Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-25
S.PR|NTERSM MAY F..
GET PAY INCREASE
House Committees Report
Indorses Higher Scale for
Office Here.

Increase OF pay totaling sis6.sSe for
1892 printers. pressmen and boohbinders
in the government printing office. which
would be from co and s. cents an hour
TO 10 cents an hour. are recommended
in report filed by Representative Ktess
from the House committee Oh printing.
In fixing upon rate of 75 cents per
hour for the foregoing employees in the
government printing office, the COM
mittee took into consideration the fact
that the bonus of $40 per year. which
becomes available July !. will add sub
stsntially 10 cents per hour to the rate
proposed by the bill. In other words.
the rate of pay will he approximately
IS cents an hour for day work. The
present law authorizes 20 per cent addi-
tional pay for night work at the gov
eminent printing office. which. including
the bonus, will make the night rate OF
pay 81 per hour. The committee be-
ieves this increase is justified by the
rates prevailing elsewhere in these
trades and is necessitated by the pres
ent cost of living.
Increases by Glasses.
The bill as amended increases tho
pay of 732 employees Is cents an hour
above the rate now paid them, or
$375.60 each per annum. IL increases
the pay of s31 other employees 10 cents
per hour. or S250.4o each per annum.
1t also increases the pay of twenty
nine employees cents per hour. or
S125.20 each per annum. Last year
"a nrtT -
granted an increase of 10 cents per
hour. and the other classes cents
per hour in addition to the Sl20 bonus.
Taking into consideration the M
creases proposed by the present bill
as amended, the larger bonus and
the increase granted by Congress in
July of last year, the average IN
crease in the pay of printers. press
men and bookbinders in the govern
ment printing office is S750 each per
annum. or approximately 40 per cent.
Including the increase now proposed.
the total additional wages to be paid
the 1892 employees provided for VIII
be Sl.1S9 $500 per annum more than
they received prior to July. 1918, In
cluded in this sum is the S4sb,65e.4o
increase proposed in the pending blu.
the S39l,4i0 additional from the bonus
of $240 each for the coming year, and
the $311,S73,20 increase granted by
the bill of July last.
Conditions of Employment.
The committee also gave some oonl
sideration to the conditions surrounds
ing the employees at the governments
printing Office in fixing upon the rate
herein recommended. Employees or
the government printing office receive
thirty days leave q year on rull pay
in addition to numerous government
holidays, and the Saturday half-holi-
days during the summer. Few, if
ne he a farin ing nl1 re-
of the country grant their employees
more than two weeks leave year on
full pay. The government printing
Office Is also required by law to pay
it's employees engaged on night work
20 per cent in addition to the day rate
of pay for similar work. This is
likewise a far more liberal provision
than obtains in private printing esfab-
lshments. In addition. employees OF
the government printing office who
may be required to work on sunday
receive so per cent extra and are also
granted double pay whenever required
to work on holidays.
Consideration should also be given
to the fact that there ia greater per-
manency of employment in the gov.
eminent service and that the ens
vironments of such employees are gem
orally far more inviting and bene-
fetal than those that prevail in
private printing establishments.
Before arriving at this conclusion,
the committee gave a hearing to the
public printer and employees of the
government printing office who APP
peared in behalf of the pending bills.
Views of Employees.
All but two of the score or more
employees who appeared at the hearing
favored the adoption of III. r. 541s,
fixing the rate of pay at 80 cents per
hour. exclusive of the bonus of ap-
proximately 10 cents per hour. which
would make the rate asked by them
substantially 81 per hour. The two
exceptions favored the adoption Of
II. r. 476s, fixing the rate of pay 81 per
hour. but stated that they had in mind
fiat rate of 81 per hour without any
bonus.
The rate recommended by the COM
mittee will equal substantially 81 per
hour for night work and IS cents per
hour for day work, which, in the opin-
ZION Of the committee. is liberal in
crease under the circumstances. but
fully warranted by the increased cost
of living at this time.