The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-03-26


in America today because there are
no strikes.
2-That the Wage-Hour Act does not
limit working hours to forty a week
and that, i'm fact, all war Industries
are now operating on much longer
schedules.
3-That there is no reason why
time-and-a- half overtime should not be
paid for work in excess of forty hours
a week.
The President flatly blamed news
paper distortions and irresponsible
Congressional oratory for creating
''the amazing state of public misin-
formation on labor.
He also issued q warning against
rushing half-baked, anti-labOr legiSla-
tiOn into enactment ut this time when
things are going along pretty well. Con-
greSs, be pointed out, could not pass n
law that would make Il man turn out
more work. That, he observed, was up
to the enthusiasm of the individual.
Parades. band playing and a pat on the
back for the men who are doing Il good
job would do far more To stir up en-
thuSiasm, he suggested, than restrictive
laws.
The Presidents Illuminating lecture
on labor matters to the press followed
an hours conference with his War
Labor Cabinet" composed of leaders
of the American Federation of Labor
and the CIO.
AFL President William Green de-
clared the conference was 'very salts
factory and added:
1--WE found from an examination of
all the facts that war production was
moving along in II most satisfactory
way.
"The full effort of labor is being
mObiliZed behind the nations war pro-
duction program. There are no strikes
anywhere in the country that are hold
ing up production.
The President agreed with us that
the performance of labor in the pro-
duction program is exceptional and
highly comnendabe.
"The President expressed complete
satisfaction with the spirit manifested
by the Af'L and the CIO I'm eliminating
jurisdictional questions that might
cause production delays. 3,-
"IIe also agreed with us that the 40
hour week standard should be main
tanned and that all work i'm excess of
forty hours II week should be paid for
at overtime rates of time and n half.
'The President further agreed that
the policies of organized labor will
seven-day-week operation of war in
duStries If materials are available and
industry helps
CIO President Philip Murray chin
cd in
1T was agreed that voluntary action
on the part of labor to yield its right
to strike was II more satisfactory ans
wer to the problem of production and
national unity than resort To restric
tive legislation by Congress"
AT his press conference, President
Roosevelt spoke of the part newspapers
and irresponsible speeches in Congress
have played in contributing to public
misinformation on labor matters.
He told of receiving II letter from
a professional economist who drew the
conclusion that Japan would not have
declared war and the United States
would not have lost the Philippines OF
the Dutch East Indies If 3O,OOO,w
"A, Il hn Of nj
in the first twenty months of the
defense program.
The President said, with II smile
that he had replied with even worse
news if il had not been for the common
cold we would be In Berlin today, as
that ailment caused n loss of 6O,OOO,OW
man-dayS in the same period.
One false impression abroad In the
country. the President continued, was
that the Federal Wagr-llour law for
bids men to work more than forty
hours Il week. The fact IL, he emphn-
sized, that there is not and never has
been any law limiting the work week
to forty hours and almost I'LL of the
munitions plans are working more than
forty hours II week right now.
II is true, he said, that some plants
are working only twenty hours Il week
but that is due to shortages of ma
terials.
Throughout his discussing the Pres
ident emphasized the Importance of
voluntary action 10 speed Iip war
production. He told how labor had
given It's pledge not 10 strike after the
war began and said that, as II result,
there are probably fewer strikes In
the United States today than anywhere
IN the world, unless It's Germany where
the workers are rcgimented.
There's no strike problem today, he
stated flatly. That's the big point, he
emphasized.
He criticized newspaper for the
Over-einphasis they give to what he
called two-bit strikes which involve
only about fifteen men and which do
not hurt war production. He specific
ally aSsailed New York newspapers for
making front page news out of stop
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