Evening star., 1947-05-14
Legislation Will Aid
Economic Stability,
President Declares
(Tert OF Presidents message
on Page A.
By Joseph A. Fox

President Truman TO-DAY signed
the controversial portal pay
curb bin 'in the interest of the
economic stability of our Ma
tion."
Declaring his belief that the meas
ure, denounced by the AFL and the
CIO as weakening the Wage-Hour
Act, was not designed to permit vio-
lation or lowering OF fundamental
wage and hour standards, the Presi-
dent said the legislation would re-
lieve employers and the Government
of potential liability for billions OF
dollars in so-called portal-to-portal
claims" covering back pay.
In an unusual message to Con-
gress explaining his reasons for
signing the act, Mr.. Truman also
renewed his request that the mini
mum wage in the Fair Labor
Standards Act be raised from 40 to
65 cents hourly.
Bulk Of Claims 0utlawed.
The legislation, first of Importance
to reach the President from the Re
publican controlled Congress, will
outlaw the bulk of court claims once
mounting to more than $4,000. .000,-
900, which workers have sought to
collect for nonproductive time spent
under the control of their employers.
These claims, the president said,
"raise the possibility that employers
might be required to pay back wages
for certain activities which in most
industries have not previously been
considered by either workers or en-
ployers to be compensate. / believe
that, in the interest of the economic
stability of our Nation, it is essential
to clarity this matter by statute.
1.-THE Partal-to-Portal Act should
end this uncertainty with respect to
claims of still undetermined magni-
tude. Current wage negotiations can
proceed more readily to a salts
factory conclusion. and businessmen
will be able to plan with assurance
for full production and price reduc-
ton. This will be OF real value to
labor and management in the main
tenance of continued high level OF
employment"
II am aware that this act intro
duces new and possibly ambiguous
language, the effects of which can
be accurately measured only after
Interpretation by the courts" the
President said. rs
II have therefore instructed the
Secretary of Labor to keep me cur
rently informed as to the effects Of
this act upon the preservation of
wage and hour standards. If those
effects prove to be detrimental to
the maintenance, of fair labor
standards for our workers I shall
request the Congress to take prompt
remedial action"
40 Cents Declared Inadequate.
Reverting to his previous requests
for raising the minimum wage stand
ard in the Wage-Hour Act, the Pres
ident said:
"It has become increasingly evi-
dent that the minimum wage of
40 cents an hour established by
that act is far from adequate to
meet the standards of living en-
visioned by the law when it was
enacted in 1885,"
The portal pay bill was passed
by Congress as the outgrowth of
wage suits aggregating more than
$4,000, 100000 after the Supreme
Court had upheld the right of work
ers employed by the Mount Gle
ments Pottery Co to collect for So
called walking time"-that is the
time required in preparing them
selves for work.
In it's decision. however, the court
said inconsequential periods of time
so spent need not be compensated
&C.. TApOp pnCo 10y