The Washington times., 1921-09-08
1000 GET .
SLASH IN
SALARIES


Labor Heads Declare Action Of
Wage Board to Be Unneces-
sary and Unjust.
Facing a cut in their wages OF
from 10 to 20 per cent, representa-
tives Of 1000 employees of the Wash
ington Navy Yard are holding spc-
cial meeting this afternoon and for
mulating plans to fight to the bitter
end the new scale as recommended
by the naval wage board and ap-
proved by Secretary DENLY yester-
day.
Disapproyal Is Universal.
Vigorous disapproval and indigna.
ton at the action of the board was
heard on all sides at the Washing.
ton Navy Yard today. Concerted
action by the heads of the various
labor organizations within the Wash
ington Navy Yard will be taken
after today's meeting.
Charges that the report OF the
wage board was inconsistent, and
that the employees could not live on
,the reducted salaries with the cost
of living as high as 1t is at this
time, were made on all sides.
N. p. Alifas, president OF the for
ty.fourth district Of the international
Association of Machinists. declared
today that the present cost OF living
would justify the Government in pay
ing machinists at the Washington navy
instead OF 73 cents an hour as recon-
mended by the board. The present
rate Of pay for machinists is "a cents
an hour. -
Living Cost Not Recognized.
1--WE will have to protest against
the report Of the wage board and the
reduction ordered by the Secretary,
as neither one recognizes the cost
of living at this time. As compared
with wages and the cost OF living In
1918. navy yard machinists are en-
titled to 30 cents an hour at this
time" Mr.. Atlas declared.
Robert III. Alcorn, national presi-
dent Of the American Association of
Supervisory Employees of Navy Yard,
declaredu today that in ALL probability
President Harding would be appealed
to by the Navy Yard employees in an
effort to have the present wage
scale remain in effect until the cost
of living Is lower. S.. ..
Workers to Have Hard TIME.
.The 1000 employees of the Wash
ington Navy Yard are very much
disappointed and displeased at the
action OF, the board in ordering such
a large decrease in their wages" he
said, "and many of them win have
4 hard time making both ends meet
IL the. reduced wage scale goes into
effect on September 16."
Emphaticaily disapproving the new
rates of pay for civilian employees at
the yards throughout the country,
Luther c. Steward, president Of the
ployes, today said that "the report
itself advances the best reasons for
letting the old rates alone.
The entire report fairly bristles
with arguments which prove the in.
Justice of lowering old wage stand
ards" he said. THE Secretary of
the Navy and the board appear to
have been governed, however, by the
obsession that they must do some.
thing to lower wages regardless Of
facts"
Hold Reduction Unjust.
President Steward said:
The language OF the report is 10
clear that 1t Is evident to anyone that
reductions were made by the board
although their own survey of the field
had convinced them that such action
was unnecessary, unwarranted, and
even unjust. They seem also to have
been governed by a false interpreta.
tation OF the law which provides that
wage rates In navy yards shall con.
form rs nearly as Is consistent with
the pubic interest with those Of uri.
vate establishments Since the board
finds that lowered wages in private
establishments are in large part due
to the treatment of certain EMPLOYERS
of labor purely as q commodity to be
obtained at the cheapest possible rate
II hardly seems that the public interest
would require the cooperation Of the
Government In process Of which the
Wage Board itself disapproyes. On
the other hand II would seem that II
the board In correct In its own assump.
tion that employees are determined to
read the commodity theory OF labor
d hack into our economic life every Gov.
eminent body should stand like a rock
against It." -. '0
With the announcement of the re.
duction in wages. the Navy .Depart.
ment has also sa'Ved notice on NAVY
YARD and other civilian employees OF
the department t,et only the most e.
ficient will be retained. =
= New Grading Planned.
Indicating a sharp change OF policy
In that respect, the department an.
nounced an entirely new system OF
grading employees according to eff.
cheney, and declared the system Is to
be the future guiding point in the han.
ding Of its employees. a .tI
The proposed change Ia that upon
employment a man shall serve a pro.
bationary period of six months before
reaching the highest grade OF his
trade. Thereafter, II he falls below
the set standard OF efficiency he will
he given another six.month probation.
ary period. II, in that time. he dem.
onstrates his ability to do first-class
work, he will be given the highest pay
grade, and IL he then fails, he will be
dismissed. .s# --.. ..
The existing method In when
L. ~ l. -gAa