Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-11
|WMC Outlines Plans
For Gradual Easing
OF Labor Controls
By MIRIAM GUTENBERG.

BY MIRIAM OTTENBERG.
Outlining plans to keep war
plants stated and at the same
time, meet unemployment caused
through cutbacks, the War Man.
power Commission today an
nounced gradual relaxation of
manpower controls in all areas
except those where labor con-
tinues to be scarce.
Although WINGS post-V-E day
program permits some workers to
go back to their prewar job-seeking
habits, Manpower Chief McNutt said
general relaxation of controls over
workers must await Japan's defeat.
WINGS plan calls for a transit
ton period between now and July /,
during which surplus labor areas
may lift all manpoWer controls, but
both employers and workers will
continue to be restricted in areas
with an acute or anticipated labor
shortage.
Will Adjust Ceilings.
During this period, however, If
unemployment crops up in the So
called tight" labor areas, workers
will be permitted to accept any job,
and employment ceilings will be ad-
justed or temporarily lifted to give
employers chance to hire more
unemployed workers.
Since Washington long has been
classed as a tight" labor area, it
is not expected that any controls
will be relaxed here at least until
July l.
After July l, however, all areas
will be reclassified along this line,
VINO announced:
Group AREAS in which labor
stringency exists for meeting war
production requirements. In these
areas, all manpower controls will be
continued These controls include
the 48-hour week, certificates of
availability, employment ceilings
and priority referral. VINO pre-
dicted that within three months
there will be a sharp drop in the
number of Group I areas.
Group II-Areas in which labor
supply and demand are balanced.
Manpower controls will be optional
with area directors, but they may
decide to hold onto the statement of
availability program In these areas,
the 48-hour week will be continued
only If it is deemed necessary to
assure a sufficient labor supply.
May Shift Contracts.
Groups III and IV-Areas in which
manpoWer controls will be complete
ly eliminated VINO said an effort
would be made to place war con-
tracts in these areas and encourage
civilian production to supply more
jobs.
The 48-hour week will be revoked
in the steel industry to make steel
plants subject to the same work
week as other plants in the areas
in which they are located, but the
long work week will be continued
on an industry-wide basis as long
as it is required to meet labor short
ages in textiles, logging, numbering
and nonferrous metal mining.
Mr.. McNutt said plans now are
being worked out to clear the way
for plants employing 100 or less
workers to resume or expand civilian
production and similar plan is be-
ing developed for larger plants in
surplus labor areas. After July /,
he said, there will De some relaxa-
ton of manpoWer checks on new
and expanded civilian production.
VINO representatives, heretofore,
have had the last word-subject to
ing civilian production to resume in
any locality in line with WPB S
spot reconverSion plan.
Mr.. McNutt said, however, that
VINO will continue to review all
applications involving increases in
civilian production except for small
firms in all areas and large Arms
in the surplus labor areas.
The VINO chief echoed War
Mobilization Director Wilson's pre-
diction earlier this week that I'M
employment at the end of the next
II months will not be greater than
100000. Mr. McNutt predicted
that reconversion and expansion
will provide jobs for most workers
who lose their jobs through cut
backs. He envisioned some un-
employment during the next three
months followed by a tightening
of the labor market as reconversion
gets under way.
To meet threatened unemploy-
ment, Mr.. McNutt said VINO is in
shutting program Immediately
for the United States Employment
Service not only to provide workers
for less essential plants, but actu-
ally to solicit orders from employers
so that periods of unemployment
will be shortened.
VINO also promised to develop
programs to discourage aimless mi
grafton in search of jobs, to work
with procurement agencies on al
locating contracts to distressed"
areas and to expand its interarea
recruitment to absorb workers from
surplus labor areas.
NLI