The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-10-18
: BEHIND THE SCENES IN WASHINGTON
Here's The First Complete
Explanation OF How The
Wage-Hour Bill Will Work
By RODNEY BUTCHER

GVkNNoRuWUCub
washington, Oct, l8.-Fathers Of
the Massachusetts colony, faced with
q labor shortage, passed law pro-
viding that carpenters, joiners,
bricklayers, sawyers nd thatch-
ers shall not take above two shil-
lings q day."
In 1888, on Oct. "a, In period
Of great unemployment . federal
law win 20 into effect which sets
\ minimum hourly wage rate OF
% cents and q maximum work
week Of a hours, with time and
One-half for overtime.
The law Is the Fair Labor
Standards Act. It's administrator
is Elmer r. Andrews, head OF the
Wage and Hour Division OF the
Department OF Labor. The act
(, also bars from interstate commerce
goods produced by Oppressive
child labor" That part Of 1t is
under Chief Katherine F. Lenroot
I. Of the Children's Bureau.
PLENTY OF
QUESTIONS
Employers and employees still are
asking which workers are covered
and which are not. Aside from GER
tain exemptions made in the law
chiefly Of agricultural workers, sea-
men, street car employees, executives,
retail workers and most employees
+. in the fishing, canning and dairy
industries, the Wage and Hour
Division in general classifies those
|. covered as:
: II. Employees engaged in pro-
ducing. manufacturing, mining,
I handling, transporting or IN any
manner working on goods moving
In interstate commerce.
-. Employees engaged In any
process or occupation necessary
I to the production Of such goods.
-. Employees engaged In inter-
y state transportation, transmission
\ or communication
Further Interpretation by the
divisions general counsel says
( that except for the stated eXemp-
tons, "all the employees, In o place
! Of employment = where goods
shipped or sold In interstate COM
4 inerce were produced, are includ-
ed In the coverage :" This
y goes for watchmen, clerks, stenog-
: raphers, maintenance workers and
Z messengers, among others.
Employees in manufacturing,
} processing or distributing plants,
Y "a part Of whose goods moves In
: commerce out Of the state In
Z which the plant Is located" are
y covered. But n plant none OF
" whose products leave the state Is
y noe covered, even though It's en-
plnyes work on raw materials
y ftusn outside the state. Employees
!. working ut home, as well rs those
In factories, are covered.
4 Where workers are paid on a
! piece-work basis or on a weekly
\ or monthly rate, they must receive
Mt least the equivalent Of the min
imurf hourly rate.
I 40-CENT MINIMUM
4 IN 1D4S
y Beginning Oct. "a, 1899, the
= statutory work week will be a
= hours and after the second year
\ of the oct only 20 hours. The
y minimum hourly wage rate will be
. raised from IS 10 80 cents, o year
\ from now, and will be pushed to
= 20 cents on Oct. ~, i945.
) Due to meager funds, less than
Z hall the divisions IL regional Of
y fees will be opened this fall. CThe
4 IL cities are Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, Richmond. Cleve-
\ land, Birmingham, Chicago, Min
!. neapolis, Kansas City, Houston,
Y Denver, and San Francisco) So
Y there will be few inspectors avail.
y able 10 check the records which
/. employers are required TO keep
: Of persons employed, their wages
I and hours worked. There's q null
! tiple system Of enforcement, how
ever, which tends to discourage
any willful violations. Andrews
urges all employers and employees
to report such violations. assuring
the latter that the act specifically
protects them from discharge or
discrimination.
employees
MAY SUE
Employees may bring suit for I'M
paid minimum wages or unpaid
sovertime, and employers violating
ewage and hour requirements are
liable for such sums plus an equal
amount TO cover damages, court
costs and attornew fees.
It will be unlawful to ship or
sell In interstate commerce any
goods produced where q person
was employed In violation Of the
wage or hour sections, to violate
the wage or hour sections, to dis
ycriminate against any complaining
employe, to fail to keep the re-
tnuired records or to falsify any
required record.
Penalties are q fine up to $l0,-
900 and Imprisonment for UP to
asix months, the latter for second
defenders only.
Oppressive child labor" Is de.
fined rs employment Of children
under is In any occupation ex-
cept where the Children's Bureau
determines employment Of chill
Z dren Of IL or Is won't interfere
: with schooling, health or well-be-
ing. and employment Of children
under IS in occupations deter
mined as hazardous or detrimen-
4 tai.
Specifically exempted from both
wage and hour provisions are ag-
sricultural workers, seamen, EN-
sployes Of airplanes, street car, mo-
tor bus, interurban railways and
of weekly or semi-weekly news
papers Of less than 5000 circula-
tion: persons in bona fide execu-
tive, professional or local retailing
4 NEW CLASSES
Salesmanship