Evening star., 1942-07-06
Overtime Paw
Bill Is Vetoed
By President
Act Not Uniform
In Its Application,
He Tells Congress

! President Roosevelt today We
| toed a bill that would provide
, overtime pay for certain War
and Navy Department employees
on the ground it failed to pro-
vide overtime or vacation pay
for "low-paid employees of other
agencies ~ although in many
/ instances they are performing
work of equal Importance in the
war effort"
Mr.. Roosevelt told Congress he
wanted ito emphasize the desira-
bility anu urgency of enacting a
! uniform overtime pay act covering
! per annum employees in all depart
ment and agencies" He added:
Legislation is likewise needed to
revise the present law with respect
! to annual leave and vacations
/ A uniform overtime pay bill which
j has the support of the administra-
ton has been snagged for several
weeks in the House Civil Service
Committee following demand by
| postal unions and some other groups,
which would not profit by it, for a
bonus of $500 payable to Govern
ment workers generally. An effort
is being made at compromise.
Few Thousand Affected Today.
The measure vetoed by the Presi-
dent applies only to few thou
sand technicians-such as archi-
tects and e13gineers-in the War and
Navy Departments, for whom a spe-
cial overtime provision was made
several months ago The overtime
bill passed at that time expired
June 30.
Under the administra tion's uni
form bill, many of these technical
employees would be barred from re-
ceiving overtime, since a ceiling of
$4,000 is put on total compensation.
Many of the techntcians already
receive more than that figure.
The President pointed out in his
veto message that the bill would
continue for two years "inequities"
which the Civil Service Commission
asked the House of Representatives
on May 20 to eliminate by the early
enactment of a bill to provide a uni
form and equitable basis of compen-
satlng the lower paid employees of
the Federal Government for over
time work"
Urging Congress to approve the
Civil Service recommendation. the
President said:
The Congress enacted on June
30. 1912 land I shall be glad to
approve, House Joint Resolution
329, extending the overtime provi-
sions OF existing law for a period of
three months, so as to enable the
Congress to pass during that time
on the uniform overtime legislation
pending before it (H. R. 7144)"
Extreme Section Criticized.
President Roosevelt also found OBJ
jectionable in the vetoed bill the sec
ton which would deprive of citizen
ship persons who make certain false
statements in connection with Gov
eminent contracts. He explained:
This drastic penalty has been
confined under existing laws to the
crimes of treason and desertion from
the armed forces in time of war.
The extreme nature of this sane
tion not only constitutes bad prece-
dent, but does violence to our demo-
cratic concepts of fair and reason
able punishment for a particular
crime. Apart from the undesirable
features of this provision. there
would seem to be adequate authority
in the criminal code to deal with
the substantive evil sought to be
remedied"
| Although some of the provisions
of the vetoed act deal with the pro-
curement of war supplies and facil-
(See PAY BILL, Page A-2J