Evening star., 1934-07-26
DC. RELIEF WAGES
REVEALED BELOW
PREVAILING RATES
CARPENTER Tells Senators He
Lost Work After Writ
ing Protest.
TWO OTHERS LEFT JOBS
IN SUPPORT OF ACTION
Building Trades Council Official
Tells of Difficulties in Keep
ing Up Scale.

ing Up Scale.
Charges that mechanics have not
been paid prevailing wage scales on
District Of Columbia emergency work
relief projects were laid before the
Senate committee investigating labor
conditions on public works when
Chairman Walsh resumed hearings
today.
One carpenter, Charles w. Nc
CURE, testified that he was dropped
from employment as carpenter by
George L, Penn, foreman. after he
had written a letter to Commissioner
Allen protesting against a cut in the
wages he had been receiving from
the work relief agency.
Albert Clark and Barney Orndorf,
two other carpenters who had joined
MCGUIRE In signing the letter OF pro-
test, told the Senate committee they
left the work Ia protest against the
dropping OF Mcclure. A fourth man
who had signed the letter, James Rus
sell, q plumber, testified that there
after his status was changed to a
laborer and that he was still working
In that status,
Loeher Tells of Friction.
Another high light of today's ses-
sion was the testimony of John Locher,
secretary of the Washington Building
Trades Council. that his organization
has had difficulty with Capt Howard
F.. Clark, a District official in trying
to have prevailing wage rates main
tanned on District emergency relief
work. Capt. Clark was recently named
by the commissioners as chairman Of
newly formed wage compliance
board TO supervise pay questions on
District projects.
Locher charged that Capt. Clark
had taken the position that the rate
of wages for all labor were too high"
"His attitude" Locher continued,
twas that II they had to work for re-
lief It was no more than charity and
they ought to be satisfied with what
they could get
Locher told Of going to Commits
sioner Allen with c. w. A. bulletins
to show that the Sl.10 minimum wage
fixed for mechanics on p. w. A. prof.
ects was required also on c. w. A.
work. He said that Commissioner Al
len promised to look into the matter
and told him to return later The
same afternoon, Locher said, Com
missioner Allen read to him a tele-
gram from a c. w A. official instruct
ing the District administration to pay
the prevailing rates as laid down by
the Department of Labor and that
Allen said he would see it was put
into effect.
Carried Out ON c. w. A. Work.
Thereafter on C. w. A. work was
It carried out?" inquired Senator
Walsh.
"In so far as Allen was concerned.
yes. but we continued to have trouble
with Capt. Clark" Locher replied.
Asked for specific instances, Locher
told of complaints by about 16 me-
chanics who were working on removal
of the old Aqueduct Bridge, who,
Locher said, from time TO time had
their rates cut down below the pre-
vailing rate. He said Capt. Clark told
him he would take up the protest
Locher said he never heard what the
outcome was.
Locher also testified that the union
did not insist on all union men on
relief jobs. but that the. union seemed
to get small part of the jobs He
declared that "a union card seemed
to be a detriment' to men seeking
emergency relief work.
The committee began this morning
by hearing MCGUIRE, who said that
when he first went to work at the
District relief headquarters last year
he got three days a week at As cents
an hour. When the c. w. A. started.
he said, he got $110 an hour, the
prevailing minimum rate. Later on,
he said, he was cut to rs cents an
hour, which amounted to Sl8 a week
and was still doing the work of a
carpenter. 1t was this cut, he told
the committee. that prompted him to
prepare the letter to Commissioner
Allen, which four other mechanics also
signed. He said this was about the
middle of May.
Three Went to Aliens Office.
MCGUIRE then testified that Penn.
under whom he was working, asked
him If he wrote the letter to Commits
sioner Allen, MCGUIRE said he replied
he did not write the letter but had
dictated it. Mcclure charged that
Penn then told him he had no more
work and that he would have to go
and fight it out with his case worker.
Mcclure said he and two of the
others who had signed the letter went
TO Commissioner Aliens Office. where
the secretary told them they had a
right to write the letter The Com
missioner was not there at the time
Asked by Philip j Philbin, commit
tee counsel. if heSfelt the letter had
caused his dismissal, MCGUIRE said he
felt sure that il had.
Senator Walsh said he could con-
ceive of the claim being made by an
emergency agency that it was not
bound by the Bacon-DaviS prevailing
wage law, but indicated that such a
claim might not be well founded.
Carpenter Tells of Protest.
Albert Clark. one Of the carpenters
working with MCGUIRE, said he was
not discharged. but that he protested
to Penn against dropping MCGUIRE
and then left because he also had
signed the letter. He said that about
two weeks ago he was given another
sssie nment 10 the woodward. where
he was told they only had roadwork.
Orndoff also told Of leaving in pro-
test
group Of plumbers and steam fit
tiers testified TO being given work
through the emergency relief agency
and sent to Gallinger Hospital where.
they said they started out at the pre-
vailing rate. but later were told there
was only laborerS' work available at
90 cents an hour.
Before the hearings began this
morning, Mr. PhiIhin. committee
counsel, said he had asked Repre-
sentative Britten Of Illinois TO submit
any specific information he had in
I