Evening star., 1942-09-10
End Of DoubIe-Time
Sunday and Holiday
Pay Effective Today
Presidential Order
Makes Bon Universal
Throughout Industry

throughout Industry
By the Associated Press.
Payment of double time rates
for work on any particular day
in the week such as Saturday,
Sunday or holidays which fall
within regular tour of duty was
discontinued today by a presi-
Dental order.
The decree, signed by President
Roosevelt Yesterday, was intended,
the White House said. to encourage
one day of rest in seven 'in the in
terests of efficiency"
Double-time payment for work on
seventh consecutive day still is
permissible under the order but not
because it happens to fall on
week end or holiday. Thus the days
of the week lose their identity for
wage-determining purposes,
The order specified that time and
. half should be paid for work on
New Year, Christmas. July 4, Labor
Day, Thanksgiving and Memorial
Day "or one other such holiday of
greater local Importance" Govern
ment contracts already in effect are
to be negotiated to apply these
principles where necessary.
The White House said the order
was in accord with pledges given
Mr. Roosevelt several months ago
by William Green, AFL president.
and Philip Murray, CIO president.
An announcement also explained
that the elimination of double time
pay for particular days makes the
practice universal as many unions
already have modified their con-
tracts to put this pledge into effect"
Text of Statement
The text of the White House
statement follows:
The President today signed an
executive order doing away with
penalty double time payments for
Sunday work in line with the pledges
given him by Mr.. William Green,
president of the American Fedora
ton of Labor, and Mr.. Philip
Murray, president of the Congress
of Industrial Organizations. Many
unions have already modified their
contracts to put this pledge into
effect and in order to make the
practice universal the order has
been issued.
The order provides that no
penalty overtime shall be paid for
work on Sunday, Saturdays and
holidays as such. 1t permits in lieu
of payments for Sunday work, which
has sometimes interferred with
round-the-clock operations, pay
ment of double time for the seventh
consecutive day of work for any
individual, thus encouraging in in
terests of efficiency one day of rest
in seven. The order permits pay
ment of time and half for all over
time work after 40 hours as pro-
vided in the Fair Labor Standards
Act and in some union agreements"
When Congress was warning on
double time rates for week lend
work on war contracts more than
year ago, the CIO and AFL agreed
to waive these so-called premium
rates. when Saturday or Sunday
fell within the regular tour of duty.
Under that agreement, the sixth day
of work was to be compensated for
at the rate of time and one-half,
irrespective of the day of the week
on which it fell. The seventh day,
under the same plan, was to call
for double time.
Will Close Gaps.
Many large unions Immediately
adjusted their contracts to con-
form to this understanding, but
there have been gaps in the pro-
gram which the new order seeks
to close.
The CIO United Auto Workers,
In convention in Chicago last month,
served notice that it would not be
bound by its promise unless all
other unions complied within 80
days.
In a recent National Labor Rela-
tions Board case the United Auto
Workers complained that a rival
AFL union had campaigned against
it with an argument that the UAW
had needlessly waived double time
rates against the best interests of
the workers
The order seemingly was a move
in the direction of the wage stabili-
cation promised by the President to
accompany stabilization of farm
prices.
Escalator clauses in war contracts
permit the President to govern pay
rates, according to informed sources.