The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-02-15
ECUADOR GIVES
8-HOUR DAY TO
ALL WORKERS
Little Republic to South Grants Eight
Hour Day to Workers, While We
Talk About 1t.

WASHINGTON.-While the United
States has been talking about an eight
hour law and has theoretically given
it to very small proportion of the
workers-the railroad men-Ecuador,
the little triangle-shaped republic up
in the northeastern corner of South
America, has passed an eight-hour
law for every worker.
In addition to granting the eight
hour day, Ecuador's new law, which
has just gone into effect, provides that
no employe of any kind shall be forced
to work more than six days week,
and exempts him from work on Sum
days and legal holidays. If the en-
ploye is requested to work longer than
eight hours, he is paid 20 per cent.
overtime for the extra work in the
day, 80 per cent. overtime from in
the evening until midnight, and 100
per cent. after that hour.
There's no red tape about the en-
forcement of the new legislation. "The
avs delay" about which there is so
auch complaint in the United States,
ire guarded against in article 6 of the
aw, which provides that police judges
and parish justices are authorized to
Judge all actions under the law with
out delay. There is no appeal except
rs to matters of fact.
The new law gives Ecuador the dis
;inction of being the first nation to
adopt universal eight-hour day.
Ecuador has an area of 10000 square
niles, and an estimated population of
100000. The chief industries of the
country are fruit raising and hat MAX
ng. Hats are one of the principle ex-
ports.
The eight-hour law is as follows:
"Article l.. No laborer, mechanic,
employee in any commercial establish
nent, office, industrial enterprise, and,
n general, no employee whatever may
De the nature of his services shall be
compelled to labor more than eight
hours daily, six days per week, nor
shall he be required to perform any
labor Sundays or legal holidays.
"Article 2. No contract or stipula-
ton entered into for the purpose of
evading the provisions of Article 1
shall be of any force or effect.
article 8. If upon request any la
borer, mechanic, clerk, ETC., shall per-
form labor in excess of the hours as
provided for in Article l, he shall be
paid for such excess worked during
the day wages increased by 20 per
cent. of the regular wages: increased
by so per cent. for hours worked be-
tween o'clock P. M: and IL o'clock
midnight, and 100 per cent. after the
last named hour.
'These increases shall be based upon
one-eighth of the daily wages, and
shall be paid for each hour worked in
excess of the eight hours provided by
this act.
article 4. The provisions of Article
8 shall apply to persons working by
shifts, only to the extent to which
their labor is prolonged beyond the
eight-hour shift, in which case they
shall be paid the increased wages for
each hour of overtime as herein pro-
vided.
article 5. No employer shall dis
charge an employee, nor shall an en-
ploye quit the service of an employer
without having given 80 days notice
of his intention so to do. Any en-
ployer who discharges an employee, or
any employee leaving the service of an
employer, without having given the
notice herein required shall be liable
to the other in suit for damages.
article 6. Judges of the police court
and parish justices of the peace shall
be competent to hear and determine
such suits. The courts shall render
their decisions summarily and without
delay, and without appeal, except as
to matters of fact"