The Washington times., 1933-08-15
NAVY YARD MEN
THINK CHIEFS
FAVORED
Disproportionate Pay Cuts in
Accord With Law Draw
Fire of UnioniStS

If President Roosevelt feels that
he is barred from following the
precedent set by one of his prede-
cesSors, Theodore Roosevelt, in
improving the status of Navy
yard employees as it is affected
by the economy program, mem
bers of the International Associa-
ton of Machinists feel that that
program should apply with equal
force to Navy officers administer
ing the affairs of the yards.
At present the prevailing
wage" basis of employment in
Navy yards and arsenals has been
knocked into a cooked hat by the
operation of the "act to maintain
the credit of the United States, ="
which suspends the wage board
basis of scale-making until June,
1884.
AS a consequence, Federal work
ers are faced with the prospect
that they may have to work longer
hours, and for less pay, than en-
ployes of private ShipyardS.
Comparative Basis Lacking
The situation is not definite
yet, and it is probable that al
though hours in private employ
will be Shorter-32 hours a week
on Navy work-pay will be less,
for the week, though the hourly
rate is to be considerably in
creased in the private yards.
There is not as yet any basis
for comparison of probable hourly
rates in private and Government
yards.
Should working conditions be
appreciably less favorable in the
Government yards than in pri-
vate plants, the latter probably
would raise a cry against Govern
ment competition, and in view
of the prospect of a much wider
field of Government competition,
which eventually will include the
development and sale of electric
light and power, this might be-
come serious matter.
Cord Case Cited
There is little sympathy mani
tested by the machinists for pri-
vate shipbuilders in this eventu-
ality, for they contend that ship
yards have been for years, in
most instances, definitely anti
labor and have tried their best
to keep wages down.
ALI the ship construction the
Navy needs, they say, could
readily be handled in Navy yards;
but four ships Of the program, it
is announced, will go to a yard re.
Gently purchased by E. L. Cord,
whose antiunion attitude, they
say, was demonstrated not long
ago in connection with his avia-
ton interests.
The machinists have presented
their view to President Roosevelt
that there should be no reduc-
tion of their working hours that
"OuAu cIlCdI COIIeSpOlQlIlSly
greater reduction in pay. 1t has
been planned to put Navy yard
employees on five-day week, 40
hours. and to cut them a full
days pay for the reduction of
four hours on Saturday.
Under McCarl Ruling
Comptroller General J. R. Nc
Carl held in recent ruling that
this procedure was necessary. The
machiniSts. however, point out
that Theodore Roosevelt put Navy
yard workers on a 44-hour week,
with Saturday half-holiday, by ex-
ecutive order, and contend that
President Roosevelt has the power
to issue similar order providing
that there shall be seven hours
work for eight hours pay on the
first five days Of the week.
Disproportionate pay reduction
for reduction Of hours is viola
tion of the spirit of the national
industrial recovery act, they con-
tend, for the law opposes wage
reductions of any sort.