Evening star., 1945-03-18
Ban on Pay Raises
For Textile Workers
Lifted ConditionaIIy
By the Associated Press.


The War Labor Board last
night conditionally lifted a ban
it had placed against the grant,
ing of wage increases to $4,000
textile workers and, at the same
time, granted a fringe" increase
for higher premium pay for
third-shift workers in five Gen
eral Motors plants.
Setting up system of Guide
posts" to make wage rates between
jobs more equitable in the tex
tile industry, the WLB called on
the companies and unions involved
to continue collective bargaining.
General overall wage compensa-
ton provisions of an order issued
February 20 by the WLB in the
matter were held in abeyance.A
WLB Chairman George W. Tay-
lor, leaving the final decision in
the matter up to other Federal
agencies. said the February orders
provisions become effective upon
a determination by the OPA that
no change in price ceilings is nee
essary or, if price relief is neces-
Esary, upon approval of the director
|of economic stabilization." =
Concerns 81 Disputes.
The board said its original order
provided wage adjustments based
chiefly on correcting substandards
of living. 1t covered disputes in
volving % Southern cotton textile
companies, 25 New England cotton
and rayon companies, and six New
York and Pennsylvania rayon COM
panies.
This provided a 55-cent hourly
minimum rating, a flve-cent hourly
increase in all rates above so cents
an hour to maintain minimum diff
ferentials, premium of five cents
an hour for third-shift work in
Southern cases, and one week vaca-
ton with pay for employees of some
Southern companies.
1T simply doesn't make sense"
Chairman Taylor said, Ito continue
to hamper the production of urg-
emily needed supplies of cotton tex
tiles by continued payment of the
existing substandard minimum
wages and by continued use of
grossly unbalanced wage rate struc-
lures"
Pattern for Entire Industry"
DR.. Taylor asserted the boards
order will form a pattern for the
entire industry" He predicted al
most immediate adoption in the
Northern industry and application
in the South over period of a
year or more.
The wage awards will result DR..
Taylor said, in an average of about
65.5 cents an hour for all employees
in the southern plants directly af-
fected and TBS in the northern
cases.
Industry members said they con-
CURED in yesterdays order because
1t concerned only procedure and
their dissent to the original decision
on the merits still stands.
Labor members said mo sound
reason had been stated for refusing
to grant the unions demand for
60-cent-an-hour minimum wage. We
supported (originaD decision only
because of the necessity for obtain
ing a majority vote of the board"
The Textile Workers Union of
America (CIO) is the bargaining
agent for the employees covered by
the order.
General Motors Case.
In the General Motors case, the
board, with industry members dis
senting, ordered IN per cent diff
ferential for work on the third shift,
or an increase of az per cent over
the existing S per cent differential.
The premium increase is retroactive
to October 5, 1943.
A request of the CIO Electrical
Workers Union for a 17-cent-an-
ilouA SCACIdA wage ulCIcdSc dIlu lOT
monthly cost-of- f-living bonus were
denied as contrary to existing wage
stabilization policy" with labor
members dissenting.
the union is the bargaining agent
for about $1,000 employees in five
plants of the corporation: Frigid-
aire Division and Delco Productions
Division, bath of Dayton. Ohio;
Packard Electric Division, Warren,
Ohio: Eastern Aircraft Division,
Bloomfield, N. j., and Delco Appli-
ance Division. Rochester, N. Y.
The unions request for the check