The Railway Wage Commission was a United States federal agency established in 1918 during World War I within the United States Railroad Administration.
History
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
- James Harry Covington
- Franklin Knight Lane
- Charles Caldwell McChord of the Interstate Commerce Commission
- William Russell Willcox
- William A. Ryan
- Frederick William Lehmann.[1]
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Railroads Combat Overtime Penalty" (PDF). The New York Times. February 22, 1918.
- ^ "Records Of The Board Of Railroad Wages And Working Conditions". U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 2015-02-04.