Evening star., 1943-02-11

s,Cered-Page A-20)
Exemption from President
Roosevelt's 48-hour minimum
work week order of many estab-
llshments where compliance
would not tend to relieve labor
shortages was indicated today as
the War Manpower Commission
made it plain that the aim of the
program is to free more workers
for war production and essential
jobs.
The VINO said specifically that
stores or Offices now working less
than 48 hours should increase their
work week to 48 hours only if going
to 48 hours would result in more
effective use of employees or if it
would avert employment of addi-
tional employees
The purpose of the order is to
release workers for war and essen
tial Jobs" the VINO added in a state
ment attempting to clear up many
OF the questions that arose in the
wake of announcement of the order
Tuesday night and its mandatory
application to Washington and 81
other specified labor shortage areas.
Mere increase of hours that will
not result in this was not intended"
the statement said.
VINO to Review Cases.
Reafilrming that the order applies
10 newspapers and retail stores in
the areas specified, the VINO again
stressed this point, saying:
1T should be emphasized that
the purpose of the order Is to
economic on manpower, and not
to increase the hours of work where
1t will not contribute to the war"
Apparently. however, employers
Will not be permitted to make the
final decision for themselves as to
whether or not they must comply
with the order. They have been
given until March 81 either to put
the 48-hour week into effect with
out discharging any workers or
submit their cases for review by
the VINO.
Where an employer considers It
impossible" to institute the 4S-
hour week, the VINO said, the COM
mission will investigate and make
such exceptions or exemptions 50
as to make the fullest possible con-
tribution to the war"
designations Predicted. -.
The VINO also made it clear that
overtime pay for work in excess of
40 hours, weekly will not be required
for workers who are not covered by
the wage and hour law or labor
contracts.
The act requiring time-and-a-half
pay for overtime after 40 hours 4
week specifically exempts from it's
provisions such groups as domestic
servants, employees of retail or serv-
Ice establishments whose selling or
servicing is all or mostly within a
State rather than interstate, and
agricultural workers and professors
OF agricultural commodities lin the
area OF production"
While the employer cannot be
compelled to pay more for longer
week in the cases of such workers.
the VINO predicted that many of
them would quit for jobs that do
pay overtime.
1t was pointed out, however. that
employers with a worker or workers
not covered by time and half
overtime clause or agreements still
must go on 48-hour schedule by
March 81 unless they convince local
VINO officials this would have no
practical value. Pay arrangements
IN such cases will be a matter for
settlement between employe and
employer. u
McNutt Foresees Extension.
Meanwhile, VINO Chairman Paul
V. McNutt indicated in a press con-
ference at Chicago last night that
mandatory application of the A.
hour week order soon may be ex-
tended to many regions in addition
to the 80 areas where 1t is applied
initially, but he declined to predict
where these might be. =
Acute labor shortages have al
ready occurred in 80 important labor
market areas he said. Similar
shortages are anticipated in many
other areas in the near future"
In an address later before the
American Management Association,
Mr.. McNutt disclosed that the VINO
will set up Bureau of Manpower
Utilization to help management and
labor increase the effectiveness Of
the Nations workers. Bureau rep
resentatives, he said, will 60 to
plants, Offices and farms to set UP
overall programs for manpower
utilization based on studies of per-
sonnel methods, absenteeism, labor
turnover, job performance and
other phases.
Industry-wide Basis.
Neither the VINO nor Mr.. Nc.
Mutt gave any exact estimate OF the
number of workers the order would
add to the labor force. Mr.. McNutt
said, however, it would be equivalent
to adding tens of thousands" IL
The VINO also decreed that the
order voidS, in the 80 affected areas.
any labor contract which provides
for a work week shorter than 48
hours. 10
State and local governments were
urged to adopt the 48-hour week
where legally possible, and the VINO
indicated the order might be applied
IN the case of few industries" on
an lndustry-wide. rather than area
basis to prevent plants in excluded
areas from gaining competitive ad-
vantages in labor costs
Although the order is not now
eSee 46-HOUR WEEK, Page A-4J