Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-12
Congress Unit
10 Hear Report
OF GP0 Unrest
Employees Complain
Drop in Print Orders.
Forces Leuve-Tokino
Xxx Alt

A joint congressional commit
tee will meet Tuesday to discuss
reports of unrest among en-
ployes at the Government Print
ing Office over requested leave
taking because of reduced work.
loads.
Public Printer Raymond Blat-
tenberger is expected to attend
the closed meeting Of the Joint
Committee on Printing headed
by Senator Jenner. Republican.
of Indiana.
Representative LeCompte, Re-
publican, of Iowa, vice-chairman
OF the committee, said he has
been approached by some en-
ployeS at GPO who have ex-
pressed concern over future job
prospects there.
II anticipate there will be
some discussion of the unrest at
the Government Printing Office
at the committee meeting" he
said.
both Senator Jenner and Mr.
Blattenberger have been out of
town recently but they are ex-
pected to return in time for the
committee session.
| IN Do~
A 10 per cent reduction in the
work load during the first seven
and a half months of the cur
rent fiscal year as compared to
the same period last year was
reported by a GPO official.
Philip Cole, deputy public
printer. confirmed reports of tn
voluntary leave-taking plan but
said there is no indication that
any more severe measures will
be necessary.
The situation" as reported by
several reliable sources, is that
shrinking orders from Govern
ment agencies for printing work
has caused officials to urge work.
erS to use up their accrued leave.
There are few sections that
have imposed one or two DAYS
OF mandatory leave merely to
balance the complement of
workers with the work-load on
hand" James w. Broderick.
planning manager at the print
ing Office said.
But he stressed that the in
stances where leave-taking has
been other than voluntary have
been very, very few"
MIR. Broderick said 47,9ll or
ders had been placed with the
printing Office by last Tuesday.
For the same period in the pre-
ceding fiscal year 55,491 requi-
sltions were placed.
A source close to the Joint
committee said committee mem
bers have been made aware of
the unrest at GPO and said it
would undoubtedly be a topic Of
conversation at the Tuesday
session.
Commercial Work.
The committee source said
some compliments have ex-
pressed the belief that consider
ably more work is being "farmed
out to commercial plants by
the GPO than ever before.
/ However. both Mr.. Cole and
Mr.. Broderick declared that as
the work orders given the print
ing Office have decreased. the
volume of work farmed out has
decreased correspondingly. Mel
Their official could furnish figures
to show this trend.
/ THE situation as of TODAY
is that we are still getting more
work orders than can be filled
IN the Office" Mr.. Broderick
said. Much of this work falls
into the speciality category which
we are not equipped to handle.
mat is primarily the work that
is farmed out"
we don't anticipate any re-
duction in force or any layoffs
OF any kind that would be sig
nlficant," he added.
employment at the printing
Office has held steadily at around
1000 workers for a number of
years, he said.
Inc committee source said
much of the shrinkage in the
volume of work being sent to the
GPO could be accounted for bv
the economy minded" nature
OF the present administration.
II agencies are voted less
funds than they want. they
could be expected to seek ways
OF saving money. The cost of
printing publications and other
agency materials would un.
doubtedly be considered a fruit
full field for penny-pinching, he
said.
Officials at the GPO could not
furnish figures to indicate which
agencies have fallen below their
job orders of last year. But MIR.
Broderick said the military serv-
ices have reduced their expendi-
lures for printed matter con-
Siderably. He said congressional
work is holding at about the
same level as last year.
He said the printing Office has
been getting a little more than
300 acquisitions a day.