Evening star., 1939-07-12

Major operation 1Das performed
on Federal relief structure in
1910 appropriation bill passed late
last month by Congress. Among
neW provisions are requirement
that relief ,Dorkers be laid off 80
days after 18 consecutive months
ON rolls; that geographic differ
entails be ndrro,Ued and that
workers must put in 100 hours
monthly for minimum security
1Uage.
Thousands of w. P. A. workers
were summarily discharged from re-
lief rolls today after being absent
for more than five days in protest
at new wage and hour requirements.
The discharges, taking place in
several cities throughout the country,
included % construction workers who
had been employed on District w. P.
A. projects.
AS in most other communities, the
men dismissed here are not barred
permanently from relief employ
ment, but must reapply and await
their turn at the bottom of eligible
lists If they desire further assist
ance.
Forty eight workers originally
went on strike here last week, but
IL have returned to their jobs. In
addition to the % discharged to-
day IA more reach their deadline
tonight.
Direct relief was not available to
those affected here nor In most of
the other cities.
AS the wholesale discharges be-
gan, some 200 leaders of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor met here
to adopt resolution of protest at
controverted provisions of the 1910
Relief Act and to prepare barrage
OF pressure on Congress for. cor
rective legislation.
Prevailing Wage Urged.
Greeting the delegates, William
Green, A. F. L. president, spoke ear
nestly in support of the prevailing
wage principle now being discarded
by the w. P. A. in the requirement
that all relief workers must put in
l30 hours per month to earn the
basic security wage, formula which
reduces hourly rates below union
scales.
Emphasis was directed by George
Meany, president of the New York
State Federation of Labor, on the
fact that many projects undertaken
by the New York City w. P. A., which
he described as the worlds largest
construction frm," have been more
in the nature of public works than
relief projects and that thousands of
union construction workers not on
relief have been hired for such jobs.
Although the w. p A. protest
strikes have had their principal
strength in the support of Federation
local bodies and have been officially
called in several instances by the
local groups, Mr.. Green and Harry
c. Bates, president of the Brick
layers International Union, stressed
that the demonstrations were "spon-
taneous in character"
They have never been ordered by
the American Federation of Labor"
Mr.. Green declared, because We
fully recognize the fact that the
remedy lies with Congress, rather
than through strikes on w. P. A.
projects"
F. B. I. Investigating.
Meanwhile, Federal Bureau of In
vestigation agents were reported in
quiring into strike tactics in at
least one community, and adminis-
tration spokesmen indicated they
will give no assistance to efforts to
enact new relief legislation at this
session.
Questioned at his press conference
late yesterday, President Roosevelt
said he expected the act will stand
as it now reads House Majority
Leader Rayburn likewise discounted
chances OF any revisions this year.
5-Day Grace Periods.
With the five-day period of grace
allowed strikers before their dis
missal ending for most of them last
night, the first reports of wholesale
discharges came from Minneapolis
and New York, centers of strike ac-
ton from the beginning.
1t was in Minneapolis that F. B.
I. agents were reported probing
strike tactics as numerous COM
plants were received of intimidation
OF workers, and medical authorities
continued their inquiry into the
death of city policeman shortly
after he was roughly handled by
strikers.
Indications were the Justice De-