INDUSTRIAL CODE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 42, 18 August 1933, Page 7

INDUSTRIAL CODE

ROOSEVELT'S NEW MOVE

GREAT ECONOMIC EFFORT

WAGE LEVEL FIXED

In one of the most remarkable oxperi- ; monts in world history, President Boose- j vclt has asked all America to join in , a common attack on low wages, long ] hours, and reduced purchasing power. , The campaign is to be carried through ■ with the unanimity and fervour of he , World War era. The object of the ■campaign is twofold: to get every employer in the country to agree to shorten the working week and to pay a graduated scale of minimum wages to his employee,, and to get every con,«r to agree to patronise only employers co-operating with the President, says the "Christian Science Momof war time, history does not record any economic effort launched on such a scale by a great democracy, and even in war, no such effort to keep wages in balance with production is on record. The programme will mean increased pay for hundreds of thousands of employees throughout the country, and jobs for hundreds of thousands of others who are now idle. Mr. Roosevelt's announcement at the end of July will be followed in the succeeding six weeks by the most intense appeal to public opinion since the war. The drive will end on Labour Day, September 4. In Washington, it is believed that it tlio campaign is successful tho present 12,000,000 unemployed will be reduced by 6,000,000 by that day. SCOPE OF THE PLAN. Announcement of the plan came through Brigadier-General Hugh S. Johnson, recovery administrator, who asked employers to agree to seven major i.points:— 1. To end child labour. 2. To establish a minimum forty-hour week for white-collar workers and not to cut hours of business below fiftytwo hours a week. • 3. To establish a mininium tlnrty-nvC' hour week for factory, mechanical worker, and artisan classes; with the right to work forty hours a week for any six weeks between August 1 and December 31. ; 4. To work no employee more than eight hours a day.' 5. To* pay white-collar workers not less than 15 dollars a week in cities of 500,000 or more; 14.50 dollars p. week in- cities between 250,000 and 500,000; not less ,than 14 dollars in cities between 250,000 and 2500. 6. To pay mechanics, etc.,' not less than 40 cents an hour, unless the hourly rato for such work was less than 40 'cents on July 15, 1929, in which ease the Jatter rate should be paid, but not less than 30 cents an hour. 7. To keep the same wages for the shorter work week now paid for the longer work week. A printed form containing these provisions, with certain others, has been handed tho 5,000,000 employers of the United States' by tho postman. The employer will be asked to sign it and return it at once. The agreements will bo in effect from' August 1 to December 31 of this year. APPEAL BY PRESIDENT. Two statements wero given out through General Johnson. One was the text of the communication President Roosevelt will send to every employer. The second was a supplemental explanation of the universal code and. its objective. In stirring phrases, the second calls for a "truce of selfishness" and a common effort "to Unite. once more to overcome an emergency and, it may be, to defeat depression." Explaining that tho drive is a "test of patriotism," it is stated that no force will be employed, "save conscience and opinion." A special appeal is made to the women of America who control the bulk of the nation's buying. They are urged m support those: employers "who do their part to put back breadwinners to work." Kaeh employer who complies with the President's request will be entitled to use the official badge of co-operation, which, reads:— \ "Member of N.E.A. Wo do our part." lii the succeeding six weeks that phrase will become tho most conspicuous in the'nation, if the plans of sponsors of the drive are successful. A pledge for N.R.A. (National Recovery Act) consumers is also offered. ■ The announcement concludes with a declaration against "ballyhoo," and tho request.that "calm composure and fair play" be coupled with the mood of vigour and determination in which "this great national covenant" should be carried out. THE FULL CODE. The full statement embodying the President's Code (authorised by section V of National Industrial Recovery Act) gives it as follows:— During the period of the President's emergency re-employment drive, that is to say, from August 1 to December 31, 1933, or to an earlier date of . ap- ■ proval of a codo of fair competition to which he is subject, the undersigned hereby do agree vith the. President as follows:— (1) After August 31, 1933, not to employ any person under sixteen years of age, except that persons between fourteen and sixteen may be employed (but not in manufacturing or mechanical industries) for not to exceed three hours per day and tliosc hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. in such work as will not interfere with hours of day school. (2) Not to work any accounting, clerical, banking-, office, service, or . sales employees (except outside salesmen) in any store, office, department, establishment, or public utility, -or on any automotive or horse-drawn passenger, express, delivery, or freight service, or in any other place or man- ; nor, for more than 40 hours in any one week and not to reduce the hours of , any store or service operation to below 52 hours in any one week, unless such hours were less than 52 hours per week before July 1, 1933, and in the latter case not to.reduce such hours at all. (3) Not to employ any factory or i mechanical worker or artisan more ■ than a maximum week of 35 hours un- : til December 31, 1933, but with the right to work a maximum week of 40 hours for any six weeks within this period; and not to employ any worker more than eight hours in any one day. MANY EXCEPTIONS, p (4) Tho maximum-hours fixed in the i foregoing paragraphs (2) and (3) ; shall not apply to employees in estab- ! lishments employing not moro than . two persons in towns of less than 2500 t population which towns are not part of a larger trade area; nor to registered ; pharmacists or other professional pori sons employed in their professions; nor .to employees in a managerial or auth- ■ oritativo capacity, who now receive moro than 35 dollars per week; nor to -, employees of emergency maintenance > and repair work; nor to very special . cases where restrictions o£ hours of j highly skilled workers, on continuous processes would unavoidably reduce'

production, but in any such special case at least time and one-third shall bo paid for hours worked in excess of the maximum. Population for tho purposes ,of this agreement shall be determined by reference to the 1930 federal census. (5) Not to pay any of the classes of employees mentioned in paragraph (2) less 'than 15 dollars per week in any city of over 500,000 population or in the immediato trado area of such city, nor less than 14.50 dollars per week in any city of between 250,000 and 500,000 population, or in the immediate trade area of such city; nor less than 14 dollars per week in any city, of between 2500 and 250,000 population or in tho immediate trade area of such city; and in towns of less than 2500 population to increase all wages by not less than 20 per cent., provided | that this shall not require wages in excess of 12 dollars per week. . HOUKLY HATES. (G) Not to pay any employee of the classes mentioned in paragraph (3) less than 40 cents per hour unless the hourly rate for the saino class of work on July 15, 1929, was less than 40 cents per" hour, in which latter case not to pay less than the hourly rate on July 15, 1929, and in no event loss than 30 cents per hour. It is agreed that this paragraph establishes a" guaranteed minimum rate of pay regardless of whether tlj-e employee is compensated on the basis of a time rate or on a piecework performance. (7) Not to reduce the compensation for employment now in excess of tho minimum wages hereby agreed to. (notwithstanding that the hours worked in such employment may be hereby I'educed) and to increase the pay for .such employment by an equitable readjustment ofall pay schedules. t (8) Not to use i any subterfuge to frustrate the spirit and intent of,this agreement which is, (among other things, to increase employment by a universal covenant to remove obstructions to commerce, and to shorten hours and to raise wages for the i shorter week to a living basis. (9) Not to increase the price of any merchandise sold after the date hereof over the price on July 1, 1933, by more than is made necessary by actual increases in production, replacement, or invoice costs of merchandise since July 1, 1933, or by taxes or other costs resulting from action taken pursuant to the Agricultural ■ Adjustment .Act, and, in setting such price increases, to give full weight to probable increases in sales volume and to refrain from taking profiteering advantage of the consuming public. (10) To support and patronise establishments, which also have signed this agreement and are listed as members of N.R.A. (National Eeco:. ?ry Administration). CO-OPEEATION ON CODES. (ll)'To co-operate to the fullest extent in having a code of fair competition submitted by his industry at the earliest possible date and in any event before September 1, 1933. (12) Where, before June 16, 1933, the undersigned had contracted to purchase goods at a fixed price for delivery during the period of this agreement, the undersigned will make an appropriate adjustment of said fixed price to meet any increase in cost caused by the seller having signed this President's reemployment agreement or having become bound by any code of fair competition approved by the President. (13) This agreement shall cease upon approval by the President of a code to which tho undersigned is subject; or, if the N.fe.A. so elects, upon'submission of a code to which tho undersigned is subject and substitution of any of its provisions for any of the terms of this agreement. (14) It is agreed that any person who wishes to do* his part in the President's re-employment drive by signing this agreement, but who asserts that sonic particular provision hereof, because of peculiar circumstances, will create great and unavoidable hardship, may obtain the. benefits hereof by sign-] ing this agreement and putting it into effect and then, in a petition approved by a representative trado association of his industry, or other representative ; organisation, designated by N.R.A., > may apply for a stay of such provision • pending a summary investigation by N.R.A. if he agrees in such applica- • tion to abide by tho decision of such : investigation. This agreement is en- . tercel into pursuant t;o section V (a) Of i the National Industrial Recovery Act.