Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-13
n -.IONAL WAR TABOR
BOARD TELLS POLICY
Organization Approves Principle OF
Eight-Hour Day and Payment
q; "Living Wage"
STRIKERS GIVEN PAY INCREASE
Would Determine What Essential
Industries Women Should BE En-
pioycd In-Smallcst Pay Recon-
mended 40 Cents an Hour.


Dor Board. They were:
J. Approval of the principle of the
cight-hour day.
:. Insistence on the payment to la
Dor Of a living wage"
D. Disapproval Of the employment OF
children under fourteen years 81 ar.
on government contracts.
T. D.sapproval OF the direct or in
direct employment on government con-
tracts OF prisoners who have been SEN
fenced to hard labor.
>. Adoption OF a dividing lire be-
tween war industries in which women
should be employed and those in which,
they should not.
In the adoption OF these principles,
applied by the board In many instances
tn labor disputes pending before that
body. the board. of which former Pres
ident William II. Taft and Frank +.
Walsh are joint chairmcn. has not
hesitated TO 20 beyond the rival claims
of the employers and the employees.
FORTY CENTS AN HOUR
ESTABLISHED AS MINIMUM
This was notably the case in the
announce ment by the board today OF
its decision In the dispute involving
1000 employees In eight plants at
Wayrcsboro, Pa. In this case. the
board established 40 cents an hour
as the minimum wage TO be paid any
class OF workers. Including common
laborers. on the theory that loss than
that amount was not n living waG..
BY living wage. II was explained. the
board means the minimum rate of
wage to permit the worker and his
family TO subsist in health and COM
fort" Final determination of the liv-
ng-waEe question. in It's broader APP
plicaton. Is TO he disposed Of at a
special meeting OF the board July %
The significant fact In the award ~
that the Waynestoro decision gives TO
many of the employees wage increases
greatly In excess Of what they them
selves demanded when they recently
went out on strike.
For instance" said i statement au-
thorizcd by the board. the minimum
rate Is fixed at 40 cents an hour. whNr
the minimum rate demanded Was 30
cents an hour Until now, common
laborcrs at Wayncsboro have been re-
ceiving az little 9 % cents per hour.
TIL. Increase TO the lowcst-paid men.
therefore. will be 81 per cant. skillet
workers were awarded the increases
they demanded"
The decision regarding the basic
eight-hour day was announced In an
award IN the controversy between the
worthington Pump and Machinery
Company and It's employees in the
PIake-Knowles plant al East Cam
bridge. Mass, and in the Snow Plant
al Buffalo. y. Y. AL both places the
paramount, issue was the application
OF the basic elEht-hour day. though the
question Of wages also was involved In
the East Cambridge strike. Quick
agreement had been reached by both
sides on the matter of wages. but the
e!ght-hour day was the stumbling
block. While. as in the case OF the
question OF a living wage" final deter
mination was deferred until the July %
meeting. the board. at the instance OF
the Navy Department. which desires
the cight-hour day installed at all
plants doing navy work. declared in
favor OF the application OF the eight
hour day at both factories. Although
the men will continue to work ten
hours, they will receive time and a
half overtime pay for the two hours
additional.
With regard TO the child labor ques-
tion the war labor boaiu to an extent
stepped into the breach left by the
decision OF the United States Supreme
Court declaring the Federal child labor
law unconstitutional. It's ruling in the
matter, covering also the question OF
the use OF prison labor on government
contracts. follows:
All work required in carrying out
this contract shall be performed In full
compliance with the laws OF the state.
Territory or District OF Columbia, where
such labor is performed. A contractor
shall not directly or indirectly employ
in the performance OF this contract
any minor under the age OF fourteen
years. or permit any minor between the
age OF fourteen and sixteen years TO
work more than eight hours In one day.
more than six days in any one week. or
before A. NJ. or after p. NJ, nor shall
the contractor directly or Indirectly
employ any person undergoing sentence
OF imprisonment at hard labor which
may have been imposed by court of
any State, Territory or municipality
having criminal Jurisdiction"
STANDARDS FOR EMPLOYMENT
OF WOMEN SET FORTH
80 GO " HOuTS, Night work.
wages and conditions OF labor for
women in war industries were embodied
In the following paragraph in a reso-
luton adopted by the board:
"Fir>t, The shortage of labor I'm ar.
genital war indnstrioa should bs ,net
In part by further introducing worn.
on into OCCUPATIONS easily filled by
them. such az sales clerks and aear.
walkers In mercantile Embellishments.
Including among othera. departmAat
stores. specially ntoros, uheo store.,
mons furnishing ptorea. florists. shnss.
5owelry stores. drug stores, sedn WA.
tor fountains ctc.
WOMEN SHOULD NOT RE
EMPLOYED IN BAn.noow.
Second. Women should not BIO, am !.
pioyed to replace men in occupation,
OF places OF employment clearly unat
for women owing to physical or mora,
conditions. as, for instance. IN bar.
rooms and saloons. pool rooms, in or
about mines smelters and quarries, on
furnace work In glass works, etc. In