Exploiting Labor at Grays Harbor
A scathing report reveals how labor contractors are cheating workers with predatory 'discounts,' abysmal living conditions, and wage theft on harbor improvement projects.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. Editor: It is with a sense of justice to all concerned that we offer you this information regarding the government work now underway on Grays Harbor. We have thoroughly and impartially investigated the case. Mr. Howard, the purported contractor, is merely a business manager for Messrs. Scott & Jordan of Portland. Wages are two dollars per day, and board is one dollar per day; if a man works full time he can at best make five dollars per week, provided he is paid in cash, which he is not. He is given an order, which is then discounted by 'money shavers.' Mr. W. Brown of this city, a man well acquainted with the business men of Hoquiam, had to pay an 8% discount on an order. We visited the sleeping apartments and found them void of all comforts; the supply of bedding was entirely inadequate, with several men lying on the floor without covering and using a turned-down chair for a pillow. Much complaint is also made about the food. The fare from Portland to this point is ordinarily five dollars; Mr. Howard deducts seven dollars from each man's pay, and there is no reason to believe that parties from other towns receive any fairer treatment. These facts are stated for the consideration of all workmen before they come to this place in anticipation of a profitable summer's work. By order of Aberdeen Assembly, K. of L., No. 10,192, Harry F. Coles, Recording Secretary.
“Several men lay on the floor without covering and a turned down chair for a pillow.”
This 1893 labor complaint mirrors persistent modern-day struggles with 'gig economy' exploitation and the abuse of vulnerable workers, where third-party contractors often externalize costs and risks onto those least able to bear them. The 'money shavers' of the 1890s have simply evolved into modern predatory payroll processing fees and wage theft schemes.
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