Evening star., 1942-06-02
Overtime Paw
Held Preferred
By Roosevelt
u. S. Worker Bonus
Fovored by Some
House Members

to the bill to grant "white-collar
Government workers time -and-one-
half pay after 40 hours, William H
McReynolds, executive assistant to
the President, told the House Civil
Service Committee today as hearings
started on wartime pay legislation.
MIR. McReynolds added that the
President definitely" prefers the
overtime bill to the proposal of
unions to give every worker fiat
$500 annual bonus, but 1t became
quickly evident that there is strong
congressional sentiment for the lat
ter measure, several members OF the
House voicing unqualified indorse-
ment.
A vigorous plea for the overtime
bill was made by Arthur S. Flem-
ming, member of the Civil Service
Commission, who described the
measure as providing simple jus
tice" and said it would help the
commission meet q serious man.
azement problem" created by the
personnel turnover here and in the
field.
Nearly three-fourths Of the place
nnents to be made here In the cur
rent fiscal year will be necessitated
by vacancies created by employees
leaving, he said.
$4,000 New Positions.
Were securing the country to get
people to come to Washington and
then they stay for while and are
gone and we've got the job to do
over again." Mr.. Flemming said.
The commission expects to have
10 make $4,000 placements here in
the next fiscal year, of which $4,000
would be for new positions and the
remainder to fill vacancies, he
added. That would bring total en-
ployment here above the 300, 900
mark
The overtime bill provides that the
executive agencies may fix their
work week at 48 hours and Mr..
Flemming was asked by Chairman
Ramspeck of the Civil Service Com
mittee If he knew whether the ad-
ministration contemplated universal
establishment of the long work week
In order to cut down on the num-
ber of employees being brought here.
The witness said he knew OF no
such plan, but that he believed there
would be a tendency in the agencies
to lengthen the work week, and that
tn of vHlnynS
in some instance. Where that was
done he expressed the opinion that
the commission and the Budget Bu-
reau would move in" and transfer
workers to more important war jobs.
Cost Put at Ill Millions.
THAT is the only kind of a policy
that makes good sense" he contin-
ued. Mr.. Flemming explained that
under the Presidents February Or
der directing the transfer of workers
from non-war to war employment,
more than $4,000 shifts had been
made.
But we've still got long way to
&c 10 put the Government on real
wartime basis by making the most
intelligent use of our manpower," he
concluded.
Mr.. Flemming said it had been
estimated that the overtime bill
would cost approximately $l7l ,000,-
900 annually. That is the first esti-
mate of cost that has been made
since the measure was sent to Con-
greSs with administration backing
several weeks ago.
Generally agencies now are work.
ing A hours. In the War and Navy
Departments, the 48-hour week has
long been in force.
Large Crowd at Hearing.
At the outset of the hearings
which attracted a large crowd to
the Civil Service Committee room,
Mr.. McReynolds testified that the
overtime bill which applies to per
annum employees and certain other
groups paid on per diem, hourly
or piece work basis, was decided on
after very careful study had been
given to the way in which we could
supplement the salaries of those in
the lower grades in comparison with
their work, without conflicting with
the anti-inf1ation program of the
administration"
Responding to question by Rep
resentative Stratton, Republican, OF
Illinois, he said the SO 800 limit had
been applied to the total amount a
worker could receive. Including
both base pay and overtime, because
that level generally speaking repre-
sented the dividing line between ad-
ministrative officials and subor-
dinate employees.
Mr.. McReynolds told the COM
mittee that there is urgent need
also for the bill to raise the pay of
custodial employees which is now on
the House calendar. and Mr.. RAM
speck said he had been promised
hearing by the Rules Committee to
which he has applied for rule to
take it up in the House.
You just can't get custodial
workers and if you do get them they
leave" Mr.. McReynolds said.
That measure, which would fix a
minimum custodial wage of 1900,
ran into a snag in the House be-
cause it also contains provision for
revising pay scales in top brackets.
Representative Moser, Democrat, of
Pennsylvania, inquired as to the
feasibility of eliminating that fea-
ture, but Mr.. McReynolds said it
actually is tremendously needed to
give a wider range OF salaries in
entrance grades to facilitate the
employment of executives.
Both Mr.. McReynolds and Mr..
Flemming emphasized the inequities
of the present situation under which
approximately half of the Govern
ment employees get overtime pay,
and the other half-often doing the
same kind of work-get none.
Union Leaders to Testify.
Representative Mas, Republican
OF Minnesota, one of the congress
sional advocates of the bonus bill,
said, "The cost of living already is
rising way out of proportion to Fed
eral salaries-particularly in the
lower brackets" and that the legis-
lation was an attempt to apply an