SUMMARY OF REPORT ON RAILROAD AND STREET TRANSPORTATION
The report on railroad and street transportation takes up a class of
wage earning occupations that give employment in Cleveland to
approximately 15,000 men. A much larger proportion than is found in
most other industrial manual occupations are natives of the city.
Although some of the work is relatively unskilled, all of the
different occupations have one common characteristic--the necessity
for a knowledge of the English language and some acquaintance with
local customs and conditions. For this reason comparatively few
foreigners are employed.
The report takes up separately three types of workers, those employed
in railroad train service, those engaged in wagon or automobile
transportation, and the car service employees of the street railroad.
RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION
The study covered only those railroad occupations that are directly
concerned with the actual operation of trains, such as those of
engineers, firemen, conductors, and trainmen. These occupations have
many points in common and bring into play many similar mental and
physical characteristics. The requirements for entrance are strict and
examinations for the higher positions are obligatory. In all of them
the hazards are great. Each occupation is firmly intrenched in trade
unionism. Differences with employers relating to such matters as
promotion, hours of labor, wages, and overtime are settled by
collective bargaining or, in case of failure to agree, by arbitration
proceedings.
The estimated number of men in Cleveland employed in these occupations
in 1915 is approximately 4,500. Of these about one-fourth are
switchmen and flagmen, one-fourth enginemen, one-fifth brakemen,
one-sixth conductors, and one-eighth firemen.
The requirements for entrance call for a high degree of physical
fitness. The applicant for employment must pass a severe examination
as to vision and hearing, and in addition furnish certain data as to
his family history, as it relates to insanity, tuberculosis, and
certain other diseases. The high standard maintained insures a type of
employees which for physical fitness, mental alertness, and ability to
handle difficult situations is unsurpassed in any industry.
Frequent examinations, which are compulsory, are the stepping stones
to the higher positions. In this way a brakeman qualifies for the
position of freight conductor, a freight conductor for that of
passenger conductor, and a fireman for a position as engineer.
Each of the two services, passenger and freight, has its advantages.
In the passenger service the working day is short, with little
overtime. Freight service requires a longer working day and a
considerable amount of overtime. Promotions in both services and from
one to the other are made on the basis of seniority.
Violation of the strict rules laid down for the operation of trains on
the part of employees may result in reprimand, suspension, or
dismissal, according to the gravity of the offense. The penalty of
suspension has practically superseded the others except in extreme
cases, such as drunkenness, theft, or other serious violations of the
rules, for which offenders are summarily dismissed. On some railroads,
a graded system of demerits is used. When an employee has received a
certain number of demerits he is dismissed from the service.
The railroad unions are among the strongest and most aggressive in the
country. The total union membership among train operating employees
alone in the country is approximately 350,000. The unions are all
modeled upon the same general plan. They are quite independent of each
other, keep strictly to their agreements and oppose the sympathetic
strike. They all maintain some form of life insurance. Four
organizations have underwritten over $500,000,000 of insurance and one
of them in a single year paid claims amounting to $1,135,000. The
influence of these unions has been particularly effective in securing
the passage of protective state and national legislation such as full
crew laws, standardization of train equipment, employers' liability
laws, car limit laws, etc.
The hazardous nature of the work is indicated by a statement made by a
prominent union official to the effect that the Trainmen's Brotherhood
paid a claim for death or disability every seven hours. A report to
the Interstate Commerce Commission states that there is one case of
injury in train or yard service every nine minutes. With the invention
of safety devices the risk of accident has been greatly lessened, but
railroading is still one of the most dangerous industrial occupations.
There is little chance of employment for applicants under the age of
21 years. In fact, many roads refuse to employ men below this age.
Physical or sense defects which often accompany advancing years, and
which would not disqualify a man in other occupations do so in
railroad work. The average length of the working life is a little over
12 years.
Railroad employees are among the best paid workers in the country. A
close estimate based on extensive wage investigations places the
annual earnings of engineers at from $1,200 to $2,400 a year, with an
average of $1,600. Conductors average about $1,350, firemen a little
over $900, and other trainmen about $950. The usual working day is 10
hours, although this is often exceeded. Overtime is paid on a regular
scale agreed upon by the companies and the union.
The educational requirements are not very exacting. A thorough
grounding in the "three R's" is usually all that is necessary. A large
amount of trade knowledge is obtained through contact and
participation after entering employment and can be gained in no other
way. The examinations for promotion are of a thorough-going character.
One of the roads in Cleveland requires an examination of its firemen
and trainmen six months after employment, as to vision, color-sense,
and hearing. They must also pass an oral examination on the
characteristics of their division and a written examination on certain
set questions furnished them in advance. Two years later they are
examined again, the fireman for engineman, and the brakeman for
conductor. The scope of these examinations covers the whole range of
train operating. Each of the five large railroads entering Cleveland
has air-brake cars equipped with various forms of air brakes, air
signals, pumps, valves, and injectors for the purpose of giving
instruction to trainmen. A competent instructor is put in charge of
these cars to explain the theory and practice of the apparatus and
also to give instruction in any new type of engine or train equipment.
The conclusions of the report are in the main negative with respect to
specialized vocational training in the public schools. There is no
doubt that the general industrial course recommended for the junior
high school period in previous chapters would be of some value to boys
who may enter this line of work. Problems of railroad transportation
might well be included as part of the work in applied mathematics.
What workers in these occupations need most, however, is a thorough
elementary education.
MOTOR AND WAGON TRANSPORTATION
This section of the report takes up such occupations as those of
teamsters, chauffeurs, and repairmen. There are no reliable data as to
the number of men in the city employed in these occupations, but it is
certain that it does not fall below 9,000. Notwithstanding the great
increase in the use of automobiles and auto trucks in recent years the
number of teamsters at the present time is in excess of 4,000 men. A
very large proportion of the men employed in these occupations are of
American birth.
The general conditions of labor such as wages, hours of labor, and so
on, are the same for teamsters and chauffeurs. They earn about the
same wages, belong to the same union, and work about the same hours.
The wages range from 25 to 37 cents an hour. Earnings in the better
paid jobs compare favorably with those in several of the skilled
trades. Automobile repairmen earn from 30 to 45 cents an hour, and
work from nine to 10 hours a day. The working day for teamsters and
chauffeurs is somewhat longer, ranging from 10 to 12 hours. At the
present time these occupations are only partially organized in trade
unions.
The report recommends the establishment of a course in automobile
construction and operation in the technical high schools. In view of
the constantly increasing use of automobiles such a course would be of
value to many boys besides those who enter employment as chauffeurs
and truck drivers.
STREET RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION
There are employed in Cleveland at present approximately 2,500
motormen and street car conductors. Almost all of them are of American
birth, and the majority are natives of the city.
As in railroad work each applicant for employment must pass an
examination, although the requirements are less exacting than those
demanded in railroad work. The preliminary training occupies about 10
days, during which the motorman is taught by actual car operation how
to operate the controller, how to apply and release the brakes, and
other duties connected with the careful running of the car through
crowded streets. The conductor is taught the names of the streets, how
and when to call them, where stops are to be made, when to turn lights
on and off, how to act in case of accidents, and the various duties
which deal with the sale, collection, and reporting of transfers and
tickets.
No one is admitted into the service before the age of 21 or after 35.
Promotion usually comes in the form of better runs. The chances of
promotion to positions above the grade of conductor or motorman are
very slight. About 90 per cent of the men belong to the local union.
Union rates of pay for motormen and conductors are higher in Cleveland
than in most cities in the country, in spite of the fact that this is
the only large city in the country with a three cent street car fare.
The wages of both motormen and conductors are 29 cents an hour for the
first year and 32 in succeeding years. The hours of labor are very
irregular. The usual working day is from 10 to 12 hours.
The author of the report is of the opinion that no special instruction
for this type of workers can be given by the public schools.