Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-28
j. s. PR|NTERSASK
BIC RAISE AND HALF
| DAY OFF ALL YEAR
G.. P. 0. Employees Seek
IS 2-3 and Bureau Workers
20 Per Cent Increase.
HOLIDAY REQUEST MAY
BE MADE BY OTHERS
Women Present Arguments Before
Joint Congressional Commission
on Redistribution.

vvSAASh = 4SoSht Al & uA4SAeS OSASAS
Joint Congressional Commission
on Redistribution.
Saturday half holidays the year
around was asked by printers and
pressmen of the government printing
Office st the hearing accorded the
printing trades in the government
service here today by the joint con-
gressional commission on reclassifi
cation OF salaries in the District
lncrs.~ au wages also were asked in
briefs presented by Marsh A. Boden-
hamer, president of Columbia Typo
graphical Union, speaking for the
typographers Of the government
printing Office; Daniel l. Leane, for
the pressmen; Harvey II. Hunt, for
the plate eDgravers % the bureau OF
engraving and printing; Miss Nora
James. representing the women of the
bureau, and Miss Anna j. Burke. rep
resenting the women of the printing
office. Briefs from other works in
the two great establishments were
presented.
Others May Ask Half-HoIiday.
The requests for the Saturday half
holiday the year around, as presented
to the commission, received added In
tSIcSl lIOill Tie lttCl liIeht thSiS 10
every indication that a similar recon-
nendation will be made to the COM
mission for the application of the Sat
urday half-holiday to all government
clerks in the District. This recon-
mendation in all probability will be
made by the commissions advisory
committee on employment policy.
The year-round Saturday half-hol-
iday has been steadily worked for by
fed eral clerks for several years, and
indica tions point to its adoption as a
permanent policy of the federal
service.
Want 90 2-3 Per Cent Raise.
"The average increase in all sala-
ries or wages should not be less than
s 80 per
speaking for the printers. explaining
that the cost of living here has in
creased more than 100 per cent since
1913.
I'VE thus give the employer--the
government-the benefit of S3h per
cent" Mr.. Bodenhamer explained.
In other words, we divide the in
crease with our employer two-thirds
and one-third in our endeavor at
1--WE well could ask" he continued,
"the total increase of 100 per cent
and still not be unrena enable. but we
do feel that anything less than the
lnCIcdScS we d. dShinS AcA "hi W.
on the part of our employer, asking
us to bear too much of the burden OF
the increased living costs:
Mr.. Bodenhamer asked for time and
eight hours and double-time pay on
holidays. He asked that sick leave be
granted the printers las is granted In
every other government department.
and urged that the present rate OF 20
per cent additional to the day rate De
paid for night work. -.
The president of Columbia Typo
graphical Union laid stress upon the pro-
posal requiring that the majority of
the positions in the government print
public printer. be held by practical
printers" He declared that while he
did not grant that the best thing for
the office was an apprentice system, II
lions laid down tentatively by the re-
claesifcationists would serve.
Gives Range Of Salaries.
toned Mr.. Bodenhamer closely on the
above two propositions, much time
being consumed in the discussion. Mr..
Bodenhamer presented salary sched-
printing Office which ran from $4,000
q year for the public printer down the
scale of the other workers.
There is no truth to the contention
that union labor is opposed to the ap-
premiership system at the govern
ment printing Office. is there, them"
asked Commissioner Heating. Mr.
Bodenhamer acquiesced.
Mr.. Leane, presenting the brief for
the printing prV#sr.en employed by
the government here. declared that
commercial printing offices through
out the country will be put on
basis of forty-four hours per week
beginning May, 1921. and suggested
that these same conditions be made
to apply in the government printing
offices" He asked for FIVE eight
hour days. with four-hour day on
Saturday.
Mr.. Leane suggested that the mini
mum wage be placed So IS day. He
submitted a salary scale for the larg-
er positions as follows.
Government printing office-Assist-
ant works manager. $1,000 per year;
works manager. $4,000 per year; dep
uty public printer, $4,000 per year,
and = bic printer. $4,000 per year.
Bureau Of engraving and printing
Works manager. So. 1000 per year; as
sistant director. $4,000 per year, and
director. $4,000 per year.
Plate Printers Ask 40 Per Cent.
Plate printers of the bureau Of en-
craving. and printing, through Mr..
Hunt, asked for an increase of 40
per cent In wages, on all classes of
work. The plate printers have not
had a general increase of wages for
thirty years. with the exception Of a
10 Per cent increase on one class of
work and reduction of 10 per cent
On another class Of work. Mr. Hunt
brought out. u declared that the
wages of plate printers have increas-
ed in private establishments beyond
the wages paid in the bureau.
Declaring that women in the bureau
Of engraving and printing and in the
government printing Office receive in
some instances less pay for skilled
work than men receive for unskilled
labor. less paw thS men receive .or
the same WORK. anu less pay than men
receive for work OF different charac-
ter bat of corresponding skill, Miss
James and Miss Burke, heading com
mittees representing the Women's
Union of the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing ana the Womsn's Bind
cry Union. respectively, stated the
cases of these employees.
Both groups of woman employees
called attention to the fact that the
minimum rate OF f1,32 per year rec
commended By the advisory committee
on wage policies. applied to unskiIled
labor. whereas their own is skilled
The exact figures foC their classes of
positions. they contend, cannot be
fairly determined until the cIassi :
fication of the entire service is work
I'd out and the relative pay of all
groups of men and women determined
according to skill.
.. :. Ask $500 Per Year.
Letter enFravers in a brief nre-
scented by Edward NJ Weeks. asked
for salaries Of $500: declared that
only twenty-one script and square
letter and nine picture and orna-