NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION 

CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION 

FOR THE 

AUTOMOBILE 

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

AS SUBMITTED TO THE ADMINISTRATOR AND 

APPROVED BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT 

ON AUGUST 26, 1933 

REGISTRY No. 1403-1-04 

- t• ' • ---- WE DO OUR PARl 

UNITED STATES \ 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE \ I 

WASHINGTON : 1933 

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EXECUTIVE ORDER 

CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION FOR THE AUTOMOBILE 

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

An application having been duly made, pursuant to and in full 

compliance with the provisions of Title I of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act, approved June 16, 1933, for my approval of a Code of 

Fair Competition for the Automobile Manufacturing Industry, and 

hearings having been held thereon and the Administrator having 

rendered his report containing an analysis of the said Code of Fair 

Competition together with his recommendations and findings with 

respect thereto, and the Administrator having found that the said 

Code of Fair Competition complies in all respects with the pertinent 

provisions of Title I of said Act and that the requirements of clauses 

(1) and (2) of subsection (a) of Section 3 of the said Act have been 

met: 

Now, therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United 

States, pursuant to the authority vested in me by Title I of the 

National Industrial Recovery Act, approved June 16, 1933, and otherwise, do adopt and approve the report, recommendations and findings of the Administrator and do order that the said Code of Fair 

Competition be and it is hereby approved. 

HuGH S. JOHNSON, Administrator. 

THE WHITE HousE, 

August 26, 1933. 

S6€3-33 (1) 

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT. 

THE PRESIDENT, 

The White House. 

[COPY] 

NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION, 

Washington, D.C., August 25, 1933. 

MY DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have the honor to submit and recommend for your approval, the Code of F air Competition for the Automobile Manufacturing Industry. The Code has been approved by 

the Industrial Advisory Board, the Labor Advisory Board, and the 

Consumers' Advisory Board. · An analysis of the provisions of the Code has been made by the 

Administration and a complete report is being transmitted to you. 

I find that the Code complies with the requirements of clauses 1 and 2 

subsection (a) of section 3 of the National Industrial Recovery Act. 

I am, my dear Mr. President, 

Very sincerely yours, 

(Signed) HUGH S. JOHNSON, 

Administrator. 

(3) 
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CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION FOR THE AUTOMOBILE 

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

(August 25, 1933) 

The following provisions are established as a code of fair competition 

for the Automobile Manufacturing Industry: 

I-DEFINITIONS 

, The term "motor vehicles" as used herein means automobiles, 

:including passenger cars, trucks, truck tractors, busses, taxicabs, 

hearses, ambulances, and other commercial vehicles, for use on the 

highway, excluding motorcycles, fire apparatus, and tractors other 

than truck tractors. 

The term "Industry" as used herein includes the manufacturing 

and assembling within the United States of 1notor vehicles and bodies 

therefor, and of component and repair parts and accessories by manufacturers or assemblers of motor vehicles. 

The term "employees" as used herein means all persons employed 

in the conduct of such operations. 

The term" employers" as used herein means all individuals, partnerships, associations, trusts, and corporations in the Industry by whom 

such employees are employed. 

The term "Chamber" as used herein means National Automobile 

Chamber of Commerce, a trade association having its office at No. 

366 Madison Avenue, New York City. 

The term "effective date" as used herein means the tenth day 

after this Code shall have been approved by the President of the 

United States. 

The term "expiration date" as used herein means Decem her 31, 

1933, or the earliest date prior thereto on which the President shall by 

proclamation or the Congress shall by Joint Resolution declare that 

the emergency recognized by Section 1 of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act has ended. 

The term "city" as used herein includes the immediate trade area 

of such city (which in the case of Detroit shall be deemed to include 

Pontiac and Flint). 

II-WAGES 

On and after the effective date, and to and until the expiration date: 

The minimum wages of factory employees covered hereby shall be 

at the' following hourly rates regardless of whether the employee is 

compensated on the basis of time rate or piece rate or otherwise: 

Cents 

____ in cities having 500,000 p opula tion or over_ ______ ____________ 43 

____ in cities having 250,000 and less tha n 500,000 p opulat ion_______ 41% ____ in cities or towns having less tha n 250,000 p 0pula tion ___________ 40 

(5) 
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Provided, however, that apprentices and learners and females not 

doing the same work as adult males shall be paid, not less than 871⁄2 

percent of said minimums, but the number of such apprentices and 

learners and females not doing the same work as adult males en1ployed 

by any employer shall not exceed 5 percent of the total number of 

factory employees of such employer including subsidiary and affiliated companies. 

Equitable adjustment in all pay schedules of factory employees 

above the minimums shall be made on or before September 15, 1933, 

by any employers who have not heretofore made such adjustments, 

and the first monthly reports of wages required to be filed under this 

Code shall contain all wage increases made since May 1, 1933. 

The minimum wages of office and sala.ried employees covered hereby shall not be less than the following weekly rates: 

____ in cities having 500,000 population or over, at the rate of $15 per week. ____ in cities having 250,000 and less than 500,000 population, at the rate of 

$14.50 per week. ____ in cities or towns haying less than 250,000 population, at the rate of 

$14 per week. 

III-HouRs 

There are substantial :fluctuations in the rate of factory production 

throughout each year, due mainly to the concentration of a large part 

of the annual demand for cars within a few months, and also to the 

slowing down of employment in connection with changes in models 

and other causes beyond the Industry's control. 

To lessen the effect on employment of these conditions, it has been 

the policy of the Industry to adjust working hours, in order to retain 

the greatest number of employees and so far as practicable adjust 

the manufacturing schedules of component parts to allow a more 

uniform schedule of hours. The Industry will continue this policy. 

The progressive falling-off of retail sales during the years of depression, resulting in the necessity of repeated adjustments downward in 

production schedules, had its important influence in causing an 

abnormal fluctuation in employment schedules. -

Before the presentation of this Code, the Industry had gone far in 

spreading available work to relieve unemployment and under this 

Code it proposes to spread the work as far as practicable in its judgment, consistent with the policy of giving each employee a reasonable 

amount of work in each year. 

For this purpose it is made a provision of this Code that employers 

shall so operate their plants that the average employment of all 

factory employees (with exceptions stated below) shall not exceed 

thirty-five hours per week for the period from the effective date to 

the expiration date, and the hours of each individual employee shall 

so far as practicable conform with this average and shall in no case 

exceed the same by more than three percent. 

In order to give to employees such average of thirty-fl ve hours 

per week, it will be necessary at times to operate for substantially 

longer hours, but no employee shall be employed for more than six 

days or 48 hours in any one week, and all such peaks shall be absorbed 

in such average. 

In order that production and employment for the main body of 

employees may be maintained with as few interruptions as possible, 

it is necessary, and it is a part of this Code, that the supervisory 
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staff and employees engaged in the preparation, care, and maintenance 

of plant machinery and facilities -of and for production, shall be 

exempt from the weekly limitatjons above provided, but the hours 

of employment of any such exempted employee engaged in the 

preparation, care and maintena-rtce of factories and machinery of 

and for production shall not exceed 42 hours per week averaged on 

an annual basis. 

OJ1?-Sx --~nd other salaried employees, covered hereby, receiying less 

tt"3lrf $35 per week shall not work more than 48 hours in any one 

week and not more than an average of 40 hours per week for the 

period from the effective date to ·the expiration date. Employees 

receiving more than $35 per week and executives and managerial 

and supervisory staffs are not subject to any hourly limitations. 

The Industry recognizes the serious problem of major fluctuations 

in production due to concentrated -seasonal customer demand and 

changes in the rate of production caused by changes in models, 

which changes are necessary. The Chamber pledges itself to. make a 

further study of this problem in an effort to develop any further 

practical measures which can be taken to provide more stable and 

continuous employment and to reduce to a minimum the portion of 

-employees temporarily employed and to submit a report thereon to 

the Administrator by December 1, 1933. 

IV-CHILD LABOR 

Employers in the Industry shall not employ any person under the 

~ge of 16 years. The Chamber states that child labor has at no time 

ever been a factor in the Automobile Industry. 

V-REPORTS AND STATISTICS 

Each employer engaged in the Industry will furnish to the Chamber 

as hereinbelow provided, approximately every four weeks, duly certified reports in such form as may hereafter be provided showing actual 

hours worked by the various occupational groups of employees and 

wages paid. 

VI-ADMINISTRATION 

For the :purpose of supplying the President and the Adminis.tr:ator 

with requisite data as to the -observance and effectiveness crf this Code 

and the administration the1eof, the Chamber is hereby design1tted-

(a) To collect from the n1.embers of the Industry all data and statistics called for by this Code, or requir-ed by the President, or reasonably 

pertinent to the effectuation of Title I of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act, and compile the same, and disseminate -among the 

members of the Industry summaries thereof, all in such foTm and 

manner as the Chamber shall reasonably prescribe subject to approval 

by the Administrator. 

(b) To represent the Industry in conference with the Administrator 

with respect to the application of this Code and of said Act and any 

regulations issued thereunder; provided, however, that as regards all 

matters mentioned in this paragraph (b), the Chamber shall have no 

power to bind the Industry or any subdivision thereof. The President 

or the Administrator may designate a representative to participate in 

such conferences, who shall have access to all data and statistics 
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collected by the Chamber as above provided. The Chamber or its 

authorized committee or agent shall hold itself in readiness to assist 

and keep the Administrator fully . advised, and to meet with the 

Administrator's representative from time to time as requested to 

consider and study any suggestions or proposals presented upon behalf 

of the Administrator or any member of the Industry regarding the 

operation, observance, or administration of this Code. 

(c) The duties of the Chamber above referred to shall be exe:rci.sed 

by the Chamber by its Board of Directors, which may delegate an,y of 

said duties to such agents and committees as it may appoint whose 

personnel, duties, and powers may be changed. 

VII 

Employers in this Industry shall comply with the following requirements of Section 7 (a) of Title I of the National Industrial Recovery 

Act. 

Employees shall have the right to organize and bargain collectively 

through representatives of their own choosing, and shall be free from 

the interference, restraint, or coercion of employers of labor, or their 

agents, in the designation of such representatives or in self-organization or in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective 

bargaining or other mutual aid or protection; (2) no employee and no 

one seeking employment shall be required as a conditio:i. of employment to join any company union or to refrain from joining, organizing, 

or assisting a labor organization of his own choosing; and (3) employers 

shall comply with the maximum hours of labor, minimum rates of 

pay, and other conditions of employment, approved or prescribed by 

the President. 

Without in any way attempting to qualify or modify, by interpretation, the foregoing requirements of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act, employers in this Industry may exercise their right 

to select, retain, or advance employees on the basis of individual 

merit, without regard to their membership or nonmembership in a.ny 

organization. 

VIII 

As required by Section 10 (b) of Title I of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act, the following provision is contained in this Code: The 

President may from time to time cancel or modify any order, approval, 

license, rule, or regulation issued under said Title. 

IX 

By presenting this Code, the Chamber and others assenting hereto 

do not thereby consent to any modification thereof and they reserve 

the right to object individually or jointly to any such modifications. 
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X 

Such prov1s10ns of this Code as are not required to be included 

therein by the National Industrial Recovery Act may, upon the 

application of the Industry or a subdivision thereof and with the 

approval of the President, be modified or eliminated. It is contemplated that from time to time supplementary provisions to this Code 

.or .a.dditional Codes may be submitted in behalf of the Industry or 

'vurious subdivisions thereof for the approval of the President. 

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UN IVERSITY OF FLORIDA 

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