The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-06-16
MunY Exempted From
Wage and Hour Bill

One would think from the verbal
violence and tumult which the low-pay
and long -work-week cohorts inside
and outside Of Congress have unlim-
bered against the Federal Wage ard
Hour Bill passed by the House of Rep
resentatives that when it becomes a
law every employer in the United
States will be required to pay all of
his employees starting minimum
wage of s11 for 44hour week, es-
calated up in wages and down in
wages and down in hours over period
of three years to SIG for a 40-hour
week.
1t would not be either an unreason-
able or an un-American condition if
all working men and women were
guaranteed the protection against low
wages and long hours specified by the
measure. But unfortunately the bill
does not assure even the modest mini
mum wage Of S11 for a 44-hour week
to all toilers. The exceptions are
numerous and wide According to the
bill as it passed the House they in
clude:
"Any employe employed in the
catching, taking, harvesting, cultiva-
ting, or farming of any kind Of fish,
shellfish, crustacea, sponges, seaweeds,
or other Aquatic forms Of animal and
vegetable life, including the going to
and returning from work and includ-
ing employment in the loading, un-
loading or packing of such products
for shipment or in propagating, pro-
cessing, marketing, freezing, canning,
curing, storing, or distributing the
above products or byproducts thereof.
"Any employe employed in a bona
fide executive, administrative, pro-
fessional, or local retailing capacity,
or in the capacity of outside salesman.
"Any employe employed as a sea-
man.
"Any employe engaged in agri-
culture.
"Any air transport employe subject
to the provisions of title II of the
Railway Labor Act.
weekly or semi-weekly newspapers
with circulation of less than 5000
the major part of which circulation is
within the county where printed and
published"
The above exemptions are for both
the minimum wage and maximum
hour provisions of the bill.
| In addition, the Secretary of Labor
is specifically authorized to exempt
from the minimum wage provisions of
the bill, "to the extent necessary to
prevent curtailment of opportunities
for employment" learners, appren-
tices and handicapped workers whose
earning capacity is impaired by age
or physical or mental deficiency or in
jury Wage rates for these groups
will be determined by the Secretary
of Labor.
With regard to the maximum hours
provision the following persons are
exempted:
ANY employe with respect to whom
the Interstate Commerce Commission
has power to establish qualifications
and maximum hours of service pur-
suant to the provisions of section 2O4
of the Motor Carrier Act, 1885, O,
to any employe of an employer sub.
ject to the provisions of part | of the
| Interstate Commerce Act"
Employees "of an employer engaged
in the first processing Of milk, whey
SKINNED milk, or cream into dairy
products, or in the ginning and com.
pressing of cotton, or in the processing
of cotton seed"
Finally, with regard to maximum
hours the bill provides that they shall
not apply "for twelve work weeks in
any calendar year" to the employees
"of an employer engaged in the first
processing of, or in canning, fresh
fish or fresh seafood, or perishable
fresh vegetables, or in handling
! slaughtering, or dressing poultry OF
live stock"
Evidently from these broad exempt
ions there are many thousands of
working men and women in the United
States to whom it will not be man
datory for employers to pay even the
unreasonably low wage of s11 for a
44-hour week.