The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-10-23

the 1z,o1l, ,fUU WOTKerS III interstate industries now receive less than 30 cents an hour, and that 2,382 800 ern- ployes now work more than A hours per week. They added, however, that approximately 719,000 of those work ing more than A hours already re- ceive overtime pay, so the total &C., tually benefited by the lowering of the ceiling" over hours tomorrow is reduced to 1,663 800.
 Textile Workers Award A special g 1-2 cent hourly mini- mum for 600, 0,000 textile workers was scheduled to become effective to- morrow, but a temporary stay grant, ed by the fifth circuit court of ap- peals will restrain its application in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mis- sissippi, Louisiana, Texas, and the Panama Canal Zone. It was esti- mated that this wage order would mean pay raises for 175 ,O00 workers.
 The fight on the textile mini- mum wage order, promulgated by Andrews over protests of southern manufacturers who carried their battle to President Roosevelt, ap- peared to be the first serious legal challenge to the act in its first year of operation.
 The suit was filed in New Orleans by committee representing 300 small southern textile manufactur- CTS, who asserted that many of their mills would be forced to close if the g 1-2 cent minimum is upheld by the courts.
 They challenged validity of the law, and the circuit court set the case for argument early in Decem- Der. It was expected the case even- tualy will be carried to the supreme court.
 Employers in 12 southern states, who employ only IT per cent of the F, 500 900 persons covered by the act, must raise the pay tomorrow of an estimated 405 ,000 workers, or 58 per cent of all the 690,000 in the U. s. receiving less than 30 cents an hour.
 Textile workers in all states ex- cept those affected by the New Or leans court decision will receive the 32 1-2 cents an hour while the 30- cents minimum will be observed in six states and the Panama Canal zone.
 Because of legal technicalities sur rounding appointment of an army man to civilian post, Fleming will not assume the title of wage -hour administrator immediately but will be detailed to Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins as assistant to Act ing Administrator Harold D. Jacobs. The White House indicated that congress will be asked to pass special legislation to permit Fleming to as- sume the administrators title as well as his duties.
 Test of Law Boston, October g = (UP)-The head of the National Association of Cotton Manufacturers called today for U. s. Supreme Court test of the constitutionality of the federal wage-hour law to settle the long north-south feud over textile-mill wage differentials.
 President Russell T. Fisher charg- ed that federal court at New Or leans, in restraining operation in southern mills of new minimum wage scales, seriously threatened" the prospective "steadier employ ment" of workers in other sections of the nation.
 He referred, in a statement re- leased on the eve of the wage-hour laws first birthday" to the issu- ance Saturday by the Firth U. s. Circuit Court of Appeals of a re- straning order asked by 300 textile mill owners of Mississippi, Texas, Alabama and Georgia.
 The order restraints the wage hour administration from enforcing a 32 Ia cent an hour minimum wage in that areas textile industr..- as sched- uled to begin tomorrow. A general wage of 25 to 90 cents an hour is not affected by the order.
 'The federal court in New Or leans has in effect said that the low wage areas in some sec tions are exempt from the law" Fisher said. ". Until such time as the supreme court rules on the law the outlook for the mills in the high wage areas will remain uncertain"