Evening star., 1933-09-24
BOARD WILL HEAR
FORD PLANT ISSUES
Workers. Complaints Against
Company to Get N. R. A.
Consideration.

BY the Associated Press.
DETROIT. September 23-William l..
Mills, publicity chairman for the local
N. r. A. Committee in suburban Dear
born. revealed tonight that steps will be
taken Monday for official consideration
of complaints which have been received
against the Ford Motor Co., Dearborn S
largest employer.
The first step, Mills said, will be the
selection of compliance board-an ac-
ton which he added had been delayed
in the hope that the Ford company
would sign the N. r. A. automotive code
and thus put itself into position to be
represented on the board.
We had hoped" Mills said, Ito have
both the Ford company and its en-
ployes represented before going into
these complaints, but 1t seems now that
we must 60 ahead without them"
Three Glasses Of Complaints.
The complaints, Mills revealed. are of
three classes. The first is based on the
recent hiring of men recommended by
the local American Legion, the COM
plainants alleging that this amounts to
a discrimination against former Ford
workers. The second has to do with a
dollars day welfare plan" and the
third group allege that they are over
worked
There are war veterans" Mills said.
former Ford employees. who we're laid
off as long ago as year or two years,
and VINO have not been reinstated.
These men complain that they should be
given preference over veterans now be-
ing employed. most of whom. they say,
never worked for the Ford company.
,rN1o ot,no mt fvH- Hnv ovf
are not members of the American Le-
gion of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. or
have lost their memberships because
they were unable to keep up their dues.
These men are inclined to believe
that they might get jobs had they be-
longed to either of these organizations.
The second class of complaints
comes from men who say they are on
the Ford dollar day welfare plan. and
who want to be returned to the regular
pay roll
'As l understand It. a number Of
employees were placed under this plan
by the Ford social department. They
were allowed the regular wage scale
but received only 81 day of it in
cash. For the rest of it, they were
allowed food from the Ford commits
sary, and allotmentS were made to
help pay their bills and back taxes.
was told this plan was resorted to III
the cases of men who had become so
involved financially that they seemed
unable to eXtricate themselves.
Plan Declared Discarded.
Harry H. Bennett. director of per-
sonnel for the Ford Co., told me this
plan had been discarded several weeks
ago We still continue to receive COM
plants from the men who want to get
off it. however.
The last class of complaint comes
from men now employed at the Ford
plant. who state that the production
speed is being stepped up so high that
they are overworked"
officials of the Ford Co. could not
be reached tonight for comment on the
complaints outlined by Mills Earlier
in the day. however. Ford officials had
denied rumor currept in Detroit for
some days that regular employees were
being laid of to make room for the
veterans employed. The charge that
only Legion and other organization
members were being employed has been
denied repeatedly by Legion officials.
The Ford Co.. in denying the rumor
that men are being dismissed. showed
newspaper men records which indi-
Gated that. since September IS. from
Is to n men have quit their employ
ment daily while from 3 to 237 have
oeen hired.