Montana labor news., 1932-10-20
THE WASHINGTON
|SCENE s z TODD

n w ILANNG 1ObD l
WASHINGTON-(F. P.)-W il e
Walter C. Teagle, president of the
Standard Oil Company of New Jer-
sey, is off for California with Presi-
dent Hoover's blessing on his share
of-the-work movement, Washington
is enjoying a neat little pamphlet
issued by Daniel J. Tobin, head of
the labor division at Democratic cam
paign headquarters, giving Hoover's
labor record. The title page an
president Hoover stood for
the Open Shop, Non-Union Labor on
the White House, Continued Viola
ton of the Prevailing Rate of Wages
Law by Government Contractors;
appointed Judges who Crucified La
Dor with Yellow Dog Contracts and
Injunctions."
The law requiring that the pre-
vailing local rate of wages be paid
by contractors on government work
was enacted March 8, 1881. Repub-
lican leaders in Congress and in the
Administration, according to this
pamphlet, refused point blank to
insert the penalty clause" demanded
by organized labor, and as a conse-
quence the bosses are still cheating
workers out of a fair wage, Through
what seems to be collision between
certain government officials and fa-
vored non-uaion contractors" Final
ly, however, some sort of obedience
was had.
Tobin goes on to show how this
favored-contractor trick has been
turned. Contractors who are fair to
organized labor would make bids
which were based on payment of the
prevailing local wages. The favored
non-union contractors would under
bid them, knowing that they would
be three-fourths through the job
before a government official would
pass judgment as to what wage
must be paid.
He presents a list of these low
wage jobs, with the names of the
unfair contractors-furnished by the
business agents of the various build
ing trades unions who have spent
the past year or more besieging
the office Of Secretary of Labor
Doak, urging haste in determining
what was the prevailing wage in a
given district. These are post offices,
military structures, hospitals, schools,
etc. Note is made that at West
Point Military Academy the govern
ment itself paid only half the union
rate of wages, in one instance, and
private contractors then refused to
pay more than the Administration
did. Further note is made that
]. j. Barnes, Republican leader in
Indiana, was given a large number
of contracts. And Mr.. Hoover is
quoted as having told the house judi
ciary committee, in May, 1920, dur
ing the anti-union drive Of that year,
that "rhe principle Of individual
freedom requires the open shop"
There is much in this pamphlet
about Boulder Dam labor conditions
under the open shop contractors fav-
ored by Hoover. Then Judge Parker,
sponsor of the yellow dog contract
of n%on-union employment, and Judge
Wilkerson of Chicago, and Judge
Macintosh of Seattle, all nominated
by Hoover for promotion, are dissect-
ed as to their anti-labor record.
Finally, there is an effective para
graph on Hoover's labor attitude of
the past four years-"one of cold
and callous indifference to the misery
of the unemployed. He opposed every
plan for relief that was drafted or
endorsed by the American Fedora
ton of Labor. He killed the pros
perity loan. He killed appropria-
tons to feed starving men, women
and children"
This seems to imply that Tobin,
in the coming convention of the A.
F. of L., will fight against Hoover
policies. 1t would seem to mean
that he will expose the mockery in
the Teagle-H Hoover plan for having
the workers who still cling to jobs
with pay cuts, divide their jobs with
CONTINUED on page four)