United labor bulletin., 1914-04-11
HUNTER PROMISES
UNIONS FAIR DEAL
Labor Committee Has Confer
enCe With Commissioner
Attention Called to Discrimination
Against United Laborers by
Employing Departments

A committee OF representative organ
lied labor men called upon Commits
sioner OF Improvements John B. Hunter
at the City Hall Monday and urged that
in the large public enterprises about to
be inaugurated Denver workingmen be
employed; that union labor be not dis
criminated against and the union sched-
ule OF wages and the hours provided
in city ordinances be observed.
In the employment of labor by heads
OF departments on public work it was
brought to the commissioner attention
that members OF organized labor were
in some instances being Disseminated
against He was reminded Of the fact
that the ordinance providing for an
eight-hour day and minimum wage OF
$3.50 on all city works was secured
through the efforts OF organized labor.
and ii was therefore only reasonable to
expect some benefits OF this law would
come to union members. Commissioner
Hunter also was told that at least one
OF his sub-bosses. who supervises a
branch OF work employing a large num-
Der of men, had fhppantly told an Of
ficer OF union that inasmuch as the
men We're now getting union wages and
the shorter workday there no longer
was need for union and he would not
employ the members. The commits
sioner was further informed that when
members of the United Laborers, COM
prising those directly affected. applied
for work there were never any vacan-
cies, and the committee was therefore
desirous of knowing if this system had
his approval No formal complaint was
lodged against the head of any depart
ments. but the commissioner was given
IN ha aN-fd
would be Forthcoming if the evils COM
planned of Were continued.
Commissioner Hunter told. the COM
mittee this was the first knowledge he
had received that members of any union
We're being Disseminated against by
heads OF his department; that he was
firm believer in organized labor and rec.
ognized the benefits that had come to
all classes OF wage-earners through
united effort; that his instructions to
sub-lieutenants We're TO employ citizens
OF Denver, giving preference to men
with families, and that if members OF
organized labor We're being diseriminat-
ed against he would see that it was dis
continued. He insisted the name of the
parties complained of be given him. and
this was complied with in one instance,
where the department head had shown
undue opposition to employing union
labor men. The United Laborers was
the union whose members had been dis
criminated against.
1t is the belief of those present that
the conference Will result in more amica.
bic relations between the Department of
Public Works and the organized work.
ingmen Of the city.
Those who comprised the committee
were; William Koch, chairman Griev-
ance Committee Trades and Labor As
sembly; Pete Johns. bushes agent
Building Trades Council; ). P. Oplinger.
business agent Union Label League; W.
II. Holloway, business agent Electrical
Workers No. Is: II. L. Wright, business
agent United Iaborers. and Clint c.
Houston. editor The United Labor Bull.
letin.
For some time past complaints have
been made by delegates in the central
labor bodies that those authorized to
employ labor in the Public Works De-
partment Were opposed to union labor.