Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-02-12
48-Hr. Week
In Reality Is
Wage Boost
2 Lille Words Byrnes'
Spoke Explain Order
BY PAUL MALLON

BY PAUL MALLON
WASHINGTON, Feb. Nm.
w Byrnes did not tell the
whole story of President Roose-
velt's 48-hour work week decree.
The notwithstanding and head
line reading public got from him
the picture that the government
was cracking down on the
unions AT long last. increasing
the work week to promote war
production and solve the alsn-
- =. '-..i;;uAtion.
The way he told il, this gov
eminent is determined TO pres
vent further wage increases
beyond the little steel formula.
and is equally dead-set against
price increases.
MINE little words in Mr..
ANByrnes' speech told a differ
ent story than the. other 1900
| he spoke. These words were
that the 4S-hour week was being
ordered without affecting the
workers existing right to over
time pay"
Say the worker was getting
81 an hour on the old 40-hour
week for wage Of $40. For the
additional eight hours now, he
will not receive So more, but
S12.
The union contracts all re-
quire at least time and a half
overtime and the additional
eight hours are to be paid at
that rate. This is a wage in
crease of 30 per cent on the
weekly rate and actually an
other eight per cent increase on
the hourly rate of the week rs
whole.
| INSTEAD Of being an anti-in-
Il fiationary strengthening of the
union wages ceiling. therefore,
the move inwardly provides an
other eight per cent increase in
the rate and promotes initiation
TO that extent.
Even so this might look like
only typical Roosevelt move to
thwart the Lewis-Murray cam
paign 10 break up the govern
ment little steel" formula and
hold the union increases down
TO 3 per cent while getting an
other days work out of the men.
BY cloaking the new wage in
crease in the garb of a man
power and anti-inflation decree,
Messrs. Roosevelt and Byrnes
may have gained the tactical
personal political advantage Of
thwarting the union drive-with
labor approval.
THE truth is the cost of the
IL increased wages will not
come from industry, but from
the taxpayer, whose approval is
never sought. Most factory work
now is being done for the gov
eminent, and paid for. by the
people in taxes.
AS the war production outlay
Is 100000, 600, 900 a year. the
cost OF this wage increase may
be several billions a year to the
treasury Of the United States.
Labor costs go into calculat-
ing prices (most war contracts
are on a cost plus basis anyway
so industry has little to lose. To
Whatever heights union wages
are run up, the government will
have to pay most of the bill in
the price of tanks, machine guns
and weapons of war.
Naturally, however, industry
prefers this covert method of y
wage increase over the Lewis
Murray proposals to boost the
hourly rate directly.
! E'VEN so, you may glance
~ hastily at the proposition
and view ii as fair enough in the
lace OF rising costs of living.
But from the standpoint of fair
ness, the most vital factors were
omitted by Mr.. Byrnes.
When the unions got the 40
hour week some years ago, they
insisted IL should not be accom-
panied by a decrease in paw. III
they worked as hours before the
new law, they wanted az hours
pay for 40 hours. So they re-
ceived pay increase, in effect,
when the work week was cut,
and now they are getting an
other wage increase when it is
restored.
Also, the great bulk OF the
workers of the country are not
in the unions, but pay taxes as
clerks and white collar workers.
Their taxes to the treasury will
pay the increased union wages
and their benefits are nil unless
they have a contract calling for
time and half for overtime.
IF TIE government intends 10
Il extend its decree 10 them
and require the small business
man to increase his wage costs.
tho government will pror,ota A.,