STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
A group of truck drivers victimized during the construction of the freeway south of El Centro will start to receive paychecks today for wages they were not paid in the situation which brought up last year’s trucking scandal.
Thirty-seven drivers will receive a total of $19,914.53 in checks which started going out yesterday from the El Centro office of the Division of Labor Law Enforcement. They range from $15.77 to $1,908.74.
O.C. (Scotty) Stewart, chief investigator for the Division, and a man who closely followed the case during its investigation and during the conspiracy trial, said yesterday afternoon that all the checks should be in the hands of the drivers before Christmas.
The state will also get a Christmas present from the division: $39,295 in penalties assessed against the firm which built the freeway segment.
40 years ago
A recent Monterey Superior Court decision has struck down the minimum wage increase granted agricultural workers last year, according to James Quillin, state labor commissioner.
He said the orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) granting a 50-cent wage boost and time and-a-half for overtime “have been held by the Monterey Superior Court to be invalid and unenforceable.”
The judgment, which Quillin called “sweeping” and “unexpected,” was ordered Nov. 17. It resulted from a challenge of the increase by Bud Antle, Inc., and Bruce Church, Inc.
Meanwhile, Beatrice Christensen, assistant chief of the Division of Industrial Welfare, said the IWC will “certainly appeal the decision but that the wage increase order is, indeed, “temporarily invalidated.
“Considering our track record in appellate courts, I would say this is only going to be a temporary thing,” she said. In 60 years, the commission has only lost two appeals, she said.
30 years ago
The Central Spartans had three wrestlers win a weight class and two others finish second over the weekend in the second annual Orange High School Varsity wrestling Tournament.
The meet was held at Chapman College, but it was an athletic director’s nightmare because of the 16 teams which had indicated they would participate, only six showed up.
Central coach Scott Fullerton said, “I was impressed by our performance, even with the diluted competition. Each wrestler had at least one very difficult match, sometimes two.”
The Spartans that won a weight class were Rene Rubio (105 pounds), Mike Romero (138) and Julio Ferrusca (145). Roman Castillo (175) and Gustavo Estrada (heavyweight) finished second in their weight class.
20 years ago
News that The Home Depot will open 61 stores in California over the next three years as part of a plan to double the chain’s size may prove fruitful for the city of El Centro.
A company spokeswoman said Tuesday while the Imperial Valley is not on the list of 61 areas in this state where chain stores will be built, officials of the Atlanta based firm are considering building a store in El Centro.
“It is not included in the list of all sites set to open in California, but we are actively pursuing El Centro as a new market for The Home Depot,” said spokeswoman Amy Friend.
“We have been very interested in El Centro and we have looked at a couple of sites,” she added. “I would not be surprised if in a couple of years we open there.”