United labor bulletin., 1911-06-08
WILL INITIATE LAW FOR
A SHORTER WORK DAY
Organized Labor VIII Sup
port Direct Legislation
League in Good Work.

The Direct Legislation league will mi
tiate several important laws this fall,
among them being the headIess ballot
and the woman's eight-hour law that
passed the senate at the last session of
the legislature and known as the Gar
msn bill. 1t failed to pass the house as
amended by being held in committee by
the corporation agents This bill has
been presented to the Direct Legislation
league by the Woman's club, the State
Federation of Labor and the Trades and
Labor Assembly and representatives of
the State Federation of Labor and the
Trades Assembly have appeared before
the Direct Legislation league and asked
them to adopt the bill as printed below
and send it to the referendum for adop-
tion or rejection. The legislative COM
mittee of the league has agreed to re-
port the bill sanctioned by organized
labor and will so act at the next meeting
of the league.
The bill includes an eight-hour day for
women working in hotels and restau-
rants. and that part has been sanctioned
by Walters union No. IA of Denver and
it was through their action that this
clause remained in the bill.
The bill follows, in full:
Bill for an Act to Declare the En-
ing, Mechanical and Mercantile Estab-
lishments. Laundries, Hotels and Res
taurants to be Injurious to Health and
dangerous to Life and Limb; to Reg
ulate and Limit the Hours of Employ
ment of Females in said Occupations;
to Declare a Violation Thereof to be
a Misdemeanor and to Repeal all Acts
and Parts of Acts in Conflict There
with.
Be it Enacted by the People of the State
of Colorado:
Section l. Employment of females in
any and all manufacturing, mechanical
and mercantile establishments. laundries.
hotels and restaurants, is hereby de-
clared to be injurious to health and dan
gerous to life and limb.
Sec. .. No female shall be employed
in any manufacturing, mechanical or
mercantile establishment. laundry, hotel
or restaurant in this state more than
eight (S) hours during any twenty-four
t2i) hours of any one calendar day. The
hours of work may be so arranged as to
permit the employment of females at
any time, provided, that any such female
shall not work more than eight (S) hours
during the twenty-four (24) hours of any
one calendar day
Sec 3. Any person. persons, firm, CO.
SNIP COHlpduN UT
poration violating any of the provisions
of this act shall be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanor, and. upon conviction there
of shall be punished by fine of not less
than fifty (s50.00) dollars, nor more than
FIVE hundred (s5OO.00) dollars, or by i'm
rtisonment in the county jail not less
than thirty 500 days nor more than six
(6l months or by both such fine and i'm
prisonment Every days violation of the
provisions of this act shall constitute a
separate offense.
Sec. 1. All acts and parts of act in
conflict with the provisions of this act.
are hereby repealed.
Il was argued by some that the power
Of prosecuting violations of the law
should be taken away from the district
attorneys and given TO other officers to
he named. but after due consideration
this remained in the hands of the dis
trict attorneys as argument was ad-
vanced that the recall for state and
county officials will also be initiated and
then a district attorney that fails to act
may be removed through the recall. The
bin is said TO be constitutional and will
make a most excellent law.