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https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 555 U. S. Departelent of Labor 710:EN'3 KREAU Washington November 8, 1926. News Letter No. 46. ACTIVITIES AFFECTING WOM7N IN INDUSTRY Massachusetts Factory Law Amended. Action of the Legislature of 1226 amended the law requiring proper ventilation in factories as ilrotectien from dangerous vapors, gases, dust or fumes to apply to all facto2ies and worl:snops irrespective of the number or sex of the employees. Prevously the law applied only to factories where five or more persons were employed and to workshops where five or more women or children were employed. New Minimum Wage Set. A minimum wage of $14.40 a week has been set by the Minimum Wage Commission for women cf ordinary ability engaged in the manufacture of jewelry findings, silver novelties, ontical goods, watches and clocks. For inexperienced workers the minimum is to be i2 a week. The decree which becomes effective January 1, 1927, provides that a woman shall be considered of ordinary ability who has reached the age of 20 years and has had six months' experience in the occupation. The investigation of the wages of women employed in the manufacture of jewelry and related lines, made by the Idinimum Wage Comleission preliminary to fixing a minim-era wage, showed that 35 per cent of the women in the industry earned less than 0.4 a week, and 21 per cent earned 20 or over. Earnings by occupations showed a marked contrast for the workers engaged in different processes. Of the largest group, the packers, two-thirds received less than ‘14, and only 3 per cent earned $20 or over. Bench workers and press operators, other large occupational groups, showed a similar situation with two-thirds of the bench workers earning under y14 and only 3 per cent ;,$20 or over. Of the press operators, two-thirds earned under ol4 a week and only 2 per cent had earnings as high as 820. On the other hand, less than one-tonth of the chain makers received less than $14 while 46 per cent received Y20 a week or over. Of all the women for whom earnings by occupations were tabulated, 48 per cent received under (14 a week and less than 13 per cent 20 a week or over. New Wage board Organized. A wage board to recommend a minimum rate of wages for women employed in the manufacture of toys, games and sportin goods was organized in October. An investigation made by the :inimum Wage Coelmission of the wager paid in this industry showed that 44 per cert of the wonen rocedeeed less than 03 a week, and approximately 65 per cent less than $15, while not quite 15 per cent received a8 a week or over. Considering earnings by occupation it was found that of the bench workers, the biggest group, three-fifths earned less than ol3 a week, nearly four-fifths earned loss than Q15 a week, and less than 7 per cent earned el3 a week or over. Of the cementers, however, the next largest occupational group, less than one-fifth had earnings under y14, more than two-fifths more than ;,.;l4, and one-third earned 0.9 or over. The painters and atitchers also had a considerable proportion, nearly one-third, in the highest wage group. In the case of assemblers and miscellaneous workers, however, earnings are similar to those of the bench workers. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org in_ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis -2 Salaries of Office Employees in Massachusetts Establishments. The Massachusetts Dopartment of Labor and Industries is preparing for early release a brief mimeographed summary of the results of the survey of salaries of office employees in Massachusetts establishments, as of May 1, 1926. The complete returns, which may appear later in printed form, include reports from 1,075 establishments employing 22,427 office workers (about oneeighth of all persons so engaged in this State), 8,182 (36.5 per cent) of whom were males and 14,245 (63.5 per cent) of whom were females. Returns from similar types of offices were combined in order to better illustrate the occupational and salary data, and eight "Office groups" were decided upon. The returns were also tabulated so as to show the data separately for Boston and for four other "districts" in the State. By means of "salary groups" the salaries paid both males and females employed at each of 38 occupations are indicated, and the number of each sex coming within each group is shown. In brief, the survey shows that for every four males employed in office work, there were seven females; that about one-half of all persons reported for were engaged at clerical occupations; that the stenographic positions were almost altogether filled by females, representing slightly more than one-fifth of the total number of office workers of both sexes combined; and that in the accounting and bookkeeping section, similar in size to the stenographic section, nearly two-thirds of those employed were females. The two largest occupational groups, both sexes combined, were composed of bookkeepers or cashiers, and junior clerks. There were three especially large groups of males--junior clerks, senior clerks, and bookkeepers or cashiers. Of the females, there were two very important groups-bookkeepers or cashiers, and stenographer-typists. The predominating salary groups, without respect to sex, were 1620 but less than 25"--including 24.6 per cent of all persons reported for, and "$16 but less than 20"--including 18.4 per cent. The largest group of males was one of 27.7 per cent receiving %30 but less than t;40," and the next largest, one of 18.3 per cent receiving "050 or over." Of the females, 32.0 per cent received "020 but less than ',25," and 24.7 per cent received "16 but less than ;:;,20." The mimeographed report refers principally to the complete returns and includes the following indicated tabular presentations: I Summary showing the number of males, of females, End of both sexes combined, in each of the office groups and districts covered. II Summary showing the number, with percentagos, of males and females coming within each salary group. III Classification of these same data in detail by occupations. IV Principal occupations. V Principal salary groups. VI Representation of males and females by office sections and by sex. New York There has just been issued a 16 page summary of a brief presented to the Industrial Survey Commission by the Joint Legislative Conference in support of a 48-hour law for women. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis -3-. Organized Labor Again Advocates a 48-Hour Week. In its legislatjvn preram for 1927 organized labor of New York State includes the 48-hour week for women and minors. Virginia The 10-hour law for women was Emended by the 1926 legislature to cover restaurants as well as factories, workshops, laundries, mercantile and manufacturing establishments. Further amendments provide for posting a copy of the law and the schedule of hours in each workroom and for increasing the penalties for violation of the law. For a first offense the fine specified is from I_CD to 25 and for a second and subsequent offenses from $25 to $50. The coinlaissioner of labor is charged with the enforcement of the lay and the prosecution of all violations. Canada British Columbia. WeeklyHalf Holiday in Stores Attacked. The Chamber of Commerce at Victoria, B. C., has requested the Provincial Government to secure the repeal or amendment of the act requiring a weekly half holiday for shop employees in the province. This act was passed in 1916, providing that premises where any wholesale or retail trade or business is carried on must be closed not later than one o'clock in the afternoon on one day in each week, the day to be fixed by a referendum to the municipal electors. Certain classes of stores, however, such as bakeries, cigar stands, drug stores, restaurants, &c., are exempt from the operation of the act, unless the council of the municipality eclares by by-law, that they are to be included. The Chamber of Commerce declares that the act hampers business and should be repealed, and suggests further that another measure should be enacted providing that the shop employees should individually retain the privilege of a weekly half holiday, but that the half holida.„-s should be spread over a week, allowing the establishments to remain open every week day. It is stated that the action of the Victoria Chamber is likely to be followed by similar movement in Vancouver and other cities in the province. On the other side the retail clerks have declared themselves strongly opposed to such a change in the existing heliday systeL,, fearing that it mi4it eventually deprive them of their present privileges; and an organization has been formed at Victoria to resist any attempt to Emend the act as proposed by the Chamber of Commerce. (Labour Gazette, Canada, October 1926.) Minimum 'ago in Fruit and Vegetable Industry Increased. The Minimum Wage Board of British Columbia issued an order on September 3, increasing the wages paid in the fruit and vegetable industry and replacing the orders of February 28, 1920, and July 4, 1922. Following a petition to the Board.by the employees, asking for a reopening of the question of the minimum wage and hours of labor in this industry, a conference of representatives of all persons interested was duly held, and the new order was issued in consequence of the recommendations of this conference, which were reviewed and appreved by the Board. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis By the new scale the minimum wage of an experienced female employee is increased from ri4 to 1 4.40 for a week of 48 hours. Inexperienced female amp2oyees formerly received lO a week for the first month, 0.1 a week for the second month, and 1 - 2 a week for the third. Under the new order they receive $11 a week for the first two months, and thereafter rank as experienced workers. The order becomes effective 60 days after the date of issue. (Labour Gazette, Canada, October, 1926.) Minimum Wage for Men in Lumbering Industry. The first order under the Male Minimum Wage Act of 1925 establishes a minimum of 40 cents an hour for amnloyees in the lumbering industry in British Columbia. This act, which becomes effective November 1, 1926, is administered by the Board of Adjustmentiestablished under he Hours of Labour Act, 1923, and apnlies to "all occupations other than those of fel= laborers, fruit pickers, fruit and vegetable canners and domestic servants." Accordiniely the Board having dealt first with the largest industry in the provinc e will now proceed to study conditions prevailing in other industries for the purpose of fixing a minimum rate suitable for each industry. The "Vancouver Province" states that soon the act will affect the wages of every male worker in the province, including hundreds of store clerks, office employees and laborer s. By the early part of ne:et year it is expected all branches of business will be covered by minimum wages regulations, the scale in each case depending upon individual conditions. Prior to the publication of the order governing the lumbering industry, a large delegation of lumbermen presented to the Provincial Government a memorandum making a final nrotest against the enforcement of the Male Minimum Wage Act, and outlining an alternative scheme that would enable them to accomplish voluntarily what was considered to be one of the chief objects of the act, namely, the reduction of Asiatic labor. Under this alterna tive plan 25 per cent of the orientals now employed would be dismissed during the first year of the new law's operation; 25 per cent the second year end so on until only E few orientals were left in jobs which white men refuse to fill. The scheme would require the addition of 600 new white men to the lumber nay roll of the province in the first year in place of orientals, the lumbermen stated. The delegation was informed that the order of the Board must take effect but that if the act should prove too difficult to adminis ter it might be amended by the Legislature. (Labour Gazette, Canada, October , 19e6.) Trades and Labor Congress Asks e - iinimum forsA3.1 The Trades and Labor Congress at its 42d annual convention, held in Montreal in September decided to request that all Provincial legislatures pass legislation to provide for a minimum wage for all male workers, "such minima to be not less than the standard of livin7, the wage to be based on an eighthour day." (Labour Gazette, Canada, Oct&eer, 196.) A Minimum 7age for Fruit Pickers. The General Superintendent of the British Columbi EMrloyme a nt Service, in his report for 1925, suggests that the reinimuel wage act of the province should be extended to include berry pickers. At present the work of picking in the fields and orchards is excluded, only employees in jam and vegetable canneries, or in fruit packing and shipping houses, being covered by regulation. From the experience of the Employment Service offices with the fruit-nickin7 problem, it appears as though the only solution, in the interes ts of the growers who offer https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - 5 the highest rates and best living conditions, is to apply the minimum wage law to this industry. Thi s would discourege the practi ce of engaging help in advance of the time the fruit is ready to pick and hiring more pickers than can earn the minimum wage at the piece work rates offered, on account of insufficient fruit ready for picking. The money spent by growers for newspaper advertising and in providing special att ractions would go a long way towards meeting any additional cost incurree, under this plan, and the knowledge tha t a minimum wage would be paid vmuld attract an older and more satisfactory class of women as pickers, with a reduction in loss of fruit and a decrea se in expense for supervision. Another suggested scheme is for the growers to fix a minimum wage through their associations , and if the organizations are suf fic iently strong to enforce discipline among the mem bers, this plan is said to be as effective as the application of the statute. The Farmers' organizations in the Prairie Provinces have been following it for sev eral years past, and if a mem ber pays below the minimum agreed upon, he has dif ficulty in obtaining help and is taken to task by other members in the district for bringing the district int o disrepute and adversely affecting their labor supply. The Employment Service has forwarded 30,000 men under this arrangeme nt and the total complaints in four years have not exceeded 20 in number. (Labou r Gazette, Canada, Septem ber, 1926.) Manitoba. Minimum Wage for Women Employ ed in Brickyards. A minimum wage rate of 0.2 a week and 20 cents an hour has been fixed by the Minimum Wage Board for women employed in brickyards and in seasonal and casual industries not alread y covered by other regulations. Wages are to be paid weekly, within three day s after such wages have bee n ear ned. The hours of labor must not be more than nine in any day or forty-eig ht in a week. Employment between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m . and Sunday work are forbid den . Between the close of one dav's work and the beginning of another there must be an interval of at least eleven hours. In case of exceptional emergent conditions arising, overtime may be worked on permit fro m the Bureau of Labor. Th3re will be extra pay at not less than the reg ular rate for all overti me work. One hour must be allowed for lunch and employees required by the employer to spend time on the premises must be paid the refor. (Labour Gazette, Canada, August, 1926.) New Wage in Certain :danufacturing Industries. A new order of the Minimum Wege Board app lie s to women employees in the following industrie s: Artificial flowers, beddin g, ladies' wear, hats, caps, embroidery, jewelry, regali a and garments which includ e all clothing trades-except dressmaking, millin ery, custom tailoring and furriers--in all portions of the Province of :.:anito ba. The weekly minimum rate set for exp erienced employees 18 years of age or over is $12. No inexperienced emp loyee, except those employed gar in men t factories, shall be paid wages at a less rate than $9 a week for the first four months after entering the ind ustry and -1.0 a week for the sec ond four. months, and $11 per week for the thi rd four months, after which period of twelve months she shall receiv e the minimum wage of $12 a wee k. ine xpe No rienced garment worker shall be paid wages at a less rate than $9 a ree k for the first three months, and .10.50 for the second three months, after whi ch period of six months she shall be consid ered an experienced employee. No reduction shall be made from the minimum wage of time workers for statutory holidays. The number of inexperienced employees in any fac tory shall not exceed 25 per cent of the total experienced female employ ees. (Labour Gazette, Canada, September, 1926.) https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - 6 Saskatchewan. The Minimum Wage Borrd oi Saekatchewan has reissued its orders applying to shops and stores, lcundries and factories, and mail order houses. The order governing shoes rna stores was amended in 1925 In the eeetio n dealing with the rates of learners, the learning period having been extend ed from 18 months to 2 years. The orders now published provide an increase of $1 in the minimum wage of adult emnlcyees in the three gre,upe; the increase being from 014 to c15 in shops; and from 413 to 414 in laundries and factories and in mail order houses. In the shops and stores group the learners' weekly rates are increased from 47.50 to 410 during the first six months of amployment; from $9 to e12 during the second six months; and from c12 to 1 - 3.50 during the third six months. New provisions are made in regard to the payment of overtime work beyond 50 hours in any week. The workin7 hours are reduced from 51 to 30 in the week, but special permits may be obtained under certain circumstance for s a week of 56 hours, or for 59 hours during the Christmas season. In laundries and factories the working week remains at 48 hours. A new clause provides for the payr:.ent of overtime wages beyonct that limit. The same rule also applies to mail order houses. In the order governing mail order houses the learners' rates are increased from 8 to 9 ner week during the first six months, and from l0 to ell during the second six months. (Labour Gazette, Canada , September, 1926.) India The iladras Labor Union conducted some time ago, with the help of the Tomen's Indian 2.ssociation, an inquiry into the condit ions of life and service of the women workers in the textile mills in Lladras. These inquiries showed that 90 per cent of the women werkers were in heavy debts-the common rate of interest being 150 per cent; that they toiled from 4 a.m., until about 10 p.m., i.e., about 16 hours a day; and that their treatment inside the mills left a great deal to be desired. (All-Lidia Trade Union Bullet in, July, 1926.) Italy In an article published in the klerican Faclerationist for Octobe r, 1926, Laura Cabrini Casartelli describes the legisl ation e;:isting in Italy for women industrial workers. Work between 10 p.m,, and 5 a.m., is prohibited for women of whatever age anr'. they are also exclud ed from underground work and from certain specified occupations whieh are either too fatiuing or injurious to the health. Tamen under 21 may not be employed at the c3eanine of motors, transmission apparatus, or machines in motion. A weekly day of rent is reqeired of all workers and for women rest periods totali ng ore Lour are obligatory if they work over six and not more than eight hours, and one hour and a half is required if they work over eight hours. Italy also regulates the labor of working mothers and provides by law for maternity insurance. In 1924 three and a half miliio.i lire were disbursed for maternity benefits to 36,000 women workers. In factories employing at least 50 women a nursing room must be provided within the factory. Viomen who nurse their children may also be permitted to leave the factories for fixed periods. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ; The legal provisions relating to the contract of employment of private salaried employees and dealing with discharge, resignation, indemnities, and annual leave cover both men and women. Professional women workers and women in public a2ployment, as well as women teachers in the elementary and secondary schools receive the same salaries as men, discrimination no longer being made. For the same work they receive the same pay. The contract of employment of State or public mnployees is based on the principle of equal treatment for men and women. In some administ rative branches there is some discrimination in that women are obliged to resign when they marry. Formerly the State did not attempt to regulate the labor contract of women workers in industry and agriculture, leaving it to the free agreement of the parties interested. Now, however, there have been created industri al couAs which concern themselves with labor especially in industry and ag:iculture. The wage rates of women industrial workers are regulated by collective agreements which provide for minimum rates for each kind of work. These minimum rates are as a rule lower than the rates paid to men. When, however, the work performed by women and their output are the same as the work and the output of the men, they receive the same Day. ° Piece work rates, are, of course, the same for men and women, as they are based on output. No legislation on the contract of labor of women home workers and domestic servants exists and there are no collective agreements covering these classes of workers. Female home workers may demand the legal minimum wage rates fixed by wage boards (comelissioni di salaria). Legislative provisions for the protection of female domestic servants are nonexistent and no legal,econamic,or judicial recognition is given manual or educational work within the household. Domestic servants, are, however, required to insure against invalidity and old age. Japan A law effective July 1, 1929, limits the workday of children under 16 and women in factories to 11 hours and prohibits their employment between 10 p.m., and 5 a.m. The law also provides for these employees two days' holiday in each month, and 30 minutes recess after six hours of work, this to be increased to one hour if the workday exceeds 10 hours. According to detailed regulations issued by the Minister of Home Affairs, under the factory law, women operatives may request suspension from work four weeks or less before childbirth, and they are prohibited from resuming work before six weeks have elapsed after ehildbirth. Those women who ere nursing children less than one year old are to be given two additional recess periods of 30 minutes each. PZRSONNEL Massachusetts Miss Ethel M. Johnson has been reappointed Assistant Commissioner in the Department of Labor and Industries. her term expired July 27, 1S26, her appointment was reaffirmed by the Executive Council on September 8, and took effect September 25. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - 2 _ Are W.-)men Stable Workers! That women do stick to their jots, in site of a popular belie f to the contrary, is shown in the results of a survey made by F. B. Bergen and reported in the Journal of Personnel Research for July, 196. Mr. 3ergen's study covered 400 "white collar" workers who resigned consecutively during 1923, 1924, and 1925 from a large financial house in New York. The group inclu ded the regular force of office boys, junior clerks, senior clerks, ledger clerks, file clerks, bookkeepers, correspondens, typists, stenogra:hers, secetaries , e6c., but excluded a comparatively large numer of temporary clerical workers who were hired for emergency jobs of short duration. Although in 1923 the percentage o2 resignations was greater among women than among men, in 1924 the difference decreased, and in 1925 there were proportionately fewer. resignations among the women than among the men, the ratio being 5g to 100. .rDiis increase in steadiness may have been due, Ir. Bergen says, to the development of better methods ol personnel admin istration which may have made the positions of the women more attractive and incre ased the tendency to hold them longer. however, conditions similarly favor able to men have prevailed for some time and therefore it would seem that when men and women are placed on the same status in this type of organization, the women resign less frequently than the men. From the standpoint of length of service the women appear in a still more favorable light. In 1924 and 1925 they served on an average a loner time than the elen, with a ratio of 130 to 100. In conclusion -Air. Bergen says, "In explanation of the main findings of this inirestigation, that women are not less stable than men, it might be observed that the circumstance that was formerly regarded as woman's chief barrier to long service in business, marriage, is no longer acting as a barrier. Women in business get married, but they do not neces sarily resign afterwards. They keep working. Accordingly, when measured by the two indices used in this investigation, frequency of resignation and length of service, they appear even more desirable than men." Man to Replace Women. The Union Pacific Railroad announced in August that hereafter as vacancies occur men will be employed to replace women, except in the case of stenographers and comptometer operators. The order which is to affect the entire Union Pacific system from Omaha to Ogden , Utah, was to be applied first in the headquarters building in Omaha, where 600 women were amployed, one-third of them being stenographers and comntomete r operators. This means a reversion to the railroad's pre-war employment policy. The explanation given for discrimination against women is that young men can be trained to fill more dinortant positions while girls are constantly disrupting the oranization by arr7ing. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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