Ask the Scholar
Page 6 of 19
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
OCR
259
FIFTH DRAFT
- 6 -
Now, how does it happen that wages are being cut so deeply?
There are three reasons.
First, there is the decrease in hours of employment. During the
past few years, under the imperative demands of war, millions of workers
were asked to put in abnormally long hours of work. Now that the need is
past, the 40-hour week is being restored.
"MATIONAL
ARGNIVES
REGORDS
SERVICE"
The change-over from a 48- to a 40-hour week means a decrease
in[weekly] take-home pay, the amount in the Saturday pay envelope. That
decrease is more than just the loss of eight hours pay, because workers
have been receiving time and a half for overtime, for all the hours over
40.
The shift from a 48- to a 40-hour week means a decrease of 23 percent E
almost one quarter -- of his weekly pay.
Second, weekly pay is being cut even more because many jobs are be-
ing reclassified to lower paying grades. The individual worker will feel
these particularly when he changes from one job to another.
Third, the pay envelopes of workers will be thinner because millions
of workers who were employed in the high paid war industries will have to
find jobs in lower-wage peacetime employment.
These three factors taken together mean a cut of at least
shartic
23
10
intake home pay
percent for millions of workers, and for millions of others they mean cuts
running up to 50 percent and over. If nothing is done to help the
workers, millions of families will have to tighten their beltsy and
Page data
- Page
- 6
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 0eacfb2411d6b6a3
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 183567439
- Core
- doc
- Type
- document
DTO data
{
"id": "183567439",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183567439",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Fifth Draft, Wages and Prices Speech",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183567439",
"collections": [
"President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
"Speech Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/201505/735119/735119-11-001.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/201505/735119/735119-11-001.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/201505/735119/735119-11-001.jpg",
"imageCount": 19,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "183567439",
"label": "Fifth Draft, Wages and Prices Speech",
"core": "doc",
"dtoType": "document",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183567439"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "183567439",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183567439",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Fifth Draft, Wages and Prices Speech",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183567439",
"collections": [
"President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
"Speech Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/201505/735119/735119-11-001.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/201505/735119/735119-11-001.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/201505/735119/735119-11-001.jpg",
"imageCount": 19,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
"url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183567439",
"naId": 183567439,
"levelOfDescription": "item",
"productionDates": [
{
"logicalDate": "1945-10-01",
"month": 10,
"year": 1945
}
],
"recordType": "description",
"ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
"seq": 6,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/201505/735119/735119-11-006.jpg",
"mediaId": "0eacfb2411d6b6a3",
"ocrText": "259\nFIFTH DRAFT\n- 6 -\nNow, how does it happen that wages are being cut so deeply?\nThere are three reasons.\nFirst, there is the decrease in hours of employment. During the\npast few years, under the imperative demands of war, millions of workers\nwere asked to put in abnormally long hours of work. Now that the need is\npast, the 40-hour week is being restored.\n\"MATIONAL\nARGNIVES\nREGORDS\nSERVICE\"\nThe change-over from a 48- to a 40-hour week means a decrease\nin[weekly] take-home pay, the amount in the Saturday pay envelope. That\ndecrease is more than just the loss of eight hours pay, because workers\nhave been receiving time and a half for overtime, for all the hours over\n40.\nThe shift from a 48- to a 40-hour week means a decrease of 23 percent E\nalmost one quarter -- of his weekly pay.\nSecond, weekly pay is being cut even more because many jobs are be-\ning reclassified to lower paying grades. The individual worker will feel\nthese particularly when he changes from one job to another.\nThird, the pay envelopes of workers will be thinner because millions\nof workers who were employed in the high paid war industries will have to\nfind jobs in lower-wage peacetime employment.\nThese three factors taken together mean a cut of at least\nshartic\n23\n10\nintake home pay\npercent for millions of workers, and for millions of others they mean cuts\nrunning up to 50 percent and over. If nothing is done to help the\nworkers, millions of families will have to tighten their beltsy and"
}