Evening star., 1942-04-05
Prevailing Wage
fContinued From First Page

housing developments. In the past
the Department has specified low
non-union wages for r. H. A. work
similar to Fairfax Village and Co.
lonial Village, and the considerably
higher union pay for public jobs
like those of the Alley Dwelling
Authority. Mr.. Grodsky intimated,
however, that future determinations
for F. H. A. would show a slightly
higher wage level.
Late in February, following dis
closures in The Star that the Gov
,ernment was paying sometimes as
much as 100 per cent more for its
housing labor than private builders.
the Labor Department announced it
would hold a hearing to determine
the prevailing wage for application
in the war housing program. Heated
sessions were held March and 10,
in which union leaders and builders
argued and wrangled 1t was the
first hearing ever held to determine
rates for public housing in the Dis
trict.
The long delay in getting a deci-
sion held up the Alley Dwelling Au-
thority for three weeks in letting
contracts for two housing develop
ments scheduled for Southeast
Washington. 1t also delayed some
what contracts for construction of
the 4,500 demountable houses A. D.
A. will build to relieve wartime
congestion.
Report Covers II Pages.
Mr.. Grodskyis 17-page report in
dicated the difficulty the Labor De-
partment has in interpreting the
Bacon-Davis Act. especially that
part which calls for payment of
wages prevailing on projects of a
character similar to the general con-
tract work" He quoted dictionary
definitions of projects" and "simi-
lar Later, he held that a project
TO be comparable" to Government
housing must have the following
general attributes:
l. 1t must be performed by a gen.
eral contractor in contradistinction
to an operative builder in as much
as all Federal construction work is
performed by contractors and none
of it by operative builders.
2. The contract conditions should
approximate Federal construction
conditions in so far as requirements
for architectural supervision, con-
ditions relating to workmanship,
and inspection by the owner are
concerned.
g. The project should involve the
construction of substantial num-
Der of units at the same time. This
element of compatibility is neces-
sarily subject to considerable flex-
ibiity in as much as the size of the
various units of the proposed con-
struction program have not yet
been decided upon, but it is clear
that the program will involve rela-
lively large-scale operations.
Mr.. Grodsky pointed out that
while workers employed by a gen.
eral contractor receive appreciably
more pay per hour than those en-
ployed by operative builders, their
employment is not as steady. Due
to this the annual wage of the non-
union man for the operative builder
approximates that of the union
worker.
At one point Mr.. Grodsky cited
number of builders who testified
at the hearing as men whose con
tract construction activity is def
nitely subordinate to their real
estate and related activities" Mr.
| Wilkes said that one of the men
mentioned has just been engaged to
erect nearly a fourth of the 4,500
demountable houses to be built
here under the Alley Dwelling
Authority.
Wilkes Comment Quoted.
Mr.. Wilkes comment on the rec
ommendation stated further:
eff, as a result Of this decision
private builders are in turn forced
to pay these higher wages, ranging