LABOUR FRONT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 66, 19 March 1942, Page 7

LABOUR FRONT

AMERICAN DECISIONS

Provisions For 24-Hour Day In Defence Work Rec. 11 a.m. WASHINGTON*, March 17. President Roosevelt conferred with the Labour War Board, the president of the American Federation of Labour and the chairman of the Congress of Industrial Organisations and afterwards s~ id that it was agreed that wage i a;.-s and standards would be fixed without resort to strikes or interruption to production by the three methods of collective bargaining, conciliation or mediation or by the National War Labour Board. The A.F.L. president, Mr. William Green, said that it was agreed that the 40-hour week would be recognised as the standard, that time and a half would be paid for overtime and double time on Sundays. It was also agreed that continuous operation would be approved and recommended by Labour. These steps would make it possible to work in defence factories for 24 hours a day. An earlier message reported that legislation has been introduced in Congress to suspend for the duration of the war all laws and contracts providing for a 40-hour week; also to abolish closed union shops and to limit profits on large defence orders to 6 per cent. President Roosevelt told journalists at a Press conference that there was no need for legislation on the 40hour week issue, since things were going pretty well now. He said he favoured the continuance of time ami a half pay for work over 40 hour>. but asked Labour to rescind its contract rules requiring double p3y for Sunday work. The President decried what he said was an amazing state of public misinformation. He said many people apparently believed that the working week was now limited bylaw to 40 hours, hut it was not. as many war plants were working many hours more. He added: ""Congress cannot pass a law to make r. man turn out more work. That ii up to the man himself." Mr. Rooseveit advocated more parades. bands and flag-waving in order to stir up enthusiasm for the war effort. Earlier in the day the President conferred with the" heads of the American Federation of Labour and the Congress of Industrial Organisations, who reiterated their pledge banning strikes for the duration of the war. In that connection Mr. Roosevelt remarked that there were probably fewer men on strike in the United States than anywhere else in the world, with the possible exception of regimented Germany.