This Day in History: 1934-01-16
The CWA workers who were clearing and grading the right of way for the new highway through Allendale Saddle River and Ramsey held a mass meeting at the Waldwick school auditorium to protest a cut in their wages. Their hourly pay had been cut from 50 cents to 45 cents. A resolution to go out on strike, as other CWA workers had done in other areas, was narrowly defeated, but an organization was formed to negotiate with the Federal officials. Louis Caruso of Waldwick was chosen as President was Winter Winterbutton, a Spanish-American War veteran of Park Ridge, as secretary. Group of CWA workers from Fairlawn reported the steps that they had taken to reverse their recent cut to 40 cents an hour.
The official reason for the cut in wages was that the NRA wage for road work was 40 cents an hour. The local CWA workers pointed out that they had been working in heavily wooded areas and swamps, and that poor weather had reduced their incomes to 7 cents to 9 cents per week. No family could be sustained on that low a wage, they insisted.
(Bristow)