Evening star., 1933-08-11
Declare Work Is of Higher
Type and Living Costs in
D. c. Greater.
POINT TO HEAVY WAGE
CUT ALREADY SUFFERED
Hold That Proposed Policy Would
Mean Hardships for Men
and Their Families.

Navy yard workers in Washington
today opposed being placed under the
sh1pbuilders' code, contending the work
at the naval gun factory here is of a
higher type and that living costs are
more advanced here than in many sea-
port communities.
As matters now stand, the Machinists'
Committee at the Washington Navy
Yard asserted today in a statement,
the wages in their group recently have
been reduced from $4224 a week to
$28.69. Striking out at the Navy De-
partment's policy of placing them on
40-hour, flve-day work week, the
statement said:
Sec Dire Results.
I'VE contend this proposed policy is
not in line with the Presidents program
as outlined in the NJ l. R. A., and will
only lead to hardship and suffering,
not only for the men affected, but their
families as we'll Men will lose their
homes; merchants in the District will
suffer. Bills incurred will not be paid |;
purchasing power will be curtailed the
morale of the employees who have given
faithful service to the Government for
long number of years will be de-
stroyed. and so we appeal to the general
pubic that this is not an American
policy, and that under the NJ I. r. A.
such a condition is not supposed to
exist
Therefore. We respectively request as
faithful employees of the United States
Government, that steps be AIKEN imme-
diately to rectify this condition that
can only create suffering and hardship
If put into effect
Swanson Favors Tribunal.
Secretary of the Navy Swanson has
gone on record as willing to have the
labor tribunal, headed by Senator
Wagner, Democrat, Of New York,
thresh out the problem of a code to
apply to Navy Yard workers. William
P. White of the Press Committee Of
Columbia Lodge, No. 174, of the Inter-
national Association of Machinists, in
statement today, said that lit is our
contention that we should not be-classed
with other Navy Yards that are en-
gagged on this type of work. as we claim
that our ordnance work is the highest
class performed in the country"
Mr.. White continued: These are the
reasons that we don't see why We should
have to conform to y the shipbuilders'
code: living conditions in Washington
are entirely different than in some of
the cities where Navy shipyards are
located. Washington ranks in the top
group of cities in Labor Department
statistics on living costs and rents, and
it is well known fact that S25 in some
sections of the United States will pro-
vide the same standard of living that
$50 will in other sections"
Fear 1t Not Temporary.
Navy yard workers are not pleased
with any impression that the 40-hour
work week. which became effective last
Monday morning, is but temporary Mr.
White insisted, declaring that the ex-
pressionS ARE emphatically the other
way, and the workers are badly de-
moralized and getting worse every day,
as many are confronted with the loss
of homes and possessions it has taken
lifetime to accumulate"
Setting out how the wage scale has
decreased. the Machinists' Committee
asserted that on January l, 1929, the
rate for first class machinists at the
Washington Navy Yard was s7.04 per
day or S42.24 per week. On July /,
1882. this was s704 per day, but had
dropped to 1862 per week. BY April
/, 1888, the rate was still S7.04 per
day, but had been reduced to $3442
per week Under the 40-hour work
week. with five days, the committee as
serted that the rate still remains S704
per day. but that it is now S2869 per
week. This, they say. results in dimin-
ishing purchasing power and that some
1000 employees in the machinists'
group are affected.