Evening star., 1943-08-04
DC. Manpower Office
Ready 10 Crack Down
On Labor Pirating
Burns Issues Warning
On Violation by Firms
Or individual Workers

District area manpower .ofYicials
today were preparing to crack down
for the first time on employers and
workers guilty of violating employ
ment stabilization regulations.
A warning that regulations will
be strictly enforced in the future,
to halt labor -pirating by employers
and job shopping by essential war
workers, was issued yesterday after
noon by James B. Burns, chairman
Of the Area Labor
Committee. Mr.. Burns said viola
tions Of the job sterilization plar,
will no longer be excused on
plea OF ignorance by offending
companies or workers"
Future violations, he said, will
be followed by prompt application
of the sanctions and penalties pro-
vided to enforce compliance"
Penalties Severe.
MIR. Burns pointed out that willful
violators are subject to a fine of up
to 81 900, Imprisonment for a maxi
mum period of one year. or both.
He added that the United States
Employment Service will be in
structed to grant statements of
availability freely to employees of
any companies found to be engaged
in labor pirating. Under this pro-
cedure, employees OF the offending
company who would not, otherwise
be entitled to releases would be
granted certificates enabling them
to go to work for other war employ
ers. Mr. Burns said.
Pointing out that up to this time
no attempt has been made to in
yoke the sanctions and penalties pro-
vided for enforcement of the stabili-
zation plan, the Area Management
Labor Committee chairman said
that compliance with regulations on
the whole has been good and that
most of the violations reported have
not been deliberate.
He declared, however. that in re
cent weeks. there has been a tend
ency for violations to increase, espe-
cialy in the locally needed activi-
ties"
Leave without Releases.
Workers in locally needed activi-
Ties (such as laundries, hotels, res
taurants, etc. have quit and gone
to work for other employers without
first obtaining statement of avail
ability authorizing their release"
Mr.. Burns said.
Employers in essential or locally
needed activities have hired them
without regard to the provisions of
the area employment stabilization
plan, which prohibits their soliciting
or hiring workers from other essen
tial or locally needed activities I'M
less the workers have statements of
availability.
1T Is our intention to act vigor-
ously to halt these practices"
Mr.. Burns pointed out that
the district stabilization plan was
amended recently to require all en-
ployers to obtain a record OF pre-
yious employment from all workers
last employed in nonessential work.
This supplements the original pro-
visions Of the plan which require
employers to obtain certificates of
availability from those last en-
gagged In essential work.
Il am informed Mr.. Burns said.
that all future complaints OF viola
tions will be handled by the area
director on the assumption that all
employers and workers in the area
are familiar with the plans pro-
visions which forbid job pirating
and the movement of workers
within or out of essential or locally
needed activities without state
ments of availability
Previously area manpower officials
have followed = policy Of effecting
compliance through education and
persuasion" he said.