Show Manpower Board Forges Lever IFor For Wage Standardization By FRANCIS M. M LE MAY l WASHINGTON July 6 GP In In shaping its policy of labor priorities the war manpower commission appeared Monday to have forged a powerful lever to bring about wage standardization in war production plants Commission Chairman Paul V. V McNutt advised the U. U S. S employment employment employment employ employ- ment service that it may deny labor priorities to industries in which wages and conditions of work are not at least as advantageous advantageous advantageous to a II worker referred to ajob a ajob ajob job opening opening- therein as u those prevailing prevailing prevailing pre pre- for similar establishments in the industrial area Such denial would mean t that hat h a t plants paying substandard wages would not obtain workers through the employment service until after after aft aft- er erthe the requirements requirements' of ot plants with priority ratings were filled Government sources said they expected this would force managements managements managements man man- to standardize and possibly possibly possibly bly stabilize wages in various production areas At McNutt's Nutts direction rosters now are are being prepared of skills and of ot war plants in the order of their urgency with the double purpose of ot deferring skilled men from military service and making certain that the most vital war plants plants' get first call caU on their ices One of ot the toughest problems on the man power mobilization for production has been the vari van ance ante of wages wages paid for men of similar skills Many Instances have been reported reported reported re re- re- re ported of plants bidding up wages to attract skilled workers from other plants This has been denounced denounced denounced de de- by McNutt as labor piracy and to combat this practice practice practice tice the man power commission announced in May it intended tomake to tomake make the U. U S. S S employment service service service ice the sole hiring agency in critical critical critical cal production areas meaning that workers could not move from one war plant to another without approval approval approval ap ap- of the employment nt service ice This step was met with resistance resistance resistance resist resist- ance by a considerable number of workers who objected to being frozen to their jobs So far the method is being applied only on a limited test est basis That the government is firmly convinced wage stabilization is necessary to obtain the essential rhythm for full war production was shown in the establishment of A wage stabilization I branch within the war production board This agency now is 11 seeking to workout work workout workout out wage agreements between workers and employers in the various work classifications on ona ona ona a zone basis |