Evening star., 1933-08-17
ROOSEVELT GIVES
/. PROMISE TOSTUDY
NAVY YARD CUTS
Assures labor Leaders of
Personal Attention to Pro-
tests of Workers.
5-DAY.WEEK ORDER
AFFECTS 1000 IN D. C..
Reduction in Working Hours
Without Wage Slash
Is Advocated.

President Roosevelt today assured
labor leaders representing Navy Yard
workers that he will give his personal
attention to protests of these workers
against the Navy Department order
putting them on five-day work week
with reduced pay.
The protests of the workers against
this reduced pay was presented to the
President by John P. Frey, secretary
treasurer of the metal trades depart
ment of the American Federation of
Labor, and j. A. Franklin, president of
the International BoilermakerS and
Iron Shipbuilders' Union. They were
with the President in his Office for
nearly half an hour, during which time
they discussed the various features Of
the protests Of the workers.
The Navy Department order estab-
fishing the five-day week at the Navy
Yards with an added 1928 per cent re-
duction in pay has been in effect two
weeks The order, issued by Secretary
Swanson, affects about 1000 workers in
the Washington Navy Yard as well as
mechanical workers and other person.
mel in similar establishments OF the
Government elsewhere.
Advocates Shorter Hours.
President Roosevelt should reduce
Immediately the working hours OF the
Nations $4,000 navy yard employees
without loss of weekly pay. provide
funds for modernization of battleships
to prevent threatened lay-of of some
1000 navy yard workers on the Atlantic
seaboard and take the profit out OF
war" by having a greater number Of
warships constructed in Government
yards under the public works program,
in the opinion of N. P. Alifas, chair
man of the Legislative Committee Of
the metal trades department of the
American Federation Of Labor Alias
the International Association of Ma
chinists, which embraces all Govern
ment workers in that organization.
He declared this program would solve
the present controversy between the
Navy Department and its navy yard
employees over the 40-hour week, under
which the workers contend their wages
have been slashed nearly one-third, due
to retirement deductions, the Is per
cent economy cut and the recent wage
reduction of an additional days pay per
week.
Wants 39-Hour Week.
The labor leader wants President
ktOOSCfcI6 " IcuuCc tIIc WOIklllR week
of navy yard employees to 80 hours,
This could be done, he pointed out, by
having a seven-hour work day for five
days. with four hours on Saturday.
The President could do this by execu-
tive order, by declaring a holiday of
one hour each day, clipping off the
present eight hour. five-day work week,
Alifas said. This would be legal, in
the labor chiefs opinion, because
President Theodore Roosevelt took
similar action years ago and was up
held in his course.
Should the Chief Executive not de-
sire to issue this executive order to
clarity the situation, Alias asserted,
he could settle the controversy by
having the navy yard workers remain
on a 44-hour work week and give them
pay for 48 hours, until Congress can
act and remove legislation, barring the
PRESIDENT from increasing rates of pay.
1000 Must Be Discharged.
From now until January l, Alifas said.
there are some 1000 men that must be
discharged due to the completion of
the modernization work on battleships.
These men are distributed between Nor
folk, Boston, New York, PHILADELPHIA
and Portsmouth. N. H. None Of the
workers to be discharged is located at
Washington, Alifas pointed out, as the
men at the Naval Gun Factory here are
engaged on ordnance work for the new
vessels.
Atlas has already submitted an elab-
crate statement on the whole situation
to Louis McHenry Howe. President
Roosevelt's secretary, for placing before
the Chief Executive High labor officials
are likewise arranging to push this pro-
gram.