Newspaper Page Text
PAGE TWO
What the Blue Eagle means to you
and how you can get it
The President’s Reemployment Program is advancing to complete success. No such sweeping demaonstration of the
unity of a whole people against a national danger has ever been made. o In this vast surge of pairiotism it is neces
sary to keep our common purpose always clear. When 125,000,000 people attempt to act as one man there are sure
to be some misunderstandings. It is time to restate as clearly as possible the aim of the whole endeavor and the duty
of each individual. e That is the purpose of this message—to state officially, briefly and clearly the simple rule:
for common guidance. « It is an evidence of the self-sacrificing service of the whole country that this newspaper has
donated this space. In that spirit the whole country is acting. o This plan depends wholly on united action. That unity
is almost complete. In the next few days let us close up every gap in the ranks and
nail the flag of the Blue Eagle on the door of every man who works another man. I/L—l/* %‘U’\
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION OF THE PRESIDENT’S
REEMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
(Sometimes miscalled ‘“The Blanket Code’’)
This Agreement binds vou to put its terms into effect
from the time you sign the Certificate of Compliance until
December 81, 1933; but when the President has approved
a Code for your trade or industry, that Code takes the
place of this Agrecment.
You agree:
. Child Labor
(1) After August 31, 1933, not to employ any
erson under 16 years of age, except that persons
getween 14 and 16 may be employed (but not in
manufacturing or mechanical industries) for not
to exceed 3 hours per day and those hours between
7 A. M. and 7 P. M. in such work as will not inter
fere with hours of day school.
This means that after August 31, 1933, you agree not
to employ any children under 14 years old in any kind
of business. You may employ children between 14 and
16 years old, but only for three hours a day and those
hours must be between 7 in the morning and 7 at night,
and arranged so as not to interfere with school. You
agree not to employ any children under 16 years old in
a manufacturing or mechanical industry, at any time.
Maximum Hours
(2) Not to work any accounting, clerical, bank
ing, office, service, or sales employees (except out
side salesmen) in any store, office, department,
establishment, or pub{lc utility, or on any auto
motive or horse-drawn passenger, express, delivery,
or freight service, or in any other place or manner,
for more than 40 hours in any 1 week and not to
reduce the hours of any store or service operation
to Eeldw 52 hours in any 1 week, unless such
hours were less than 52 hours per weck before
July 1, 1933, and in the latter case not to reduce
such hours at all,
This means that you agree not to work any of the kinds
of employees listed in this paragraph (except outside
salesmen) for more than 40 hours a week. This para
graph covers all employees except factory workers, me
chanical workers and artisans. However, no limit on
hours and no minimum wage applies to purely agricul
tural labor, domestic servants, or persons working for
you solely on a commission basis bu{: if you have persons
working for you who are guaranteed” a base pay in
addition to their commission, then their base pay plus
commissions must equal the minimum wage.
This Agreement sets no maximum on the number of
hours you may keep your business open. You agree not
to keep your wholesale, retail, or service establishment
ofi)en less than 52 hours a week unless it was open fess
than 52 hours a week before July 1, 1933. Even then you
agree to keep it open as long as you used to keep it open
before July 1. Of course, if you have always kept your
store open shorter hours in the Summer months you can
continue to do so this Summer, but you should pay your
employees the same amount each week that they wil{ get
when you keep your store open full time.
The stores with more than two employees which remain
open the longest are contributing t’he most to carrying
out the purpose of the Agreement. The stores with two
or less employees which ¢an be open only the minimum
number of hours required, are doing the most to fulfill
their part.
(3) Not to employ any factory or mechanical
worker or artisan more than a maximum week of
35 hours until December 31, 1933, but with the
right to work a maximum weck of 40 hours for
any 6 weeks within this period; and not to employ
any worker more than 8 hours in any one day.
This means that if you are employing factory or me
chanical workers or artisans, you agree not to work them
more than 35 hours a week and not more than 8 hours
in any one day.
When you have more than the usual amount of work to
do and can’t get additional workers, you may employ this
class of employee up to 40 hours a week in any 6 weeks,
but even in this case you must not work them more than
8 hours a day.
(4) The maximum hours fixed in the foregoing
paragraphs (2) and (3) shall not apply to em
ployees in establishments employing not more than
two ns in towns of less than 2,500 population
\vhic'l:‘lowna are not _part of a larger tg-nge area;
nor to registered pharmacists or other pmfessiofia‘
persons employetf in_their profession nor to em
ployees in a managerial or executive capacity, who
now receive more than 835 per week; nor to em
ployees on emergency maintenanece and repair
work; nor to v speeial cases where restrictions
of hours of llii?l'{y skilled workers on continuous
processes would unavoidably reduce production but,
in any such ‘?eeinl case, at least time and one-third
shall be paid for hours worked in excess of the
maximum. l’ofnhfion for the purposes of this
-gmm shall be determined by reference to the
. 1930 Federal census.
This means that there are certain employees whom you
may work longer hours than are allowed by paragraphs
(2) and (3) P.R. A.
If your business is in a small town gpopulation less than
2,500 by the 1930 census) and you do not employ more
than two persons, the limit on hours does not apply to
these employees. If your town is really a part of a ?:rger
business community, the limit on hours does apply to
these employees.
The limit on hours does not apply to your emplyees
who are wholly or primarily managers or executives, as
long as they receive $35 a week. Professional persons,
like doctors, la:x'ers, registered pharmacists and nurses,
may be employed without any limit on hours.
Where employees are doing emergency jobs of mainte
nance or repair work, they may be kept on the job so
longer hours, but you agree to pay them at least time and
one-third for hours worked over the limits sct in para
graphs (2) and (3) P.R. A.
There are a few very special cases where highly skilled
workers must be allowed to work more than the limit of
hours in order to keep up output on continuous processes,
but, here again, you agree to pay them at least time and
one-third for the hours they work over the limits set in
paragraphs (2) and (3) P.R. A.
Minimum Wages
(5) Not to pay any of the classes of employees
mentioned in paragraph (2) less than sls per
week in any city of over 500,000 population, or in
the immediate trade area of such city; nor less
than $14.50 per week in any city of between
250,000 and 500,000 population, or in the im
mediate trade area of such city; nor less than sl4
per week in any city of between 2,500 and 250,000
population, or in the immediate trade area of such
city and in towns of less than 2,500 population to
increase all wages by not less than 20 per cent,
provided that this shall not require wages in excess
of 812 per week.
This sets out the schedule of minimum wages which you
agree to pay all employees, except factory or mechanical
workers or artisans. The wages are set out in terms of
dollars per week, but if your employees are paid by the
hour, you may use the following schedule:
Place of Business: Minimum Wage:
(Population by 1930 Census)
In cities of 500,000 or 0ver............37% cents per hour
In cities of between 250,000 and
500,000 .....cccovrniivinnsiiinnnissienesssn 3614 cents per hour
In cities of between 2,500 and
250,000 .....iivnieeioseansonscssssrenisssss 33 cents per hour
If your business is in a town of less than 2,500 popula
lion, you agree to raise all wages at least 209,. If raising
all wages 209, causes you to pay over s§l2 per week,
then you need only pay the sl2 per week.
If there is.any doubt in your mind as to whether your
business is in the “immediate trade area” of a city, you
should ask your local Chamber of Commerce or other
similar organization for a decision on the matter. The
general rule is that the “immediate trade area” is the
area in which there is direct retail competition.
(6) Not to pay any employee of the elasses men
tioned in paragraph (3) less than 40 cents per
hour unless the hourly rate for the same class of
work on July 15, 1929, was less than 40 cents per
hour, in which laiter case not to pay less than the
hourly rate on July 15, 1929, and in no event less
than 30 cents Eer hour. It is agreed that this para
graph establishes a fim‘:’ame,ed minimum rate of
pay regardless of whether the employee is com
pensated on the basis of a time rate or on a piece
work performance.
This fixes the minimum wage which you agree to pay
factory and mechanical workers and artisans. The fol
lowing schedule may help you to find out the proper rate:
3 ::h":’u{:'.‘?': ::::“:::'.‘: The minimum rate which you
on July 15, 1929, was: agree to pay i
More than 40c¢ an h0ur...40¢ an hour
30c¢ to 40c¢ an h0ur...........The July 15,1929 hourly rate
Less than 30c¢ an h0ur.....30c an hour
Instead of paying by the hour, you may pay by the
week at a rate which gives the same weekly earnings
for a week of 85 hours. For example, instead of 40c an
hour, you may pay sl4 per week.
1f you had a contract on or hefore August 1, 1933, with
a learner or apprentice, you do not have to pay him the
minimum wage, but no one should be classed as a learner
or an apprentice who has ever been employed as a regu
lar worker in your industry.
(7) Not to reduce the compensation for employ
ment now in excess of the minimum wages hereby
agreed to (notwithslandiniethgt the hours worked
in such employment may be hereby reduced) and
to increase the pay for such em'p‘oyme'lit by an
equitable readjustment of all pay schedules.
Two official interpretations—No. 1 and No. 20—have
been issued, explaining this paragraph. You can get copies
of these at your local Chamber of Commerce or from
the nearest N.R. A. representative.
Anti-Subterfuge
(8) Not to use any subterfuge to frustrate the
spirit and intent of this Agreement which is, among
other things, to increase emxoyment by a uni
versal covenant, to remove obstructions to com
merce, and to shorten hours and to raise wages for
! the shorter week to a living basis,
This is the heart of the whole Agreement. The Presi
dent’s Plan is to cure this depression by increasing pur
chasing power. You can help him put this plan over by
voluntarily signing this Agreement to shorten hours and
raise wages. There is no force to compel you to sign
this Agreement. It is not law. It is a personal agreement
between you and the President. The Presidedt expects
you to do everything in your power to carry out the
spirit of the Agreement after youw sign it. This means
whole-hearted cooperation by really earning the Blue
Eagle—not by just getting it and then not doing your
part.
It would be a “subterfuge to frustrate the spirit and
intent of this Agreement” to sign it and then put all of
your employees on a straight commission basis—or any
other trick to avoid doing what you promise to do.
THE BANNER-HERALD, ATHENS, GEORGIA
' MEMBER
ul’.
WE DO OUR PART
HOw 10 EARN THE BLUE EAGLE
1. Sign the President’s Reemployment Agreement (P.R.A.).
2. Shorten Hours of factory workers to 35 hours per week, and of all other employees to 40
hours per week. {See paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, P.R.A.)
3. Raise Wages. (See paragraphs 5,6, and 7, P.R.A.)
4. Don’t Employ Child Labor. (See paragraph 1, P.R.A.)
5. Cooperate with the President. To do this:
(a) Live Up to the Agreement. (See paragraph 8, P.R.A.)
(b) Don’t Profiteer. (See paragraph 9, P.R.A.)
(¢) Deal Only with Others ““Under the Blue Eagle.” (See paragraphs 10 and 12.)
(d) Get a Code in by September Ist. (See paragraphs 11 and 13, P.R.4.)
HOW TO GET THE BLUE EAGLE
1. Sign the President’'s Reemployment Agreement.
2. Mail the Signed Agreement to your District Office of the Department of Commerce.
3. Put the Agreement into Effect (as outlined above in “How to Earn the Blue Eagle’).
4, Sign a Certificate of Compliance. This is a slip distributed with the Agreement. It
says: “I/We certify that we have adjusted the hours of labor and the wages of our employees
to accord with the President’s Reemployment Agreement, which we have signed.”
5. Deliver the Certificate of Compliance to Your Post Office. The Postmaster will
give you your Blue Eagle.
1. Where a Code Has Been Submitted. (See
paragraph 13, President’s Reemployment Agree
ment). If your whole Trade or Industry is unable
to live up to the President’s Agreement, you
should get together at once, with other employers
in your Trade or Industry and, in a group, sub
mit a Code of Fair Competition to N. R. A. in
Washington.
Since it takes some time after a Code has
been submitted for it to be finally approved, your
group may petition N. R. A. to substitute the
wages and hours provisions of your Code for the
wages and hours provisions of the President’s
Reemployment Agreement.
If N. R. A. finds that the Code provisions are
within the spirit of the President’s Reemploy
ment Agreement, it will consent to such substitu
tions. If N. R. A. does consent there will be an
official notice in all the papers. You may then put
the substituted provisions into effect in place of
the indicated paragraphs of the President’s Re
employment Agreement. In this case you should
add to your Certificate of Compliance the fol
lowing clause: “T'o the extent of N. R. A. con
sent as announced, we have complied with the
President’s Agreement by complyin%) with the
substituted provisions of the Code submitted by
the ———————— Trade/Industry.”
If the substitution is consented to after you
have already put the President’s Reemployment
Agreement into full effect, and after you have
already gotten your Blue Eagle, you may still
put the substituted provisions into effect without
signing another Certificate of Compliance.
2. Where a Code Has Been Approved. If a
Code of Fair Co tition for your Trade or
Industry has alreafly been finally approved by
the President, you need not sign the President’s
Reempioyment Agreement in order to get the
Blue Eagle. The same is true if you are subject
to a Code which has been put into effect tempo
rarily by agreement between the President and
representatives of your Trade or Industry; but in
cither of these cases, you must sign a Certificate
of Compliance, addinf to it the following state
ment: “We have complied with the ?eraflve pro
visions of the Code for the —— Trade/Industry.”
3. Cases of Individual Hardship. (Paragraph
14, President's Reemployment Agreement).
If there are some peculiar reasons why a par
ticular provision of the President’s Agreement
will cause you, individually, a great and unavoid
able hards{ip, you may still get the Blue Eagle
by taking the following steps:
(a) Sign the Agreement and mail it to your
District Office of ghe Department of Commerce.
Official Statement of the Blue Eagle Division, N.R.A., Washington, D. C. ,
NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION
EXCEPTIONAL CASES
(b) Prepare a petition to N. R. A. setting out
the reasons why you cannot comply with certain
provisions, and requesting that an exception be
made in your case.
(c) Have this petition approved by your Trade
Association. If there is no Trade Association for
your business, have your petition apfirovcd by
your local Chamber of Commerce or other repre
sentative organization designated by N. R. A.
(d) If the Trade Association, or other organi
zation, approves your petition, send it to N. R. A.
in Washington with this approval.
(e) Comply with all the provisions of the
Agreement gxcept the one you are petitioning to
have excepted.
(f) Sign the Certificate of Compliance, adding
to it the following clause: “Except for those
interim provisions regarding wages and hours
which have been approved by the—Mß ———
Trade Association.” Deliver this Certificate of
Compliance to your Post Office. You will receive
a Blue Eagle, but before displaying it, you must
put a white bar across its breast with the word
“Provisional” on it. If your petition is finally
approved by N. R. A. you may take the bar
down. If your petition is not approved by N.R.A.
you must comply with the Agreement in full.
4. Union Contracts. If you have a conmtract
with a labor organization calling for longer hours
than the President’s Agreemq;t allows, and this
contract was made in good faith by collective
bargaining and cannot be changed by you alone,
try to get the labor organization to agree to a
reduction to the maximum hours allowed by the
President’s Agreement. If the labor organiza
tion will not agree, you may apply to N. R. A.
for permission to work your employecs as many
hours a week as the contract calls for. Send to
N. R. A. a request for this permission, with a
certified copy of the labor contract and any
statement of fact you desire. This application
will be handled by N.R.A. in the same manner
as an application for relief in cases of individual
hardship, filed under paragraph (14) P. R. A,
but it will not be necessary to obtain the ap
proval of a trade association or other organiza
tion. If N. R. A. approves your appllcugnon or
is able to bring about any modi‘ication of the
contract, you will then be granted ge!mfilion
to work employees in accordance with the con
tract as originally written or modified, and can
then sign the Certificate of Compliance ‘
to it the following: “Except as re%u.lxe& 03
comply with the terms of the‘Adgrecmexj in effect
between the undersigned and the. (Name of
Labor Organization).”
Anti-Profiteering
(9) Not to increase the ‘price of any merchandise
sold after the date hereof over the price on July |,
1933, by more than is made necessary by actual in.
creases in production, replacement, or invoice costs
of merchandise, or by taxes or other costs resuli
ing from action taken pursuant to the Agricultural
Atfjustmem Act, since ,'l’uly 1, 1933, and, in setting
such prie jnc{g;ues., to give full weight to probable
{nqeismin sales volume and to refrain from taking
ppfigeéfihi_ advantage of the consuming public,
The object of this paragraph is to prevent profiteering
or speculation, so that prices will not rise faster than pur
chasing power, and destroy the President’s plan. The gan
ger to be avoided was pointed out b{l the President on
Tune 16, 1933, in the stafement which he made on signing
the Recovery Act. He said, then:
“If. we now inflate prices as fast and as far as we
increase wages, the whole project will be set at
naught. ;i.c cannot hope for the full effect of this
plan unless, in these first critical months, and, even
at the expense of full initial profits, we defer price
increases as long as possible. If we can thus start
a strong, sound upward spiral of business activity
our industries wilf have little doubt of black-ink
operations in the last quarter of this year. The
pent-up demand of this people is very great, and
if we can release it on so broad a front, we need not
fear a lagging recovery. There is greater danger
of too much feverish speed.”
If you were selling your merchandise on July 1, 1933,
helow cost, you may take your cost price on that date as
the basis for determining the allowable increase under
his paragraph.
Cooperation
(10) To support and patronize establishments
which also have signed this Agreement and are
listed as members of N. R. A. (National Recovery
Administration).
The success of the President’s Reemployment Agree
ment Program depends upon public support going to
those who raise wages and shorten hours in accordance
with this Agreement, in order to repay them for the extra
expense which they have incurred in doing their part.
Codes
(11) To cooperate to the fullest extent in having
a Code of Fair Competition submitted by his in
dustry at the earliest possible date, and in any event
before September 1, 1933.
This Agreement is a temporary measure to tide over
the time from now until all employers and employees can
cooperate under Codes of Fair Competition under the
National Industrial Recovery Act. You agree, in this
paragraph, to do all you can to have a Code submitted
for your trade or industry before September 1, 1933,
Appropriate Adjustments
(12) Where, before June 16, 1933, the under
signed had contracted to purchase goods at a fixed
price for delivery during the period of this Agree
ment, 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.
This Agreement will, usually, increase the costs of
those who sign it. The purpose of this paragraph is to
pass any such increased costs along from one signer to
another, and so on to the consumer.
If you have a contract made before June 16, 1933, to
buy goods at a fixed price, you agree to make an arrange
ment with your seller so that you pay him for the extra
cost to him caused by his having signed this Agreement,
or having come under a Code approved by the President.
In some cases the final buyer is the Government, which,
under existing law, is generally not allowed to pay more
than the contract price. The President has announced
that he will recommend to Congress that appropriations
be made to allow the Government to play its part by
paying Government contractors who have signed the
Agreement for their increased costs. The President has
also appealed to the States and cities to take action per
mitting them to do likewise. °
You should have no fear that, because your buyer has
not signed, iou will be left with the increased cost on you
alone. The President expects every employer to sign this
Agreement,
Substitutions
(13) This Agreement shall cease upon approval
]Sy the President of a Code to which the undersigned
is subject; or, if the N. R. A. so elects, upon sub
mission of a Code to which the undersigned is sub
ject and substitution of any of its provisions for
any of the terms of this Agreement.
As Xointed out in the explanation of paragraph (11)
P.R. A. above, the President plans to have all business
govern itself under Codes, and therefore Codes should be
promptly submitted. If N. R. A. finds that the wages
and hours provisions of a Code which has been submitted
are within the spirit of this Agreement, N. R. A. will
authorize your industry to operate under those provisions
rather than under the wages and hours provisions of this
Agreement.
Exceptions
314-) It is agreed that any person who wishes to
o his part in the President’s Reemployment Drive
by signing this Agreement, but who asserts that
some particular provision hereof, because of pecu
liar circumstances, will create great and unavoid
able hardship, may obtain the benefits hereof by
signing this Agreement and putting it into effect
and then, in a petition approved by a trade associa
tion of his industry, or other representative organiza
tion designated by N, R. A., may apply for a stay of
such provision pending a summary investigation
K‘N. R. A., if he agrees in such application to
ide by the decision of such investigation. This
Agreement is entered into pursuant to section 4 (a)
of the National Industrial Recovery Act and sub
ject to. all the terms and conditions required by
sections 7 (a) and 10 (b) of that act.
If youn. really want to do your part in the President’s
Reemployment Program, sign this Agreement. If some
particular part of this Agreement causes you, as an indi
vidual employer, great and unavoidable hardsh?. you
may obtain relief %!taking the steps outlined under the
heading “Cases of Individual Hardship.” .
R e E—————————
Save this sheet as your official source of informa
tion. If there are any problems in your mind which
are not cleared up by this explanation, get in touch
with the official N. R. A. representative in your
community, - ‘,}
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1033
e ———e, , k
——
