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equipment from other Bases to the Cape because the other Bases (and their contractors) cannot provide acceptable workmanship. For example, in a recent case, a USAF officer from another Base said the unit rebuilt at the Cape was the best ever put into service there. These people have other unusual talents in the ability to rebuild, test and certify high pressure safety relief valves, and the fabrication of systems using AMINCO super pressure, Parker-Hannafin super Loc, Aircraft flare, Autoclave Super Pressure, ASA ring joint, Gray Lock joint and NCG fittings and flanges. Some of the components are tested by these mechanics to 90,000 pounds per square inch and long experience and an intimate and peculiar knowledge of Air Force Technical Orders are required to assure that materials, equipment, components, and workmanship meet the stringent Government Safety requirements.

(c) Solid Propellant Mechanics have an average of 20 years extraor dinary experience in explosive handling including 14 years of launch vehicle and spacecraft experience at the Air Force Eastern Test Range. They are certified in the Air Force and NASA approved ordinance technician certification program. These men have peculiar skills required in the electrical validation checks on all electronic explosive devices used in missiles and spacecraft in destruct systems and ignitors. They test, assemble, and launch Arcas, Loki, and other solid propellant weather rockets and are also qualified to perform render safe and explosive ordnance disposal for aborted missiles and unsafe ordnance. Their possessed skills also include the design and development of ordnance test equipment, design of shaped or initiator charges and special explosive handling procedures.

(d) Liquid Propellant Mechanics have an average of 15 years experience in the handling of exotic and hypergolic fuels, oxidizers, and cyrogenics including unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine, Aerozine 50. hydrazine, rocket propellant kerosene, 90% hydrogen peroxide, Otto fuel, Fuming nitric acid, nitrogen tetroxide, liquid oxygen, liquid helium, aniline and furfuryl alcohol. A thorough knowledge of safety chemical properties, physical characteristics and safety precautions is required for each of these propellants. For example, if the vapors of hydrazine come in proximity to the vapors of nitrogen tetroxide the vapors ignite spontaneously. The mechanics have been specially trained to perform in Self Contained Atmospheric Personal Ensemble (SCAPE) suits, must pass a special physical examination and be certified by the Government to handle and transfer these exotic fuels and oxidizers. They also are distinguished by being trained to operate one of two existing hypergolic fuel incinerators. The success of the liquid rocket launches rests primarily on the superior product that these people receive, store, and deliver to the launch vehicles and their systems and equipment must meet the extraordinary requirements of the Launch Vehicle and Spacecraft Propellant Systems.

(e) Propellant Sampling Mechanics have original familiarity with all NASA, Air Force and Navy specifications relating to the verification of system cleanliness at Cape Kennedy and have developed their knowledge of all exotic fuels, oxidizers, and other chemicals related to Cape-wide operations. Qualified samplers have completed an extensive training program including accumulation of 900 hours of unequaled on-the-job training, 20 hours of formal lectures on sampling techniques and the care of sampling equipment, eight hours in a chemical laboratory to gain experience in analytical equipment techniques and must pass a Class 5 physical each year. They have thorough familiarity with Launch Complex systems requiring sample extractions. These men work in a "State of the Art" environment and have the special capabilities to design, fabricate and test sampling equipment for any new propellant added to the AFETR inventory. For example. their designs include liquid helium, liquid nitrogen, nitrogen tetroxide and the liquid oxygen samplers. Average experience of the qualified propellant samplers is 12 years.

Mr. THOMPSON. I want to express my appreciation and, I am sure, that of the subcommittee to you for preparing such a splendid statement and for the personal sacrifice that you made in appearing here in the interest of your community.

You know, although none of us are from anywhere near Florida, we share your pride in the achievements down there as a result of

the dedication of these workers, many of whom, I suspect, come from our own districts and States to Florida to work.

We have no aerospace industry in New Jersey. We have all sorts of companies manufacturing components, I would suspect, but not in the sense that you have it. Yet, we have a great interest in what goes on at Cape Kennedy.

Mr. EVANS. I can say only that it has had a very disruptive influence on the community and we are hopeful that this particular problem can be resolved by this committee in these hearings.

Mr. THOMPSON. We are, too. Mr. Dellenback.

Mr. DELLENBACK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would join, Mr. Evans, in what the chairman of the subcommittee has said in commending both the area and its people for what the Nation takes pride in. This has been a great challenge.

I go on further and say that, as one Member of the Congress, I am grateful to you and to people like you who will take your time out of concern for the people whom you represent to come up here and give us the benefit of your thinking. This sort of a statement is a very helpful statement to us, and I think that you demonstrate a deep concern by your willingness to be here. I am sure, unless your county commission work is a lot different from mine in my county, there are other things piling up on your desk back home that you could really be working on.

I do think there are a couple of points that I am concerned about, again striving to get the facts in this matter. Alluding to your testimony on the bottom of page 1, you make a comment on the sole purpose of the Service Contract Act. But I don't think it is really the sole purpose, and this is in the dialog earlier with the gentleman from Michigan and the chairman and myself, that the purpose of the act is not to do what you there allude to but it is to be darn sure that, in Government service areas, they are not paying a wage that is out of step in the sense of being lower than the prevailing wage in the community, rather than to protect the wage, you see, of the people on that particular job.

Now, many times that may come to the same result, but, as a practical matter, I would call that to your attention-that that was not what was intended when the act was passed. It was to be sure that the Government was not underpaying its people in an area where they had some special capacity to bring people in and in that area wages were higher and thus the Government could be exercising a downward thrust on the surrounding area.

It may be that in your full 15 points, which I have not had a chance to study all of yet, you may have touched on some of those facts. But is there a situation, in your knowledge, where the wages paid outside of this center in the community are higher or lower than those being paid in the community? Do you have facts and knowledge on this that would be helpful to us?

Mr. EVANS. Yes. I think I can probably better forward you those facts in good form and would be pleased to do so.

Mr. DELLENBACK. Mr. Chairman, I would appreciate that.

Mr. THOMPSON. It would be valuable to us.

Mr. EVANS. I would be happy to do that.

Mr. THOMPSON. And as rapidly as possible.

Mr. DELLENBACK. Before Thursday morning?

Mr. EVANS. Yes; I will try to do it before I get home, because I will call back and see if we can get them for you. I will refer to a couple of things, though, in my full statement; and that is, some of these employees have complicated jobs. I have gotten very exotic descriptions of jobs of which I know very little about, but when you refer to the launch complex mechanics, how many people have a need for a launch complex mechanic anywhere else?

Mr. DELLENBACK. That is one of the special things about this type of thing—there is no comparable job in the community-and that was the thrust of my question to the Senator a few minutes ago where I said of course there is such specialized employment, but there is also expert employment, and the work of electricians is a good example.

Mr. EVANS. I can refer you to just a personal experience. That is, within the county operation, where we employ something like 700 people, we formerly could not touch the space employee because he was beyond our reach salarywise, but he is now coming to us on occasion, and we have hired people from the space center.

Mr. DELLENBACK. May I ask one more question, Mr. Chairman?
Mr. THOMPSON. Yes.

Mr. DELLENBACK. What if such a survey were made—and it may well be it ought to be made and what if, under the terms of the act, that determination was that the prevailing wage in the community was lower than that being paid to the center? Would you object to that being used as the basis for any contract on the center?

Mr. EVANS. I think you would have solved a great problem in that instance, even, because you would have made it a simple matter for the contractors who are bidding on this to bid at that particular price. Particularly after the Boeing takeover at KSC, I feel that in this case, if these workers felt a proper survey had been made, and it was determined that their wages should be lower, maybe slightly lower or higher than they are now; I think they are willing to accept the Government's doing it but not just a competitive bidding with their services or, as some of the people have mentioned this morning, out of the hides of the workers, because I think that is what none of us want.

Mr. THOMPSON. I think, for the most part, a reasonable determination could be made on the basis of comparability, but you mentioned those exotic job descriptions, and it is that type of highly specialized activity and skill which is available there and not wanted elsewhere which brings about a need for an enclave rate in special cases. The rate might be higher than that of a worker in the county working in some skilled job but without the capability for that job description you gave

us.

Mr. Evans. Particularly in those jobs—and I mentioned also here a level of service, and in many of the cases, these people have been in their jobs for 12 or 13 years and are quite specalized in their work.

Mr. DELLENBACK. And that is the toughest part of this: for the neople in the community, for the administrators who rest on the tax base of the community, for the Government, which has the responsibility of using tax dollars wisely and yet facing the needs of the people, for the Members of Congress who try to enact laws, those are the tough ones the unique jobs.

I am sure, where you appear before us now, advocating a certain action, again from the knowledge of my own commissioners and nature of their task, there are plenty of times when you sit behind a desk and people say, "Commissioner Evans, you can't do it" or "You ought to do it," and you say, "I have to use the tax dollars most efficiently," and you are the tax cutter under those circumstances and you have sympathy, but you say, "We cannot do it and use the tax dollars that way." So we emphathize with you in a deep concern, and you expressed it well, and we appreciate your coming up.

Mr. THOMPSON. Thank you, Mr. Evans. We look forward to getting the material we asked for.

Mr. EVANS. Thank you very much.

(The supplemental statement to be furnished follows:)

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Whereas, the human resources of Brevard County helped chart mankind's infant venture to the moon; and

Whereas, these human resources are a valuable asset of technological knowledge and spirit to Brevard County and the nation; and

Whereas, the preservation of the presence and vitality of this human resource in a healthy economic climate is of vital concern to the citzens of Brevard County; and

Whereas, the use of the established labor force in artificial competition for award of governmental contracts eliminates their voice in their economic future and depresses the value and availability of their experience and expertise; and Whereas, the establishment of a wage rate for the labor force would focus the analysis of bids for governmental contracts at the Air Force Eastern Test Range on those factors that distinguish performance capabilities of potential contractors and would eliminate the destructive competition within and against this valuable labor force; and

Whereas, the House Select Committee on Labor has addressed itself to this problem in its current session; now, therefore be it

Resolved, by the Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, that the Department of Labor is urged to immediately prepare and establish a wage rate base at the Air Force Eastern Test Range in recognition of the necessity of preserving and developing the skilled labor force demand under the responsibilities of present and future governmental contracts within the test range. Done, ordered and adopted, in regular session, this 7th day of October 1971, A.D.

ATTEST:

HUGH M. EVANS, Chairman, Board of County Commissioners, Brevard County, Fla.

CURTIS R. BARNES,

Clerk.

Mr. THOMPSON. We have the pleasure of hearing next a former colleague of ours and former member of the committee, an old friend, the Honorable Edward J. Gurney, U.S. Senator from the State of Florida.

Mr. DELLENBACK. If he would like to sit back up here, we would let him testify from up here.

Mr. GURNEY. Is it still warm?

STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD J. GURNEY, A UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Mr. GURNEY. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, it certainly is nice to be here this morning. I think this is the first time I have been in the hearing room before this committee since I sat as a part of it. I also considered it one of the most effective committees of the Congress, even though sometimes I didn't agree with all of the things that we turned out. Anyway, it is a pleasure to be with you.

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today in order to relate my views with regard to the Service Contract Act of 1965.

As you will notice, I represented the Cape Kennedy area as a Congressman, and it is now part of my constituency as a Senator. Last year we had a rebidding of a NASA service contract. The only material thing bid was wages; and able, loyal workers found themselves earning, a day after the contract was awarded, one-quarter, one-third, even as high as 50-percent less than before, doing precisely the same job the day before.

Now we have another service contract out for bid at Patrick Air Force Base. This is the service contract now held by Pan American and RCA, and exactly the same thing will happen in this case. Only wages will be bid, and the worker's pay and his ability to feed and clothe and house his family is now out on the auction block. I firmly believe that an average wage should be determined by the Labor Department, after a thorough wage study today in these service contract cases, a wage below which a bidder may not go, and I have requested the Labor Department to do this.

In fact, I have requested it twice. The request was denied the first time, and I have not heard from the second request as yet. I certainly hope that your committee will help in drafting legislation to accomplish this goal in this service contract area.

Mr. THOMPSON. I would hope, Senator, that it will not be necessary, although it appears that it will be. The law is in existence, the capability is there, and if they would do as you and your distinguished colleagues have suggested, and as we think they should do, this matter could be straightened out quickly.

Mr. GURNEY. That is true, Mr. Chairman, and later on I will point out in my testimony that, in a very similar case, that is precisely what they have done.

My understanding on the basis of the report made by the committee, the plight of service workers under Government contract is that the committee is well aware of a cloud of professional and economic uncertainty that hovers over the heads of over 1 million service contract workers fullfilling 25,000 service contracts.

In March, April, and May this committee heard witness after witness present wage and job statistics and the committee also had a witness' description of bidding and contract conflicts and received

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