Labor not a commodity; hours and wages in public work; right to organize and bargain collectively

§ 17. Labor of human beings is not a commodity nor an article of\ncommerce and shall never be so considered or construed.\n No laborer, worker or mechanic, in the employ of a contractor or\nsub-contractor engaged in the performance of any public work, shall be\npermitted to work more than eight hours in any day or more than five\ndays in any week, except in cases of extraordinary emergency; nor shall\nhe or she be paid less than the rate of wages prevailing in the same\ntrade or occupation in the locality within the state where such public\nwork is to be situated, erected or used.\n Employees shall have the right to organize and to bargain collectively\nthrough representatives of their own choosing.\n