Evening star., 1932-12-21
45,0)O NAVY YARD
WORKERS IN PERIL
OF aPCT. PAY CUT
Officials See Restoration of
$13,535,OOO to Esti.
mates Only Hope.
1921 IN WASHINGTON
WOULD BE AFFECTED
Labor to Fight Reduction or Cur
tailment and Urge 100 New
Ships, Says Alifas.

Because Of reduced naval estimates
for the coming fiscal year. Navy De-
partment officials fear a 80 per cent
wage reduction fer the $4,000 civilian
workers In the Nations navy yards, in
cluding the 1921 at Washington. unless
Congress restores the $13,535, 900 left
out of the Budget Bureau reckoning.
If the various wage boards are pro-
hibited from meeting under the present
economy act and Congress does not
re.tore the figures, officials say. the navy
yard workers will have to be placed on
a rotative furlcugh plan or the navy
yards will have to shut down altogether
for part Of the fiscal year. II wage
bcardS do meet, SlasheS in salaries are
in prospect.
N P. Alifas, president of District No.
"A of the International Ass ociation of
MachinistS, comprising all machiniSts
who work for the Federal Government,
declared today that not only does labor
propose to fight any wage reduction
or curtaiment in the number of work.
ers, but also will press for enactment
Of the Vinson bill, designed to construct
abcut 100 new naval vessels. He made
it clear that the amount Of work to be
done in the navy yards fixes the amount
of money available to pay civilian work
erS.
S5s,O27,481 in Estimates.
The estimates of the Budget Bureau
for paying civilian workers in navy
yards call fcr S58.027,48l, apparently
predicated en- the assumption the Navy
wage boards would meet and sash
wages. This would be in conformity
with the plan to have wages paid the
Government workers brought down to
the level CT those paid On the outside,
Official said. The naval supply bill is
pending in the House Appropriations
Committee
Navy Department officials are appre-
hensive lest the wage boards should not
meet, as that would mean that many
of the yards would have to shut down
for part Of the year, they say. unless
Congress raised the Budget Bureaus
figure. A reduction of 80 per cent in
wages, as contemplated in the esti-
mates. trims the prospective appropria-
tion for this expenditure by some Sl3,-
$4,000. Against an appropriation OF
$50, ,252 900 for the current fiscal year to
pay civilian Navy Yard workmen, the
estimates for the next fiscal year pro-
vide but S58,027.481 for this item. The
item for the fiscal year 1882 was S78,-
258.275.
The current years s83252,000 is
actually cut to S76.712,761 because of
the impounding of salaries for the
workmen. under the economy act.
Mr.. Alifas said labor stands ready to
combat any attempt to trim wages IN
navy yards, believing an addition OF
purchasing power. rather than a re-
duction, is what is needed to pull the
Nation out of the depression. The sum
of s58,027 ,481. carried in the estimates.
will have to be increased by Congress
If the present wage scales are TO De
paid the civilian workers and work pro-
ceed during the whole Of the coming
fiscal year. Mr.. Alias said. He an
ticipates that this will be done, baSlng
his belief on the action Of the House
which has embodied the present econo-
my act in the Treasury-Post Once sup
ply bill. providing that wage boards
shall not meet during the fiscal year
1884. He foreseeS no cutting down OF
wages from this source.
Difficult.
Navy Department authorities, however.
are not so sanguine, believing it difficult
to persuade Congress IN these times 10
raise IIle estimates ny 9lo,ooo,ooo on
the present wage scale could be main
tanned and the work kept up. They
foresee condition that with the reduced
appropriations the present wage scale
would be maintained. but the yards
would have to shut down for part OF
the year, lacking sufficient money to
keep going, or rotating fuNloughs ex-
panded.
Mr.. Alias believes President-elect
Franklin D. Roosevelt will encourage
work in the navy yards and that in
stead Of buying great many supplies.
as is now done, from outside firms. the
Navy itself would make many Of these,
such as engines. Mr.. Roosevelt was in
charge of navy yard work when he was
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for
nearly eight years. Mr.. Alias does net
think the Senate, in particular, would
agree to a so per cent slash in wages
for navy yard personnel. but Navy
Department authorities believe the situ-
alton is grave and want to see remedial
action taken by Congress before 1t IS
too late.
New Summer uniforms Of London po-