Montana labor news., 1939-07-06
Joint Resolution Just Passed
Places Nation on 130.Hr. Basis
Restrictions and Limitations the
Most Severe Since the Gov
eminent Began Its Relief
Activities.

The recent joint resolution passed
by the United States Congress is by
far the most severe and drastic that
has yet been drafted since the gov
eminent took over the burden of re-
lief activities. The whole nation has
gone on a 130-hour basis in respect
to the Works Progress Administra-
ton. Some of the most pertinent
sections of the law are as follows:
Sec. IS. (a) The commissioner
shall fix a monthly earning schedule
for persons engaged upon work
projects financed in whole or in part
from funds appropriated by section
l which shall not substantially affect
the current national average labor
cost per person Of the Work Projects
Administration. After August 81,
1889, such monthly earning schedule
shall not be varied for workers of
the same type in different geographi-
cal areas to any greater extent than
may be justified by differences in
the cost of living. The commission
er shall require that the hours of
work for all persons engaged upon
work projects financed in whole or
in part by funds appropriated by
section l shall ID be one hundred
and thirty hours per month except
that the commissioner, in his dis
erection, may require a lesser number
of hours of work per month in the
case of relief workers with no de-
pendents and the earnings of such
workers shall be correspondingly
reduced, and ~ not exceed eight
hours in any day and shall not ex-
coed forty hours in any week.
(b) There shall be removed from
employment on Work Projects Ad-
ministration projects all relief work
ers, excepting veterans, who have
been continuously employed on such
projects for more than eighteen
months, and any relief worker so
removed shall be ineligible to be
restored to employment on such
projects until after (a) the expira-
ton of thirty days after the date of
his removal, and (b) recertification
of his eligibility for restoration to
employment on such projects. In
the case of relief workers whose
period of eighteen months of con-
tinuous employment expires before
September 1, 1889, this section shall
apply to require their removal not
than August 81, 1889, rather
than on such expiration date.
Sec. %. Any person who know
and with intent to defraud the
United States makes any false state
ment in connection with any appli-
cation for any work project, employ
ment, or relief aid under the appro-
priations in this joint resolution, or
diverts, or attempts to divert or
assists in diverting, for the benefit
of any person or persons not entitled
thereto, any portion of such appro-
priations, or any services or real or
personal property acquired there
under, Or who knowingly, by mea
Of any fraud, force, threat, intimida-
ton, or boycott, or discrimination on
account of race, religion, political
affiliations, or membership in a labor
organization, deprives any person of
any of the benefits to which he may
be entitled under any such appro-
priations, or attempts so to do, Or
assists in so doing, or who disposes
Of, or assists in disposing of, except
for the account of the United States,
any property upon which there exists
a lien securing a loan made under
the provisions of this joint resolu-
ton or the Emergency Relief Appro-
priation Acts of 1885, 1886, 1887, and
1888, shall be deemed guilty of a
and fined not more than
$4,000 or imprisoned not more than
two years, or both. The provisions
Of this section shall be in addition
to, and not in substitution for, any
other provisions of existing law, or
Of this joint resolution.