Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-24
Minimum Wage Issue
In Air as Eisenhower
Prepares Message

OY S0USo - . tNSWtUU
President Eisenhower will. ask
Congress this week to bring sew
eral million additional workers
under the coverage Of the Fed
. eral wage-hour law. but whether
hes will ask an increase in the
minimum wage was Still an UNI
decided issue last night.
The President will include the
wage-hour recommendations in
his economic message to Con-
, greSS Thursday. But just what
the recommendations should be
has been the cause of great de-
bate among administration ad-
{ wiser and officials. And they are
still arguing the point.
In fact. the minimum wage
+ question has become a "hot po-
tato" for the administration.
Commerce Department officials,
rejecting the view of business
and industry, argue that the
law should remain unchanged.
Other officials. who do not re-
fleet the viewpoints of either
business or labor, are sorry the
problem was raised.
But the administration is
committed to seek liberalization
of the law-known officially as
the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Pledge to CLIO Cited.
Secretary of Labor Mitchell
told the CLIO convention In No
vember that the administration
not only would ask Congress to
extend the coverage of the law
to additional workers. but also
would seek to raise the wage
floor" Mr.. Mitchell indicated
strongly that the White House
had approved what he said.
Mr.. Mitchell repeatedly would
like to see the statutory mini
mum wage raised to at least 80
cents from the present IS. This
would reflect increases in living
costs and workers productivity
which have taken place since
the law was last liberalized in
1949.
The secretary also would like
to see the coverage extended to
most of the 100000 workers
now engaged in interstate enter
prises who are exempt from the
law which provides for the 40
hour week and the 75-cent
minimum. OF the 81 million
persons now employed in the
country only about 20 million
are covered by the law.
But Mr.. Mitchell has met with
considerable opposition, not only
from commerce but elsewhere.
AT least one Of the Presidents
economic advisers, for example,
is not convinced that it would be
in the best interests of the coun-
try to have the minimum raised.
In time of recession or depres-
sion, it is argued, higher wage
floor might become q milestone
around the neckS of some indus
tries and do more harm than
good.
Pressure Is Expected.
The Presidents congressional
advisers also take dim view of
the chances of getting any i'm
provementS this session in the
minimum wage law. In any
event. they argue that the adj
miniStfation certainly can't
push through both Mitchell OBJ
jectives-the higher wage and
larger coverage.
They point out that once the
law is opened to amendment the
pressure is automatically on
from various industries for ex-
emption. And Republican lead
erS on both the Senate and
House Labor Committees have
warned that if the minimum
wage is raised above IS cents.
the chances are the coverage
would be narrowed before the
bill got through Congress.
Leaders on the two commit
tees believe they will have their
hands full pushing through the
changes in the Taft-Hartley Act
requested by the President.
One suggestion under consid-
Grafton is that Congress be asked
to bring some S million addition
al workers under the law, and
also make it possible for the
minimum wage to be raised above
rs cents through action Of indus