Show Hour 48 Week Ordered In h 3 32 5 2 Areas With Critical labor Problem Ruling Freezes Essential Workers Forces Farmers Back to Land landi Overtime Rights Protected WASHINGTON Feb 10 UP The UP-The The administration has ordered ordered or or- ordered dered a minimum hour 48 work week for all empl employment in 32 critical areas and proposes further to solve the man power problem lem by freezing essential workers in their jobs and by forcing former agricultural labor to return return return re re- re- re r turn to the farms Agricultural workers who fled I to the factories should be given I the choice said Economic Stabilization i ration Director James F. F Byrnes of f returning to the farm or going into the armed services services services-at at less pay either way And he said those on the farms should stay there Byrnes revealed also in a radio address Tuesday night that the war department was considering the practicability of using army men on the farms by issue of peak season furloughs But he said no plan had been agreed upon Ordered by President The hour 48 work week ordered ordered ordered or or- dered into effect In 32 areas was est established by Mr rr Roosevelt as a a. national policy It was left to Chairman Paul V. V McNutt of theman the theman theman man power commission to decide how widely it should prevail He named the 32 critical area The work-week work order protected all time and one-half one overtime pay rights of ot labor under contract or r runder under the wage-hour wage act Deputy War Man Power Chairman Chairman Chair Chair- man nian Fowler W. W Harper said war industries now were working an n average of hour week and that if all persons working over 30 and under 48 hours were moved up to the e higher figure there would be bean ben bean an n additional workers re released released released re- re leased for the war effort He said the hour 48 order would apply in designated areas to all employment even where an n enterprise enterprise enter enter- prise prize emp employed oyed only one person He thought employers would have to report to the war man power commission the number of hours each worked weekly And he pointed out that current production production pro pro- schedules called for the addition of persons to the nations nation's labor force this year No Wage Assurance No assurance could be given he lie explained that in changing jobs as employers adjust to the 48 hour week workers will receive the same wages they now receive But the commission will make an effort to place a worker in a job with witti wages as nearly as possible approximating those he now ow re re- re- re If the order produces a a. labor surplus in any given area the commission commission commission com com- mission hopes hopes' to place men thus released on farms in ear-by ear areas The commission under commission under which the selective service system operates operates- also will encourage former farm workers to leave their factory jobs and return to the farms Harper said Revelation of this far re reaching tar hing program to deal with man power problems was accompanied by some evidence that enforcement plans are not complete and that officials officials of of- are uncertain both as to how far they desire to go or can cango cango cango go without legislation in establishing establish establish- ing a hour 48 week for all aU employment employment em em- lent Nationally or regionally 1 May ay Be Confusion If any confusion does exist re regarding regarding regarding re- re garding the precise scope of ot the program and intention of the administration administration administration ad ad- ministration it probably Is attributable attributable attrib attrib- to the fact that the program program program pro pro- gram was revealed in parts and sections and more or less independently independently inde lade by three different Individuals individuals Indi indi- and explained separately by two of them Immediate congressional reaction ti tion nto to the hour 48 work week program program program pro pro- gram generally was favorable But whether It and other man power proposals will ease pressure for labor draft-labor legislation will depend largely on their effectiveness and the completeness of enforcement There were some demands too for fort t revision vision of the wage-hours wage act to tomake tomake make overtime payments start I after 48 hours The program was made public in three pro pronouncements a presidential presidential presidential executive order a a. directive by Chairman Paul aul V. V McNutt putting putting put put- ting the hour 48 work week Into effect in the 32 areas and a radio address by Byrnes who explained the objectives of the e order and man mart manpower manpower power wage and inflation anti-inflation Continued on Page Pase Two Column Two U. U I ru u. u S. S Orders Hour 48 Work Week With Provision For Overtime Pay in 32 Critical Areas I Continued from Page On policies generally In the absence of McNutt Deputy Chairman Harper explained the commissions commission's plans plan S Objectives of the new man pow power r policies however were firmly stated To enable industry ind and agriculture to obtain workers for essential production without compelling com corn palling the war and navy departments departments departments depart depart- ments to curtail their plans for men and women in the armed services Byrnes took some of the compulsory com com- flavor out of the program by iy a minute last-minute and unannounced change hange of a single word in his Broadcast For the word compel in n his bis distributed text he substituted the word Induce in the paragraph in his speech In which he ic announced t that hat Is t President Roosevelt had signed the hour 48 order Many war industries h he said are already working 48 hours or more a week but the order will induce compel other industries to o go on a minimum hour 48 wee week wherever f feasible He explained that the war eft effort rt cannot annot be effective without a high degree of regimentation in our civilian as well as our military life ife but was confident that it largely could be self seif tion lon If that fans fails Byrnes evid evidently evident evident- nt- nt ly y is willing to go for compulsion Unfair to Troops When we men and youths into the armed services at a year year he said we cannot let et other men and women work here they please w when Ii h e n they pleas oi leas or or allow them or persuade them hem to jump from froth one job or r business to another because it pays more mores moreNo No business m min man n no farmer and no worker has a right to look upon this his war as an opportunity for tor or personal profit 4 Ill In the future workers may be guided to employment where they are most urgently needed In th the future they must not leave essential essential essen essen- employment whether in the factory or on the farm w without goo cause Last year many workers upon t farms arms and in dairies w went nt to industrial industrial indus- indus trial rial plants to get higher r wages They were splendid farm arm workers they are indifferent mechanics s As we have haYe urged men to volunteer tot toi military s service we should urge these hese men to return to the farms where they are needed even if the compensation is less If they re refuse refuse refuse re- re fuse to g go their draft deferments should be canceled If some men can be drafted and sent abroad at 50 pert per month e every ery civilian cillIan must go where he can render the gr greatest service even If it means less Byrnes' Byrnes speeches do not Oot have havethe havethe havethe the force force- 9 of la W lw but his idea ideas that workers be put t o or they are n needed eded an ana 1 that every civilian must go wh where re he can do the greatest good are not basically different from the plans of those thos who propose to draft men and women for war and nd farm work His radio address proved to bethe be bethe bethe the mos most far far reaching of the three man power pronouncements Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tues Tues- day night The others were One The One The executive order making makIng making mak mak- ing McNutt responsible for for- administering administering administering ad ad- ministering a national policy that no of ot employment shall be deemed to be making the most effective utilization of ot Its man manpower manpower manpower power if the maximum worl work week is less than 48 hours Two Two Two-McNutt's McNutt's directive making making making mak mak- ing the 48 hour 48 our order effective for all employment in 32 critical al labor shortage areas Those areas include Cheyenne Wyo Ogden Utah Las tas Vegas Nev Portland Ore San Diego Cal Cat and Seattle Wash S So Sc far only the 32 are affected I but McNutt has been seen empowered to expand or contract ct the areas reas and to Increase or decrease the I r hours of work per week McNutt's order drastically curtailed curtailed cur cur- ur tailed the right of employers in inthe the shortage areas to hire and fire during the changeover r to a hour 48 week It orders recruiting of new to stop at once and forbids forbids forbids for for- bids any discharges until March 31 1 when man power commission authorities will authorize releases In n terms of local labor market needs Enforcement Vague Neither Byrnes nor Harper was ws able to explain precisely how the program would be enforced Butt But it t was obvious that firms dealing directly With the government nt could be bou bound d by contract and Mr Roos Roosevelt's velt's order instructed all government officials so to bind them them them-in in any area prescribed by McNutt Others could be persuaded effectively ively by draft boards which might deny deferment n t to any man min working fewer than 48 hours a week but the draft draftS boards boards' could cod not reach wo women I It might be possible however for the government government govern govern- ment to exercise priority powers to o compel compel- an employer of women to o release some of ot his wo workers workers' kers by going on the hour 48 week Although Byrnes thought business business business busi busi- ness not directly reached by war contracts or oth otherwise merely might be induced d to adopt the hour 48 week the war man power I commission made no such qualification cation In his directive naming the the- 32 cities where the hour 48 ord order r waS waS' b to fo be e effective McNutt said In tho those areas it applies t fa all employment I McNutt's l Powers The enormous discretion and powers given McNutt were described described de de- scribed by M Mr RoOSe S tive order this way The chairman of the man power pow pow- er commission shall shan determine all ali questions of interpretation and applications arising under this this' order order order or or- der and shall formulate and issue such policies directives and regulations regis regu lations as he determines to be necessary to carry arry out this order and to effectuate its purposes cs The chairman of the war mm I power commission is Iii authorized d to establish a minimum work week gr greater ater or less than that established established established In section one of this order or take any other action with re respect respect respect re- re to any case or t type e of ot case se casein casein casein in which he determines that th-at such different different- minimum work week or other action would more effectively effectively contribute to the war war effort and promote th the purposes of this thIs' |