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Lonaconing Clean-up Halted by WPA Strike
Demand Town Rate of 40 cents an hour instead of WPA Rate of Pay.
Lonaconing March 23. Clearing up flood debris and repair work was practically at a standstill today following the strike of Works Progress Administration laborers. They are paid 23 1/3 cents an hour, under the WPA security wage ruling, but demand 40 cents the same as paid a few laborers by the Mayor and City Council of Lonaconing.
A committee from the WPA group called out last Thursday to work in Lonaconing, informed Mayor William O. Jones, they would not work unless paid the town rate of 40 cents. Most of the WPA workers live in Lonaconing.
The Mayor said the town had no money to pay them, and that there was no town ordinance in effect to pay that rate per man, but it had been paid for some years.
About ten town employees are at work.
The WPA workers had been assigned to open up the Beachwood road, closed since Tuesday by flood debris. Two bridge and a large part of the road is washed away.
Members of Good Will Volunteer Fire Company will be asked to make repairs, as residents of the Beachwood section cannot be reached in case of emergency
Leander Schaidt, WPA project engineer, Cumberland, conferred with Mayor Jones. The WPA workers were ordered to work on their own projects, if they would work in the town, cleaning up the heavy flood damage.