment, the decrease in their wages will continue until they reach the lowest point at which men can subsist. It is as natural for their wages to drift downward as it is for water unobstructed to seek the lowest level.

Were it impossible for our people to check the downward tendency, which is drifting them near the starvation line, they would be objects of pity, but as it is possible for them to check it and turn the tide the other way, they deserve to be censured, as a class, who can help themselves and improve their condition; but, on account of fickleness, laziness and petty prejudices, fail to do it.

The old records of the Brotherhood of Railway Section Foremen show that the majority of the section foremen on the A.T.&S.F. Ry. were members of that order. Had they stuck together and made earnest efforts to find out what their rights were and how to contend for them by educating themselves along the lines of unionism their wages could have been increased instead of being decreased.

Some of them disapproved of some law that had been enacted for their government; others did not like someone connected with the Order, and still there were others who claimed they could not afford to contribute a few cents each month, which was necessary to keep them in good standing with the organization. The result is their petty nonsense and fickle-mindedness have kept them in disunion, their wages have been decreased, they are not respected by other classes and they have no rights that their officials feel bound to respect.

The railway telegraphers were not receiving quite as much wages as section foremen on the A.T.&S.F. system. They began to establish their organization on the system about the same time the section foremen began to have their names enrolled. At first only a few of them could be induced to join the O.R.T., but those who did join possessed firmness; they were not too lazy to work and keep life in their brains; they were not too stingy to contribute a few cents each month for support of their organization; they preached and taught organization to their non-union brothers until the majority of them were converted to the principles of unionism. Instead of their wages being decreased they have been increased; instead of their being looked upon and considered an ignorant, stingy, fickle-minded, cowardly set, they have been recognized by other classes of the world's workers.

Following this article was a copy of the agreement effective April 1, 1899 between the AT&SF Railway Company and the telegraphers. From the May 1, 1899 edition of the [BMWE] Trackmen's Advance Advocate.