Evening star., 1942-03-21

many citizens are becoming aroused
IN the subject of penalty overtime
for more than 40 hours Of work a
week when increased production is
so badly needed in the war effort.
So the President has somebody
get up lot of figures for him show
Ing that strikes aren't so bad after
all and that common colds and
respiratory illnesses subtract l6O,-
900 900 man-days a year as con-
trasted with only 3O,OOO,O0O man.
days lost by strikes.
Presumably. the inference which
fhe public is to draw is that strikes
and labor disputes cannot be helped
and are just natural phenomena
which must be taken in our stride.
The idea of a preventive for colds
is within the realm of science and
much progress has been made but
when 1t comes to a preventive for
strikes, the present administration
thinks nature had better take It's
course and nothing restrictive from
the legislative end had better be
done about it even in time of war.
Provides Cue for Others.
A House committee thought 1t
would get some evidence from exec
utive agency men on the subject but
every one of them, as If trained in
chorus, went to Capitol Hill and said
strikes were unfortunate but that
legislation wasn't necessary. 1t was
more than a coincidence that such
unanimity of opinion should have
been expressed. 1t was the custom
arv edict to subordinates to take
their cue from the White House or
else earn permanent disfavor. Pri-
vately, of course. some OF these
same officials say the labor situa-
ton is terrible and that it is delay
ing production but they dare not
say it out loud.
Only last week the number OF
strikes, slowdowns and disputes re-
ported in various Government agen-
cies and in the press showed a total
of about $500 employees involved.
1t represented an all-time high rec
ord since Pearl Harbor, but evi-
IDENTITY the White House has decided
to camouflage the significance OF
these interruptions.
On the subject Of the 40-hour
week, the President and his lieu
tenants are insisting that 1t isn't
a problem hurting production. Yet
from a Middle Western manufac-
turer who is engaged 100 per cent
in defense work and who has large
number Of employees comes the fol-
lowing letter:
VERY few people realize the bur-
den which is imposed on industry
by overtime rates. We read in the
papers about a company paying an
average rate Of $l00 per hour. How
ever. this same company's overall
hourly rate becomes $1.08 II a six
day week with overtime beyond 40
hours is paid and becomes $1.14 per
hour if seven days are worked and
time and one-half paid for the work
performed on the sixth and seventh
days. Since industries such as ours
are working 100 per cent on war
orders it becomes a burden on the
Government to increase the overall
hourly rate per cent or IA per
cent. I doubt if any one would claim
that more units are produced on the
sixth and seventh days.
I'm companies which are attempt
ing to work four-shift arrange
ment and operating on round-the-
clock basis, it is always necessary
to have some departments on a
two shift or three shift basis, these
departments working overtime when
necessary to round out the produc-
tion schedule.
Creates Dissatisfaction.
''It causes a great amount of dis
satisfaction. among the people who
work on the four shift Arrangement
and are limited to 40 hours per
week to see workers in other de-
partments working 48 hours, or in
some cases 56 hours and receiving
overtime pay. 1t is almost impos-
sible to schedule plant Of any
size without having to do some
overtime work. 1t seems to me this
issue should be clearly presented to
the public
Miss Perkins and others prattle
from time to time about there being
no limitation on the hours Of work
and that any industry is free to
work 48 or Sc or even longer hours
II they pay the overtime penalty.
There is no refuting the statements
of these people; they are just as
true as a statement I might make
about jumping of the Empire State
Building. I would not be hurt until
I hit the ground. Business in turn
is not hurt until it goes broke or
until infia ton arrives and business
goes up the spout along with the
farmers, laborers, doctors, lawyers,
etc"
Information like that would never
get inside the administration be-
cause it happens to come from
some one Of engineering experience
who is actually operating a plant.
And such men are shut of from
contact with the present admins
tration, which maintains a labor
cabinet" and a political cabinet. but
seems never to have thought OF the
idea Of . production cabinet Of ex-
perienced industrial engineers.
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