Evening star., 1933-11-18
WORKERS IN n. R. A.
Join LABOR UNION
.FORREGULARH HOURS
President Green Backs Lodue
Of Government Employees
Federation.
COMPENSATION ASKED
FOR OVERTIME WORK
Ardent Devotion Pledge TO Prin.
cibles of Recovery Act-Pay
Fight to Be Continued.

oacAeo py the pledge Of William
Green, president Of the American Fede-
ration Of Labor. to support their cause.
workers IN the National Recovery Ad-
miniStration last night Joined in the
organized labor movement through the
formation Of lodge Of the American
Federation of Government EMPLOYEES
and Immediately went on record with a
demand for the seven-hour day and
S9-hour week prevailing In the regular
Federal establishment, with compensa-
tion-either in time or money-when
overtime is required.
About 200 men and women attended
the meeting in A. F. of L. Headquarters.
Membership cards were distributed, and
1t was announced that the formal or
ganization would be effected next Fri
day night.
Charter Is Presented.
The charter for the new lodge-No.
9l-was presented to John Donovan,
acting president, by e Claude Babcock.
national president Of the Federation Of
Government Employees. Donovan, and
Miss Margaret Stabler, the acting secre-
tary-treasurer, have been the leaders
in the organization movement, which
was Launched as the outgrowth OF dis
satisfaction over the overtime required
at the N. r. A. coupled with the recent
pay changes there. which it Is con-
tended have brought the scale below
the level Of that in the old-line agencies,
when the intent was to establish an
equal basis.
Coupled with the hours and wage
demand was another resolution affirm
ing the ardent devotion" of the N. r.
A. force to the principles Of the re-
covery act.
Urges Orderly Presentation.
I'VE want you to present your pro-
posals in an orderly and constructive
way" Green said, with reference to
the employment resolution, adding he
felt administration officers should re-
ceive them In the spirit in which they
came.
Green also said he felt the Gov
ernment should set an example in en-
ployment for private industry. In every
industrial code that is being written,
he ampIfed, labor is seeking to incor-
porate a provision for time e-and-a-hah
pay for overtime and, he added. the
Government should adhere to this
principle
The labor head emphasized also
that the fight for restoration of Gov
ernment pay is to be continued un-
remittingly.
II am one Of those-a taxpayer, too
who have never become. reconciled to
the Is per cent pay cut" he said 1T
was unjustiflable, and an injustice that
cannot be corrected until II Is cone
away wtih-
Pledges A. F. of L. Backing.
"I want you to rely upon the whole
hearted support of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor" he concluded.
At the outset Of the meeting Dono-
van, who, as acting president, pre-
sided, outlined the causes which
prompted the organization effort, and
then, recalling the promise of Gen.
Hugh S. Johnson, recovery admins
traitor, to take corrective measures, said
the general "is to be congratulated"
Presenting the charter, Babcock said
the unioniZation "is not an attack on
administration offlcers-neither Gen.
johnson nor any other offlcer-nor will
it be. There has been an attack and
always will be an attack on unfair con-
ditions"
He told his hearers also that press
reports mao indicated that Gen. john
son was not certain as to the rights
Of Government workers to organize.
then emphasized:
THE right to organize reposes spe-
cifically in statutory enactment"
Cites Many Unemployed.
Babcock declared also that there Is
no reason to require overtime work
when there are thousands of unem-
ployed on the streets. II necessary,
two an dthree shifts could be em-
ployed to meet any emergency, he said.
The resolution on employment EN-
bodied the same idea. 1t also de
clared that overtime is being required
where unnecessary.
One participant in the meeting ar
gued against the provision for overtime
pay. on the ground that Controller
General McCsrl would not permit such
payment. 1t was decided, however,
to go on record in favor of the proposal.