Evening star., 1934-04-08
NAWANDPR|NT|NG
OFFICE HOURS CUT.
Skilled Craftsmen in Two
Departments Go on
40-Hour Week.

The 40-hour week for skilled trades
Get up by the independent Offices bill
was put into effect yesterday in the
Navy Department and Government
Printing, the third group affected, it
large local agencies affected.
Concurrently, it was announced by
George H. Carter, the public printer.
that in his establishment it would
mean permanent employment for 400
or 500 additional workers.
/ At the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing. the thir group affected, it
was said that application of the new
schedule would be held up until a
program could be mapped out.
The Navy Department, acting on
an opinion from Attorney General
Cummings, shifted some $500 trades
men of the Navy Yard and other ma
val activities here from the 44-hour
to the 40-hour basis, effective yes
terday morning, but the Government
Printing Office was delayed in acting
for its 4,00O-odd workers until last
night, having awaited a ruling from
Controller General McCarl, as to the
effective date of the law.
The public printer had asked
McCarl-the customary authority in
matters of the sort-a series OF ques-
tons bearing on the new legislation
prior to the Attorney Generals opin-
lon to the Navy Department.
Date in Doubt.
The doubt as to the effective date
Of the legislation arose from the fact
that it is a part of the independent
Offices act, which as a whole, does not
become operative until July l. Cum
mings and McCarl, however, were in
agreement that the new hour scale
was intended by Congress to apply
at once. The independent offices act
also carries the SIS pay restoration.
: McCarl held that the new scale,
while primarily designed to cover
skilled trades, will apply also to the
administrative personnel at the
Government Printing Office, whose
pay is fixed by the public printer.
rather than by the classification act
which applies to those workers in
like occupation in other branches of
the Government.
At the same time, however, the
Controller General exempted from its
provisions about 200 employees in the
Office of the superintendent of docu-
ments who alone of the Government
Printing Office force are subject to
classification.
Eligible Employees.
It was pointed out that the law
covers those classes whose wage is
fixed by boards or other authorities.
BY this particular ruling, the Con-
troller General confirmed the belief
Of officials of the Bureau of Engrav-
ing and Printing that only about ITO
employees there, out of total of 4,058
will be eligible for the 40-hour week.
as the remaining craftsmen are graded
by the classification act.
Whether additional help will be
taken on at the bureau is not certain,
but the Navy Yard force was to be
increased to 1000 without regard to
the new law.
The printing Office now has a large
temporary force, and the permanent
employees probably will be recruited
from these, but they will be required
to meet Civil Service requirements
Carter intends to have a six-day
force at work while Congress is in
session, with a proportionate group
off each day.
The Printing Office overtime sched-
ule will be changed under the new
set-up. McCarl holding that over
time, for which time and half is
paid, will apply only after 40 hours
are worked, rather than on a daily
basis, under which the extra payment
Is made for anything over eight hours.
Sponsored by Thomas.
The new work week, which pro-
vides for 48 hours pay, applies, in
addition to the local groups, to
arsenals, the Panama Canal and
lighthouse service, among others. The
legislation was sponsored by Senator
Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma.
In statement last night, Clyde M.
Mills, president of Columbia Typo
81 oPiASaA OAlioAi, odlo VIC dppl1CdIlOll
OF the shorter work week marks a
concerted effort on the part of all
representatives of employees in the
Government for the recognition of
the principle of shorter hours insisted
upon by the N. r. A."
Employment in the Government
Printing Office, he added, now is
placed on par with that on the
outside, just one month after hours
were reduced by the graphic arts CODE