Evening star., 1943-05-14
GP0 Employees Ask
Congress 10 Raise
Their Basic Pay
High-Livine Costs Here
One Of Three Reasons
Given for Request

Spokesman for 5000 employees of
the Government Printing Office
went before the Joint Congressional
Committee on Printing today with
4 plea for a basic wage increase,
contending it is justified by the
high cost of living here, increased
efficiency at the Printing Office and
a long period of time since the last
adjustment.
The employees appealed their case
to the committee last October, and
their spokesmen contend the COM
mittee has authority to order an in
crease, either under the Kiess Act or
under the authority of the War
Labor Board.
John B. Haggerty Of the Interna-
tional Allied Printing Trades Asso-
citation; N. P. Alias. International
Association of Machinists, and John
j. McCurry, International Brother
hood of Electrical Workers, were
selected by President William Green
of the American Federation of
Labor to aid the printing Office en-
ployes, and the employees also desig-
mated these three to presenent them
at the nearing today.
Is Per Cent Increase Suggested.
Mr.. Alifas told the committee it
would be justified in granting at
least the IS per cent increase in the
War Labor Boards little steel
formula, which covered the increased
cost of living between January, l941,
and May. 1912. There had been no
basic wage increases at the printing
Office for a long time prior to jan
uary, l94l, he pointed out.
Mr.. McCurry said that on the
basis of Labor Department statis-
tics the cost of living here has in
creased 23.7 per cent since the last
oaslc wage adjustment in July, 1885,
but argued that is still an under
estimate because it fails to reflect
the higher costs incurred by reason
OF the scarcity of many basic items,
making necessary the substitution
OF more expensive commodities. Ac-
cordlng to Mr.. McCurry, only one of
the 33 cities on which the Labor
departments index is based was
higher than Washington.
That is San Francisco, and the
dlfference is only one-tenth of l Der
cent, said the witness. In onlv one
other city is the cost of living equal
10 washington, and in 80 cities the
cost OF living is less. Based upon an
index Of 100 for WASHINGTON. the
average cost of living for all 33 large
cities is 95.8 per cent"
Recent Law Has No Bearing.
Mr.. Alias testified that the war
period overtime pay increase law re-
Gently enacted primarily for per an
mum Government workers appears
to have little or no bearing on the
pending case.
He pointed out the Government !
has two ways Of fixing its pay scales: |
l, by the Redistribution act for de- |
partmental employees; 2, by wage
boards for mechanical groups, paid |
at per diem or hourly rates. The |
Printing Office is made up largely
of employees in the wage board cate
CORY.
Classified employees may have their
basic wage increased by automatic
promotions, Mr. Alias said, and
their overtime is fixed until 1945
by the recent law. The overtime
compensation of Wage Board en-
ployes is governed by older laws,
principally by an act passed in 1884.
Giegengack's Plan Criticized.
c. M. Baker. president of the In
ternational typographical Union,
criticized what he termed the
archaic" piecework system, which
he said was put forward by Public
Printer A. E. Giegengack in lieu of
a counter proposal TO the employees
wage adjustment petition MI Baker
also contended that when the public /.
printer made wage comparisons he |.
selected cities that are not COM
parable printing centers.
The committee also was told by /.
Mr.. Baker that few days ago War /
Labor Board referee recommended !
the Is per cent Little Steel increase
be granted commercial printers in
New York, and that shops in that .
city are doing some of the overflow .
OF Government printing
Senator Hayden, Democrat. of |
Arizona conducted the hearing. as
chairman of the Joint Committee. /