The Potters Herald

Tobin Makes Good Case For $1 Floor Under Wages Soon

Washington (LPA)—The long-awaited overhauling of the Fair Labor Standards Act got under way last week, as the House Labor Committee started on about a week's hearing of views for and against a bill prepared by the Labor Dep't, and containing the Administration's proposals.

With Labor Secretary Tobin as first witness, the committee is examining in some detail the proposal to raise the minimum wage from 40c to 75c immediately, with industry-by-industry action allowed to raise the wage floor to $1 an hour.

In addition, coverage is extended to about 5,000,000 workers not now covered, including many larger retail establishments; and the Labor Dep't will be allowed to sue for back wages on behalf of employees who've been paid less than the minimum, or have been paid straight time for hours worked in excess of 40 a week.

Despite the fact that he was suffering from a severe cold, Tobin spent a day with the committee, dealing with both the Dixiecrat objections, voiced by Rep. Graham Barden (D, NC) and those from the GOP side led by Reps. Samuel McConnell (Pa.) and Ralph Gwinn (NY).

"Those who are earning under 75c an hour are contributing a trivial amount to the health of the economy," Tobin warned. "I consider anyone getting 40c an hour is getting a substandard wage. Our economy is not a oneway street. We are consumers as well as wage earners."

After a long exchange between Barden and Tobin, in which Barden expressed his pious belief (despite his vote for Taft-Hartley) that all wage questions should be left to collective bargaining, freshman committeeman Roy Wier (D Minn.) broke in.

"If you will allow the labor movement to act on organizing the millions it has not yet reached," the veteran AFL unionist from Minneapolis pointed out, the Congress wouldn't be confronted with the problems of sub-standard wages.

Clear out the Taft-Hartley law from the books, Wier urged, and remove some of the restrictive state laws. "I may be speaking out of turn," he told his colleagues, but "I am pleading the cause of those millions of people who deserve to have the assistance of government in a helpful way. Give us back the Wagner act, and we'll take care of a lot of these problems."

Questioning of both Tobin and Wage & Hour Administrator William McComb made it clear that several strongly aggressive pro-labor men have been added to the current House Labor Committee.

Participating actively in cross-questioning, besides Chairman John Lesinski (D, Mich.) were Thomas Burke (D, Ohio), a United Auto Workers official and formerly vice-mayor of Toledo, Carl Perkins (D, Ky.) and Andrew Jacobs (D. Ind.).

Veteran Rep. Augustine Kelley (D, Pa.) also actively participated in the discussion.

It is only a question of when the committee will approve the bill, and report it to the House floor, most observers agree. On the Senate side, action will probably be slower since the Senate committee is committed to immediate action on Taft-Hartley repeal and Wagner act re-enactment.