Evening star., 1936-02-06
OPPOSITION VOICED
TO 4(H0UR WEEK
|F0R WOMEN IN D. c.
Board Of Trade and Mer.
chants and Manufacturers
Fight Bill.
DETRlMENT IS FEARED
TO CAUSE OF employees
Class Legislation and Other 0bjec.
tions Are Registered Before
House Committee.

Unqualified opposition to the pro-
posal to fix a 40-hour working week
for women in the District was voiced
today by the Washington Board Of
Trade and the Merchants g. Manu-
facturers' Association.
Representatives of these groups told
the Judiciary Subcommittee Of the
House District Committee the bill
would work a hardship on employers
and also react to the detriment Of the
employees it is designed to help.
Opposition also was expressed by q
representative Of local laundries and
by the National Woman's Party.
Ringgold Hart, general counsel for
the Merchants & Manufacturers AS
ISOLATION, told the subcommittee the
members Of his organization were
unanimous in opposition to the bill
which provides that no employer shall
permit woman to work more than six
days or more than 40 hours In any one
week, or more than eight hours In one
day. Professional women and those
holding executive positions would be
exempt.
Increased Prices Foreseen.
Hart said the group felt the legisla-
ton would add to labor costs. making
it necessary to increase prices and
ultimately would result in replacing
female employees with men.
One of the objections was that the
bill contemplated class legislation dis
eliminating against women. Some
employers, he said, based their objec-
tions on experiences during operations
under the N. r. A., when customers
became dissatisfied because they could
not be waited on by known employees
because of the reduction in working
hour schedules. It also was contendec
that local employers would be unable
to compete with business rivals II
Maryland and Virginia and woulc
necessitate the removal Of some eStab'
lishments to neighboring States. HI
said this was especially true in thu
cases of laundries, dry cleaners ant
restaurants whose prices could moi
well be increased.
Hart also pointed out the fixing o.
the lower schedule of hours woulc
mean a loss in wages to employees en-
gagged on an hourly and commission
basis. Another objection advanced
by him was that in the interests o.
eficiency some plants must operats
on an eight-hour basis, which woulc
necessitate operation on two weekly
shifts, with consequent reduction II
employment.
Higher Labor Costs.
He estimated the bill would increast
labor costs by l6 2-3 per cent. This
he declared, would force some con
Germs out of business.
do you know of any merchant!
or business men in favor of this bill?'
Chairman Palmisano inquired.
IT know of none" Hart replied.
Representative Dirksen, Republi
can, of Illinois, observed that "yo'
would expect employers to oppose thi
bill"
Hart replied he thought Distric
employers generally we're fair to theil
workers, but that they opposed the bill
because of its discriminatory nature
Dirksen, formerly a baker, ther
began a discussion of the historica
background Of attempts to reduc'
working hours and said such q re.
duction Is an essential step in any
program designed to overcome un.
employment.
The Board of Trade was represented
by r. B. Swope, who said the posi-
ton Of his group is substantially the
same as that Of the Merchants apo
Manufacturer Association.