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Goodwill Industries will do well to proceed on the premise that waste and discarded materials, from the long-term viewpoint, will become increasingly difficult to secure and all possible efforts ought to be made now to secure adequate supplies for as long a period ahead as it is possible to do so.

LETTER TO MANPOWER COMMISSION

March 8, 1943
Mr. Royden A. Blunt
Director of Baltimore Area
War Manpower Commission Baltimore Trust Building
Baltimore, Maryland

Dear Sir:

The Baltimore Goodwill Industries, Incorporated, submits the following statement in relation to the 48 Hour Week Regulations.

The Goodwill Industries, a member agency of the Community Fund of Baltimore, is a philanthropic enterprise conducted entirely without profit to any member or stockholder. Its operations consist of collecting discarded material from contributing homes, repairing and renovating such articles as are reclaimable, and selling these at stores accessible to the poorer sections of the population of Baltimore. Through its operations, the Goodwill furnishes employment and rehabilitation to persons who by reason of old age or other physical or mental handicap are unable to secure employment in normal industry. Incidentally, the Goodwill performs an important function in the salvage of materials, and through its stores is enabling persons of limited means to purchase goods at low prices.

The Goodwill payroll averages about 150, of whom all are handicapped workers with the exception of less than ten essential staff and key employees. These staff and key positions are held to an absolute minimum, and there is no possibility of reducing the number of such employees by an extension of their work week. The handicapped workers are not fitted for normal industry, and an extension of their work week is impracticable anyhow by reason of their physical limitations. The Goodwill is performing a valuable function in training and rehabilitating such workers, so that within the past year 44 of them have been enabled to go out and take jobs in normal industry. In view of the low wages paid by the Goodwill as compared to normal industry, this transfer to normal industry is practically automatic, the worker being quick to take the opportunity for higher wages as soon as he is trained and fitted.

From the above statement, it will be manifest that an application of the 48 Hour Week to the Goodwill would be impracticable, and that it would in no wise serve the purpose of releasing workers for war industry. The Goodwill Industries therefore respectfully requests exemption.

Very truly yours, (SIGNED)
John S. German
Superintendent
JSG:S

REPLY FROM MANPOWER COMMISSION

Office for Emergency Management
WAR MANPOWER COMMISSION
48-Hour Week Division

March 11, 1943
Dr. John S. German, Superintendent
The Baltimore Goodwill Industries, Inc.
1713 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, Maryland

Dear Dr. German;

We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 8, 1943, with reference to the 48-hour minimum wartime work week law as it applies to your business.

After considering the information given in your letter, it is our opinion that as practically all of your employees should be exempted from the 48-hour week because of physical limitations, we believe it would be practical to exempt the organization as a whole, as we feel you are doing an excellent work in training handicapped workers so that they can then take regular positions in industry.

We are, therefore, pleased to grant Goodwill Industries exemption from the requirements of the 48-hour minimum wartime work weak law.

Very truly yours,
Lawrence B. Fenneman
Area Director for Maryland
By: Harry Hardie