Imperial Valley press., 1933-08-22

WORK
CREW STRIKES

i Los ANGELES. Aus = up
A countrywide strike Of welfare
EMPLOYEES scheduled for this after
noon took an unexpected turn to-
day when 100 dissatisfied workers
began peaceful pieketing Of 5.00l
men employed on county work re-
lief projects in Griffith park.
Informed the pieketers were arm
ed with pitchforks and sledgeham-
mers. police were rushed 70 the
scene, but found a generally orderly
group and made no attempt q
disperse the crowd. A few men car
ried tools. but not as weapons. Il
was explained.
The piekerers. wearing sleeve
bands with the insignia relief
workers protective union confined
their activities TO distributing hand
bills to the arriving workers.
The workers. more than 10000
of whom are on county relief pro-
jects. planned to eongregate al the
Plaza at l p. m. for one day
strike. and TO send representatives
to the board of supervisors. the city
council and the mayor.
They were TO protest an order by
Earl E. Jensen. county superinten-
dent of charities. reducing working
hours on relief projects from eight
to six hours daily because of lack
of charity funds.
Jensen cut the hours TO four last
week, but yesterday rescinded- the
order in favor of a six hour day
at 10 cents an hour The men are
given from 10 to 20 days work
each month. depending upon the
number of dependents.
IF these men want TO strike.
there is nothing we can do about
it." John R. Quinn. chairman of
the board of supervisors declared.
Jensen and the rest of us are
doing the best we know. We are
trying TO give the most help to
the greatest number of unemploy-
ed. This strike is the work of radi-
Gals. They should realize that by
walking out they are not tying up
any construction or improvements
which must go ahead. Most of these
projects were created to give these
men jobs, and can wait"
Work hours We're cut when chari-
ty funds began to run low. The
federal government has refused to
provide funds for direct relief. max
ing grants only for self -liquidating
construction projects. At present
the county charity bill is running
more than 100000 a month.
All workers who were picketed
this morning resumed their work
apparently with the understanding
they would lay down their tools at
noon and join in the general DEM
onstration at the Plaza.
LOS ANGELES. Aug. %. 0.p) =
Several hundred men employed or
county relief projects in Griffith
park went on strike today to pro-
test a cut in working hours from
eight to four hours day.
First reports indicated more thar
100 men were picketing'' at the
entrance to the park to ask their
felloW-workers to join a general
strike called for l pm. today.
Picketers confined their activities
TO handing out dodgers asking CO.
operation Of other workers in join
ing the protest strike, according to
first reports from police rushed to
the scene.
The picketing followed threats OF
a strike by welfare workers last
week over an order by Earl E. Jen-
sen, county superintendent of char
tiles, shortening the hours of work
on relief projects.
When threat of another strike
arose yesterday, Jensen announced
he had abandoned his plan to cut
work days to four hours, and that
a compromise six hour schedule
would be substituted soon.
Despite this announcement, how
ever, workers called a mass meeting
for l pm today at the Plaza.
Police said there was no violence
among the picketerS.