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Railway Wage Commission

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Railway Wage Commission with seated James Harry Covington, Franklin Knight Lane, Charles Caldwell McChord, William Russell Willcox. Standing are William A. Ryan and Frederick William Lehmann.

The Railway Wage Commission was a United States federal agency established in 1918 during World War I within the United States Railroad Administration.

History

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The commission was authorized by President Woodrow Wilson on January 18, 1918 to examine the wages and working time of railroad employees.[1]

In February 1918 the commission was petitioned by railroad workers to pay time and a half for work over an eight-hour day. Speaking on behalf of employers was E.F. Potter, assistant to the general manager of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad.[2] The commission created the Board Of Railroad Wages And Working Conditions on May 25, 1918 to hear complaints about wages and safety. The board was dissolved on April 1, 1920.[3]

Commissioners

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Here It Is! United Railroad Administration; Office of Director General; General Order No. 27". The Railway Clerk. Vol. 17, no. 6. Cincinnati, OH: Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express and Station Employes. June 1918. p. 185. ISSN 0270-0778.
  2. ^ "Railroads Combat Overtime Penalty" (PDF). The New York Times. February 22, 1918.
  3. ^ "Records Of The Board Of Railroad Wages And Working Conditions". U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 2015-02-04.