The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1951-02-15

Board Chips Away
Some More AT
The Wage Freeze

| washington (LPA) - The nine
man Wage Sterilization BoarC
Clipped away some more at the ma.
tional wage ''freeze" in regula
tion issued Feb. 2, but the capita
was still waiting for the oyeral
"catch-up" formula the board has
been sweating over.
The new regulation authorized
merit and length-of-s service wage
increases provided they conform
to a union contract in effect or
Jan. 25--or to normal company
practice in the year 1850 in the
absence of a union agreement. Such
raises were barred under the ori-
ginal freeze order.
Board members emphasized the
regulation didn't authorize gener-
al pay hikes. Promotions, merit in
creases and the like can be paid
only within existing wage struc-
lures, they said, and the wage
structures can't be altered. They
explained the regulation would al
low normal day-to-day adjustments
prohibited by the freeze. Such ad-
justments would include shifting
workers from day work to pre-
MUM night work and paying in
centive bonuses.
The three labor members of the
board dissented on one point. They
wanted provision giving "collec-
tive bargaining agents" the right
to inspect all records of wage ad-
justments. Public and management
members thought the question
should be left open until the board
establishes permanent overall po-
licy. Labor members are Harry c..
Bates, president of the Bricklayers-
AFL; Emil Rieve, president of the
Textile Workers-CIO; and Elmer
Walker, vice-president of the Ma
enthusiastically
Employers are specifically bar
red from using merit raises grant
ed under the new regulation as a
basis for requesting price increases
or resisting price reductions. By
the same reasoning, employers
aren't expected to enlarge their
total wage bills in the absence of
actual expansion.
Employers are not authorized to
grant phony promotions in order
to compete unfairly in tight labor
market. In addition, new employees
must be hired at the regular wage
rate for the job, or for the min
imum rate if there is a rate
range"
Much of the Wage StabilizationI
Boards sweating" about an over
all "catch-up" formula for en-
ployes who haven't had a post
Korean boost was over the percent
age wages should be allowed to in
crease. The labor members didn't
think money for pensions and other
fringe" benefits should be includ- |
ed in any percentage raise, espec-
Ially if the amount were only theI
10 percent which has been talked
about. Industry members werel
said to be pressing for no more
than 5 to percent, with pensionl
money included.)
In this connection, the United
Labor Policy Committee met with
Economic Stabilizer Eric JohnstonI
% protest against inequities in the
price field. Among those present |
we're President William Green of |
he AFL and President Philip Muir
ray of the CIO. Both the Wage /
Stabilization Board, headed byl
Cyrus S. Ching, and the Office of
Price Sterilization, headed byI
Michael Disable, are under Johns
on, whose meeting with the labor
eaders was described as stormy.
Meanwhile, baseball fans We're
,eing regaled with speculation
lbout whether the pay of profess
onal ballplayers was or wasn't
rozen. Finally couple of wageH
BOARD spokesmen decided baseball 4
,ay was firmly iced for the pre-
ent, at least, but might be melted H
bit before opening day. Profess Il
onal fees aren't frozen, the experts
but ballplayers work for
wages or salaries, not for fees. In
ther words, a Ted Williams ($125,- H
90 a year,, Phil Rizzuto (S40, ,0O0), II
r Jackie Robinson ($36,O00) is in
he same position as a doctor who's Il
n company payroll. The pay of III
uch a doctor is frozen as of now
ut a doctor in general practice
an charge what fees he wishes.
Minimum wage for major-lea-
uers is $4,000. Minor-league paylI|
ms much lower ! iii