Evening star., 1937-05-25
|EARLY WAGE-H0UR
BILL LLPASSAGE SEEN
i'm BOTH HOUSES
Labor Committees Side.
track Other Legislation
to Weigh Proposal.
BLACK PLANS SENATE
HEARINGS THIS WEEK
Chairman Connery Predicts Re.
port by June 15-Fight Looms
on Pay Differentials.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Elimination OF sWeat-shop Udges
and hours has been objective of dd-
ministratton in behalf Of industry,
effort first being made in N. Ira.
Since invdlidation OF parts of that
ldD, other means hdue been sought.
Recent Supreme Court decisions
paued puy for bill introduced yes
terddy.
Disappointed by slou progress of
chtld-labor amendment, this indus
trial practice also is dealt uith in
bill.
Speedy consideration and approval
Of its general provisions loomed for
the administration wage and hour
bill today as both House and Senate
Committees on Labor prepared to
sidetrack other legislative proposals
and have the important measure on
the floors within a few weeks.
Apparently destined to be the major
piece of social legislation of the pres
ent session, the bill introduced yester-
day in both House and Senate admit.
tedly was facing some storms, but was
not expected to precipitate any such
stalemate as has blocked settlement
of the court reform issue.
Plan to Hold Hearings.
On the Senate side, Chairman Black
of the Committee on Education and
Labor, co-sponsor of the measure.
announced today that he would at
tempt to begin public hearings late
this week. Chairman Connery Of the
House committee predicted his group
would report the bill by June Is.
planning to begin hearings next Tues.
day.
With the issue of length of work
week not specified in revised drafts
Of the bill as introduced, support was
heard for figures ranging from 80
to 40. Authors Of 30-hour bill, both
Black and Connery are known to
favor the shorter week If deemed
practical, but also are believed ready
to accept the 4o-hour limit.
nAy vi 1IVSlSlVuSs
Some of the other major provisions
Of the bill follow in brief:
!. 1t would bar from interstate com.
merce products of children under 10
and workers subjected to Oppressive"
wage and hour conditions.
2. Labor standards board of fivs
SIC, 0,000-a-year members would have
broad powers to adjust regulations for
individual industries.
3. Use Of professional strikebreakers
and so-called industrial spies would Be
prohibited in interstate industries.
4. For overtime work employers
would be required to pay so per cent
more than the regular wage rate.
S. Purely local pursuits or intra-
state service trades would be exempt
from the proposed law except where
in competition.
6. 1t would prohibit the board from
fixing minimum wage Of more than
80 cents an hour-or one that would
produce in excess of $1,000 a year.
7. The board would have power to
leave determination Of wages and
hour conditions to collective bargain
ing in any industry where it felt facil-
tiles for such bargaining were ade.
| quate.
8. The board also could require
labelling Of any product covered by
the proposed act in order to promote
its enforcement.
| Wage to Be battle-ground.
While controversy both in com-
mittees and on the floor is expected
to revolve around several of these
provisions one of the stiffest fights
is expected to develop over the issue
OF wage differentials on geographical
grounds.
Opposed by all organized labor and
by industry in all sections except the
| benefited South, the wage differential
was source of continuing trouble dur
ing days Of the N. r. A. Although the
pending bill does not arbitrarily es-
tablish any such wage distinctions, 1t
vests power to do 80 in the admins
trative board. furthermore. implied
| approval Of the idea is contained in
the Presidents message of yesterday
and in the statement Of explanation
which Senator Black submitted at
the time Of introducing the bill.
The new proposal avoids one of the
sore spots Of the N. R. A. by making
no effort to deal with trade practices
or price fixing. The pending bill also