Executive Order 9969—Suspension of Eight-hour Law as to Work by the Alaska Railroad, Department of the Interior

WHEREAS the Alaska Railroad is the only means by which substantial quantities of vitally needed materials and supplies can be transported to interior points in the Territory of Alaska; and WHEREAS the protection of our national security through the maintenance of military posts in Alaska is dependent upon the transportation by the Railroad of vitally needed material, supplies, and equipment for our armed forces; and WHEREAS the essential services performed by the Railroad in the transportation of freight and passenger traffic are also of critical importance to the citizens of Alaska and to its economic development; and WHEREAS as a result of the tremendous burden of traffic transported by the Railroad during the war years immediate and extensive rehabilitation of track and roadway facilities is necessary for the safe and continued operation of the Railroad; and WHEREAS climatic conditions within Alaska preclude such rehabilitation except during the short outdoor working season; and WHEREAS it is essential to the fullest and most effective utilization of such limited period that laborers and mechanics employed by the Railroad be permitted to work in excess of eight hours a day; and WHEREAS by section 1 of the act of August 1, 1892, 27 Stat. 340, as amended by the act of March 3, 1913, 37 Stat. 726 (40 U.S.C. 321), the service of all laborers and mechanics employed by the Government of the United States upon any public work of the United States is limited to eight hours in any one calendar day except in case of extraordinary emergency; and WHEREAS I find that by reason of the foregoing an extraordinary emergency exists: NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me by section 1 of the said act of August 1, 1892, as amended by the said act of March 3, 1913, and as President of the United States, I hereby suspend for a period of five months, effective immediately, the above-mentioned provisions of law prohibiting more than eight hours of labor in any one day by laborers and mechanics employed by the Government of the United States as to all work performed by laborers and mechanics employed by the Alaska Railroad, Department of the Interior, on any public work within the Territory of Alaska with respect to which the Secretary of the Interior shall find such suspension to be essential to the accomplishment of the purpose of this order: Provided, that the wages of all laborers and mechanics so employed by the Alaska Railroad shall be based on an administrative workweek of forty hours with overtime to be paid at time and one-half for all hours of work in excess of forty hours in any such administrative workweek. HARRY S. TRUMAN THE WHITE HOUSE, June 19, 1948