REPORT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE
NEBRASKA STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR FOR 1911
Lincoln, Neb., April 28, 1911.
TO THE NEBRASKA FEDERATION OF LABOR
AND AFFILIATED UNIONS GREETING:
Your legislative committee begs leave to make
report of the progress made in the matter of leg
islation in the interests of the wage earners, en
acted by the thirty-second session of the Ne
braska legislature.
Before entering in detail upon the results ac
complished by your legislative committee, a few
explanatory rmarks may not be out of place.
It should be remembered, in casting up accounts,
that the last session of the legislature was prac
tically the first that organized labor has made
any concerted effort to secure the enactment of
laws in the interests of the workers. Heretofore
spasmodic efforts have been made. A committee
from some organization would draft a bill and
secure its introduction by some well-disposed or
complacent member of the legislature. The bill,
having no one to push it, would either die in com-,
mittee or meet with an adverse fate in the com
mittee of the whole or on third reading. , Com
mittees of union men would be appointed to look
after certain measures, but "what is everybody's
business is nobody's business," and the commit-'
teemen thus appointed would do nothing. This was
not surprising in view of. the fact that to properly
push a . bill in the legislature requires constant
attention.' This the committeemen could not give
because they were unable to stand the loss of
wages, and there was no provision for paying
them for their time. .This has been the rule for
all the years past until the legislature of 1911
convened. That. , session found the Nebraska
State Federation of Labor fairly well equipped
and thoroughly organized for business. It had a
live legislative committee on the ground, . and
these men, being paid for their time, could af
ford to give matters their undivided attention.
With this brief explanation your committee is
prepared to submit its report. While acknowl
edging at the start that it did not come any
where near securing all it went after, your com
mitee is more than satisfied with results. It has
paved the way for more and better work in the
future and future results depend upon ' the
loyalty and enterprise of the local unions of the
state in giving their co-operation by affiliating
with the state organization. With more money,
and consequently more legislative committee
men on the grounds, more, perhaps, could have
been accomplished.
EMPLOYER'S LIABILITY AND , WORKING
MEN'S COMPENSATION.
Among the first bills introduced in the inter
ests of labor was House Roll 536, introduced by
Representative Evans of Adams. This bill was
drafted by your committee, with the help and
ommendations of the New York conference bill,
advice of Mr. Evans. It was in line with the rec
and while not taking as advanced a step as the
conference bill it was enough, to lay a splendid
ground work for the future. Your committee had
no hopes of securing the passage of this meas
ure; its object was to get this advanced propo
sition to the attention of the general public, be
living that labor would profit in the last analysis
by a more thorough understanding of the sufr
ject. That the oponents of labor legislation were
awake to what the Nebraska Federation of La
bor is doing was evidenced by the fact that at
the first hearing on the bill before the House
Labor Committee, the paid attorneys of tho cor
porations and large employers of labor were
present to oppose it. Your committee was
ready for them, and every objection to the bill
was met and answered. The insurmountable
obstacle, however, was that a majority of the
.members of the House Committee were farmers,
and they were opposed to any measure that
would make a farmer liable for damages result
ing from accident to a farm hand. Any excep-
tissf fceweyer, tow feae revered &e frjii
null and void if enacted into law, and your com
mittee could not overcome that. But out of
the discussion came the result that your com
mittee was seeking a commission to study
thoroughly this . vital subject and , make report
to the next legislature With all this data before
it the next session can not plead either ignor
ance nor lack of opportunity A resolution was
secured whereby a commission of seven mem
bers is to-be appointed, two representing the
wage earners, two representing employers, and
three at large, appointments to be made by the
governor. By this means the resources of the
State Legislative Reference Library is put at the
disposal of the commission.
FACTORY INSPECTION.
Senate File 240, introduced by Senator Tl
cott, was finally enacted into law and signed by
Governor Aldrich. The passage of this bill was
by no means an easy task.' There was no open
opposition to it, but everywhere it met with a;
secret opposition an opposition naturally to be
expected, and of course ashamed to come out
into the open. ' Senator Talcott fought for this
measure in a manner that entitles him to the
warmest commendation. This bill in brief pro
vides that every factory or building where eight
or more persons are employed shall be provided
with water closets, which shall be kept clean
and well ventilated. The state labor commis-'
sioner may require the placing of such closets'
in such maner as he shall deem best for morals
and sanitation. Where employes are required
to change their clothes, separate clean dress
ing rooms must be provided for men and women.
Where dust or fumes are caused there shall be
a fan to carry away such dust or other impurities
from the air. Such . places must be kept clean
and free from effluvia arising from drains.
Where emery or " carborundum wheels are used, '
blowers must be located to carry away' the par
ticles from them. Emery whels shall not ' be
operated, when cracked or broken. Such wheels
shall be fitted with hoods " into which the dust
will be carried and swept away by an air cur
rent. Sizes of suction pipes are specified ac
cording to the size of wheels. Protection : guards
against belting, shafting, etc., must be furnished.
Report must be made to the labor commisisoner
of fatal or serious accidents. Any employe who
continues to work ,even though the appliances
required are not installed shall not be barred
from recovering damages for injury. Failure to
comply with the provisons of the act punishable
by a fine of $10 to $100.
Senate File 216, introduced by Senator Reagan
had the backing of your committee and the
earnest support of a number of the senators and
representatives. It supplements the present fire
escape laws, and will render safer employment
in all mills and factories. It provides that all
hotels, office buildings, - lodging houses and
other places of public resort must be equipped
with fire escapes of suitable strength and ac
cessibility, the number to be determined by the
stae labor commisisoner. Moving picture the
atres must have exits opening toward the out
side at least three feet wide and six feet six
Inches high. Authority to inspect buildings and
enforce the provisions- of the act are conferred
on the labor commission. County attorneys are
required to prosecute complaints brought by him.
Violation punishable by a - fine of $25 to $100
Repeals Section 6929, Cobbey's.
- The bill interesting the largest number of
workingmen was Senate File 16, ' Introduced by
Senator Reagan, and regulating the construction
of buildings, bridges, viaducts, etc.,' upon which
building mechanics are employed The course
of this bill was a stormy one. It was opposed
strenuously, and time and again it seemed as if
it would be' throttled in committee. But . finally,
Just when hope seemed , lost, . your committee
managed" to get it ' fry " Un" pRjiSilt- '
te" of the house. It was well down to the foot
of the list, and members were anxious to ad
journ. But by almost superhuman effort your
committee managed to interest men who stood
to their guns and compelled the house to act.
When it. came to vote it went through with
votes to spare. In brief this law proides that
any mechanical contrivance erected for use in
erection, repairing or painting any building,
bridge or other structure shall be erected in a
safe and suitable manner to give proper
protection to the life and limb of any person
employed upon it or passing under it and so
as to prevent the falling of any material deposited
upon it. A swing staging twenty feet above
the ground shall have a safety rail thirty-four
inches high along the outside and ends and such
staging must be ' so ' constructed as to prevent it
from swinging Out from' the building.
In all buildings,' except private barns and resi
dences, if the distance between the walls is more '
than twenty-four feet in the clear there must be
proper intermediary supports for the joists and
all floor must be constructed in such a manner
as to be capable of bearing a live load of fifty
pounds to the square foot. In all such buildings
the contractor must display on each floor a pla
card stating the amount of load which may with
safety be applied to the floor in any place, all
such placards to be verified by the state labor
commissioner or city building inspector. Where
the state labor commissioner or local authorities
are informed that any scaffold or staging is un
safe they shall cause an inspection to be made
and, if the complaint is justified, shall notify
the person responsible, who must take imme
diate steps to have the same altered so as to
provide sf ety. AH such devices must be con
structed with strength sufficient to bear four
times the weight required of them. Where work
is being performed on a temporary platform on
a pole, steeple, tower or other such structure, a
safe scaffold must be maintained not more than
sixteen feet below such ; working scaffold. On
steel buildings the floors must be constructed at
least two stories below the point where the iron
workers are at work. Where hoisting machines
are used the openings in the floors must be
fenced in. Adequate signal devices must be
maintained between those working on power
hoisting machine. Violations of the act are
made punishable by a fine of $25 to $500 or im
prisonment of from three months to two years
or both. Provision is made for the recover of
damages in th case of accident or death, where
the act is not complied with.
House Roll 481 introduced by Representative
Leidigh, creates a department of printing, the
governor being commissioner and appointing a
deputy at a salary of $1,500 a year. The deputy
commisisoner is made wholly responsible for the
carrying out of contracts ' for furnishing printed
matter and printed supplies to the state. This
Is a radical reform, and the law will safeguard
the interests of fair employers of men and wom
en in the allied printing trades.
Your committee, ' in addition to pushing the
several bills it caused to be Introduced, also ' co
operated with the legislative committee of the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen in securing
the enactment of two good measures, one of
which applies to men not engaged in the train
service. This is the "service letter" law and
provides that when the employe of a public serv
ice corporation or contractor quits or is dis
charged, his employer must give him a service
letter setting forth the nature of the work he did
and the reason for his leaving. Such letter must
be written upon plain papefr to be selected by the
employe and signed ' in black ink and with the
official seal or stamp of the writer. No device
of any pharacter can be printed on the sheet of
paper. F&Uure to' comply is punishable fry ft Une