Evening star., 1939-07-12
Little Chance Is Seen
For Restoration Of
Prevailing Wage
Labor Leaders Getting
Deity Worded Noes
Tow. P. A. PIeus
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Labor men are getting pleasant
smiles and deftly worded noes" to
their appeals that House leaders
help them restore the prevailing
wage for relief workers.
The w. P. A. strikes have set union
leaders to ganging up on members
of Congress. They are visiting some
Of those who hold key positions in
groups of half a dozen. The chiefs
of the Building Trades Union are
particularly vigorous in the drive
for change in the newly-enacted
law.
But the answer they are getting
from House leaders is something
like this:
you can't expect to get change
in w. P. A., back to prepailing wages,
through this Congress. Many men,
bers feel that these strikes are vir-
tually strikes against the Govern
ment itself. They are surprised to
see the American Federation of
Labor upholding the strikes. It is
extremely doubtful if the House
would agree to any sort of a change
of that kind, even if 1t came from
the Senate"
Senate Rules Liberal.
That is the strategy toward which
labor leaders are leaning. Some of
them hope that change in w. P. A.
wage policies might be tied as rider
in the Senate to some other bill
any kind of a bill. The Senate rules
are fairly liberal in that respect.
The House is vastly different.
Every precaution is taken to make 1t
impossible for any member to pull a
measure out of his vest pocket dur
ing debate and ram it through the
House
All these rules make it highly i'm
portant that an effort be made to
get the support of House leaders for
any plan offered by labor men, or
any other group.
The prevailing wage grew out of
a long Senate battle in 1885. Sen
ator McCarran, Democrat, of Ne
vada led the fight for it. For weeks,
the arguments ran high, delaying
the $4,000 100000 bill which was to
set up w. p. A. on the ruins of the
old relief establishment.
Senator McCarran argued that If
the Government went into works
projects on such a large scale, it
should pay the prevailing union
wage scales Otherwise, he contend
ed, the Government would tear down
the wage scales unions had worked
so long to build up.
President Opposed.
The White House stood against
him. His plan was written into the
measure, A to 43. After a month
more Of dispute, compromise was
worked out which got the approval
Of the White House. It established
the prevailing wage for public build
ing projects and directed the Presi-
dent to set such wages generally as
would not tear down existing wage
levels.
When w. P. A. Commissioner F.
c. Harrington gave a House COM
mittee, few months ago, the rec
ommendation that it outlaw the
prevailing wage and establish a
fiat pay rate for 100 hours of work
each month, members grabbed the
plan enthusiastically.
But the leaders were somewhat
surprised at the ease with which
they managed to get it enacted.
They figured it would have been
much easier for the labor leaders
to have built up sentiment against
it before it went into effect than
after 1t got into the law. Now, they
argue, whatever disturbance the
wage system may be kicking up
among the w. P. A. workers, it is
fairly popular with the taxpayers.