Miami Labor Citizen

Longer Work Week Proposed
By J. S. THOMAS

Efforts are being made to sweep away our 40 hour week and instead put postal employees on a 44 hour basis.

Administrative and congressional leaders who advocate this extension of the work week do not advocate time and one half for overtime, but only the regular hourly rate.

This is just an attempt to forestall our demands for a desperately needed increase in our basic salary and instead making us sacrifice living standards that we have worked long and hard to attain.

Enemies of labor would have us believe that this is an honest attempt to solve the manpower shortage and a cure for an inadequate wage. Do not be deceived, for if the present situation requires overtime in the postal service, employees should be paid time and one half. If the 40-hour week is destroyed it will mean the demoralization of postal employees. Overtime premiums rightfully belong to an employee for longer hours of labor and act as an incentive thereby reducing absenteeism.

Administration officials require compliance with fair labor standards on the part of private industry. Why, then, should they advocate worse treatment for civil service employees? Disunity, inefficiency and demoralization are the only results to be attained through reductions in labor standards, whether in civil service or private industry.

NFPOC and the GEC are bitterly opposed to a reduction in labor standards and believe the only cure is an immediate pay raise for postal employees and time and one-half for overtime.

Your congressmen and senators should be informed that you are bitterly opposed to an extension of the 40-hour work week.