Legislative 'Joker' Stalls Protections for Women Workers
A new law aiming to limit work hours for female employees includes a loophole that may render it entirely toothless.
The present status of the eight hour law for female employes is that it has passed. The bill has been passed, reconsidered and passed in an attempt to exempt the canneries, but is now up to the senate without exemption. But the bill carries a provision whereby it does not apply to piece work. This little joker eliminates any effectiveness the bill might otherwise have.
“This little joker eliminates any effectiveness the bill might otherwise have.”
Legislative loopholes often mirror the struggle between labor protections and industrial interests. The 'joker' clause described in 1909—excluding piece work—remains a classic example of how policy can be subverted to exclude the most vulnerable workers.
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