Evening star., 1931-12-11
ASK 5-DAY WEEK
FOR i. S. EMPLOYEES
Bills Covering Entire Federal
Service and "Shop Group"
Alone Offered.

Three bills proposing five-day week
for Government employees, two asking
the shorter working hours for all Fed
eral workers and the third specifying
only the shop group" were intro
duced In Congress today. two in the
House and the third in the Senate.
The two House bills, which would
grant all United States employees q
five-day week, we're introduced by Rep
resentative William j. Granfield OF
Massachusetts,, new member of the
House Appropriations Committee, and
by Representative Charles w. McCor-
mick, also Of Massachusetts, who intro
duced the original Saturday half-holi-
day bill which was passed at the last
session of Congress.
The other bill is sponsored by Senator
Smith w. Brookhart of Iowa.
In Washington. his bill would cover
workers IN the navy yard, Government
Printing Office, Bureau of Engraving
and Printing and Bureau Of Standards.
It would also benefit the Light House
Service and any other agencies in which
mechanical groups are employed.
Referred to Committee.
N. P. Alias, president of the Interna-
tfonal Association Of Machinists, Dis
trict No. A, explained that the bill af-
fects mainly groups of workers who are
on an 8-hour day basis. 1t provides
that five days shall constitute a weeks
work, with pay for week, and that en-
ployes in the groups mentioned whose
services are required on Saturday would
be given compensatory time later.
The bill would affect District govern
ment employees who come under the
heading Of tradesmen and mechanics.
The measure was referred to the Civil
Service Committee for report.
Representative Granfleld has written
into this measure provision that in all
cases where for special re>>son, to be de-
termined by the head of the Federal
department or ether governmental
establishment having supervision over
such employees, when the services Of any
employe cannot be spared on Saturday,
they shall be entitled to compensatory
and equivalent time off without loss of
pay during some other week. They
would receive the same amount for five
Gays work as for six at present, under
the Granfleld measure.
Subs for Half holiday Law.
1t is positively written into the meas
ure that no employees shall be deprived
OF any leave or holidays with pay to
which they may now be entitled under
existing laws, nor shall the number of
hours in any work day be increased.
This legislation would operate as a sub
stitute for the Saturday half-holiday
law which would be repealed
This encouragement to Government
employees and their organizations, which
have been working for improved work
ing conditions, came at a time when
hundreds of Government employees have
been advising with their respective
members Of Congress regarding condi-
tons Of employment, and especially
protesting against the proposal made
by Representative Robert S. Rich,
wealthy manufacturer and director of
numerous banks and corporations, for
10 per cent deduction from salaries of
all Government employees
Representatives La Guardia, Repub-
lican, and Sirovich, Democrat, New
York, introduced bills yesterday affect
ing the retirement of Government en-
ployes. The La Guardia bill provided
for retirement after 80 years of service,
while the Sirovich measure provided for
retirement at so years Of age, and that
widows who had married 10 years be-
fore the death of their husbands should
receive only three -fourthS OF the an
nuity due their husbands.