Full text of Earnings in the Women's and Children's Apparel Industry in the Spring of 1939 : Women's Bureau Bulletin, No. 175

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
WOMEN’S BUREAU
Bulletin No. 175

EARNINGS IN THE WOMEN’S
AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY
IN THE SPRING OF 1939

5L




UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
FRANCES PERKINS. Secretary

WOMEN’S BUREAU
MARY ANDERSON, Director

+

EARNINGS IN THE WOMEN’S
AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY
IN THE SPRING OF 1939

UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1940

For Bale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C.




Price IS cent!




CONTENTS
Page

‘
4.

*

■
*

*

Letter of transmittal
vn
Part I.—-Introduction and summary
Description of related branches surveyed___________________________
Extent and location of related branches____________________________
Extent_______________
Location___________________________________________
Scope of study
Characteristics of the industry
Composition of labor force
Learners_______________________________________________________ ___
Hourly earnings of experienced workers_____________________________
Comparison by branch
Comparison by area
Part II.—Women’s dozen-priced dresses
Scope of survey
16
Labor costs
17
Learners
17
Earnings and hours
18
Hourly earnings
18
Hourly earnings by wholesale price of dress________________
Hourly earnings by type of organization___________________
Hourly earnings by occupation
23
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops______________
Hourly earnings in the various firms_______________________
Hours worked
28
Week’s earnings
29
Part III.—Women’s unit-priced dresses
33
Scope of survey
33
Labor costs
35
Learners
36
Earnings and hours
37
Hourly earnings.
Hourly earnings by wholesale price of dress________________
Hourly earnings by type of organization___________________
Hourly earnings by occupation
41
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops______________
Hourly earnings in the various firms_______________________
Hours worked
46
Week’s earnings
47
Part IV.—Women’s blouses
49
Scope of survey
49
Labor costs
50
Learners_____________________
Earnings and hours
51
Hourly earnings
Hourly earnings by occupation
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops______________
Hourly earnings in the various firms_______________________
Hours worked
57
Week’s earnings
58
Part V.—Children’s and infants’outerwear
60
Scope of survey
60
Labor costs
61
Learners
62
Earnings and hours________
Hourly earnings
Hourly earnings by occupation
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops______________
Hourly earnings in the various firms_______________________
Hours worked
68
Week’s earnings
68




in

X
1
2
2
3
4
6
7
9
9
9
11
15

22
23
26
27

37
39
41
44
45

50
51
53
56
56

62
62
64
67
67

Part VI.—Corsets and allied garments
71
Scope of survey
71
Labor costs
72
Learners
72
Earnings and hours
73
Hourly earnings
73
Hourly earnings by occupation
75
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops_____________
Hourly earnings in the various firms______________________
Hours worked
79
Week’s earnings______________________________________________
Part VII.—Underwear and nightwear
Scope of survey
Labor costs________________________________ _______________________
Learners
83
Earnings and hours
83
Hourly earnings
85
Hourly earnings by occupation
85
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops_____________
Hourly earnings in the various firms______________________
Hours worked
89
Week’s earnings
90

Page

78
78
79
81
81
82

88
88

>

TABLES
WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL

I. Extent of industry in the spring of 1939 and number of firms and em­
ployees included in survey
II. Location of industry in the spring of 1939 and number of firms and
employees included in survey
III. Occupations in the various branches of the industry, by sex of em­
ployees_________________________________________ ________________
IV. Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by branch
of industry
10
V. Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area...

4
5
8
12

WOMEN’S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES

I. Extent and location of the industry in the spring of 1939 and number
of firms and employees, included in survey
16
II. Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area...
III. Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by
wholesale price of dress and by area
22
IV. Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by
occupation and by area
25
V. Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the in­
dustry
29
VI. Week’s earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area__

20

30

WOMEN’S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES

I. Extent and location of the industry in the spring of 1939 and number
of firms and employees included in survey
35
II. Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area...
III. Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by
wholesale price of dress and by area
40
IV. Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by
occupation and by area
43
V. Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the in­
dustry_______________________________________________
VI. Week’s earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area...

38

*
47
48

WOMEN’S BLOUSES

I. Extent and location of the industry in the spring of 1939 and number
of firms and employees included in survey______________________
II. Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area...
III. Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry,
by occupation and by area
55
rv




50
52

IV. Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the in­
dustry---- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------V. Week’s earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area-—

Page
57
59

CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ OUTERWEAR

I. Extent and location of industry in the spring of 1939 and number of
firms and employees included in survey
61
II. Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area—HI- Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by
occupation and by area
66
IV. Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the in­
dustry
68
V. Week’s earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area--I

63

69

CORSETS AND ALLIED GARMENTS

I. Extent and location of the industry in the spring of 1939 and number
of firms and employees includedin survey
72
II. Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area—
III. Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by
occupation and by area__________________________________________
IV. Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the in­
dustry__________________________________________________________
V. Week’s earnings of experiencedemployees in the industry, by area—.

74
77
79
80

UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR

I. Extent and location of the industry in the spring of 1939 and number
of firms and employees includedin survey
82
II. Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by area-..
III. Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the industry, by
occupation and by area
IV. Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the in­
dustry____________________________________________________
89
V. Week’s earnings of experiencedemployees in the industry, by area"-—

v

%




84
87
91

r




)

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
United States Department of Labor,
Women’s Bureau,

Washington, November 22, 1939.
I have the honor to transmit a report on earnings in the
women’s and children’s apparel industry in the spring of 1939. This
report is based on the extensive survey made by the Women’s Bureau
for the Wage and Hour Division, in which pay-roll data were secured
for almost half the firms and practically two-thirds of the factory em­
ployees known to be in the business. Eighty-five percent of the
employees were women.
Six branches of the industry are included—Women’s dozen-priced
dresses and uniforms, women’s unit-priced dresses, women’s blouses,
children’s and infants’ outerwear, corsets and allied garments, and
underwear and nightwear.
Besides the week’s earnings and hourly earnings of employees, and
a comparison of earnings in union and nonunion plants, the firms’
policies concerning learners were inquired into.
The study was planned and directed by Bertha M. Nienburg, Chief
Economist of the Bureau. The field work was under the supervision
of Caroline Manning and Ethel Erickson, the statistical work was
directed by Isadore Spring, and the report as presented here was writ­
ten by Arthur T. Sutherland.
Respectfully submitted.
Mary Anderson, Director.
Hon. Frances Perkins,
Secretary of Labor.
Madam:




VII

EARNINGS IN THE WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S
APPAREL INDUSTRY IN THE SPRING OF 1939
Part I—INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
The survey on which this report of earnings and hours in the
women’s and children’s apparel industry is based was made by the
Women’s Bureau at the request of the Wage and Hour Division to
furnish current data to the Industry Committee for the Women’s
Apparel Industry, set up under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.1
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED BRANCHES SURVEYED

The survey included the following branches: Women’s dresses and
service uniforms of all types, women’s blouses, children’s and infants’
outerwear, corsets and allied garments, and women’s and children’s
underwear and nightwear. It does not include the millinery industry,
a separate study of which was made in 1938; nor does it include the
women’s coat and suit industry. The latter industry was not surveyed
because previous studies showed higher rates for the mass of employees
than the minimum rates that may be recommended by industry
committees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.2
Women’s dresses and service uniforms.

Earnings in the women’s dress industry are considered under two
classifications, dresses wholesaling by the unit and dresses wholesaling
by the dozen. Some years ago these two types were designated
respectively as street dresses or silk dresses and as house dresses or
cotton wash dresses, a distinction that exists no longer. The manu­
facturers of dresses wholesaling by the dozen, dresses intended origin­
ally for house use only, have styled some of their dresses, used rayoncotton mixed materials, and produced garments that are worn for
street as well as house use. This action brought a part of their pro­
duction in direct competition with the cheaper quality of silk street
dress. Silk dress manufacturers, in turn, had to use cheaper materials
of mixed fabric in order to meet the inroads into their market. Today
it is not feasible to designate dresses by the material of which they are
made, as mixtures are in general use. While many dresses sold by
the dozen still are made for housework use, while the higher-priced
street dross holds its own markets, in the popular-price field compe­
tition between firms wholesaling dresses by the dozen and firms whole1 Much more detailed data than are published here were presented to the committee. The detailed tables
are available in the flies of the Women’s Bureau for examination by interested persons.
2 The minimum amount guaranteed to the lowest-paid occupational group in the Metropolitan District
under the contract of the Industrial Council of Cloak, Suit, and Skirt Manufacturers Inc. and the Inter­
national Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union for 1937-40 is $0.66 an hour. The term Metropolitan District is
said to refer to “the City of New York and all such cities and towns in the States of New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut, and Pennsylvania in which garments are being manufactured by or for members of the Council
or other manufacturers, merchants, jobbers, or wholesalers doing business in the City of New York.




.

1

2

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

saling dresses by the unit is keen. As the system of manufacturing a
dress has varied in the two groups of firms,“the one group tending to
subdivide manufacturing processes among many workers and the
other to employ skilled operators to sew the dress in its entirety,
relative wages paid are an important factor in successful competition.
The distribution of hourly earnings in the detailed report is shown
not only for dresses wholesaling by the unit and for those wholesaling
by the dozen but by comparative price ranges. Included in dresses
wholesaling by the dozen are service uniforms, aprons, and specially
named washable sports garments.
Women’s blouses.

While some firms specialize in blouse manufacture, others produce
blouses along with other types of garments. For the purposes of this
survey, all firms whose largest volume of production was blouses
during the spring period for which pay-roll data were secured were
considered blouse manufacturers.
Children’s and infants’ outerwear.

Firms specializing in infants’ outerwear or children’s playsuits,
dresses, coats, and suits are included in this classification. Men’s
work-clothing factories that produce some children’s play suits or
similar garments are not covered, as such factories are classed as in
the men’s work-clothing industry.
Home workers employed by infants’ and children’s wear factories
or jobbers have not been included in the study, as time did not permit
visits to individual homes to ascertain hours worked and earnings.
Corsets and allied garments.

The corset and allied-garment industry includes factories making
foundation garments, known as girdles, corsets, surgical belts, com­
binations, brassieres, and corset accessories. Local sales outlets of
firms doing a semicustom business are not included.
Underwear and nightwear.

. The underwear and nightwear branch of the apparel industry
includes factories sewing woven or purchased knitted fabric into
women’s shirts, bloomers, step-ins, athletic underwear, slips and
petticoats, negligees, and housecoats or similar garments, and women’s,
children’s and infants’ nightgowns, pajamas, and bath robes. Factories
knitting underwear fabrics and sewing the knitted material into
garments are not included, as they had been covered in an earlier
study of the knit-goods industry. Some factories included in this
branch made other garments in less volume during the pay-roll period
covered or at some time in 1938.
EXTENT AND LOCATION OF RELATED BRANCHES
Extent.

Every effort was made to determine the size of the women’s and
children’s apparel industry in the spring of 1939. Existing conditions,




PART I.-—INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

3

however, made an accurate count difficult. Not only has the firm
mortality rate been so high since 1937 as to make the Census of 1937
of doubtful value as a measuring rod in 1939, but firms closed, changed
products, changed from manufacturing to wholesaling, merged, or
moved during the 3J4 months the survey was in progress.
Through consultation with State department of labor officials,
local trade associations, local unions, and individual firms, and
through the cooperation of telephone company officials, it is believed
that all firms in business outside New York City were located and
their major spring product determined. In New York City difficulty
was encountered in distinguishing manufacturing jobbers from whole­
salers and from jobbers who furnished materials to contractors but
performed no manufacturing operations in their salesrooms. Every
effort was made to exclude all jobbers from the count except those
employing workers on manufacturing processes. In the unit-priceddress branch of manufacture in New York City, the number of firms
was so large, the firms entering business and those leaving it were so
many, that a complete check on all firms in operation in the spring of
1939 was not complete when the survey had to be terminated.
Accordingly, the totals given by the Census of Manufactures for 1937
have been used for this branch in New York City though there are
indications that the number of firms has materially decreased in the
last 2 years.
_
It would appear, therefore, that in the spring of 1939 there were
about 4,700 firms engaged in the 6 branches of the women’s and
children’s apparel industry included in this survey. These firms
gave employment to approximately 216,500 persons in their factories.
The largest proportion of workers were employed in the unit-priceddress branch, which had 39.6 percent of all the workers. The
dozen-priced-dress branch employed 48,700 persons, or 22.5 percent
of the total. Plants making principally underwear and nightwear in
the spring gave employment to over 30,000 persons, and firms special­
izing on blouses employed over 10,000. Attention should be called to
the fact that firms listed as blouse manufacturers in the spring of 1939
may have made underwear or other garments to a less degree during
that season or may have made such garments with or without blouses
during 1938. Little shifting of product, however, occurs in the
corset and allied-garment branch or in the children’s and infants’
outerwear branch; the first employs about 17,000 workers, the second
over 24,000 workers.
Location.

The center of the women’s and children’s apparel industry is New
York City. Over 40 percent of the workers in these branches of
clothing manufacture were employed in the city and State of New
York. The second largest groups were in New Jersey and Penn­
sylvania, the proportion in each of these States representing approx­
imately one-eighth of the total. Next in rank according to numbers
employed was Illinois, with about 7 percent of all workers. Con­
necticut had 5 percent and Massachusetts 4 percent of the total.
California had less than 4 percent. In addition to Illinois, mid­
western States each employing more than 1 percent of the total
were Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio. In the South only




4

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Texas employed as many as 1 percent of the total workers in the
United States, the other southern States with workers so engaged
we™ Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky.
While New York leads in five branches of the women’s and children’s
apparel industry, its position is especially dominant in the unitpriced-dress branch, and in the underwear and nightwear branch.
Pennsylvania leads in dozen-priced dresses, the branch that is more
widely scattered than any other in women’s and children’s apparel.
Illinois gives employment to almost as many persons in this branch
as does New York, and Missouri ranks fifth in numbers employed
on the dozen-priced dresses.
I .—Extent of WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY
m the spring of 1939 and number of firms and employees included in survey

Table

Firms in business, spring
of 1939
Related industry group
Firms—
Num­
ber

Factory em­
ployees
Num­
ber

Per­
cent

Firms included in survey

Factory employees
Firms—
Num­
ber

Total
num­
ber

Per­
cent

Men

Wom­
en

Total___________
Percent____ ___

4,692
100.0

216, 461
100.0

100.0

2,287
48.7

141,607
65.4

100.0

20, 535

121,072

Dozen-priced dresses......... .
Unit-priced dresses........... .......
Women’s blouses...
Children’s and infants’ outer­
wear............... .......
Corsets and allied garments _ .
Underwear and nightwear____

816
2, 463
295

48, 704
85, 796
10,324

22.5
39.6
4.8

399
1,104
156

32, 612
52, 380
7, 204

23.0
37.0
5.1

2,920
12,145
601

29,692
40,235
6,603

431
194
493

24,304
17,185
30,148

11.2
7.9
13.9

238
100
290

16,882
10,070
22,459

11.9
7.1
15.9

1, 655
1,182
2, 032

15,227
8,888
20, 427

Pennsylvania ranks a close second to New York in the children’s
and infants’ outerwear industry, with New Jersey ranking third. The
corset and allied-garment industry is situated chiefly in New York
New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois, though Indiana, Michigan, and
Massachusetts have fairly large plants.
SCOPE OF STUDY

Investigators from the Women’s Bureau visited women’s and chil­
dren’s apparel manufacturers between February I and May 6, 1939.
A pay roll for a period of steady operation was requested. Usually
the record copied was for a pay period in February, March, or April
though an earlier period had to be taken for a few firms in which
employment was irregular during those months. The amount of pro­
duction of each type of garment made in the pay-roll period taken
was secured, and firms were allocated to the branch in which fell the
major product made during this time, regardless of type of manu­
facture in 1938.
Wherever total costs, manufacturing costs, and labor costs for 1938
could be copied from firm records at the plant without making original
computations, these data were secured in order to indicate propor­
tion labor costs were of total cost of production in that vear. Infor­
mation concerning beginners or learners and the policies relating




5

PART I.--- INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

thereto also was requested, as was other information necessary to a
correct interpretation of the wage-rate structure.
The total number of firms for which usable pay-roll data were
taken was 2,287, or 48.7 percent of all firms in the women’s and chil­
dren’s apparel industry in the spring of 1939. These firms were in
22 States. The proportion scheduled was approximately 50 percent
or more in all branches of the industry but unit-priced dresses, where
the dominance of New York City made a somewhat smaller sample
representative.
The number of employees in these firms was 141,607, or 65.4 per­
cent of all employed in the spring of 1939. The distribution of the
employees in the various branches was much the same for those for
whom information was secured as for those in the entire industry.
Thirty-seven percent were making the unit-priced dress, 23 percent
the dozen-priced dress, 16 percent underwear and nightwear, 12 per­
cent children’s and infants’ outerwear, and smaller proportions were
in the corset and the blouse branches.
Forty percent of the employees included in the survey, as compared
to a 41.8 percent representation in the entire women’s and children’s
apparel industry, were working in New York. Fourteen and onehalf percent of the employee representation in the survey were in
New Jersey, and 13 percent in Pennsylvania, proportions closely
paralleling the States’ representation in the entire industry. Table
II compares the total numbers in the industry in each State with the
numbers included in the earnings survey.
II—Location of WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTR Y in the spring of 1939 and number of firms and employees included in survey

Table

Firms in business,
spring of 1939
State

Firms included in survey

Factory employees
Firms—
Number

Factory employees
Firms—
Number

Number

Percent

4,692

216,461

100.0

2, 287

141,607

100.0

253
119
17
256

8

590
7, 727
10,967
863
14, 475

0.3
3.6
5.1
.4
6.7

3
118
66
13
117

485
4, 730
6, 980
678
8, 520

0.3
3.3
4.9
.5
6.0

Indiana___________ _____ _____________
Maryland . ________________________
Massachusetts_____ ___________________
Michigan____ ______ ______ ________
Minnesota

26
39
155
29
29

3.232
1,972
9,160
2, 977
1,238

1.5
.9
4.2
1.4
.6

14
17
76
19
19

2,162
1,018
6,201
2,137
1,036

1.5
.7
4.4
1.5
.7

Missouri.________ ... __
New Jersey______ ____ _________
New York__________________
Ohio
Pennsylvania...................... ................

96
549
2,578
57
358

7,169
29, 379
90, 423
3,264
27,120

3.3
13.6
41.8
1.5
12.5

55
268
L, 186
31
224

6, 272
20, 497
56,964
2, 355
18, 562

3.7
14.5
40.2
1.7
13.1

Tennessee______ ______ ___ _____
Texas________ ________________
Utah
Virginia _____________________
Washington...................... ......... ........

6
50
12
11
22

614
2, 320
487
718
531

.3
1.1
.2
.3
.2

5
29
5
10
5

594
1,795
304
670
79

.4
1.3
.2
.5

Wisconsin__________

13
9

1,093
142

.5
.1

7

568

Total______ _____________________
Arkansas and Kentucky
California___________ ____ _
Connecticut___ _______ _______
Georcia_____ _________ . __ _____
Illinois...

_

____ ______




Number

Percent

.1
.4

6

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDUSTRY

In great measure, women’s and children’s apparel is manufactured
in small shops. From 20 percent to 30 percent of the plants in each
of the related branches employed fewer than 25 workers in the spring
of 1939. Sixty-eight percent of the factories producing the unitpriced dress employed less than 50 workers in this, their busy season.
Almost two-thirds of the blouse shops, about one-half of the factories
making the dozen-priced dress, and half of those making underwear
and nightwear and making children’s outerwear, employed less than 50
persons. In corset and allied-garment manufacture the proportion
of small shops was less; 43 percent employed fewer than 50 workers.
Factories of 200 and more employees were nonexistent in blouse
manufacture and only 11 of the 1,104 plants scheduled in unit-priced
dresses were of such size. Fifteen percent of corset and allied-garment
plants employed 200 or more workers, and 11 percent of the dozenpriced dress or uniform plants were so large. Only 7 and 5 percent,
respectively, of the firms making underwear and nightwear and
children’s outerwear employed 200 or more persons. The summary
following shows the size of the firms scheduled in each branch of the
industry.
Percent of firms that hadBranch of industry

Total—Number_________
Percent.................. .........
Dozen-priced dresses.................... .
Unit-priced dresses_____
Blouses______________
Children’s and infants’ outerwear
Corsets and allied garments
Underwear and nightwear_
_

Num­
ber
of
firms

Under
25
em­
ploy­
ees

25,
under
50 em­
ploy­
ees

2,287
100.0

576
25.2

802
35.1

403
17.6

169
7.4

234
10.2

399
1,104
156
238
100
290

27.6
23.5
30.1
20.6
27.0
29.0

25.0
44.8
35.3
29.8
16.0
22.4

13.8
18.6
18. 6
21.4
15.0
16.6

9.0
6.2

14.0
6.0

.4

8.4
10.0
7.6

14. 3
17. 0
17.2

2 5
8 0
4.8

50,
75,
100,
200,
300
under under under under
em­
75 em­ 100 em­ 200 em­ 300 em­ ploy­
ploy­
ployploy­
ploy­ ees and
ees
ees
ees
ees
over
56
2.4

47
2.1

2.4

Another characteristic of some branches of the industry is the job­
ber-contractor system. Instead of the regular type of manufacturing
where the firm purchases materials and makes them up into finished
garments, under the jobber-contractor system the jobber purchases
the materials and designs and may cut the materials and make up
samples, after which the materials are sent to the contractors to sew
into garments. Jobbers who do no manufacturing themselves have
not been included in this survey. In the unit-priced-dress branch, the
contractor predominates in the metropolitan area where much of this
manufacture is done. He is also the more important producer of
blouses. On the other hand, two-thirds of the producers of the dozenpriced dress are inside manufacturers. Children’s and infants’ outer­
wear and women’s and children’s underwear and nightwear also are
made more frequently in inside shops, and corsets and allied garments
are made almost entirely in such shops. As earnings in contract shops
did not differ noticeably from those of inside shops, no tables showing
them separately have been drafted.




PART I.—INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

7

The unit-priced dress and the blouse branch of the industry have a
high degree of unionization. Over half the children’s outerwear and
the underwear and nightwear branches are organized. Only that part
of the corset branch that is in New York City is partially unionized.
Unionization in dozen-priced dresses is about one-third.
Composition of labor force.

Data pertaining to the composition of the labor force in firms mak­
ing women’s and children’s apparel show that this industry is of major
importance in furnishing employment to women. Of the 137,932 ex­
perienced employees whose occupations were reported, the very great
majority, 85 percent, were women, who comprised 77 percent of all
employees in firms making unit-priced dresses and were from 88 to 92
percent of the employees in the firms making other types of apparel.
In the manufacture of these types of garments there are several prin­
cipal operations, and in general certain operations are performed al­
most exclusively by women and others largely by men. An examina­
tion of table III shows that there were only_ a few instances where the
relative proportions of men and women in an occupational group
varied to any appreciable extent among the different branches of the
industry. The largest occupational group consisted of machine opera­
tors and numbered 83,758, or 61 percent of all workers reported.
Well over nine-tenths (95 percent) of this large group were women,
the proportion varying from 87 percent in unit-priced dresses and 90
percent in children’s outerwear to 99 percent or more in all other
branches. The hand workers—finishers, inspectors, and packers
comprised the next largest group, 21,806 persons, or 16 percent of the
total. About 99 percent of this group were women.
The third group in size were the pressers, 10,896 persons, and again
the majority, though but 65 percent, were women. However, the rel­
ative proportions of men and women in this occupation varied con­
siderably among the industry branches. In all but unit-priced dresses,
from 91 to 96 percent of the pressers were women, but in the unitpriced-dress firms almost four-fifths of the pressers were men. Work­
ers on cutting operations numbered 6,711, or 5 percent of the total,
and these were predominantly men, who formed 84 percent of the
group. The proportion of men among the cutters in the various
branches ranged from 72 percent in dozen-priced dresses to 92 percent
in blouses and in unit-priced dresses. Another small group of manu­
facturing employees did general indirect labor, comprising a group of
unskilled workers who did odd jobs around the plant. These num­
bered 4,189, and 76 percent of them were women.
There were also several groups of nonmanufacturing workers em­
ployed in the apparel firms for whom pay-roll data were reported.
Two of these groups, the shipping and maintenance workers, together
comprised about 3 percent of the total, and roughly nine-tenths in each
case were men. Supervisors and machinists (combined because of the
small number of machinists) and plant clerical workers together made
up 5 percent of the work force. In the unit-priced-dress firms threefifths of the clerical workers were men, but in all other cases the large
majority of workers in these two classes were women.




Table

III .—Occupations in

the various branches of the WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN’S. APPAREL INDUSTRY, by sex of employees

00

Number of men and women in the occupations specified in—
Occupation and sex

All branches

Unit-priced
dresses

Children’s and
infants’ outerwear

Blouses

Corsets and
allied garments

Underwear and
nightwear

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Number

Total employees...... .........
Men. ________ ___
Women_________

137,932
20,397
117, 535

100.0
14.8
85.2

31,332
2,884
28,448

100.0
9.2
90.8

51,688
12,087
39,601

100.0
23.4
76.6

6,964
592
6,372

100.0
8.5
91.5

16, 542
1,645
14. 897

100.0
9.9
90.1

9,702
1,171
8,531

100.0
12.1
87.9

21,704
2,018
19, 686

100.0
9.3
90.7

Machine operators—Total____
Men____________
Women........... .
Hand finishers, inspectors, and
packers—Total
Men____________
Women..__
Cutters—Total______
Men___________
Women_
_
Pressers—Total...
Men_________
Women........... .
General indirect labor—Total.
Men__________
Women....................
Shipping—Total________
Men_________
Women.........
Maintenance—Total_
_
Men______
Women.........
_
Supervisory and machinists—
Total______
Men_______
Women____
Plant clerical—Total... .
Men______ .
Women______

83, 758
4, 249
79, 509

100.0
5.1
94.9

20,455
119
20,336

100.0
.6
99.4

29,323
3,892
25, 431

100.0
13.3
86.7

4,507
48
4,459

100.0
1.1
98.9

9, 560
107
9,453

100.0
9.9
90.1

6,134
9
6,125

100.0
.1
99.9

13, 779
74
13,705

100.0
.5
99.5

21,806
256
21,550
6, 711
5, 635
1,076
10,896
3,813
7,083
4,189
1,013
3,176
3,240
2,799
441
949
855
94

100.0
1.2
98.8
100. 0
84.0
16.0
100.0
35.0
65.0
100.0
24.2
75.8
100.0
86.4
13.6
100.0
90.1
9.9

3,476
21
3,455
1,613
1,157
456
2,509
182
2,327
921
165
756
632
500
132
270
241
29

100.0
.6
99.4
100.0
71.7
28.3
100.0
7.3
92.7
100.0
17.9
82.1
100.0
79.1
20.9
100.0
89.3
10.7

10.131
85
10,046
2,471
2,273
198
4, 267
3,348
919
1, 320
476
844
1,186
1.131
55
170
156
14

100.0
.8
99.2
100.0
92.0
8.0
100.0
78.5
21.5
100.0
36.1
63.9
100.0
95.4
4.6
100.0
91.8
8.2

1,030
9
1, 021
237
218
19
632
45
587
176
45
131
162
151
11
33
30
3

100.0
.9
99.1
100.0
92.0
8.0
100.0
7.1
92.9
100.0
25.6
74.4
100.0
93.2
6.8
100.0
90.9
9.1

2,583
49
2,534
723
591
132
1,847
169
1,678
615
138
477
451
364
87
88
70
18

100.0
1.9
98.1
100.0
81.7
18.3
100.0
9.1
90.9
100.0
22.4
77.6
100.0
80.7
19.3
100.0
79.5
20.5

1,502
3
1, 499
598
517
81
157
8
149
311
65
246
279
240
39
205
187
18

100.0
.2
99.8
100.0
86.5
13.5
100.0
5.1
94.9
100.0
20.9
79.1
100.0
86.0
14.0
100.0
91.2
8.8

3,084
89
2,995
1,069
879
190
1,484
61
1, 423
846
124
722
530
413
117
183
171
12

100.0
2.9
97.1
100.0
82.2
17.8
100.0
4.1
95.9
100.0
14.7
85.3
100.0
77.9
22.1
100.0
93.4
6.6

5,504
1,532
3,972
879
245
634

100.0
27.8
72.2
100.0
27.9
72.1

1,172
445
727
284
54
230

100.0
38.0
62.0
100.0
19.0
81.0

2,610
597
2, 013
210
129
81

100.0
22.9
77.1
100.0
61.4
38.6

157
38
119
30
8
22

100.0
24.2
75.8
100.0
26.7
73.3

576
147
429
99
10
89

100.0
25.5
74.5
100.0
10.1
89.9

359
110
249
157
32
125

100.0
30.6
69.4
100.0
20.4
79.6

630
195
435
99
12
87

100.0
31.0
69.0
100.0
12.1
87.9




*

Percent

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Dozen-priced
dresses

PART I.--- INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

9

LEARNERS

Learners, apprentices, and handicapped persons are not included in
the figures just shown for occupational groups, but data were obtained
for 3,630 such employees in the firms visited. The smallest group,
235 persons, was in blouse firms, and the largest, 1,280 persons, was
in firms making dozen-priced dresses. Firms making unit-priced
dresses, with 52,000 employees reported, had only 692 who were
learners or handicapped workers.
The most common earnings paid to learners were 25 cents an hour;
the proportion receiving such earnings ranged from 33 percent in
blouse firms to 51 percent in firms making the dozen-priced dress.
With the exception of the unit-priced-dress and the blouse branches,
relatively few of the learners averaged as much as 35 cents an hour;
in fact, only from 3 percent in children’s outerwear to 15 percent in
corsets and allied garments earned 35 cents or more. Twenty-five
percent of the learners in blouse firms and 30 percent of those in firms
making unit-priced dresses averaged as much as 35 cents.
HOURLY EARNINGS OF EXPERIENCED WORKERS

The hourly earnings presented here are those of experienced workers
for whom hour records and earnings records are complete. They
were arrived at by dividing the week’s earnings by the number of
hours worked, for each employee separately. Earnings are computed
for regular time only, all overtime payments having been eliminated
from such computations.
Comparison by branch.

About 11 percent of all experienced workers in the women’s and
children’s apparel industry were earning under 27.5 cents an hour, and
5 percent were earning 27.5 cents but under 30 cents, in the pay-roll
period covered in 1939. The proportion of workers at these lower
rates varied greatly in the several branches. Workers on unit-priced
dresses earned under 30 cents in only 4 percent of the cases, but the
proportion with such earnings on dozen-priced dresses and uniforms
was 28 percent. Over a fifth of the employees in the children’s and
infant’s outerwear branch and in the underwear and nightwear branch
earned under 30 cents, but only 10 percent in corsets and allied gar­
ments and only 6.6 percent in blouses had such low earnings.
When 35 cents an hour is used as the point of comparison, 50 percent
of the employees in dozen-priced dresses and uniforms, in contrast to
8 percent of those in unit-priced dresses, earned less than that amount.
About two-fifths of the workers both in underwear and nightwear and
in children’s and infant’s outerwear earned less than 35 cents an hour.
In corsets and allied garments one-fifth of the workers, and in blouses
a little over a seventh, had earnings below 35 cents.

202064°—40------ 2




Table

IV.—Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the WO MEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY,
by branch of industry
'

Hourly earnings
(cents)

All employees

Number of firms...... .........
Number of employees___
Average earnings1 (cents).
Under 25.0__________ ________
25.0, under 27.5____ _________
27.5, under 30.0
30.0, under 32.5-______ _______
32.5, under 35.0........................... .
35.0, under 37.5...........................
37.5, under 40.0
40.0, under 42.5
42.5, under 45.0______________
45.0, under 47.5.................. ...........
47.5, under 50.0.................. ..........
50.0, under 52.5
52.5, under 55.0
65.0, under 57.5_____ _____ ___
57.5, under 60.0
60.0, under 62.5
62.5, under 65.0
65.0, under 67.5
67.5, under 70.0
70.0, under 72.5
72.5, under 75.0_________ ____
75.0, under 77.5_...........................
77.5, under 80.0
80.0, under 82.5
82.5, under 85.0.............................
85.0, under 87.5
87.5, under 90.0
90.0, under 92.5
92.5, under 95.0
95.0, under 97.5
97.5, under 103.0
100.0 and over.______________




2,287
136. 337
55.5
924
13,479
6,120
7,413
9, 474
9,811
7,152
7, 865
6, 240
7,719
4,728
4, 964
3,386
3, 724
2,570
2, 295
2, 000
1, 395
2, 548
1, 244
1, 528
1,029
1,610
1,120
1,805
1,069
886
861
13,580

Percent

100.0
0.7
9.9
4. 5
5. 4
6.9
7.2
5. 2
5. 8
4. 6
5.7
3.5
3. 6
2. 5
2.7
1.7
1.9
2. 5
1.7
1. 5
1.5
1.0
1.9
.9
1.1
.8
1.2
.8
1.3
.8
.6
.6
10.0

Number
399
31,047
38.5
286
6,060
2,497
2,736
3,903
3, 377
2,368
1,963
1,338
1,311
759
835
499
495
343
282
339
168
189
133
81
133
89
72
52
58
75
69
49
38
17
383

Percent

100.0
0.9
19.5
8.0
8.8
12.6
10.9
7. 6
6.3
4.3
4.2
2.4
2.9
1.6
1.6
1.1
.9
1.1
.5
.6
.4
.3
.4
.3
.2
.2
.2
.2
.2
.2
.1
.1
1.2 |

Unit-priced
dresses
Number
1,104
51,055
78.2
147
1,452
583
807
1,004
993
878
1,585
1,360
3,180
1,654
1,680
1,192
1,693
947
1, 333
2,180
1, 408
1,249
1,381
1,011
2,043
926
1, 222
849
1,372
879
1,547
923
769
739
12,059

1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.

Percent

100.0
0.3
2.8
1.1
1.6
2.0
1.9
1. 7
3.1
2.7
6.2
3.2
3.3
2.3
3.3
1.9
2.6
4.3
2.8
2. 4
2.7
2.0
4.0
1.8
2.4
1.7
2.7
1.7
3.0
1.8
1.5
1.4
23.6

Children's and
infants’ outerwear

Blouses
Number
156
6,765
53.1
58
262
190
233
297
410
326
487
400
471
304
592
301
370
215
206
215
249
184
1.50
95
114
69
59
29
52
35
40
18
20
16
298

Percent

100.0
0.9
3.9
2.8
3.4
4.4
6.1
4.8
7.2
5.9
7.0
4.5
8.8
4.4
5.5
3.2
3.0
3.2
3.7
2.7
2.2
1.4
1.7
1.0
.9
.4
.8
.5
.6
.3
.3
.2
4.4

Number
238
16, 425
41.3
123
2, 341
1.065
1,388
1,912
1,722
1,217
1,225
927
900
660
584
374
319
207
197
155
127
106
82
40
67
25
42
21
34
38
67
23
36
38
363

Percent

100.0
0.7
14.3
6.5
8.5
11.6
10.5
7.4
7.5
5.6
5. 5
4.0
3.6
2.3
1.9
1.3
1.2
.9
.8
.6
.5
.2
.4
.2
.3
.1
.2
.2
.4
.1
.2
.2
2.2

2 Less than 0.05 percent.

Corsets and allied
garments
Number
100
9,628
46.3
18
532
375
531
450
899
763
887
1,055
721
502
487
387
360
256
213
203
151
124
98
58
84
60
46
35
48
39
42
25
14
13
152

Percent

100.0
0.2
5.5
3.9
4.7
9.3
7.9
9. 2
11.0
7.5
5. 2
5.1
4.0
3.7
2.7
2.2
2.1
1.6
1.3
1.0
.6
.9
.6
.5
.4
.5
.4
.4
.3
.1
.1
1.6

Underwear and
nightwear
Number
290
21,417
41. 5
292
2,832
1,410
1, 718
1,908
2,410
600
1, 718
1,160
1,136
849
736
613
482
408
339
288
192
210
156
110
87
43

26
9
325

Percent

100.0
13. 2
6. 6
8.0
8.9
11. 3
7. 5
5.3
4.0
2. 3
1.9
1 6
.9
1 0
.7

.2

0) 1
1.5

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Number

Dozen-priced
dresses

*
O

PART I.----INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

11

The proportion of employees with earnings as high as 75 cents an
hour varied from only 3 to 6 percent in firms making children’s and
infants’ outerwear, dozen-priced dresses, underwear and nightwear,
and corsets and allied garments, but was 11 percent in blouse firms
and as much as 46 percent in unit-priced-dress firms.
The relative position of these branches in the wage scale is clear
in the average hourly earnings for all workers in a branch. Workers
in unit-priced dresses averaged 78 cents an hour; the branch paying
second highest was blouse manufacture, in which average earnings
of all workers were 53 cents. Corsets and allied garments were third,
with an average of 46 cents. Children’s and infants’ outerwear and
women’s and children’s underwear and nightwear had about the same
average, or a little more than 41 cents. Employees of firms making
dresses to sell by the dozen had the lowest earnings, the average
for this industry being 38.5 cents.
Comparison by area.

The earnings of all employees for whom earnings data were secured
in any one State are influenced by the particular branch of the in­
dustry important there. New York City, with just over two-thirds
of its firms making the unit-priced dress, had the highest average
hourly earnings; for the 45,656 employees scheduled the average was
76.8 cents. Only 3 percent earned under 30 cents an hour and only
12 percent under 40 cents an hour, while as many as 23 percent earned
$1 an hour or more. In Chicago the average hourly earnings of all
workers were 49.6 cents; here 16 percent earned under 30 cents and
48 percent earned under 40 cents in the spring of 1939. In New
Jersey and Pennsylvania, which ranked second and third in regard to
number of employees, the average hourly earnings were respectively
46.8 cents and 44.4 cents. Eighteen percent of the New Jersey
workers and 24 percent of those in Pennsylvania had hourly earnings
below 30 cents, but in these two States 21 percent and 16 percent,
respectively, earned 60 cents an hour or more.
Among the remaining States, average hourly earnings varied from
28.6 cents in Tennessee to 50.2 cents in Connecticut. States in this
group in which employees averaged more than 45 cents were Cali­
fornia, Minnesota, and Ohio. At a relatively low level, with aver­
ages below 35 cents, were—in addition to Tennessee—Utah, Texas,
Virginia, and Arkansas and Kentucky. While Arkansas and Ken­
tucky, Tennessee, and Utah employ the majority of their workers on
the dozen-priced dress, Texas and Virginia have some children’s
outerwear and some underwear plants, and Texas has some unitpriced-dress plants as well.
The only States in which less than 10 percent of the women’s and
children’s apparel workers scheduled earned under 30 cents an hour
were California, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Mas­
sachusetts. States in which 18 percent but not 25 percent of all
workers had such earnings were New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, and
Pennsylvania. The only areas in which less than half the workers
averaged under 40 cents an hour were New York City, Chicago,
California, Connecticut, and Minnesota.




Table

V.—Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the

Hourly earnings (cents)

Total employees,
all areas i

Arkansas and
Kentucky

Connecticut

California

t—1

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY, by area
Hlinois

Georgia
Chicago

Other Illinois

Indiana

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
100.0

484

100.0

4,376

100.0

6,736

100.0

621

100.0

6,931

100.0

2,088

100.0

2,033

0.7
9.9
4.5
5.4
6.9

32.0
1
193
48
56
48

0.2
39.9
9.9
11.6
9.9

49.9
38
65
54
74
480

0.9
1.5
1.2
1.7
11.0

50.2
13
664
317
332
364

0.2
9.9
4.7
4.9
5.4

39.5
15
118
29
51
58

2.4
19.0
4.7
8.2
9.3

49.6
28
606
328
346
349

0.5
10.2
5.5
5.8
5.9

36.5
12
501
173
221
213

0.6
24.0
8.3
10.6
10.2

39.4
5
309
141
202
189

0.3
15.2
6.9
9.9
9.3

100.0

35.0, under 37.5_________
37.5, under 40.0
40.0, under 42.5_________
42.5, under 45.0
45.0, under 47.5...... .........—

9,811
7,152
7,865
6,240
7, 719

7.2
5.2
5.8
4.6
5.7

45
27
19
18
7

9.3
5.6
3.9
3.7
1.4

366
355
473
245
367

8.4
8.1
10.8
5.6
8.4

465
377
477
406
433

6.9
5.6
7.1
6.0
6.4

56
28
44
34
36

9.0
4.5
7.1
5.5
5.8

711
499
377
298
284

12.0
8.4
6.4
5.0
4.8

273
182
138
76
47

13.1
8.7
6.6
3.6
2.3

222
149
183
143
110

10.9
7.3
9.0
7.0
5.4

47.5, under 50.0. ...............

4, 728
4.964
3; 366
3,724
2,376

3.5
3.6
2.5
2.7
1.7

2
8
2
1
1

.4
1. 7
.4
.2
.2

218
273
169
165
110

5.0
6.2
3.9
3.8
2.5

270
456
181
195
133

4.0
6.8
2.7
2.9
2.0

32
32
13
21
12

5.2
5. 2
2.1
3.4
1.9

190
186
136
198
120

3.2
3.1
2.3
3.3
2.0

41
36
21
28
14

2.0
1. 7
1.0
1.3
.7

89
37
39
22

4. *
3 8
1.8
1.9
1.1

2, 570
3,380
2, 295
2,062
2. 000

1.9
2.5
1.7
1.5
1. 5

1

.2

168
184
96
113
118

2.5
2.7
1. 4
1.7
1.8

11
4
2
8
3

1.8
.6
.3
1.3
.5

116
112
93
65

4
11

.2
.5

17
11

.8
.5

.4

2.3
3.5
1.9
1.7
1.6

2.0
1.9

2

99
154
83
73
70

1.1
.9

9
10

.4

10

.5
.3

1,395
2,548
1,244
1, 529
1,028

1.0
1.9
.9
1.1
.8

3

.6

63
80
58
210
58

.9
1.2
.9
3.1
.9

.2
.5
.5
2

.8

10
19
12

.5
.9
.6

10

3

44
62
66
46
35

1.0

.2

1.0
1.4
.9
.8
.3

3

1

45
61
41
34
12

1, 611
1,119
l' 805
1,069
' 886

1.2
.8
1.3
.8
.6

1

.2

29
35
28
10
8

.7
.8
.6
.2
.2

78
44
57
30
28

1.2
.7

2

.3

33
34

.6
.6

1
2

48
26

.4

861
13,580

.6
10.0

10
132

3.0

.2

26
242

.4
3.6

30
369

.5
6.2

52.5^ under 55.055.0, under 57.5 .. .............. 67.5, under 60.0-------------62.5, under 65.0_________
67.5’ under 70.0--------------

75.0’ under 77.5_______
80.0, under 82.5...............85.0, under 87.5____

100.0 and over




___

.8

.4
.4
1

3

.2
.5

1.1

4

(3)

.5
.2

1
(3)

.8

0

11

.2

2

.5

22

1.1

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Number of
employees
136, 337
Average earnings 2
(cents)....................
55.5
Under 25.0
924
25.0, under 27.513, 479
27.5, under 30.0-........ .......
6,120
30.0, under 32.5.......... .......
7, 413
32.5, under 35.0—........ .......
9, 474

New York
Massachusetts

Maryland

New Jersey

Missouri

Minnesota

Michigan

New York City

Hourly earnings (cents)

Dp-State New
York

Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number
Number of

41.0
14
214
74
134
69

100.0

1.4

21.6

7.5
13.5
7.0

5, 742
44.7
37
255
148
197
552

100.0

0.6

4.4

2.6

3.4
9.6

1,949
38.0
45
299
171
191
179

100.0

29
38

3.0
3.9

58
138

6.0

9.4
8.5

25
29
28
24

2.5
2.9

204
211

3.6
3.7
1/9

62
62
25

3.2
3.2
1.3

17
14

1.7
1.4

11

1.1

9
9

.9
.9

57

86

1.0

1.5

62
57
46

1.1
1.0
.8

33
48

.6
.8

46.8
123
2, 239
1, 247
1, 426
2,269

9.8
9.2

11.6

1.3

0.4
18.7
6.4
7.1
9.0

1.6
1.0

184
165
227
94
94

1.1

43.5
18
941
322
356
456

10

24.9
9.7
8.5
5.9
5.1

11

19,911

16

1.428
556
491
338
291

2.2

100. u

8.8

5.5
4.6
3.4
4.0

108
128
75

5,042

47.7

6.6

2.8

100.0

2.3
15.3

65
55
46
34
40

2.4

973

4.8
4.8

6
8

9
3
1

.7
‘ .7
.5

.3

100.0

and over............. .

20

See footnotes at end of table.




1
6

.1

5

.3

4

.4

15

.3

17
27

.4
.3
.5

7
5
3

.4
.3

3
3
3

16
25

.3
.5

11

.2

.3

2

.1

5

.3
.3
.3
.2
.5

5

.3

7

.7

21

.1
2.0

10

2.9

16

2

.6

.2

166

.2

.7

2.4
1.5
2.9

64
34
25
16

.7

1.3

8

1.4
23.4

14
131

.8

.3

.1
.1

.9
.3

.1

64
56
37
60
27

169
181
126
196
116

.8

2
2

30
16

1.7
3.9
1.5
1.7
1.3

1.3

2.6
1.1

.4
.5
.3

.6
.8

777
1,768
705
772
616

1.8

.6
1.6

9

280
107
97
78

358
285
290

6

18

2.1
2.2

264

14
42
34

21

2.9
3.0
2.4

1.3

15

7
5

1, 314
1,353
1,098
963
1,008

64
130
55
65
38

1.7
.9

.2

1.3
3.5

1.6

17
9

3

3.7
3.7

2.1

2.2
2.1
2.1

8

1,689
1,692
1,280
1, 541

658
582
488
472
274

21
20
20

.8

21

5.6
4.9
5.3

1.4
1.5
.9

.6
1.0

158
126
169

.8

11

.2

74

.4

1,090
676
1, 314
714
604

5
147

.1

2.9

52
767

.3
3.9

637
10,690

11

28

0.8

3.3
2.9
2.5
2.4
1.4

4.4
4.3

1.1

17.9
8.4

2.8
2.2

223
216
113
154
80

1.1

41.3
74
1, 715
810

1,289
1,006
1,766
1,771
3,187

6.4
6.4
5. 3
4. 2

21
18

0.3
1.9

8.2
6.2

62
62
52
41

3.1

100.0

1, 623
1,234
1,108
975
1,049

103

20

9, 593

1.1

10.6

2.2

76.8
116

100.0

508
761
1,093

305
270
390
238
239

5.4
7.7
4.7
4.7

45, 656

6.3
7.2
11.4

14. 2
10.4
10.3

101
100

1.1

.9
.5
.4

0.6
11.2

6.0

22
21

9

100.0

PART I. ---- INTRODUCTION AND

Average earnings 2

992

.8

122

1.7
2.4

3.9
3.9
7.0

2.8

3.4

2.2

8.6

9.2
785
562
590
452
477

8.2

289
354
205
230
118

3.0
3.7

121

1.3
2.9

5.9
6.2

4.7
5.0

2.1

2.4

1.2

1.0
.8

.3

w
d
>
&
Kl

.1

1.4

CO

Table V.—Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY, by area—Con.
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Wisconsin
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Number of employees .- _______ _
2,228
100.0
18,153
100.0
582
100.0
1, 756
100.0
271
100.0
621
100.0
523
Average earnings 2 (cents)........................
47.5
44.4
28.6
33.0
34.9
30.2
44.7
Under 25.0— _____________
10
0.4
330
1.8
16
2.7
23
1.3
0.4
1
0.8
5
366
16.4
2, 838
15.6
363
62.4
620
35.3
19.2
52
219
35.3
16
3.0
27.5, under 30.0
123
5.5
1, 223
6.7
79
13.6
194
11.0
34
12.5
68
11.0
30.0, under 32.5_________ _______
7.4
164
1, 450
8.0
61
10.5
242
13.8
29
10.7
237
38.2
23
32.5, under 35.0_____ ___ __________
210
9.4
1,648
9.1
22
3.8
185
10.5
52
19.2
31
5.0
82
15.7
35.0, under 37.5- -. ________________
228
10.2
1,427
7.9
7
1.2
133
7.6
32
11.8
14
2.3
64
37.5, under 40.0_______________________
141
6.3
1,215
6.7
7
83
1.2
4.7
17
6.3
1.4
9
72
40.0, under 42.5____ _____ _____
115
5.2
1,163
6.4
2
.3
75
4.3
9
3.3
12
1. 9
42.5, under 45.0________ __________
90
4.0
825
4.5
8
1.4
45
2.6
12
4.4
2
.3
45.0, under 47.5.________ ______
69
3.1
778
4.3
4
48
.7
2.7
9
3.3
1.1
7
33
6.3
47.5, under 50.0____ .. _ ___
46
2.1
575
50.0, under 52.5
___ ________ ____
63
2.8
570
3.1
4
.7
20
1.1
5
1.8
52.5, under 55.0
26
1.2
442
2.4
5.5
55.0, under 57.5
32
1.4
412
2.3
57.5, under 60.0_________
66
3.0
298
1.6
.8
Hourly earnings (cents)

28
36
22
16
39

1.3
1.6
1.0
.7
1.8

235
256
255
256

1.3
1.4
1. 4
1.4

72.5, under 75.0_____ ___________
_
75.0, under 77.5______________
77.5, under 80.0 ______________
______
80.0, under 82.5____________ ____ _____
82.5, under 85.0_________ _____________

16
23
18
28
17

.7
1.0
.8
1.3
.8

135
154

.7
.8

96
90

.5

85.0, under 87.5___________________
87.5, under 90.0____________
90.0, under 92.5____________
92.5, under 95.0___ _____ __________________
95.0, under 97.5________

15
15
20
22
16

.7
.7
.9
1.0
.7

80
88
100
53
87

.4
.5
.6
.3
.5

2
2
1

.l

9
139

.4
6.2

65
696

.4
3.8

1
9

.5

97.5, under 100.0___________ __________
100.0 and over____________________

1 Total includes Washington State, not shown separately.




I

1

.2

11

.6

2

.7

1

.8
.8
3

1

5

1

.9

> The mean—the simple arithmetic average.

1

.4

1

.2

i Less than 0.05 percent.

16

3.0

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

60.0, under 62.5_____________ ______ _______
62.5, under 65.0___________
65.0, under 67.5______________________ ...
67.5, under 70.0_____
____
70.0, under 72,5_____________ ______

Part II.—WOMEN’S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES
This branch of the women’s and children’s apparel industry includes
such women’s dresses, sportswear, house coats, and service aprons,
service accessories, and uniforms as are wholesaled by the dozen.
While much of this production is washable and much is worn for work
or informal play, no single characteristic describes the group today
except the system by which the garments are wholesaled. The whole­
sale-price groups commonly used in the trade are these: $8.50 and
under, over $8.50 and including $15.75, over $15.75 and including $42,
over $42 and including $57, and over $57—in each case for a dozen
garments.
Only one firm making this type of dress was found to be producing
also a dress selling by the unit; this firm was in Georgia. However,
about one-sixth of the firms made a secondary product during the pay­
roll period covered in the survey. These products were chiefly juniors’
and children’s dresses and playsuits, blouses and skirts, underwear,
housecoats and bathrobes, men’s service uniforms, men’s shirts, paja­
mas, and shorts, or products other than apparel.
This dozen-priced dress and uniform branch is scattered more widely
than any other branch of the women’s apparel industry. Factories
were found in 22 States in the course of the survey, and the 1937 Census
reports one or two plants in a number of other States not included in
the survey. These census data are not included in the scope table
because the 1939 survey experience showed that many plants operat­
ing formerly in smaller cities away from style centers had closed down
since 1937.
Because this branch is less concentrated in metropolitan areas than
are some other lines of the apparel industry, the inside manufacturer
dominates the industry. Two-thirds of the firms included in the sur­
vey were inside manufacturers and over one-fourth (27 percent) were
contract shops. All the firms scheduled in Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana,
Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and
Wisconsin, and the majority in all other areas but New Jersey, were
inside manufacturers. New Jersey had the largest number of con­
tractors, 31, followed by Pennsylvania with 19, New York City and
Illinois each with 12, and California with 10. Other contract shops,
fewer than 10 in each case, were in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachu­
setts, Missouri, up-State New York, and Virginia. In California the
Chinese contractor is a factor in this industry. The jobber manu­
facturers scheduled, the remaining 7 percent, were—according to num­
ber—in New York City, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois,
Massachusetts, and Washington.




15

16

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Scope of survey.

Through consultation with State departments of labor, local trade
associations, union officials, chambers of commerce, and local telephone
companies, there were located 816 firms whose major product in the
spring of 1939 was a woman’s outergarment for wear at work or play,
a garment that wholesaled by the dozen. These firms employed
48,704 workers. Almost half the firms (399) contributed pay-roll data
for survey purposes; these employed 32,612 factory workers, or about
two-thirds of all the employees in this branch of the industry. Table
I shows the representation of each State in the survey sample.
Pay-roll data were secured for a week of good production, usually in
March or April 1939; the plants were visited from February to May.
I.—Extent and location of the DOZEN-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY
in the spring of 1939 and number of firms and employees included in survey

Table

Firms in business, spring of 1939
State

Firms included in survey

Factory employees
Firms—
Number

Total
number

Percent

399
49.0

32,612
67.0

100.0

2,920

29,692

4.5
1.7
1.0
13.4
4.1

39
8
5
41
7

1,455
649
337
4.389
1,342

4.5
2.0
1.0
13.5
4.1

166
47
27
348
123

1,289
602
310
4,041
1,219

1,467
2, 886
1,469
488
3,750

3.0
5.9
3.0
1.0
7.7

12
20
6
7
17

709
1, 726
1,091
422
2,794

2.2
5.3
3.3
1.3
8.6

100
136
102
20
235

609
1,590
989
402
2,559

95
187
27
123
4

5,097
6,939
2,112
8,490
567

10.5
14.2
4.3
17.4
1.2

45
81
17
60
4

3, 374
5, 009
1,671
4, 697
567

10.3
15.4
5.1
14.4
1.7

264
629
127
396
38

3,110
4,380
1,541
4.301
529

17
9
10
24

1,025
342
1,014
953

2.1
.7
2.1
2.0

10
5
4
11

857
304
489
730

2.6
.9
1.5
2.2

53
19
33
57

804
285
456
673

Number

Percent

816
100.0

48,704
100.0

100.0

California
Connecticut... ___
Georgia......................
Illinois.___________
Indiana--------------

77
13
7
80
16

2,195
852
497
6, 545
2,016

Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan. ____
Minnesota
Missouri

29
49
9
11
29

New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania.
Tennessee. .............
Texas-------------- -- .
Utah
Wisconsin. _______
Other 1 _______ _

Total

._

Factory employees
Firms—
Number

Men

Women

1 Includes Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington, and Virginia, all of them but Oregon included in
the Women’s Bureau survey.

Only 4 States had as many as one-tenth of all the employees reported
in the industry in 1939. Over one-sixth (17 percent) of the workers
were in Pennsylvania, 14_ percent were in New York, 13 percent in
Illinois, and 11 percent in New Jersey. Of the 32,612 for whom
earnings and hours worked were reported, the largest group, 15 per­
cent, were in New York, followed by 14 percent in Pennsylvania
and in Illinois, and 10 percent in New Jersey.
Employees in the dress industry are largely women. They com­
prised 91 percent of the workers m the firms scheduled. By State,
the proportion that women comprised of the total work force varied




PART II.—WOMEN’S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES

17

from 86 percent in Maryland to 95 percent in Minnesota; it was
over 90 percent in every case but California, Maryland, and New
York.
Most of the dress-manufacturing establishments had few employees.
Over one-fourth (28 percent) of the 399 firms scheduled had fewer
than 25 workers and one-fourth had 25 but not so many as 50.
Ninety-nine firms, about one-fourth of the total, employed 100 or
more workers, but only 6 had as many as 500.
Labor costs.

Total labor costs and total manufacturing costs for 1938 were
reported by 20 percent of the firms scheduled. These firms were
inside shops, except in a few instances where jobbers reported their
costs including the cost of contracting. The firms reporting were
situated in 17 States and in both large and smaller cities. For all
firms combined, labor costs were 25 percent of total costs. In areas
in which costs were reported for 3 or more firms, the proportion
labor costs comprised of total costs varied from 12 percent in Ohio
and 20 percent in Indiana and New York City to more than 25 per­
cent in Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Maryland, and as much
as 36 percent in Pennsylvania. Some of the 81 firms reporting on
total costs of operation did not report on manufacturing costs; the
77 firms reporting on the latter had labor costs that were 31 percent
of manufacturing costs. In Ohio labor costs were only 17 percent
of manufacturing costs, but in Pennsylvania they were 45 percent
and in New York City 49 percent of manufacturing costs. In 9 other
areas the proportion labor costs were of manufacturing costs varied
from 27 percent in Utah and Texas to 35 percent in Missouri.
Learners.

Their policy in regard to the employment of learners was reported
by 140 firms, or 35 percent of the total number scheduled. Approx­
imately one-third of these firms reported that they had no specific
learning period, the time required to become experienced depending
on the ability of the individual. However, in 94 firms workers were
considered as learners for a definite time, this being 4 weeks or less m
30 firms, and over 4 and ii eluding 8 weeks in 25. As many as 17
firms reported 4 months or longer as the time required to become
, .
experienced.
All but 3 firms making a statement as to policy reported also the
rates paid to learners; 73 paid time rates and 64 piece rates. In 50
firms the time rate was 25 cents an hour—$10 for 40 hours, $11 for
44—or, in agreement with State regulations, varying according to
weeks of experience. Sixteen firms paid hourly rates of less than
25 cents (15 to 20 cents) or paid weekly rates of $6 to $8 for 35 to 40
hours, or $9 to $10 for 44. In 7 firms hourly rates varied from 27 %
to 35 cents and weekly rates from $11 to $16.50 for 40 or 44 hours.
Learners were paid piece rates in 64 firms, about two-tbirds of
which had a guaranteed minimum. This guarantee was 25 cents an




18

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

hour in 34 firms, and in the 6 others was variously $6 for a 40-hour
week, or 20 or 20% cents an hour, or even as much as 35 cents an hour.
The total number of employees reported as learners was 1,092.
In addition there were 188 handicapped persons. Nearly four-fifths
of the combined group were machine operators and one-tenth were
hand finishers, inspectors, and packers. The majority of the total
group, 51 percent, had earnings of 25 cents and 18 percent earned
less than 25 cents. Only 16 percent of these workers earned more
than 30 cents an hour. The earnings of learners and handicapped
persons are not included in any table of earnings.
EARNINGS AND HOURS
Hourly earnings.

The number of incomplete pay-roll records in this branch of the
industry was negligible, and the tables on hourly earnings that follow
show the earnings of practically all (99.8 percent) of the experienced
workers in the plants scheduled. They were arrived at by dividing
the week’s earnings by the number of hours worked, for each employee
separately. Earnings were computed for regular time only, all over­
time payments being eliminated from the computations.
Earnings information is shown not only by State but for New
York City, Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Cleveland,
as the spread of the industry in smaller centers of the same States
warranted such tabulation.
Table II shows that in the spring of 1939 about 20 percent of all
workers on dozen-priced dresses or uniforms had hourly earnings
approximately the same as the minimum rate (25 cents) set for the
first year by the Fair Labor Standards Act. A total of 28.4 percent
earned under 30 cents; half the workers (49.8 percent) earned under
35 cents; and over, two-thirds (68.3) earned under 40 cents. The
average hourly earnings of all workers were 38.5 cents.
Average hourly earnings of workers in the various areas ranged
from 27.8 cents in Virginia and 28.6 cents in Tennessee to 46.1 cents
in Philadelphia and to 47.5 cents in New York City. Other areas
in which the workers had relatively high hourly earnings, over 40
cents, were Boston, other Ohio, California, other Missouri, Connect­
icut, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Besides Virginia and Tennessee,
workers in Utah, Texas, other Illinois, Michigan, other Pennsylvania,
and Arkansas and Kentucky combined averaged less than 35 cents
an hour.
While earnings in New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston were
materially higher than earnings elsewhere in New York, Pennsyl­
vania, and Massachusetts, average earnings in Chicago were only
3 % cents higher than in the remainder of Illinois. In Ohio earnings
were higher in other parts of the State than in Cleveland, and in
Missouri earnings were higher in other parts of the State than in
St. Louis.
The areas in which a significant proportion of the employees, onefifth or more, earned as much as 50 cents were Boston (20 percent),
California (23 percent), Connecticut (25 percent), other Ohio (26
percent), New York City (28 percent), and other Missouri and Phil-




PART II.—WOMEN’S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES

19

adelphia (31 percent in each). The summary following shows for
each area the smallest range of consecutive 2 %-cen t intervals that
contains the earnings of the majority of employees, arranged accord­
ing to the amount of the highest interval included.
New York City58 percent earned 32% and under 47% cents.
Boston57 percent earned 35 and under 45 cents.
Minnesota56 percent earned 35 and under 45 cents.
Wisconsin60 percent earned 32 % and under 42% cents.
California56 percent earned 32% and under 42% cents.
Philadelphia52 percent earned 25 and under 42% cents.
Other Missouri52 percent earned 25 and under 40 cents.
Connecticuf 51 percent earned 25 and under 40 cents.
Chicago63 percent earned 25 and under 37% cents.
Other Massachusetts.._ 59 percent earned 32% and under 37% cents.
Other Ohio53 percent earned 25 and under 37% cents.
Indiana52 percent earned 25 and under 37% cents.
Utah 62 percent earned 25 and under 35 cents.
New Jersey 60 percent earned 25 and under 35 cents.
Maryland58 percent earned 25 and under 35 cents.
Georgia57 percent earned 25 and under 35 cents.
Cleveland56 percent earned 25 and under 35 cents.
Up-State New York___55 percent earned 25 and under 35 cents.
St. Louis53
percent earned 25 and under 35 cents.
Arkansas and Kentucky. 61 percent earned 25 and under 32% cents.
Other Pennsylvania___ 59 percent earned 25 and under 32% cents.
Michigan53 percent earned 25 and under 32% cents.
Texas51 percent earned 25 and under 32% cents.
Other Illinois'50 percent earned 25 and under 32% cents.
Virginia73 percent earned 25 and under 27% cents.
Tennessee63 percent earned 25 and under 27% cents.
150.1.

Lowest earnings in this branch were in Virginia, where 73 percent
of all experienced workers earned under 27% cents an hour and 85
percent earned under 30 cents. In Tennessee 65 percent earned
under 27% cents and 79 percent under 30 cents. In Arkansas and
Kentucky combined, one-half earned under 30 cents. Earnings in
Georgia and in Texas were higher than in some eastern arid midwestem
States. While 37 percent of the workers in each of these southern
States earned under 30 cents an hour, in Pennsylvania other than
Philadelphia 51 percent of the workers, in Michigan 43 percent, and
in Illinois other than Chicago 38 percent, earned less than 30 cents.




Table

II.—Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the DOZEN-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY, by area
All areas

Hourly earnings (cents)

Illinois

Number
of em­
ployees i

Percent

31,047
38.5

100.0

Cali­
fornia

Connect­
icut

Massachusetts

Georgia
Chicago

1, 337
43.4

602
41.9

306
35.2

Other
Illinois

2,696
37.6

1.468
34.1

Indiana

Mary­
land
Boston

1,26S
38.6

Other Michigan
Massa­
chusetts

Minne­
sota

687
36.4

610
44.2

934
36.0

1,008
33.0

371
41.6

Percent of employees
Under 25.0..........
25.0, under 27.5..
27.5, under 30.0 ..
30.0, under 32.5..
32.5, under 35.0

286
6,060
2,497
2, 736
3,903

0.9
19. 5
8.0
8.8
12.6

1.5
2.4
1. 5
1.9
21.1

0.2
17.3
5. 5
6.0
7.3

4.6
26.1.
6.2
10.1
14.7

0.6
18.0
8.7
9.2
8.1

0.7
28.4
9.3
12.3
12.3

0.2
18.2
6.8
8.3
9.5

1.6
23.9
8.5
16.8
8.6

1.6
2.0
2.5
3.6

1. 5
5.2
3.4
2.9
37.4

4.1
25.0
14.0
14.4
11.7

3.5
1.9
7.3
6.7

35.0,
37.5,
40.0,
42.5,
45.0,

under 37.5..
under 40.0..
under 42.5 ..
under 45.0. _
under 47.5..

3, 377
2,368
1,903
1,338
1,311

10.9
7.6
6.3
4.3
4.2

10.6
12.7
11.7
4.3
6.7

10.5
4.0
5.1
9.6
6.5

10.5
3.3
7.2
4.2
2.9

18.8
10.9
6.5
4.2
3.8

11.6
8.5
6.0
2.3
2.0

8.7
7.0
9.6
7.2
6.5

7.4
7.0
4.8
4.1
4.2

24.4
11.5
13.1
7.7
7.7

21. S
7.7
5.5
4. 7
2.7

10.0
7.0
2.9
2.6
2.4

8.9
22.4
17.0
8.1
7.0

47.5, under 50.0.
50.0, under 55.0._
55.0, under 60.0..
60.0, under 75.0.
75.0, under 100.0
100.0 and over...

759
1, 384
838
1,192
652
383

2.4
4.5
2.7
3.8
2.1
1.2

2.9
8.0
3.4
6.3
3.8
1.0

3.7
7.2
4.5
9.8
2.4
.6

1.0
3 0
1.7
2.6
1.0
1.0

2.1
2.5
1.5
1.9
2.1
1.1

1.4
1.5
1.0
1.2
.9
.5

5.4
5.8
2.6
2.4
1.4
.6

1.9
3.5
1.3
3.9
1.9
.4

5.7
9.7
3.2
3.6
1.7
2.0

2.1
2.3
1.4
.8
.4

.9
1.8
1.2
.8
1.2
.1

3.8
5.7
1.8
3.8
2.0
.3




WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Total employees.......................
Average earnings 2 (cents)...

to

o

I

Hourly earnings (cents)

1,132
37.4

Other
Missouri
1.544
42.7

3.243
36.7

New
York
City
2,230
47.5

Up-State Cleve­
New
land
York

Other
Ohio

888

694
43.5

2,597
37.0

3S.1

Other
Phila­ Pennsyl­
delphia vania
2.067
46.1

2,547
32.7

Tennes­
see

560
28.6

Texas

833
34.6

Utah

271
34.9

Virginia

207
27.8

Wiscon­ Other
States 3
sin

446
41.6

484
32.0

Percent of e mployees
Under 25.0........ ....................................
25.0, under 27.5.................... ................
27.5, under 30.0----- --------------------30.0, under 32.5......... .........................
32.5, under 35.0__________________

0.3
20.9
8.2
8.2
15.2

0.5
20.6
7.3
7.4
7.9

0.7
17.6
10.4
10.3
21.6

0.4
2.6
3.0
4.2
11.0

1.2
22.5
11.7
9.6
11.3

0.4
12.5
7.5
10.2
10.7

0.8
8.1
5.6
10.0
6.2

1.5
38.6
10.9
9.7
10.8

1.8
63.4
13.7
10.5
3.7

1.2
23.7
12.4
14.9
12.8

0.4
19.2
12.5
10.7
19.2

0.5
72.9
11.1
6.8
2.9

2.7
3.1
4.3
18.2

8.4
7.0
6.6
5.4
6.2

7.8
5.3
3.4
2.0
2.2

1.1
1.2
.4
1.1

.7

9.6
6.2
5.3
3.5
3.6

11.8
6.3
3.3
4.4
3.3

.5
1.0
.5
.5
1.0

14.4
15.9
11.2
6.7
6.5

4.5
9.2
6.5
7.9
4.6
2.8

1.3
2.2
1.5
2.1
.4
.2

.7
.6
.2
.9

1.3
1.9
.3
1.6
.8
.7

3.3
2.2
1.1
1.9

1.0

35.0, under 37.5_.__..............................
37.5, under 40.0------------------------40.0, under 42.5------- -------------------42.5, under 45.0------- ------ ------------45.0, under 47.5_______ _______ ___

10.4
8.5
5.4
5.1
3.5

4.9
4.1
6.9
3.2
4.9

10.6
6.5
4.6
3. 1
2.9

11.1
9.5
10.7
7.2
8.4

9.5
6.1
5.0
3.9
3.8

11.0
7.9
5.2
3.5
2.9

47.5, under 50.0---- --------- ------------50.0, under 55.0.--------------------------55.0, under 60.0......... .........................60.0, under 75.0___---------- ------------75.0, under 100.0------------ ------------100.0 and over................. ......................

3.0
3.1
1.7
3.1
2.6
.9

1.6
9.4
6.8
9.4
3.7
1.5

1.5
2.9
2.0
2.8
1.3
1.2

4.3
7.5
5.9
6.6
4.0
3.7

2.1
4.1
2.6
4.3
1.6

1.2
1.3
2.2
2.5
4.1
1.7

2.0
6.5
2.3
9.3
3.7
3.9

.8

1 Total includes Washington State, with 3 firms and 17 employees, not shown separately.
* The mean—the simple arithmetic average.
* Arkansas and Kentucky.




g
g

K

0.2

0.2
28.5
6.9
7.9
13.1

12.4
6.5
5.0
4.6
2.4

PART II.- —WOMEN ’S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES

Total employees
Average earnings J (cents) —

St.
Louis

New
Jersey

Pennsylvania

Ohio

New York

Missouri

.4

1.0

.5

4.7
6. 1
1. 1
1.9
1.9
1.1

39.9
9.9
11.6

9.9
9.3

5.6
3.9
3.7
1.4

■4
2.1
.4
.6
i.o
.......... —

l

S
O
2

g

^
Cfi

g
g
§
T
ha
g
s
H
O

to

22

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Hourly earnings by wholesale price oj dress.—How extensively are
earnings influenced by the price at which these dresses and uniforms
are sold? Table III shows that when earnings in the major price
groupings are totaled, employees in firms specializing on garments
at $8.50 and under a dozen are found to have averaged less than
those on higher-priced garments, or 35.2 cents an hour in contrast to
39.1 cents in firms making dresses to wholesale at over $8.50 and in­
cluding $15.75 a dozen, and compared to 41.9 cents an hour on those
to wholesale at over $15.75 a dozen.
While earnings generally were higher on the higher-priced dresses in
the several States, there were exceptions to this. For example, New
Jersey earnings on the dresses at over $8.50 and including $15.75 a
dozen averaged but 33.5 cents an hour, compared to 35.3 cents on the
lower-priced dresses. In Ohio and in up-State New York, employees
on the middle-priced group earned 49.5 cents and 40.1 cents, respec­
tively, compared to 35.3 cents and 35.8 cents on dresses at over $15.75
a dozen. In California, workers on the low-priced dress, that at
$8.50 and under a dozen, averaged 45.5 cents, or 3.3 cents more than
those on the middle-priced dress and 1 cent more than those on the
highest-priced dress.
Ta:ble IIIr—Average

hourly earnings oj experienced, employees in the DOZENPRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY, hy wholesale price oj dress and by area
Dresses and uniforms priced at —
$8.50 and under a dozen

Area

Over $8.50 and including
$15.75 a dozen

Employees1

Over $15.75 a dozen

Employees1

Employees 4

Firms—
Firms—
Firms—
NumAverage NumAverage Numher
Numhourly
Numher
hourly
ber
Numher
earnings2
her
earnings2
ber
earnings2
(cents)
(cents)
(cents)
All areas 8_
_

150

11,593

35.2

136

9,886

39.1

113

9, 568

41.9

3
3
16
8
3

106
173
1,063
868
564

45.5
35.9
34.9
31.7
33.3

16
1
6
5
1

658

42.2

20

573

44. 5

537
600

38.4
37.5

6

1,096

39.9

3
9
4

154
1,201
942

31.3
38.7
32.3

6
5
2

396
239
66

37.7
39.9
43.4

3
6

137
104

38.2
43.7

1
4

168

35.1

5
7

465
1,207

41.7
34.7

5
6

348
1, 301

41. 6
46.6

New Jersey
New York City_
_
Up-State New
York
Ohio
Philadelphia

19
31

1, 552
1,369

35.3
45.9

14
15

764
484

33.5
46.0

12
8

927
377

41.9
55.4

5
4
9

409
237
216

31.0
34.6
44.5

12
8
15

1,197
588
821

40.1
49.5
43.7

10
5
14

991
757
1,030

35.8
35.3
48.3

Other Pennsylvania.
Tennessee
Texas________ ___
Utah
Virginia....................
Other 4................ .

12
3
1
2
4
4

1, 290
431

30.0
28.5

8
1
3
2
1
2

870

36.2

2

387

33.9

114
128

28.2
36.7

6
1

676

35. 5

229

34.1

2

24

Cal'fornia___
Connecticut..
Chicago...........
Other Illinois.
Indiana_____
Maryland
Massachusetts___
Michigan
Minnesota and
Wisconsin
Missouri

127
131
537

___33.0
_

28.9
32.4

«

!
0Dly
‘iS reported, employees and earnings are included in total but not shown separately.
1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.
! Total includes Washington State, with 3 firms and 17 employees, not shown separately
4 Arkansas, Georgia, and Kentucky.
a Not computed; base too small.




PART II.--- WOMEN'S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES

23

Average hourly earnings of employees in firms competing in the same
price market ranged on the dress at $8.50 and under a dozen from
28.5 cents in Tennessee and 28.9 cents in Virginia to 45.5 cents in
California and 45.9 cents in New York City. On the dress priced at
over $8.50 and including $15.75 a dozen the earnings range was from
28.2 cents in Texas to 49.5 cents in Ohio. On dresses priced at over
$15.75 a dozen the range was from 35.3 cents in Ohio, 35.5 cents in
Texas, and 35.8 cents in up-State New York, to 55.4 cents in New
York City.
Hourly earnings by type oj organization.—Comparison has been made
of earnings in contract shops with earnings in inside manufacturers’
shops in the Metropolitan District, comprising New York, New Jersey,
• and Connecticut, where contractors are most numerous. In New
Jersey the average hourly earnings in contract shops were 35.3 cents
an hour, while in inside manufacturers’ plants they were 36.6 cents.
The difference is mainly accounted for by the presence of a few more
high-priced men in inside plants, men employed by the jobber when
the sewing is done by contractors. In Connecticut the same relation
exists, that is, earnings are slightly higher in inside shops than in con­
tract shops. In New York City, however, workers in contract shops
averaged 46.4 cents compared to 44.7 cents in regular factories, and
in plants in up-State New York workers in contract shops made 43.4
cents compared to 35 cents in inside shops. ^ Jobbers’ employees
averaged about 71 cents an hour both in New \ ork City and in New
Jersey.
.
.
Hourly earnings by occupation.—The relative^ proportions of men
and women employed in firms making dozen-priced dresses and uni­
forms are very similar to those in other women’s apparel industries,
and due to the fact that some types of work are performed largely by
men and others almost wholly by women, a tabulation of hourly
earnings by occupation gives a fairly accurate indication of the rel­
ative wage levels of men and women.
.
Machine operators comprised the largest group of workers in the
plants scheduled, numbering 20,455, or 65 percent of the total reported.
Almost seven-eighths of this group of workers were paid on a piece­
work basis. In roughly three-fourths of the plants employing machine
operators on a piece-work basis, and including all the larger firms, the
operators worked on the sectional method of production; that is, the
work on each garment was divided and each operator did only one
part of it. The second largest group of workers, 3,476, or 11 percent
of the total, were hand finishers, inspectors, and packers. Over 99
percent of the employees in these two occupational classes were women.
The third largest group, 2,509 persons or 8 percent of the total, were
pressers, and 93 percent of this group were women.
The most important occupation for men was cutting; approximately
5 percent of the total, or 1,613 persons, were in this group, and 72 per­
cent of them were men. Other groups that consisted largely of men
were the shipping workers and the plant maintenance workers.
Together these groups comprised 3 percent of the total reported. The
remaining workers, about 8 percent, were general indirect workers,
plant clerical workers, and supervisors and machinists. Over fourfifths of'the indirect factory workers and the clerical workers, and over
three-fifths of the supervisory and machinist group, were women.




24

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Occupation

All
employees

Women
Men
Number

Total.......................................

31,332

Machine operators______
Hand finishers, inspectors, and packers
Cutters...........................
Pressers._____________
General indirect labor___
Shipping_________
Maintenance..............
Supervisory and machinists ............
Plant clerical________

20, 455
3, 476

2,884
21

...

270
1,172
284

28,448

90.8

3,455

99.4
99.4

2,327

’921
445

Percent

92.7
82.1
10.7
62.0

In each area the largest occupational group was the machine opera­
tors, the proportions varying from 56 percent in New York City to
70 percent in Pennsylvania outside of Pliiladelphia and to 72 percent
in Boston and in Virginia. In all but four areas the hand finishers,
inspectors, and packers made up the second largest group, the pro­
portions of workers in this class varying from 6 percent in Utah to 15
percent in Cleveland and 18 percent in Connecticut. In Maryland hand
workers were fewer in number than pressers or cutters, and in Minne­
sota, Philadelphia, and Virginia the pressers were the second largest
group. In the Utah plants there were as many cutters as hand
workers.
The average hourly earnings of the workers in the various occupa­
tions are shown in table IV. Among the manufacturing workers the
highest earnings were paid to cutters and the lowest to the hand
workers and the general indirect workers. Average hourly earnings
of the cutters were 59.4 cents, but for the hand workers they were
only 33.7 cents and for the general indirect workers only 33.3 cents
Unpublished figures show that three-tenths (31 percent) of the cutters
had earnings below 40 cents, but the same proportion had earnings of
70 cents or more. In contrast to this, 34 percent of the hand finishers,
inspectors, and packers and as many as 38 percent of the indirect
factory workers had earnings below 30 cents, and only 5 percent of
the workers in each of these groups earned as much as 50 cents.
Machine operators, much the largest of the occupational groups,
averaged 36.3 cents an hour. There was a heavy concentration at
25 and under 40 cents, 71 percent of the workers falling in these classes.
Only about 1 in 9 of the machine operators had earnings as high as 50
cents an hour. Pressers averaged slightly more than machine opera­
tors, 38.2 cents, but two-thirds of the pressers had earnings of 25 and
under 40 cents and just over 12 percent received 50 cents or more.
The nonmanufacturing workers had average earnings varying from
38.7 cents for the plant clerical workers and 38.9 cents for the plant
maintenance workers to 42.8 cents for the shippers and 66.8 cents for
the supervisors and machinists. Only about one-fifth of the supervi­
sors and machinists had earnings below 40 cents, but 53 percent of the
shipping force, 62 percent of the clerical workers, and 64 percent of the
maintenance workers had such earnings.
Among the different areas the average hourly earnings of machine
operators varied from less than 30 cents in Virginia (26.4 cents) and
'l ennessee (27.2 cents) to 40.6 cents in Minnesota, 40.7 cents in
California and Ohio outside of Cleveland, 42.6 cents in Boston, 43.7




31, 047
1, 337
602
306
2, 696
1,468
1, 268
687
610
934
Other Massachusetts..........
1,008
371
1,132
1, 544
3, 243
2, 230
2,597
Up-State New York
888
694
2, 067
Philadelphia.................... .
Other Pennsylvania............ 2, 547
560
833
271
207
446
484
Other 3____ ___ __________
1 The mean—the simple arithmetic
3 Arkansas and Kentucky
All areas *.................-




Pressers
(93 percent
women)

General
indirect labor
(82 percent
women)

Shipping
(21 percent
women)

Maintenance
(11 percent
women)

Supervisory
and
machinists
(62 percent
women)

Plant clerical
(81 percent
women)

Average hourly earnings 1 (cents)

N um ber of employees!

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

Num ber of employees
1

j

ings 1 (cents)

Average hourly earn'

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

Area

Cutters
(28 percent
women)

|

Hand
finishers,
inspectors, and
packers
(99 percent
women)

j

Machine
operators
(99 percent
women)

59.4
33.7 1, 598
36.3 3, 472
38.5 20.307
103
61.0
847
37.2
40.7
141
43.4
IS
377
111
35.3
43.7
41.9
17
177
39
28.8
35.0
35.2
159
61.5
273
35.0
34.4
37.6 1,800
68
43. 8
133
31. 2
32.1
34.1 1, 018
51. 3
76
785
128
37.2
36.0
38.6
58
53.6
32.6
440
47
32.9
36.4
24
440
72
36.2
42.6
44. 2
50. 0
28
34.3
646
111
35.2
36.0
45. 0
64
700
94
31.9
31.1
33.0
49. 2
27
240
39.0
34
40.6
41.6
54. 8
75
121
32.4
716
35.2
37.4
72
65. 7
41.2
999
152
39.2
42.7
111
62. 0
433
30.8
2, 174
35.2
36.7
112
84. 7
37.0
303
45.1
47.5 1, 242
110
54. 2
30.5
319
1, 721
35.2
37.0
51
66.7
33.6
576
130
34.1
38.1
52
70. 1
35.9
95
438
40.7
43.5
82.0
126
35. 2
217
45.1
46.1 1,276
104
47. 4
30.0
1, 779
258
31.4
32.7
27
26.4
369
57
27.2
28.6
46. 5
86
32.1
45
560
32.4
34.6
17
17
186
33.3
34.9
7
13
150
26.4
27.8
27
52.5
41. 1
42
300
38.7
41. 6
20
32.5
46
30.8
32.0
334
—
average. Not computed where base less than 25.

624
42.8
33.3
2,482
10
43.7
29
39.4
34
106
41.9
10
19
37
44.9
7
12
30
24.6
6
41.4
18
37
75
35.7
210
37.5
23
14
16
117
34.7
52
40.6
55
36.0
87
39.8
12
22
19
75
36.9
6
13
5
34
7
40.8
3
50
37.1
70
38.0
10
19
21
66
31.3
2
10
16
35
41.4
16
6
33
29.6
92
39.8
26
70
17
39.4
92
45.2
45.3
19
128
47
28.5
239
37.1
10
103
46.0
35.6
99
231
41.5
23
22
95
30.8
164
39.8
11
4
38
37.1
41
45.6
10
20
40.8
41
8
59
43.8
28
32.1
289
40.0
13
38
38.7
57
29.6
220
34.4
9
S
20
42
26.0
10
12
8
34.8
64
3
4
11
15
4
2
4
18
4
4
10
39.5
33
9
11
16
32.9
34
2 Total includes Washington State, with 3 firms and

66.8

.......
_____
_____

.......
.......
............
42.5

61
15
16
91
67
60
17
14
5
29
5
62
76
76
110

269

65.6

6

38.7

15
2

63.3
55.1
57.5

33

43.3

12

13
3

1

45.9
53. 4
71.9
82.2
91.8
67.1
102.4
74.7
70.9
46.3

13
5

2
11

40
16

40.0

20

37
105
7
30
3
26
64
6
72
11
17
52.8
5
43
5
13
2
7
26
71.0
13 _____
1 _____
17 employees, not shown separately.

PART XI.---- W OM EN ’S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES

All
factory
employees
(91 percent
women)

N um ber of employees

IV.—Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the DOZEN-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY, by occupation and by area

N um ber of employees

Table

fcO
0\

26

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

cents in Connecticut, and 45.1 cents in New York City and Phila­
delphia. In 10 areas the earnings varied from 30 to 35 cents and in
7 areas from over 35 to 40 cents. The hand finishers, inspectors,
and packers had average earnings varying from 26.4 cents in Ten­
nessee, 28.8 cents in Georgia, and 30 to 31 cents in Pennsylvania
other than Philadelphia, up-State New York, and New Jersey, to
41.1 cents in Wisconsin and 41.2 cents in Missouri other than’St
Louis. They; averaged about 35 cents in Philadelphia and Chicago
and 37 cents in New York City.
Cutters, the large majority of whom were men, averaged more than
80 cents an hour in New York City and Philadephia and 70 cents in
Ohio outside of Cleveland, but in Tennessee they averaged only 34.2
cents. Other areas paying relatively high wages to cutters, the aver­
age earnings being over 60 cents, were Cleveland, Missouri other than
St. Louis, New Jersey, Chicago, and California. The average earn­
ings of the pressers varied from 24.6 cents in Georgia and 26 cents in
Tennessee to 45.2 cents in other Missouri and 45.6 cents in Cleveland.
In 7 other areas the pressers averaged 40 cents or more, and in 13
areas the averages varied from 31.3 cents to 39.8 cents. In St. Louis,
other Pennsylvania, and New Jersey the indirect factory workers
averaged less than 30 cents, and in the other areas (9) where a suffi­
cient number of these workers were reported their average earnings
varied from 30.8 cents in up-State New York to 39.4 cents in Cal­
ifornia and in other Missouri.
The average earnings of supervisors and machinists ranged from less
than 50 cents in Michigan and other Pennsylvania to 102.4 cents in
Cleveland. They were 91.8 cents in New York City, 82.2 cents in
New Jersey, and from 70 to 75 cents in Philadelphia, Wisconsin
other Missouri, and other Ohio.
In general, the supervisors and machinists and the cutters had the
highest earnings, followed by the shipping workers, the maintenance
staff, the clerical workers, pressers, and machine operators; the low­
est earnings were those of the hand workers and the general factory
workers. There were, however, some exceptions to this. For exam­
ple, m New York City the pressers, and in Philadelphia both shippers
and pressers, averaged less than the machine operators. In Chicago
and in other Missouri, the hand workers and general factory workers
had higher average earnings than machine operators. In Michigan
and Wisconsin, hand workers averaged more than pressers and machine
operators; in Georgia and Tennessee, machine operators and hand
workers had earnings higher than those of the pressers. And in
Cleveland and Ylassachusctts outside of Boston the general indirect
workers had better earnings than those of the machine operators or
the hand workers.
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops.—Extensive organi­
zation of this branch of the apparel industry has taken place only in
recent years. Slightly more than a third of the firms scheduled were
unionized, and these union firms were not confined to any particular
part of the country. None of the firms in Maryland, Boston, Michi­
gan, Utah, Virginia, or Washington, and from one-eighth to less than
one-fourth m Connecticut, up-State New York, other Illinois, Indiana,
Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas, had an agreement with a union. But
half of the firms in Tennessee, more than half to three-fourths of those




27

PART II.--- WOMEN’S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES

in New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, other Missouri, and Wis­
consin, and all those in Georgia were unionized.
The average hourly earnings of union employees in 16 areas ranged
from 29.3 cents in Tennessee to between 45 and 48 cents in California,
Philadelphia, and New York City, and to 66.1 cents in Ohio. In 23
areas nonunion workers’ earnings varied from less than 30 cents in
Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas and Kentucky to 45.8 cents in New
York City and to 54.7 cents in Missouri outside of St. Louis.
When both organized and unorganized firms operated in the same
area, a comparison of the earnings shows that the average was higher
in the organized firms with one notable exception, other Missouri, and
one minor exception, Texas. The difference in favor of the union
workers was 30.4 cents in Ohio and was from 1.1 cents to 8.3 cents in
the 11 other areas where comparisons were possible. Nonunion
workers averaged 20.2 cents more than union employees in other
Missouri and 1.6 cents more in Texas.
Hourly earnings in the various firms.—Employees’ average hourly
earnings were computed for each firm scheduled and these firm aver­
ages have been examined in relation to the size of the firm, the distri­
bution of individual employees’ earnings, and the areas in which the
various firms are situated.
The average earnings of employees in individual firms ranged from
25 and under 27% cents to 90 and under 9211 cents; the average was 60
cents or more in 22 firms, 50 and under 60 cents in 25, 40 and under
50 cents in 110, 30 and under 40 cents in 191, and under 30 cents in 51.
Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

Employees
Number
of firms

Number

Percent

399
25.0,
27.5,
30.0,
32.5,

under 27.5___
under 30.0___
under 32.5___
under 35.0___

37.5, under 40.0___

31,047

100.0

20
31
48
50
46
47

1,204
2,337
3,220
4,712
4,824
4,202

3.9
7.5
10.4
15.2
15.5
13.5

Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

42.5, under 45.0___
45.0, under 47.5___
47.5, under 50.0___
50.0, under 60.0___
60.0, under 70.0___

Number
of firms

Employees
Number

35
34
28
13
25
15
7

2, 908
2, 453
1,940
575
1, 981
382
309

Percent
9.4
7.9
6.2
1.9
6.4
1.2
1.0

The firms also varied widely in regard to number of workers em­
ployed: 110 of the 399 firms employed fewer than 25 workers, 100 had
25 but under 50, and 90 had 50 but under 100. Only 43 firms had as
many as 200 workers, but 6 of these employed 500 or more.
There appears to be little connection between earnings and size of
shop. The high-wage firms or low-wage firms were not concentrated
at any one size, though none of the largest firms had averages in the
higher brackets. The earnings in firms of each class had a wide range.
In the 110 firms that employed fewer than 25 workers the firm averages
varied from 25 and under 27.5 cents to 70 and under 75 cents; in 42 of
these the averages were 25 and under 35 cents, in 50 they were 35 and
under 50 cents, and in 11 they were 60 cents or more. Similarly, the
range of average earnings in the 100 firms with 25 and under 50 em­
ployees was from 25 and under 27.5 cents to 90 and under 92% cents;
the averages were less than 35 cents in 33 of these, were 35 and under
50 cents in 53, and were 60 cents or more in 6. In the 99 firms that
employed 100 or more workers, average earnings ranged from 25 and




28

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

under 27.5 cents to 70 and under 75 cents; they were 25 and under 35
cents in 41 of the group, 35 and under 50 cents in 51, and 50 cents or
more in only 7 firms.
Expressed differently, of the 242 firms in which the average earnings
were below 40 cents, 26 percent employed fewer than 25 workers and
37 percent employed 75 or more; and of the 157 firms in which average
earnings were 40 cents or over, 30 percent had fewer than 25 employees
and 28 percent had 75 or more.
The hourly earnings of individual employees not only varied among
the different firms but had a wide range in a single establishment or in
a group of establishments with similar average hourly earnings. It
is to be expected, however, that in plants with low average earnings
there will be a concentration of employees in the low-wage groups and,
as the firm average earnings increase, the proportion of employees
with earnings at relatively high levels will increase, while the propor­
tion at the lower levels will decrease.
Unpublished figures show that three-eighths of all the employees
reported, or 11,473 persons, were in 149 firms with average hourly
earnings below 35 cents, 40 percent of these workers having earnings
of less than 27% cents; one-tenth earned 40 cents or over, 3 percent of
them 50 cents or more.
At the opposite extreme were 88 firms with average hourly earnings
of 45 cents or more, and these employed 5,187 persons, or one-sixth of
the total reported. The heaviest concentration of earnings of this
group of workers was from 35 to 52% cents, but nearly one-fourth (23
percent) earned as much as 60 cents (4 percent received $1 an hour
or more), and nearly one-eighth (12 percent) had earnings in the lowwage intervals of less than 35 cents.
Hourly earnings varied as much between individual firms within an
area as between the different areas covered. For example, in New
York City the firm averages varied from 25 and under 27.5 cents to
90 and under 92.5 cents; in Cleveland the range was from 30 and under
32.5 cents to 85 and under 87.5 cents, and in Wisconsin, where only
4 firms were scheduled, the range was from 35 and under 37.5 cents to
45 and under 47.5 cents.
Firms whose employees averaged 60 cents or more were found in
California (6 firms), Chicago (1), Boston (1), New Jersey (2), New
York City (8), Cleveland (1), other Ohio (1), and Philadelphia (2).
Low-wage firms, whose employees averaged less than 35 cents, were
found in all the areas visited but Minnesota and Wisconsin, though in
no firm in Georgia, other Massachusetts, or Utah were average earn­
ings below 32.5 cents, and in California, Connecticut, Boston, other
Missouri, and Cleveland all firm averages were 30 cents or more.
Hours worked.

.

The hours worked by individual employees in the pay-roll week
recorded are shown for all areas combined in table V. This informa­
tion was reported for 30,987 workers, or practically all those with
week’s earnings reported. About one-fourth of the employees had
less than 35 hours of work, and nearly as large a group, just over 22
percent, worked 44 hours or longer. Over two-fifths of the employees
worked 35 to 40 hours, inclusive.




29

PART II.--- WOMEN’S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES
Table V.—Hours

worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the
DOZEN-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY
Employees

Employees
Hours worked

Hours worked
Number

Number

Percent

30,987
35

100.0

40_______________ ____ _____

7, 566
1,136
4.431

24.4
3.7
14.3

44_______________ ______ __ .

7,142
3,793
5. 285
1, 634

Percent
23.0
12.2
17.1
5.3

Details by area show that the proportion of employees who worked
less than 35 hours in the week varied from below one-fifth in other
Massachusetts (14 percent), Connecticut (15 percent), Cleveland (16
percent), New Jersey and other Pennsylvania (17 percent), and
Minnesota (18 percent) to over two-fifths in Utah (41 percent),
other Illinois (44 percent), and other Ohio (46 percent).
There were significant variations also in the proportion with a rela­
tively long week. In Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia, and
New York City from 3 to 10 percent of the employees worked 44
hours or more, but in 8 areas—Texas, other Pennsylvania, Utah,
Cleveland, St. Louis, Michigan, Tennessee, and Boston—from 32 to
40 percent of the employees worked such hours. In Boston as many
as 29 percent of the employees exceeded 44 hours.
The proportion of employees who worked 40 hours was from 1 to
10 percent in Virginia, Michigan, Utah, Texas, other Illinois, and
Tennessee, and was 45 and 47 percent, respectively, in Georgia and
Wisconsin.
Week’s earnings.

The amount of the earnings received during the pay period was
reported for 31,330 experienced workers, and the average earnings for
the entire group, regardless of time worked, were $14.65. The high­
est amount was $18.10, the average for the workers in Boston, and
the lowest was $9.75, for those in Virginia. The Virginia average
was the only one below $10, though in two other areas average earnings
were below $12, Tennessee with $10.90 and other Illinois with $11.85.
Earnings that averaged between $12 and $14 were found in seven
areas—Arkansas and Kentucky, Utah, other Pennsylvania, Michigan,
Georgia, Texas, and up-State New York. Philadelphia, Connecticut,
and New York City ranked below Boston, with averages of $17.50
to $17.30.
'
Owing to differences in hours worked, some areas had a different
position in the wage scale when based on week’s earnings than when
based on hourly earnings. For example, workers in New York City
had the highest average hourly earnings but their average week’s
earnings ranked fourth, being below the figures for Boston, Philadel­
phia, and Connecticut. A smaller proportion of workers in New
York City than in Boston or Philadelphia worked as long as 40 hours,
and a larger proportion had a workweek of 35 hours or less.




Table

VI.—Week's earnings of experienced employees in the DOZEN-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY, by area
Total i

Percent of employees with week's earnings as specified in—
Illinois

Per­
cent

Califor­
Con­
nia
necticut Georgia

Massachusetts
Indiana

Chicago

Number of firms_______________ _________ ____
Number of employees
Average earnings 3....................................................

399
31,330
$14.65

100.0

39
1, 337
$16.15

8
602
$17. 40

5
307
$13. 00

13
1,473
$11.85

Michi­
gan

Minne­
sota

7
936
$14.10

6
1,010
$12.90

7
374
$15.85

1.6
6.9
23.7
39. 6
16.0
6.5
5.7

2.6
6.7
59.8
25.6
3.6
1.1
.5

3.1
20.3
50.6
20.2
3.2
.8
1.9

1.3
6.7
31.6
48.1
7.8
2.4
2.1

Boston

Other
Massa­
chusetts

12
698
$14. 75

13
613
$18. 10

3.8
15.8
39.4
27.8
8.6
1.7
2.9

2.3
14.3
47.6
22.9
4.6
3.2
5.2

Other
Illinois

28
2,721
$14.05

Mary­
land

7
1, 280
$14.45

Percent of employees
Under $5____
$5, under $10..
$10, under $15.
$15, under $20.
$20, under $25.
$25, under $30.
$30 and over..

1, 059
4, 661
14, 089
7,282
2, 265
845
1,129

3.4
14.9
45.0
23. 2
7.2
2.7
3.6

4.3
11.4
30.5
32.2
11.0
5.5
5.2

1.3
10.8
39.0
29.7
13.1
2.7
3.3

4.2
18.9
53.7
14.7
4.6
2.0
2.0

5.8
17.5
40.7
25.5
5.1
2.0
3.5

7.0
31.3
43.0
12.6
2.7
1.2
2.2

Cumulative percents
Under $12...........................................................................
Under $14._____ ______________ _____
Under $16... ________ _______ _____
Under $18____ ______
$18 and over______________________________
$20 and over _________________________ _______ ___
$22 and over________ ____ ______ ______ ___




11, 564
17,159
22.137
25,189

36.9
54.8
70.7
80.4

23.3
35.7
53.9
70.2

24.8
41.9
61. 1
72.9

46.9
68.4
81.8
88.9

38.7
55.8
73.4
83.9

57.6
75.0
86.2
90.9

36.1
50.6
66.3
79.1

37.5
57.6
72.9
81.1

15.0
25.4
42.6
58.6

20.4
45.7
80.0
89.0

45.9
66.3
81.5
89.8

16.0
30.2
54.0
78.9

6,141
4, 239
2,975

19.6
13.5
9.5

29.8
21. 7
15.0

27.1
19.1
12.0

11.1
8.5
5.5

16.1
10.5
7.5

9.1
6.0
4.4

20.9
13.2
7.2

18.9
12.9
10.2

41.4
28.2
20.2

11.0
5.2
2.7

10.2
5.8
4.8

21.1
12.3
8.3

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Week’s earnings
Num­
ber

00

Percent of employees with week’s earnings as specified in—

Number of firms------------Number of employees----Average earnings 3.............

10
1,149
$16.10

7
1, 553
$16.15

45
3, 339
$14. 20

New
York
City
54
2. 237
$17. 30

Up-State
New
York
27
2,610
$13.90

Cleve­
land

Other
Ohio

6
893
$14. 70

11
737
$15.40

Other
Phila­ Pennsyl­
delphia vania
38
2, 078
$17.50

22
2,561
$12.90

Tennes­
see

Vir­
ginia

Wis­
consin

Other
States2

Texas

Utah

4
560
$10. 90

10
835
$13.80

5
271
$12. 60

5
207
$9.75

4
448
$14. 45

3
484
$12. 05

4.3
27.7
62. 1
3.7
.9
.4
.9

4.3
15.7
47.3
23.5
5.3
.7
3.2

4. 1
25.1
46. 1
16.2
4.8
2.2
1.5

9.7
36.7
48.3
3.4
.5
1.4

1.8
15.0
50.4
25.4
4.2
.4
2.7

3.3
17.4
64.0
12.0
2.1
.4
.8

Percent of employees
Under $5____
$5, under $10 .
$10, under $15.
$15, under $20.
$20, under $25.
$25, under $30.
$30 and over..

4.0
9.7
44.4
28.6
6.3
1.6
5.5

3.5
19.1
26.7
21.6
15.9
8.0
5.2

2.2
11.4
57.9
18.3
5.6
1.8
2.8

1.8
8.2
35.0
33.3
11.8
3.8
6.1

3.7
14.3
48.9
22.0
6.1
2.3
2.6

2.8
15.1
45.3
25.3
4.4
2.4
4.7

3.0
19.9
42.1
15.9
7.5
5.3
6.4

1.8
9.4
35.4
28.6
13.0
4.5
7.3

2.8
15.9
58.4
15.2
4.8
1.8
1.1

Cumulative percents
Under $12.. _
Under $14...
Under $16—.
Under $18—.

30.5
46.6
67.4
78.9

33.4
43.5
54.3
62.9

34.7
62.3
78.7
85.4

19.4
35.1
54.2
69.9

42.5
61.1
73.8
82.0

38.4
54. 2
73. 1
83.0

40.7
56.9
67.8
75.4

24.2
39.0
53.3
65. 5

52.3
70.0
82.7
89.3

73.0
89.8
96. 1
97.3

39.8
60. 1
75.4
85.6

49. 1
68.3
81.5
90.8

88.4
92.8
97.1
97.1

30.6
53.3
76.3
86.4

56.0
78.3
89.7
94.6

$18 and over.
$20 and over
$22 and over.

21.1
13.3
9.2

37.1
29.0
20.2

14.6
10.2
6.9

30.1
21.7
15.7

18.0
11.1
7.5

17.0
11.4
8.4

24.6
19. 1
15.3

34.5
24.8
18.7

10.7
7.7
5.4

2.7
2. 1
1.6

14.4
9.2
6.0

9.2
8.5
6.3

2.9
1.9
1.9

13.6
7.4
4.9

5.4
3.3
2.1

PART II. ---- WOMEN'S DOZEN-PRICED DRESSES

St.
Louis

Other
Mis­
souri

New
Jersey

Pennsylvania

Ohio

New York

Missouri
Week’s earnings

3 Total includes Washington State, with 3 firms and 17 employees, not shown separately.
2 Arkansas and Kentucky.
3 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.




CO

32

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Other areas with a relatively higher position in the hourly earnings
scaJethan m the week’s earnings scale were other Ohio, Wisconsin
and Chicago, and m each case a substantial proportion of the employ­
ees worked less than 35 hours. On the other hand, Connecticut,
bt. Coins, and Maryland had a much higher position in regard to
week s than to hourly earnings, and in each of these areas relatively
small proportions of the employees worked less than 35 hours
Based on week’s earnings, the highest wage level was in Boston,
witii 68 percent of the employees earning $15 or more, followed by
Minnesota with 60 percent, New York City with 55 percent, Caliform^iW!,
Percen*> Philadelphia with 53 percent, and other Missouri
with 51 percent having such earnings. At the other extreme of the
wage scale were other Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Kentucky, other
Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia, where from 52 to 88 percent of the
employees were paid less than $12.
.
I rom table VI it is apparent that the most common earnings usually
were between $10 and $20; however, in many cases significant pro­
portions of the employees earned less than $10 or as much as $20
Bess than one-tenth of the workers in Boston, other Massachusetts
and Minnesota earned under $10, but from 20 to 30 percent in 9 areas—
Indiana, Texas, Arkansas and Kentucky, other Missouri, other Ohio
Georgia, Chicago, Michigan, and Utah—and as many as 32 percent
m iennessee, 38 percent in other Illinois, and 46 percent in Virginia
had such low earnings.
5
’
-0Jhe smallest proportions of employees who received as much as
$20 were 2 percent m Tennessee and in Virginia and 3 percent in
Arkansas and Kentucky combined; the largest proportions were from
22 to 29 percent m California, New York City, Philadelphia, Boston
and other Missouri.
’




Part III.—WOMEN’S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES
The woman’s dress styled especially for street or dress wear and sold
by the individual garment is produced most largely in the New York
metropolitan area. Over four-fifths of the producers of these dresses
are in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and almost as large a
proportion of the workers are concentrated in this area. No other
State has as many as 5 percent of the firms or of the workers. In this
area the contract system of manufacture prevails.
Because of the inroads into the street-dress market of the dresses
wholesaling by the dozen, the lowest price range of the unit dress is at
§1.37}2 and under. This competes with the styled dozen-priced dresses
of $15.75 and under a dozen. The second price grouping is for the
dress wholesaling at over $1.37)2 and including $3.75, which competes
with the dozen-priced dresses at over $15.75. The third price group­
ing of the unit dress is at over $3.75 and including $4.75, the fourth is
at over $4.75 and including $8.75, the next is at over $8.75 and includ­
ing $10.75, and the highest is at over $10.75 a dress. The survey as
originally planned did not contemplate covering dresses sold at over
$8.75, as rates were known to be high in these fields. As such exclu­
sion would have restricted the sample from States outside the metro­
politan area, a small number of these firms were taken in each State
where such dresses were produced.
Generally the firms in this branch of the apparel industry made only
dresses or dress suits and ensembles, and less than 2 percent (18 firms)
produced secondary products at the time of the survey. These minor
products consisted of women’s blouses, separate skirts, housecoats,
undergarments, bathing suits, children’s dresses, and men’s uniforms
and shirts. Only one firm made a small proportion of dresses that
wholesaled by the dozen.
Scope of survey.

The turn-over in firms manufacturing the unit-priced dress in New
York City was so continuous through the spring of 1939 as to render
impossible the making of an accurate list of firms in business at any
one time. Many firms reported as jobbers in trade directories and
those of the State Department of Labor were wholesalers only or pur­
chased materials and furnished designs to contractors and did no man­
ufacturing. As the date for reporting the findings of the survey arrived
before a complete check-up on every firm on any list was possible in
New York City, the 1937 Census enumeration for New York has been
taken in place of the 1939 recounting made elsewhere by the Bureau.
While all indications point to a smaller number of producing firms in
1939 than two years before, the Bureau’s sample for New York covers
at least 44 percent of the firms and over 60 percent of the employees
reported for 1937.




33

34

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

. With very extensive unionization of both inside and contract shops
in New York City, the sample would seem to be fully indicative of
conditions in the unit-priced dress industry in the city.
The representative nature of the New York City sample is illus­
trated further by a comparison of the Bureau figures with data received
from the research director of the Joint Board of the Dress and Waistmakers’ Union of Greater New York. The report of the Joint Board
shows that in 1938 there were 2,245 firms, with 79,365 employees, in
the New York metropolitan area, including, of course, the New York
City firms and their many contractors in adjacent communities.
As shown in the following summary, the proportions of firms and of
employees producing dresses at the various prices correspond closely
in the two tabulations. For example, in the current study 31 percent
of the workers in New York City were employed on dresses wholesaling
at $3.75 and less, 41 percent were on dresses wholesaling at over $3.75
and including $8.75, and 28 percent were on dresses wholesaling at more
than $8.75; the proportions reported by the Joint Board were 32 per­
cent, 38 percent, and 30 percent, respectively.
Firms
Unit price of dress

Total number.....................................

Employees

Women’s
Joint
Women’s
Joint
Bureau
Board 1
Bureau
Board 1
study, 1939 report, 1938 study, 1939 report, 1938
720

2,245

29,345

79,365

6.0
25.0
20.0
21.0
11.0
17.0

7.0
25.0
19.0
19.0

Percent
$1.37J4 and under_________
Over $1.37J4, including $3.75
Over $3.75, including $4.75.._
Over $4.75, including $8.75. _
Over $8.75, including $10.75.
Over $10.75_______________

7.0
26.0
17.0
23.0
12.0
16.0

5.0
22.0
16.0
23.0
14.0
20.0

12.0

18.0

1 Joint Board of the Dress and Waistmakers’ Union of Greater New York.

Of approximately 2,500 firms manufacturing the unit-priced dress,
1,104 were included in the survey. These firms gave employment to
52,380 persons in the spring of 1939. As it is not customary in this
industry in New York City to keep a record of the hours worked by
employees, almost all firms in the city had to bo requested to keep
such record on pay-roll forms left with them and second calls were
made to secure the complete information.
Due to the extremely heavy concentration of firms in New York,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, and to the fact that the
jobber-contractor method of production is prevalent in these States,
583 of the 1,104 firms scheduled (53 percent) were contract shops.’
Such shops comprised only 15 percent of the 163 firms visited in other
States, and these were in California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts,
Missouri, and Ohio. Eighty-nine firms, or 8 percent of the total!
were jobber manufacturers, and all these but 3 in Pennsylvania and
1 each in Illinois and Massachusetts were in New York City.
Considering all areas combined, well over one-half of the firms
visited produced the popular-priced dress, the one selling at $4.75
or less. Approximately a third produced dresses priced at over $4.75




35

PART III.-—WOMEN’S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES

and including $10.75 apiece, and about an eighth made dresses whole­
saling at over $10.75.
I.—Extent and location of the UNIT-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY in
the gyring of 1939 and number of firms and employees included in survey

Table

Firms in business,
spring of 1939
State
Firms—

Firms included in survey

Factory
employees

Factory employees
Firms —
Number

Number Percent
Total..................... ............
Percent._______________

Total
number Percent

Men

Women

2,463
100.0

85, 796
100.0

100.0

1,104
44.8

52,380
61.1

100.0

12,145

40,235

California______ ____ _______ _
Connecticut__________
Georgia.............................................
Illinois_
Massachusetts----------- ---------

101
53
7
110
44

3,500
3, 663
232
3, 796
2,117

4.1
4.3
.3
4.4
2.5

35
28
6
40
24

1,855
2,548
222
1, 779
1,516

3.5
4.9
.4
3.4
2.9

215
215
21
380
259

1,640
2,^33
201
1,399
1,257

Minnesota____________ ______ _
Missouri____
__ _________
New Jersey
New York__________ _________
Ohio. .......................................

12
47
245
i 1, 711
19

486
1, 791
10,084
i 53, 305
851

.6
2.1
11.8
62.1
1.0

8
24
103
762
7

356
1,247
6,122
32,093
439

.7
2.4
11.7
61.3
.8

32
214
526
9, 321
114

324
1,033
5, 596
22, 772
325

Pennsylvania
Texas............... .................................
Other2............................................

73
16
25

4,242
762
967

4.9
.9
1.1

48
10
9

3,183
647
373

6.1
1.2
.7

772
40
36

2,411
607
337

1 Census of Manufactures, 1937.
2 Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Almost three-fourths (73 percent) of all employees reported were
in New York and New Jersey shops, and nearly one-seventh were in
shops in 3 other eastern States—Connecticut, Massachusetts, and
Pennsylvania. The remaining workers were employed in 7 mid­
western States (8 percent), in California and Washington (4 percent),
and in Georgia, Maryland, and Texas (2 percent).
Firms in this branch of the apparel industry were, on the whole,
small establishments; only 77 firms, or 7 percent of those scheduled,
had 100 or more factory employees, and only 1 employed as many
as 500. The largest proportion, 45 percent of the firms, employed
25 and under 50 workers, and 24 percent had fewer than 25. In
only 5 States—California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York,
and Pennsylvania—were there 1 or more firms employing as many as
200.

The large majority of the employees were women. They comprised
77 percent of the total, but the proportion varied among the States.
In New York women were 71 percent of the work force and in Ohio
they were 74 percent. In contrast, from 90 to 94 percent of the
workers in at least 5 States were women, the largest proportion being
in Texas.
Labor costs.

Labor costs and total costs of operation were reported by 73 inside
dress manufacturers in 13 States. The relation is given here as
indicative, though not conclusive evidence, of the proportion labor
costs are of total costs. In these 73 inside plants labor costs repre­




36

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

sented 29.8 percent of total costs, or much more than in related indus­
tries. Inside shops in New York City reported labor costs that were
27.6 percent of total costs, or somewhat less than for all States com­
bined. Among the other States in which 3 or more firms reported
cost figures the proportion labor costs were of total costs was 22 per­
cent in Massachusetts, 25 percent in Michigan, and as much as 33 to
36 percent in Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Illinois.
Seventy-two inside firms reported labor costs and manufacturing
costs, and in these firms labor costs were 37.4 percent of manufactur­
ing costs. Labor costs were only 28 or 29 percent of manufacturing
costs in Massachusetts and Michigan and 33 percent in New York
City, but they were 41 percent in Illinois, 42 percent in Missouri,
and 52 percent in Pennsylvania.
While costs were secured from some contractors and jobbers, they
are not quoted because the exact relation between them is not known,
nor is it possible to state what items were included in the totals given.
Learners.

The employment of learners in this branch of the apparel industry
was not so general as in other branches because the great majority
of these firms were unionized and the learner problem was considered
in the union agreements, with the provision that the union guaran­
tees the supply of experienced workers. Consequently the number
of firms reporting a policy in regard to learners was very small, only
127, or 12 percent of the total.
There was very little agreement among these firms concerning the
length of the learning period or the method of pay for learners. In
76 firms the learning period varied from 1 week to more than 1 year;
it was less than 4 weeks in 16 firms, 4 and under 8 weeks in 23, 8 and
including 12 weeks in 20, and 4 months or more in 17. Fifty-one
firms stated that there was no definite period for learning and that
the length of time a person was considered to be a learner depended
on his or her ability and the type of work being done.
The rate of pay at which beginners were started showed striking
variations. In one firm the rate was reported as $3 for the first week
with a $1 increase each week for some time; at the other extreme a
firm reported that beginners were paid $24 for a 35-hour week. The
rate of pay was reported by 117 firms; in 85 firms learners were paid
at time rates and in 32 they were paid at piece rates. The variations
in the rates reported were as follows:
Time rates—85 firms:
$3 for first week with $1 increase each week—1 firm.
$9 for 40-hour week, $10 for 44-hour week—2 firms.
25 cents an hour, $8.75 for 35 hours, $9 for 36 hours, $10 for 40 hours, or $11
for 44 hours—43 firms.
26 cents an hour, 28f4 cents an hour—2 firms.
33)4 cents to 40 cents an hour—6 firms.
$9 to $24 for a 35-hour week—29 firms.
$12 for a 37J4-hour week, $13 for a 40-hour week—2 firms.
Piece rates—32 firms:
Regular piece-work rates—21 firms.
Piece rates with a minimum guarantee of—
25 cents an hour—10 firms.
28 cents an hour—1 firm.




PART III.—WOMEN'S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES

37

At the time of the survey only 430 workers, or less than 1 percent
of the total, were reported as learners, and earnings data were obtained
for those. There were reported also 262 substandard or handicapped
workers. The proportion of learners was lower in the unit-priceddress firms than in any other branch of the apparel industry. Fourfifths of the entire group of learners and handicapped workers were
employed as sewing-machine operators and one-seventh were employed
as hand finishers, inspectors, and packers.
The largest group, 36 percent, were paid 25 cents an hour and only
10 percent were paid less than 25 cents. Nearly one-fourth (24 per­
cent) had earnings of 40 cents or more, the great majority of these
exceeding 40 cents. Earnings of the learners and handicapped are
not included in the earnings tables for experienced workers presented
later in the report.
EARNINGS AND HOURS
Hourly earnings.

Hourly earnings have been computed for 51,055 experienced work­
ers. They were arrived at by dividing the week’s earnings by the
number of hours worked, for each employee separately. These earn­
ings are for regular time only, as overtime payments have been elimi­
nated from such computations.
Because of the large numbers of employees reported in certain met­
ropolitan areas, tabulations of earnings have been prepared for Boston,
New York City, and Philadelphia separately from the remainder of
their respective States. In Indiana, Maryland, Washington, and
Wisconsin, on the other hand, too few firms were scheduled to show
separately, so these are combined and classed as “other States.”
In general, the wage, standards in unit-priced-dress firms were con­
siderably higher than in the other branches of the apparel industry
included in the current study. The average hourly earnings of the
entire group of employees producing unit-priced dresses were 78.2
cents, hut about one-fourth (24 percent) of the workers averaged as
much as $1 an hour and one-sixth earned 80 cents and under $1. Just
over one-fourth (27 percent) had earnings below 50 cents, but for less
than 5 percent were the earnings below 30 cents.
Among the. States there were very wide differences in the employees’
earnings. The extremes of average hourly earnings were Texas with
31.8 cents and New York City with 90 cents, a variation from low to
high of 283 percent. Ohio, with 79.7 cents, was the only other area
in which the average was above that for all workers, though Philadel­
phia and Illinois averaged nearly as high, with 74 and 75 cents, respec­
tively. .New Jersey, Connecticut, and Boston workers also had rela­
tively high earnings, with averages varying from 66.7 cents to 69.9
cents. Low hourly earnings, averaging less than 50 cents, were
reported for workers in other Massachusetts, Georgia, other Pennsyl­
vania, and Michigan.
With few exceptions there was very little concentration of hourly
earnings at any particular point in the wage scale. In New York City
and Ohio the majority of the employees, 61 and 53 percent, respectively,
had earnings of 75 cents and over, and in Philadelphia, Illinois, New
Jersey, Connecticut, and Boston the most usual earnings were 60 cents
and over.




Table

II.-—Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the UNIT-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY, by area

CO
00

All areas
Hourly earnings
(cents)

Califor­ Con­
necti­
nia
cut

Other
Mass­
achu­
setts

New Y ork
Michi­
gan

Geor­
gia

Illinois

1,650

793

658

55

75.0

69.9

46.5

41.0

Boston

Min­
neso­
ta

Pennsylvania

Mis­
souri

New
York
City

Up­
State
New
York

New
Jersey

350

1,208

29,345

2,160

54.1

57.5

90.0

50.9

0.2
.7
.4
.6
1.0
.8
1.0
1.7
1.6
6.3
2.4
2.5
1.8
2.7
1.4
2.6
3.1
2.2
2.1
2.4
2.0
5.4
2.0
2.2
1.8
3.3
2.0
4.1
2.2
1.9
1.9
33.7

0.5
13.7
4.6
5.5
5.5
4.2
5.2
5.2
4.6
6.0
3.2
2.6
2.4
3.3
.6
1.8
9.1
2.9
2.2
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.2
1.9
.9
2.2
1.0
.7
.5
.2
.2
3.6

Other
Other
Penn­ Texas States 1
sylva­
nia

Ohio

Phila­
del­
phia

5,986

404

2,179

930

632

306

66.7

79.7

74.0

42.3

31.8

59.6

0.4
3.0
1.5
2.4
2.5
2.3
1.8
2.7
2.7
7.0
4.0
3.6
2.8
4.2
1.9
2.6
9.5
4.9
3.7
4.2
2.4
2.4
1.8
3.0
1.8
2.3
1.7
2.4
1.8
1.1
.8
10.9

0.2
.5
.7
2.0
1.0
1.0
3.0
2.0
1.7
1.7
3.0
1.5
3.2
9.9
1.7
3.0
1.7
1.5
5.9
2.0
4.0
2.5
3.2
2.2
2.5
2.2
2.7
4.7
3.2
1.5
24.0

0.3
2.5
1.1
1.6
1.9
1.7
1.9
2.5
3.3
4.5
4.4
3.7
2.5
3.5
2.5
2.0
3.4
2.9
5.1
4.0
3.6
2.9
2.3
2.2
2.7
2.3
2.3
2.4
1.6
1.7
1.7
19.1

0.4
13.0
9.5
9.6
7.4
7.7
1.8
11.6
8.4
5.5
2.4
2.9
5.7
1.3
.9
.8
.3
4.3
.8
1.4
.3
.5

1.4
52.1
7.4
11.2
4.9
5.2
2.7
4.0
1.7
2.8
.8
1.3
.5
.9
.3
.3
.9

0.3
6.5
1.3
2.0
2.9
4.2
2.3
3.9
2.6
4.9
4.2
5.2
11.4
7.5
3.6
3.6
2.6
2.9
2.3
2.3
2.9
1.0
1.3
2.0
2. 6
2. 3
.7
.3
.7

Total employAverage earn­
ings 2 (cents).

51,055

100.0

78.2

1,799

2,401

199

55.9

66.8

44.3

Percent 0} employees
Under 25.0.............
25.0, under 27.5_____
27.5, under 30.0.........
30.0, under 32.5
32.5, under 35.0_____
35.0, under 37.5........ .
37.5, under 40.0........ .
40.0, under 42.5..42.5, under 45.0____
45.0, under 47.5..........
47.5, under 50.0
60.0, under 52.5_____
52.5, under 55.0____
55.0, under 57.5_____
67.5, under 60.0_____
60.0, under 62.5____
62.5, under 65.0. _ __
65.0, under 67,5.. ___
67.5, under 70.0
70.0, under 72.5
72.5, under 75.0___ ..
75.0, under 77.5
77.5, under 80.0
80.0, under 82.5
82.5, under 85.0____
85.0, under 87.5____
87.5, under 90.0
90.0, under 92.5
92.5, under 95.0.........
95.0, under 97.5
97.5, under 100.0___
100.0 and over............

147
0.3
1,452
2.8
583
1. 1
807
1.6
1,004
2.0
993
L9
878
1.7
1, 585
3.1
. 1,360
2.7
3,180
6.2
1,654
3.2
1, 680
3.3
1,192
2.3
1,698
3.3
947
1.9
1, 333
2.6
2, 180
4.3
1, 408
2.8
1,249
2.4
1,381
2.7
2.0
1,011
2,043
4.0
926
1.8
1, 222
2.4
849
1.7
1, 372
2.7
879
1.7
1,547
3.0
928
1.8
769
1.5
739
1.4
12, 059 8 23. 6

0.8
.8
.9
1.3
6.3
5.4
5.5
9.0
5. 4
8.2
5.6
6.5
4.1
4.6
3.2
3.4
5.1
2.8
1.9
2.4
1.6
2.3
1.3
1.1
.3
1.1
1.0
1. 1
.4
.3
.5
6.0

0.1
3.0
1.5
1.2
2.5
1.3
1.0
3.2
3.7
7.0
3.5
6.3
2.7
4.0
2.8
3.7
6.4
2.9
3.4
4.2
2.5
2.9
1.9
8.2
2.1
2.9
1.5
1.7
1.0
1.0
.9
8.9

0.5
11.1
2.0
6.5
3.0
5.5
5.0
8.5
8.5
10.6
9.0
10.6
3.0
6.0
1.5
2.0
3.0
.5
1.0
.5
1.0

.5

0.1
.8
1.0
1.6
1.2
1.6
1.9
4.4
4.0
3.1
3.6
4.2
3.0
6.1
3.7
4. 1
3.5
4.2
2.7
3.0
2.1
2.6
3.5
2.7
1.8
1.8
1.3
1.5
2.0
1.5
1.8
19.7

1.0
.5
1.7
1.1
5.0
2.7
4.4
3.9
4.8
3.3
6.7
2.5
4.4
2.9
4.0
3. 4
4.5
4.4
3. 4
3.0
3.0
1.9
2.5
1.8
2.1
.9
2.5
1.0
1.3
.9
14.4

0.8
8.5
2.9
2.9
3.5
17.9
7.0
8.3
5.2
5.5
5.0
6.2
3.0
7.1
2.0
.9
4. 5
1.4
.6
1.1
.3
.9
.2
.5
.2

3.6
7.3
3.6
12.7
16.4
5.5
5.5
7.3
1.8
7.3
10.9
3.6
1.8
3.6
3.6
1.8
1.8

.3
.2
.3
. 2.9

1.8

0.6
.6
2.8
4.9
4.6
3.1
10.0
13.4
7.7
8.8
6.9
6.9
4.3
3.4
2.3
3.4
3.4
2.0
1.4
2.9
.3
1.7
.9
.3
.3
.6
.6
.6
1.4

0.2
4.9
1.4
2.8
2.1
2.6
3.1
12.8
6.2
6.4
11.6
4.6
3.6
4.2
3.1
2.6
3.4
2.2
2.2
1.7
.4
1.4
1.2
.7
.7
1.0
1.0
.6
1.6
.7
.2
8.9

Indiana, Maryland, Washington, and Wisconsin.
! The mean—the simple arithmetic average.
* About 11 percent earned $1 and under $1.25; 7 percent, $1.25 and under $1.50; and 5 percent, $1.50 and over.

1




.2
.2
.4
.1
.5
2.0

.2
.2
.2

.2
.2
.2
.5

.3
9.2

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL

Num­
ber of Per­
cent
em­
ployees

Massachusetts

3
tf
Cl
U1
W
K

PART III.-—WOMEN’S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES

39

In some areas, however, the concentration of earnings was in the
lower wage levels. Over three-fifths of the workers in Texas were
paid less than 30 cents, and from one-third to more than one-half (55
percent) in Georgia, up-State New York, other Massachusetts, other
Pennsylvania, and Michigan had earnings below 40 cents. In these
areas the proportion of workers who earned as much as 60 cents varied
from only 3 percent in Texas and 5 percent in Michigan to 14 percent
in other Massachusetts and to 33 percent in up-State New York.
There was also a large difference between the earnings of workers
in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City and in the remainder of
the respective States, with the workers in the metropolitan areas
averaging from 23 to 39 cents an hour more than the workers in the
areas outside the cities.
Hourly earnings by wholesale price of dress.—On the whole, though
earnings do not advance uniformly with the wholesale price of the
dress in each State, the better the workmanship required on these
street dresses the higher the earnings. Considering all States com­
bined, the average hourly earnings of the workers on the lowestpriced dress, that at $1.37% and under, were 51.8 cents; they increased
to 85.5 cents for workers on dresses priced at over $4.75 and including
$8.75, but decreased to 85.2 cents in the next higher price range,
and advanced to 97.2 cents for the workers on dresses wholesaling at
over $10.75.
Workers in New York City had much higher earnings than workers
in other places on all dresses but those at the lowest price levels.
On dresses selling for $1.37% and under, New York City workers aver­
aged 56.9 cents an hour, whereas in Connecticut employees received
61.5 cents an hour. Average earnings were somewhat lower in New
Jersey (47.9 cents) and in up-State New York (43.1 cents).
On dresses wholesaling at over $1.37% and including $3.75, workers
in New York City averaged 80 cents, hut in other places the average
varied from only 27.6 cents hi Texas to 67 cents in Illinois. Workers
on dresses in the four price groups above $3.75 had average hourly
earnings of 91.8 cents to just over $1.00 in New York City. In New
Jersey their highest average earnings were 90.7 cents, but in all other
States the average was less than 90 cents, the highest figure being
85.9 cents for Ohio workers employed on dresses priced at over $8.75
and including $10.75. The lowest average was the 29.3 cents earned
by workers on dresses at over $3.75 and including $4.75 in Texas.




■

Table

III.—Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the UNIT-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY, by wholesale price of dress
and by area

O

Dresses priced at—
Over $1.37H and
including $3.75

Over $10.75

Employees 1

Employees 1

Employees 1

Employees 1

Employees 1

Area

Over $8.75 and
including $10.75

Over $4.75 and
including $8.75

Over $3.75 and
including $4.75

Employees 1

Aver­ Firms—
Aver­
Aver­ Firms —
Aver­ Firms—
Aver­ Firms—
Aver­ Firms—
Firms—
age
age
age
age
age
age
Number Num­ hourly Number Num­ hourly Number Num­ hourly Number Num­ hourly Number Num­ hourly Number Num­ hourly
ber
ber
ber
ber
ber
ber
earn­
earn­
earn­
earn­
earn­
earn­
ings*
ings 2
ings 2
ings*
ings 2
ings 1
2
(cents)
(cents)
(cents)
(cents)
(cents)
(cents)
All areas.--

80

3,376

51.8

316 14,744

67.4

3
2
1

188
80

61.5
46. 6

New York City
Up-State New York___

47
10

1,791
390

56.9
43.1

New Jersey................. .

13

633

47.9

216

810
436
43
36
609

50.4
55.2
38.9
67.0
46.5

1
2
188
26

61
7, 436
1,158

50.0
80.0
54.7

45
2

2,817
7

2
2

Connecticut____ ______

12
6
2
2
4

155
164

59.8
(3)4
62.0
35 6
27. 6
64.0

35.3

207 10, 370

79.5

5
8
2
6
9

130
991
76
86
336

56.2
65.4
44.9
64.0
67.9

3
4
11
119
3

55
195
599
5, 774
144

41.0
53.9
53.5
91.8
76.5

25

1,317

76.7

6

272

76.9

4
2

324
71

29. 3
43.8

1 Where only one firm is reported, employees and earnings are included in total but not shown separately.
2 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.
3 Not computed; base too small.
4 Indiana, Maryland, Washington, and Wisconsin.




229 10,043

85.5

130

6,172

85.2

142

6,350

97.2

10
6

523
426

58.3
72.3

4
2

235
99

64.2
73.6

4
3

101
261

71.6
84.3

8
5

432
240

68.4
64. 6

11
4

477
196

77.9
68.8

12
2

594
70

81.3
84.3

3
7
162
3

139
229
6,055
468

55.9
64.9
97.4
40.2

4
89

319
3,186

61.0
97.5

115

5, 103

101.2

12
1
11

732

81.2

6
3
4
1
2

386
196
698

80.4
85.9
77.6

101

90.7

83.7

2
1

570

76

46.1

1
2

71

65.3

1

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

$1.37H and under

41

PART III.—WOMEN’S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES

Hourly earnings by type of organization.—A separate tabulation was
made of earnings in contract shops and in inside shops in the New
York Metropolitan District. Only 30 percent of the firms scheduled
in this area were inside shops. In New York City the average hourly
earnings of workers in inside shops were 97.2 cents, in contract shops
83.3 cents. In up-State New York there was little difference in the
two groups; in both, earnings were approximately 50 cents. In Con­
necticut the contract-shop earnings averaged 68.4 cents an hour, com­
pared with 55.7 cents for inside factories. In New Jersey also earnings
were higher in the contract shops, or 67.3 cents compared with 62.8
cents. The difference in earnings between contract shops and inside
plants is due more largely to size of plant than to method of operation.
The average number of employees in contract shops in New York City
was about 40, whereas inside shops in New York City averaged around
50 workers and in New Jersey and up-State New York approximately
100.

_

.

.

Hourly earnings by occupation.—Information was obtained concern­
ing the sex and occupation of each employee, and as some occupations
are filled almost entirely by men and others by women a comparison
of the earnings of workers classified according to occupation gives a
fairly accurate picture of the differences hi men’s and women’s earn­
ings, as well as differences in earnings paid for the various types of
work.
The largest occupational group, 29,323 workers or 57 percent of the
total, wore machine operators, and the great majority of these, 87
percent, were women. Sewing-machine operations generally were
paid for on a piece-rate basis and tliree-fourths of the operators re­
ported were paid piece rates. Hand finishers, inspectors, and packers
made up the second largest group and these numbered 10,131, or 20
percent of the force. Practically all this group, over 99 percent, were
women. Other groups composed largely of women were the general
indirect labor group (floor girls, bundlers, cleaners, and so forth), who
mako up about 3 percent of the force, and the supervisory group,
comprising 5 percent.
The largest though not the most important group of men, 3,892,
were machine operators, 13 percent of the machine-operator group.
The occupations requiring the highest degree of skill are cutting out
the materials preparatory to their being sewed into dresses, and press­
ing the finished garments. Good workmanship by pressers is essential
oiT the higher-priced dresses. The cutters comprised 5 percent, and
the pressers 8 percent, of all the workers. More than four-fifths of
these two groups combined were men—92 percent of the cutters and
79 percent of the pressers. The nonmanufacturing groups of shipping,
maintenance, and plant clerical workers together formed 3 percent of
the employees reported, and the large majority of these workers also
were men. The composition of the work force in the firms scheduled
is shown in the following summary.

202064°




42

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Occupation

All
employees

Women
Men
Number

Total_____ ______________
Machine operators_
_
Hand finishers, inspectors, and packers_
_
Cutters___ _____ _______ _________
Pressers________________
General indirect labor_________
Shipping________________ ____
Maintenance_______ __ __
Supervisory and machinists.___________
Plant clerical_____________

51,688
29, 323
10,131
2,471
4, 267
1, 320
1,186
170
2, 610
210

Percent

39, G01
85

10,046

86.7
99.2
■21.0

476

4.6
597
129

2,013

77.1
38.6

Unpublished tabulations of the occupational distribution of employ­
ees by area show that in each instance the largest group of workers
were machine operators. Less than half in Minnesota (48 percent)
and Boston (49 percent) were machine operators, but in the other areas
the proportion varied from 50 percent in Illinois to 66 percent in New
Jersey and 69 percent in up-State New York. Hand finishers, inspect­
ors, and packers made up the second largest group in each area and
the proportion they were of the total number varied from 13 percent
in Georgia to 25 percent in Illinois and Minnesota. In New York
City, much the largest of the dress-producing centers covered, 53 per­
cent of the workers were machine operators and 20 percent were hand
workers.
With four exceptions, the next largest occupational group were
pressers, the proportion in this class varying from 6 to 10 percent.
In other Massachusetts, California, and Missouri the proportions of
cutters and pressers were practically the same, and in Minnesota
pressers were fewer in number than cutters. Though cutting is one
of the most important and exacting occupations in the clothing indus­
try, this work is largely confined to inside and jobber manufacturers.
Consequently, in areas such as New Jersey, Connecticut, up-State
New York, and other Pennsylvania, where the majority of firms are
contract shops, cutters are a negligible part of the work force. Three
percent or less of the workers in these areas were cutters.
. The average hourly earnings of the workers in the various occupa­
tions are shown by area in table IV. A comparison with other
branches of the apparel industry shows that in all but two occupa­
tions the unit-priced-dress workers had substantially higher average
earnings than workers in any other branch. The exceptions were that
shipping workers in the unit-priced-dress firms had earnings below
those m corset firms (they were the same as in dozen-priced dresses)
and that maintenance workers averaged less than those in corset
blouse, and underwear and nightwear firms.
The highest earnings in unit-priced-dress firms were those of pres­
sers. Their average earnings were $1.26 an hour, and as many as 30
percent had earnings of $1.50 or more. Only 18 percent of the group
had earnings below 75 cents an hour. Cutters ranked next, with av­
erage hourly earnings of $1.15. Only 18 percent of the cutters were
paid less than 75 cents, and 46 percent earned $1.25 and under $1.50,
and 11 percent $1.50 or over. Other employees with relatively high
earnings were the supervisors and machinists, who averaged 96.4 cents.




Table

IV.-Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the UNIT-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY, by occupation and by area
All factory
employees (77
percent
women)

Hand finish­
Machine
ers, inspec­
operators (87
tors, and
percent
packers (99
women)
perc ent women)

Cutters (8
percent
women;

Pressers (22
percent
women)

General in­
direct labor
(64 percent
women)

Shipping (5
percent
women)

Maintenance
(8 percent
women)

Supervisory
and machin­
ists (77 per­
cent women)

Plant clerical
(39 percent
women)

3
Area

£2

T. P
gs

78.2

29,182

77.7

41.7

40

44.7
42.7

2,458

115.4

4,179

46.9
49.8
37.3
56.4
46.7
35.9

123
31

86.8

121

68.2

72.8

189
19
167
80
40

109.5

101
2

114.1
116.9
76.2

45.5
44.8
61.2
39.8

32
85
1, 644
52

56.4
103.5
150.6
75.7

4
41
690
50

49.4
61. 1
56.4
39.9
30.0
48.9

47
32
126

101.8
104.7
109.7
50.3
33.7

166
7
48
41
15

1,138

42.8

24
24
21

44.3
75.0
69.9
46.5

314
501
26
407
180
129

Michigan...................
Minnesota-------------Missouri---------------New York City------Up-State New York.

55
350
1,208
29.345
2,160

41.0
54.1
57.5
90.0
50.9

37
165
670
15, 752
1, 488

41.0
54.8
52.9
91.6
50.0

10
88

New Jersey................
Ohio—.......................
Philadelphia—........
Other Pennsylvania.
Texas...........................
Other 3.........................

5,986
404
2,179
930
632
306

66.7
79.7
74.0
42.3
31.8
59.6

4,003
235
1,294
589
407
184

67.7
77.8
73.4
39.5
29.9
58.3

55.9
66.8

1,286

55.8

52.7
68.3
46.1
72.2
70.1
45.4

1,799
2,401
199
1,650
793
658

I

9,981

1,043
1, 537
131
853
389
405

California___________
Connecticut......... .......
Georgia_________ ___
Illinois----- --------------Boston........ ..................
Other Massachusetts-----

a
3
z

a
p
£

fc
51,055

t: ®
ap
5 «

U 03
b£ £3
ed

B
3
All areas..

n

ft
a

234
5,838
348
1,126
80
367
179
100

54

11

125
47

1

103.0
99.8
66.2

70.9

5
27

88.0

86

127.4
84.7
101.8

126.8
102.9

20

24

20

538
38
188
74
48
23

153

39.2

2,47!
100

35
5
41

48

96.4
76.4
82.7
115.8
78.7

14

1

11

48.0

45
1,902
39

19
927
6

40.6

2

35.4
32.2

52
4

8
6
2

86.8

11
8

101.7
62.4

148

10

12

39.8
43.7
34.9

44.!

80
3
99
21
27

42.7

56.5

III. ----WOMEN ’S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES

►.2
MP
gs
£1

9

i The mean—the simple arithmetic average. Not computed where base less than 25.
Indiana, Maryland, Washington, and Wisconsin.




4^

CO

44

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Approximately three-fifths of this group earned 80 cents or more and
only one-tenth were paid less than 60 cents.
The distribution of earnings of the machine operators, the largest of
the occupational groups, approximated the distribution of all employ­
ees combined, and their average earnings, 77.7 cents, were only onehalf cent below the general average. The majority of the machine
operators, 56 percent, earned 70 cents and over, 22 percent earning $1
or more; however, a substantial group, 21 percent, were paid less
than 50 cents.
Average earnings of the other groups varied from 39.2 cents for the
maintenance workers and 41.7 cents for the general indirect factory
workers to 55.8 cents for the hand-finisher group, the latter compris­
ing the second largest occupational group and having the heaviest
concentration of their earnings (56 percent) at below 55 cents. From
50 to 82 percent of the workers in the other groups had earnings below
50 cents. Only 10 percent of the hand-worker group averaged as
much as 80 cents an hour.
By area, the average hourly earnings of pressers, the highest-paid
workers, varied from 33.7 cents in Texas to 150.6 cents an hour in
New York City, or a difference between the two areas of $1.17 an
hour. Other areas where pressers averaged more than $1 were Bos­
ton, Illinois, Philadelphia, Connecticut, Ohio, Missouri, and New Jer­
sey. The average earnings of cutters ranged from 66.2 cents in other
Massachusetts to 12/.4 cents in New York City, with averages of
more than $1 paid also in Ohio, Illinois, Philadelphia, and New Jersey.
In California, Minnesota, up-State New York, and Ohio, cutters aver­
aged more than pressers, and in New Jersey the average earnings were
identical for these groups. The only other groups to average as much
as $1 an hour were the supervisors and machinists in New York City
and Illinois firms.
J
The New York City firms again paid the best wages received by
machine operators, the average being 91.6 cents. This was followed
by Ohio, I hiladelphia, Illinois, and Boston, with averages varying
downward from 77.8 cents to 70.1 cents. At the other extreme were
Texas with an average of 29.9 cents, other Pennsylvania with 39 5
cents, Michigan with 41 cents, other Massachusetts with 45.4 cents
and Georgia with 46.1 cents. The average earnings of the hand fin­
ishers, inspectors, and packers varied from 30 cents in Texas and 34 8
cents in Michigan to 61.1 cents in Ohio and 61.2 cents in New York
City. For hand workers in Philadelphia and Illinois the average
earnings were alike—56.4 cents for both groups. California firms
paid higher wages than those in other areas to indirect factory labor
and to shipping workers, and Illinois firms led in average amounts
paid to supervisors and machinists.
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops.—The unit-priced dress
branch is one of the most highly unionized branches of the apparel in­
dustry, and 994 firms, with about nine-tenths of the workers, reported
that they were operating under an agreement with a union. In all but
5 of the areas covered the majority of the employees were in union
shops, the proportion varying from 56 percent in Ohio to 93 percent
m Illinois, 94 percent in New Jersey, 95 percent in Philadelphia 99
percent m New York City, and 100 percent in Georgia and Minnesota.
All the workers in scheduled firms in Michigan and Texas and from 53




45

PART III.—WOMEN’S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES

to 63 percent of those in up-State New York, other Massachusetts,
and California were in unorganized shops.
_
The average hourly earnings of union workers varied from just over
44 cents in other Pennsylvania and Georgia to 84.9 cents in Ohio and
to 90.4 cents in New York City. They were just below 50 cents in
other Massachusetts; between 50 and 60 cents in Minnesota and Mis­
souri; between 60 and 70 cents in California, up-State New York, New
Jersey, and Connecticut; and between 70 and 80 cents in Boston, Phil­
adelphia, and Illinois. For nonunion employees the range in average
earnings was from 29.8 cents in other Pennsylvania to 65.2 cents in
Boston and 73 cents in Ohio. In each area where comparison of earn­
ings is possible, the union employees had earnings materially higher
than those of the nonunion workers. The difference in favor of the
workers in unionized firms was only 3.7 cents in other Massachusetts,
6.1 cents in Boston, and 11.9 cents in Ohio, but in New Jersey, New
York City, up-State New York, and Illinois the union workers aver­
aged from 28.3 to 33.5 cents an hour more than the nonunion em­
ployees. The difference was more than 20 cents an hour also in Con­
necticut, the residual group “other,” and Philadelphia.
Hourly earnings in the various firms.—Tabulations were prepared of
employees’ individual earnings in each firm separately in order to re­
late them to size of firm, to firm’s average, and to firm’s location. The
1,104 firms are distributed according to the average hourly earnings
of their factory employees in the accompanying summary.
Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

Employees
Number
of firms

Total

40.0, under 42.5___
42.5, under 45.0___

1,104
4
7
14
11
16
11
20
14

Number
51,055
180
336
684
477
1,009
346
771
880

Percent

Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

100.0

45.0, under 47.5-----

0.4
.7
1.3
.9
2.2
.7
1.5
1.7

50.0, under 55.0----55.0, under 60.0----60.0, under 70.0___
70.0, under 80.0----80.0, under 90.0___
90.0, under 100.0__
100.0 and over-------

Employees
Number
of firms

8
18
39
49
138
164
167
193
231

Number
694
1, 080
1,690
3,414
6,708
8, 276
6,973
8,094
9,353

Percent
1.4
2.1
3.3
6.7
13.1
16.2
13.7
15.8
18.3

.

On the basis of number of employees the size of the firms ranged
from less than 25 to nearly 550; 24 percent of the 1,104 firms employed
fewer than 25 workers, 45 percent had 25 and under 50, 19 percent had
50 and under 75, 6 percent had 75 and under 100, and 7 percent had
100 or more. The average earnings in the entire group of firms varied
from 25 and under 27% cents to over $1; in 123 firms the average was
below 50 cents, in 88 it was 50 and under 60 cents, in 138 it was 60 and
under 70 cents, in 164 it was 70 and under 80 cents, in 360 it was 80
cents and under $1, and in 231 it was $1 or more.
In each of the classes of under 25 employees, 25 and under 50 em­
ployees, and 100 and under 200 employees, some firms paid wages that
averaged less than 30 cents and some paid wages that averaged $1 or
more; and in the other three classes the range of average earnings was
from 30 and under 32K cents to $1 or more. However, in general, wage
levels are higher in the smaller than in the largest firms. Hourly earn­
ings of employees averaged 75 cents and more in 66 percent of the




46

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

firms with fewer than 50 employees but in only 40 percent of those
with 100 or more, and they were less than 50 cents in only 10 percent
of the firms with fewer than 50 employees but in 18 percent of those
with 100 or more.
Naturally, hourly earnings of individual employees varied widely
from the general average for the firm, and both in firms with relatively
low averages and in those with relatively high averages some workers
earned very much less and others very much more than the average.
In one or more firms in every average group but the lowest and that
of 32% and under 35 cents there were workers whose averages were
less than 30 cents and others whose averages were $1 or more. In the
4 firms with averages of 25 and under 27% cents, individual employ­
ees had earnings varying from less than 25 cents to 55 and under 57%
cents; and in the 11 firms with averages of 32% and under 35 cents,
the earnings of individual employees ranged from less than 25 cents to
87% and under 90 cents. The heavy concentration, however, was in
the low intervals of the wage scale in the low-average firms and the
concentration points moved upward on the wage scale as the firm
averages increased.
Further, there was little correlation between the average hourly
earnings of employees and the firm’s location. In New York City the
range in average earnings in the various firms was from 25 and under
27% cents to more than $1.50; in 31 percent of the firms the average
was $1 and over, in 51 percent it was 75 cents and under $1, and in
only 3 percent was it under 50 cents. In New Jersey, the second
largest center, the firm averages varied from 27% and under 30 cents
to more than $1, and in Philadelphia the range was from 37% and
under 40 cents to $1 and over.
. The 231 firms whose employees averaged $1 or more an hour were
in Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York
City, 223 of them in the last named. Low-wage firms, with average
earnings below 40 cents, were in each area but Boston and Minnesota.
The 11 firms with average earnings below 30 cents were in New Jer­
sey, New York City, up-State New York, other Pennsylvania, and
Texas.
Hours worked.

The number of hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded was
tabulated for 50,970 employees. Though the largest group, 43 per­
cent of the total, worked 35 hours, the standard workweek adopted by
the union, a strikingly large proportion, 35 percent, worked less than
35 hours. Such a large number of employees working less than 35
hours indicates that many unit-priced-dress firms were not operating
on a full-time schedule in the spring of 1939. Only 7 percent of all
the employees worked as long as 44 hours.
In New York City, most highly unionized center in the industry,
93 percent of the employees worked 35 hours or less, 55 percent of
them working 35 hours and 38 percent working less than 35. In New
Jersey and Connecticut, considered as part of the New York Metro­
politan District and with the employers largely union-contract firms
78 percent worked 35 hours or less; in New Jersey, however, the group
who worked less than 35 was larger than the group working 35 hours
as was true of 11 of the 17 areas.
Unfavorable working hours for many workers were found in several




47

PART III.—WOMEN'S UNIT-PRICED DRESSES

areas. In Georgia 57 percent of the employees had less than 35 hours
of work, though as many as 15 percent worked over 40 hours. In
Boston 37 percent and in other Massachusetts 51 percent worked over
40 hours. In Texas 51 percent and in Michigan 62 percent worked
44 hours and more.
Table V —Hours

worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the UNI TPRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY
Employees

Employees
Hours worked

Hours worked
Number
50,970

Over 35, under 40 .....................

100.0

17,919
22,050
3,671

35.2
43.3
7.2

Number

Percent
40--___
44

__

1,937
1,982
2,348
1,063

Percent
3.8
3.9
4.6
2.1

Week’s earnings.

The amount of the total earnings received in the pay-roll week
recorded was reported for 51,688 workers in the 1,104 shops visited.
The average week’s earnings of the entire group, regardless of the
hours worked, were $25.56. The most usual earnings were $10 and
under $30, with more than three-fifths of the workers (63 percent)
receiving such amounts; 20 percent were in the $5 group at $15 and
under $20. Fourteen percent had earnings of $40 and over, and only
7 percent earned below $10.
.
Employees in the unit-priced-dress firms had much higher week’s
earnings than those of workers in any of the other apparel branches
covered. However, there was wide variation in the earnings of
workers in the different areas. In Texas the workers averaged only
$12.72, and in Georgia and other Pennsylvania they averaged only
about $14.50. In contrast, employees in Illinois, Boston, Philadel­
phia, New York City, and Ohio had average earnings of $25.83 to
$29.84. Thus workers in Texas averaged only 43 percent as much as
those in Ohio. The average was more than $20 also in California,
New Jersey, Missouri, Connecticut, and the group “other States.”
The employees in the large cities-—New York City, Philadelphia,
and Boston—had materially higher earnings than those in the remain­
der of their respective States. Employees in Boston averaged $7.29
more than workers in other Massachusetts firms; the New York City
workers averaged $11.47 more, and the Philadelphia workers $11.92
more, than workers in firms in their respective States outside those
cities.
.
The average indicates in a general way the differences in earnings
in the various areas, but in all cases important groups of workers
had earnings considerably below or above the average. Only from
12 to 20 percent of the workers in Ohio, New York City, Illinois,
Boston, and Philadelphia, in contrast to 46 percent in Michigan, 50
percent in up-State New York, and from 70 to 80 percent in other
Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas, had earnings below $16.
At the other extreme of the wage scale, the proportion of workers
with earnings of $28 or more varied from less than 5 percent in Texas,
Georgia, and other Pennsylvania to 32 percent in Illinois and Boston,
38 percent in Philadelphia, 44 percent in New York City, and 54 per­
cent in Ohio.




Table

VI.

Week’s earnings of experienced employees in the UNIT-PRICED-DRESS INDUSTRY,

by area
GO

Total

Percent of employees with week’s earnings as specified inMassachu­
setts

Num­
ber

Number of firms____
Number of employees
Average earnings3___

1,104
51,688
$25. 56

Per­
cent

100.0

Cali­ Con­ Geor­
fornia necti­
gia
cut

Illi­
nois

Bos­
ton

Pennsyl­
vania

New York

Mich­ Min­
ne­
Other igan
sota
Mass­
achu­
setts

Mis­ New
souri Jersey New
York
City

Up­

Ohio

State

New
York

Other
Texas States1
Phila­ Other
Penn­
del­

phia

sylva­
nia

35
28
40
19
5
3
8
24
103
720
42
7
38
10
10
1,803 2,411
203 1,753
801
666
59
355 1,219 6,042
422 2,180
947
632
$20.33 $22. 31 $14.44 $25.83 $26.24 $18. 95 $17. 45 $19. 26 $21. 64 $20.66 29, 711 2,176
$28. 73 $17. 26 $29.84 $26. 47 $14. 55 $12.72

6

308
$22.14

Percent of employees

Under $5____

$5, under $10. _
$10, under $15.
$15, under $20.
$20, under $25.
$25, under $30.
$30, under $35.
$35, under $40.
$40, under $45..
$45, under $50..
$50 and over...

764
2,708
7,156
10, 401
8, 483
6, 761
4,864
3,140
2,297
1,784

1.5
5.2
13.8
20.1

16.4
13.1
9.4
6.1

4.4
3.5
6.4

1.7
5.3
17.4
32.7
21.9
8.8

4.7
3.7
1.7
.5
1.7

1.2

4.8
17.0
21.3
20.3
18.8
8.2

3.5

2.5
23.2
38.4
24.6
7.9
.5
.5
1.0

2.2

.9
1.7

0.7
2.7

20.2

22.3
15.9
8.3
4.7
4.8

19.6
20.3
8.4
4.7
2.7

6.4

2.6
6.6

2.1

1.5

0.4
1.9
12.5

10.0
22.1

0.5
3.6
24.6
43.8
16.5
5.0
1.7
.9

28.8
37.3
15.3
5.1

.8
.6
2.1

1.7
1.7
1.7

1.7

2.5
4.5
15.8
36.9
22.5
10.7

3.4
5.5
18.5
29.1
19.4

2.8

6.8

4.1

8.8

1.7
1.4
.3

2.8

3.5

2.0
8.8

17.0
23.0
23.8
11.4
6.5
3.0
2.1

1.2

3.8
9.5
17.4
14.0
14.2
11.7
8.0

1.6

1.0

3.4

1.5

5.8
5.0
9.4

22.0
32.9
45.1
56.4
66.6
33.4
25.8
21.1
18.2
15.3

24.4
32.3
42.9
50.8
60.0
40.0
29.3
22.5
17.6
14.0

12.1
17.7
26.1
31.9
38.0
62.0
56.6
51.0
44.2
39.9

2.1
10.2

31.6
27.3
16.7
5.3
2.7
1.8
.6

.5

1.1

38.3
49.7
62.8
71.2
77.1
22.9
14.0
10.8
8.3
6.7

0.5
2.4
7.3
13.0
14.7
13.0
17.8
8.8
10.2

0.7
3.2
12.3
16.7
16.8
17.6
11.7
7.5

5.6
17.7
39.9
18.6
11.9
2.0

1.5
1.8
.1

6.9
5.5

6.1
2.8

4.6

12.6
19.9
26.3
32.8
40.4
59.6
54.4
46.7
38.0
32.8

50.9
69.7
77.1
81.8
85.0
15.0
7.0
5.0
4.6
4.2

12.8

5.1
2.5
.6

.5
.8

.7

7.8
12.3
19.0
23.2
31.3
68.7
65.2
59.2
54.3
49.1

6.0

18.2
53.3

.1

1.6
7.1
19.2
21.4
20.5
11.7
5.5
4.9
1.0

.2

5.8
1.3

71.7
80.4
85.8
90.3
93.8
6 2
4.6
3.3
2.2
2.1

22.1
33.1
40.6
49.4
57.1
42.9
34.4
26.3
22.7
18.5

Cumulative percents
Under $14______
Under $16____
Under $18
_
Under $20____
Under $22........
$22 and over______
$24 and over______
$26 and over_________
$28 and over____
$30 and over______ _ _




8,885
12, 685
17,434
21, 029
24;646
27,042
23,635
20, 615
17, 555
15.415

17.2
24.5
33.7
40.7
47.7
52.3
45.7
39.9
34.0
29.8

18.0
30.3
44.6
68.1
31.9
23.6
17.8
14.0
12.2

10.9
18. 4
44.1
39.9
32.1
25.4
16.5

3.0

26.2

1 Indiana, Maryland, Washington, and Wisconsin.

4

10.6
26.7

20.3
37.7
53.8

43.6
56.4

81.1
18.9

32.3
25.1

8.6
7.5
6.0

33.9
4o. 8
64.4
74.6
84.7
15.3
11.9
6.8
5.1
5.1

17.7
31.5
47.3
59. 7
73.2
26.8
19. 7
14.9
10. 4
7.0

1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Week’s earnings

Part IV.—WOMEN’S BLOUSES
Blouses were a fashion garment in the spring of 1939. While some
firms specialized regularly in blouse manufacture, other firms produced
a different type of garment in 1938 or in conjunction with blouses in
1939. Firms whose volume of manufacture was in blouses during the
period for which pay-roll data were taken were considered blouse man­
ufacturers for the purposes of this survey. One-fourth of those sched­
uled produced other garments in minor quantities in the same period,
such garments being skirts, jackets, dresses, playsuits, beachwear,
slacks, shorts, underwear, children’s dresses, negligees, and neckwear.
Over two-fifths of the blouse firms scheduled had produced blouses and
one or more other types of garment in 1938.
Scope of survey.

In the spring of 1939, 295 firms operating as inside manufacturers,
manufacturing jobbers, or contractors, and employing approximately
10,300 persons, were known to be engaged in blouse manufacture.
Seven States had 3 or more establishments and 7 other States had 1
or 2 blouse manufacturers. Firms for which pay-roll data were secured
numbered 156, or 53 percent of the total; these were situated in each
of the States with 3 or more blouse factories and in 3 of the 7 States
with 1 or 2 such factories.
Of the 156 firms scheduled, 62 were inside shops, that is, factories
carrying on all parts of the production within the plant though some
work occasionally was sent out to contractors. Jobbers who cut ma­
terial but jobbed the sewing to contractors were 12 in number, and
contractors were 82. The proportion of jobbers scheduled was small
intentionally because jobbers usually employ only cutters in their
shops. As all jobbers are reported to be unionized, the union cutters’
rate prevails in such plants. The number of employees in the factories
scheduled was 7,204, or 70 percent of all blouse makers in the spring
of 1939. The proportion of employees for whom pay-roll data were
secured is materially higher than the proportion of firms scheduled,
because of the complete inclusion of jobbers in the firm listing. The
proportion of total inside firms and contractors that were scheduled
is 64 percent.
The distribution of plants and employees among the States covered
in the survey corresponds very closely to the distribution of all plants
and employees in the industry. Table I shows that the very great
majority, 69 percent of the plants scheduled and 72 percent of the
employees, were in New York or Pennsylvania, and no other State had
so many as 10 percent.
In general the blouse factories were small establishments; only 11
of the 156 scheduled employed as many as 100 workers and none em­
ployed 200. Nearly one-third (47) of the plants had under 25 em­
ployees, and just over one-third (55) had 25 and under 50.




49

50

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

More than nine-tenths (92 percent) of all employees reported were
women. In Massachusetts and New York they comprised respec­
tively 88 and 89 percent of the workers, but in Connecticut and New
Jersey all but 3 percent of the force were women. In Pennsylvania,
which ranked next to New York in number of employees, women
comprised 93 percent of the workers.
The pay period for which wage and hour data were obtained was
in February, March, or April, 1939; a few firms that had not operated
so much as 3 days a week in these months gave pay-roll data for
January instead.
Table

I.—Extent and location of the BLOUSE INDUSTRY in the spring of 1939
and number of firms and employees included in survey
Firms in business, spring of 1939

Firms included in survey

Factory employees

State
Firms—
Number

Factory employees
Firms—
Number

Number

Percent

Total
number

Percent

Men

Women

Total. .............
Percent............

295
100.0

10,324
100.0

100.0

156
52.9

7, 204
69.8

100.0

601

6,603

California.................
Connecticut
Illinois
Massachusetts
New Jersey. _ ___
New York
Pennsylvania.
Other'*

22
5
16
10
20
i 159
54
9

601
353
389
320
783
4,597
3,093
188

5.8
3.4
3.8
3.1
7.6
44.5
30.0
1.8

13
3
9
6
14
66
42
3

654
275
242
191
681
2,768
2,425
68

7.7
3.8
3.4
2.7
9.5
38.4
33.7
.9

32
9
18
23
20
317
178
4

522
266
224
168
661
2,451
2,247
64

1 Includes 57 manufacturing jobbers not scheduled and 12 manufacturing jobbers scheduled.
2 Michigan, Minnesota, Washington, Missouri, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Oregon, the first three of
which were covered in the Women’s Bureau survey.

Labor costs.

Because of the large number of contractors and jobbers in blouse
manufacture, a representative number of reports on labor costs re­
lated to total costs were not obtainable in New York, the principal
blouse-producing State. The costs secured were for inside manufac­
turers in California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. In California inside
shops labor costs were 29 percent of total costs, in Illinois 26 percent,
and in Pennsylvania 23 percent. Labor costs were 35 percent of
manufacturing costs in inside shops in California and approximately
31 percent in Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Learners.

When questioned as to the time required to learn the crafts, less than
two-fifths of the firms (59) reported any learner policy and a large
proportion of these had no definite idea as to the time required to
learn the work. Over two-fifths of the firms reporting a definite time
gave less than four weeks as the learning period and more than onethird gave from four to eight weeks. In the other firms the ideas
of a learning period ranged from over eight weeks to one year.
Learners were paid hourly or weekly time rates by 32 firms and piece
rates with or without a guaranteed minimum per hour by 23 firms.




PART IV.—WOMEN’S BLOUSES

51

Among the plants paying on a time basis, the rate was only 20 cents
an hour in 2; but in 15 it was 25 cents or $10 for a 40-hour week,
and in 11 it was above 25 cents, 10 firms paying $10 for 35 hours or
$11 for 40 hours. In the firms employing learners at piece rates
but guaranteeing an hourly minimum, such minimum was 25 cents in
12 firms and 35 cents in 1 firm. Ten firms paid regular piece rates
without a guaranty.
The number of workers reported on the pay roll as learners or
handicapped workers, 61 in the latter class, was 240; 171 were ma­
chine operators, 49 were hand workers, inspectors, and packers, and
20 did other work. Hourly earnings were computed for 235
workers. The most common earnings, received by practically onethird (33 percent) of the total, were 25 cents, and almost one-fifth of
all (19 percent) were paid over 25 but under 30 cents. About onefourth of the learners and substandard workers had earnings above
35 cents, most of these 40 cents or more. One-eighth were paid less
than 25 cents an hour. None of these workers are included hi the
tables on hourly earnings.
EARNINGS AND HOURS
Hourly earnings.

The tables on hourly earnings that follow show earnings of 6,765
experienced workers for whom hour records and earnings records were
complete. A loss of records of 199 experienced workers, or 3 percent
of the total, resulted from inadequate data on exact hours of work of
some individuals scattered over a number of pay rolls. Hourly earn­
ings were arrived at by dividing the week’s earnings by the number
of hours worked, for each employee separately. Earnings are com­
puted only for regular time worked, all overtime payments having
been eliminated from such computations.
All firms included in the survey in New York, Connecticut, and
Illinois have union contracts. The majority of firms in Pennsylvania
and New Jersey also have such contracts. The contracts in New York
City, the center of blouse manufacture, provide a higher scale than
elsewhere, as is shown in workers’ earnings in table II and more clearly
in earnings by occupation in table III. Twenty-seven percent of all
employees scheduled, in contrast to 39 percent of all in the industry,
were in New York City.
Because of this concentration in New York City, separate tabula­
tions have been prepared for New York City firms and for those in
places elsewhere in New York State.
Too few firms for separate tabulation were scheduled in Michigan,
Minnesota, and Washington, so the earnings data reported in these
States have been combined.
The average hourly earnings of the entire group were 53.1 cents,
but earnings of individual employees show an extremely wide distri­
bution, the range being from 15 cents to well over $2 an hour. There
was very little concentration at any point in the wage scale. The
largest group with earnings in any 2 ((-cent interval was only 9 percent
of the total, and the largest group in any 5-cent interval was only 13
percent of the total. One-third of the workers earned 40 and under
52K cents; over one-fourth (26 percent) earned less than 40 cents.




52

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

but only one-twelfth earned less than 30 cents; more than one-fourth
(27 percent) earned 60 cents or over.
Table II.—Hourly earnings of experienced, employees in the BLOUSE
____________
INDUSTRY, by area
All areas
Hourly earnings
(cents)

Num­
ber of
em­
ploy­
ees

Total employees
_____ 6,765
Average earnings* (cents).. 53.1

Per­
cent

100.0

Cali­ Con­
fornia necti­
cut

Chi­ Mas­ New New
sachu­ Jersey York
cago
setts
City

Up­
State
New
York

Penn­ Other
syl­
vania States i

487

271

228

183

620

1,825

778

2,307

66

48.9

51.9

41.3

49.3

43.4

61.0

48.6

53.9

39.1

Percent of employees
Under 25.0
25.0, under 27.5___
27.5, under 30.0. .
30.0, under 32.5
32.5, under 35.0............

58
262
190
233
297

0.9
3.9
2.8
3.4
4.4

2.9
2.5
2.1
6.4

35.0, under 37.5.......... .
37.5, under 40.0. ..........
40.0, under 42.5............
42.5, under 45.0. ..........
45.0, under 47.5____

410
326
487
400
471

6.1
4.8
7.2
5.9
7.0

8.0
6.2
12.1
5.7
8.8

47.5,
50.0,
52 5.
55.0,
57.5.

under 50.0............
under 52.5........ .
under 55.0___
under 57.5___
under 60.0

304
592
301
370
215

4.5
8.8
4.4
5.5
3.2

60.0,
62.5,
65.0,
67.5,
70.0,

under 62.5
under 65.0_____
under 67.5_____
under 70.0........ .
under 72.5........

206
2)5
249
184
150

72.5, under 75.0
75.0, under 77.5..
77.5, under 80.0. _
80.0, under 85.0___
85.0, under 90.0___
90.0, under 100.0.._ .
100.0 and over___ ...

1.8

3.5
5.3
7.5
9.6

0. 5
3.3
1. 6
2. 2
2.7

7.4

3.2

4.1

4.0

7.6

5.9
1.1
10.0
1.1
3.3

11.8
14.5
11.0
5.7
8.8

14.8
8.2
11.5
9.8
6.5

9.0
9.8
8.6
7.7
5.2

2.9
2.1
4.9
5.0
8.7

7.3
3.5
9.5
6.4
8.9

4. 5
4.9
5.7
6 5
5.4

6 1
10 6

5.1
8.0
4.7
4.7
3.5

1.5
53.9
4.8
3.3
2.2

7.5
5.7
1.8
.4
1.8

4.9
3.3
5.5
3.8
2.2

7.1
6.0
3.5
2.7
2.7

3.8
7.3
4.3
7.4
2.6

5.0
13.8
6.2
7.7
3.6

4. 2
4. 7
4. 4
5 1
3.8

4.5

3.0
3.2
3.7
2.7
2.2

3.3
2. 1
1.6
2.7
2.7

3.7
1.5
.7
.4
1.1

1.3
.9

2.2
3.3
2.7
2.2
1. 6

2.4
2.7
1.1
1.0
.8

3.2
4.3
7.0
4. 4

2. 2
3.0
1.8
2 1

95
114
69
88
87

1.4
1.7
1.0
1.3
1.3

1.6
.8
1.2
.6
.8

.4

.9
.4
1.3

1.1

.6
.3
.2
.2
.5

2.1
2. 7

.5

1. 9
2.0

.8

94
298

1.4
4.4

1.0
.8

1.0
.2

1. 7
8.3

.9

5.4

1.5

1.5
1.1
.7

.4

1.1

2.7
3.3

8.2

1.5

2.2

6.1

Cumulative percents
Under 35________

1.040
1,776
2,663
3, 438

15.4
26.3
39.4
50.8

13.9
28.1
45.9
59.8

1.8
8 8
19.9
24.7

25.9

10.3

26.5

9.3

13.5

18.9

Under 45___
Under 50..................

68.9
85.1

54.6
65.0

61.6
74.0

24 '2
36.7

40.2
54.1

40. 5
50.1

83 4
91.0

50 and over...................
55 and over___
60 and over...................
65 and over...................
70 and over..................

3, 327
2, 434
1,849
1,428
995

49.2
36.0
27.3
21.1
14.7

40.2
27.4
19.2
13.8
9.5

75.3
16.6
11.1
5.9
4.8

14.9
7.4
5.2
3.0
3.0

35.0
26.2
20.2
14.7
9.8

26.0
16.4
11.0
5.9
3.8

63.3
51.7
41.7
34.2
22.8

45.9
26.1
14.8
9.6
5.7

49.9
40.8
31.9
25.1
18.6

9 0
6 0
1 5
1. 5
1.5

1 Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington.
* The mean—the simple arithmetic average

The variations in hourly earnings in the different areas are shown
in table II. The two extremes of average hourly earnings were in
New York City and the group of States consisting of Michigan,
Minnesota, and Washington. In the former, average earnings were
61 cents; in the latter, they were only 39.1 cents. Relatively low earn­
ings, shown by averages of 43.4 and 41.3 cents, were found also in New




PART IV.—WOMEN’S BLOUSES

53

Jersey and Chicago. The remaining 5 areas—up-State New York,
California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania—were in
an intermediate position, with average earnings varying from 48.6
cents to 53.9 cents. New York City and Pennsylvania,_ with over
three-fifths of all the employees, were the only areas in which average
earnings wore above the general average for all workers.
The differences in degree of concentration of earnings at various
points of the wage scale are striking. More than half of the workers
in Connecticut had earnings falling in one 2 %-cent interval. In com­
parison with this, the largest proportion of the workers with earnings
in a 2%-cent interval was only 7 percent in Pennsylvania and only 9
percent in New York City. The summary following shows for each
area the narrowest range of wage intervals that contains the earnings
of a majority of the workers, arranged according to the highest figure
of the intervals included.
New York City54 percent earned 42% and under 67% cents.
Up-State NewYork___58 percent earned 40 and under 57% cents.
Pennsylvania54 percent earned 30 and under 57% cents.
Connecticut 54 percent earned 50 and under 52% cents.
California54 percent earned 35 and under 52J4 cents.
Massachusetts55 percent earned 35 and under 50 cents.
New Jersey55 percent earned 22% and under 50 cents.
Chicago54 percent earned 30 and under 42% cents.
Other States55 percent earned 32% and under 27% cents.

Relatively few of the employees were paid less than 30 cents an hour,
the largest numbers being 9 percent of the workers in Chicago and in
“other States ”, 10 percent in Pennsylvania, and 14 percent in New Jer­
sey. However, a significant number in each area but Connecticut and
New York City had earnings of less than 40 cents; the proportions
with such earnings varied from about one-fourth in up-State New York
to nearly three-fourths in Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington
combined.
The more highly paid workers, those with earnings of 60 cents or
over, were largely in California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and
New York City, where from 19 to 42 percent of the employees had such
earnings. Over one-fourth of the workers in each area but Chicago
and the group of Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington were paid 50
cents an hour or more.
_
Hourly earnings by occupation.—Sewing-machine operators comprise
the largest occupational group in the blouse industry. Usually they
are paid on a piece-work basis, with piece rates fixed to yield to the
average worker the amount specified in the union contract. Differ­
ences in individual skill and differences in management,_ as well as
varying piece rates, play a part in the wide variations in amounts
earned. Ninety-nine percent of the machine operators, or all but 48,
were women. largest occupational group are girls who clean up the
The second
blouses and put on any hand touches and girls who examine them and
pack them. Workers in this group frequently are employed at a
weekly rate and they are among the lower-paid workers. All but 9
of the hand finishers, inspectors, and packers were women.
Cutters are the most highly paid employees; pressers rank second,
excepting only the small group of supervisors and machinists. Press­
ers may be paid on either a piece or a time basis. The fact that a few




54

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

experienced workers in these crafts earned small amounts in the pay
period scheduled has little significance, for these low hourly earnings
may have been occasioned by several factors. The great majority of
the cutters, 92 percent, were men, but women comprised 93 percent of
the pressers and 76 percent of the supervisors.
The following summary shows the number of men and women in
each occupational group for all areas combined.
Occupation

All
employees

Women
Men
Number

Total..........................
Machine operators. _________
Hand finishers, inspectors, and packers_
_
Cutters___________ ...
Pressers________ _.,
General indirect labor_____
Shipping______
Maintenance______ _____
Supervisory and machinists........ .........
Plant clerical________

Percent

6,964

592

6,372

91.5

4, 507
1,030
237
632
176
162
33
157
30

48
9
218
45
45
151
30
38
8

4,459
1,021
19
587
131
11
3
119
22

98.9
99.1
8.0
92.9
74.4
6.8
9.1
75.8
73.3

The lowest-paid workers are employees who do odd jobs in the fac­
tory. They are comparatively few, as the majoritv of blouse factories
are small and seldom have more than one floor boy or girl. The num­
ber of clerical workers in the plants is small. Firms in large cities
employ the traveling auditor instead of a bookkeeper. One of the
partners may take care of the daily journal, or firms may employ a
young woman who can help with hand work in the factory. Together
the indirect factory workers, plant clerical workers, and shipping
workers comprised only about 5 percent of the total. About threefourths of the first two, but less than one-tenth (7 percent) of the
shipping force, were women.
I)ue to the fact that women predominate in all occupations but
cutting, shipping, and plant maintenance, an excellent indication of
the relative wage standards of men and women is gained by a compa,rison of the earnings of employees in the various occupational groups.
The cutters, most of whom were men, had the best earnings. The
average for the group was just over a dollar an hour (100.6 cents), and
less than one-fifth (18 percent) were paid as little as 60 cents. Ship­
pers and maintenance workers, the other groups that consisted largely
of men, had much lower earnings, shown by averages of only 42.6
cents and 41.9 cents. Almost half (47 percent) of the shippers, and
three-fifths of the maintenance workers, were paid less than 40 cents.
Machine operators, much the largest group and the vast majority
of them women, averaged 53.3 cents an hour. More than one-fifth
(22 percent) of this group had earnings under 40 cents, but at the
other extreme of the wage scale a substantial number, three-tenths,
were paid 60 cents or more. The average hourly earnings of hand
finishers, inspectors, and packers, the second largest group, were only
40.7 cents. Three-tenths of these workers earned less than 35 cents
and over one-half earned 35 and under 50 cents.
The earnings of pressers were very similar to those of machine
operators, the pressers’ average (54.5 cents) being the higher by only




Table

XIX.—Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the BLOUSE INDUSTRY, hy occupation and by area
All
factory
employees
(92 percent
women)

Machine
operators
(99 percent
women)

Hand
finishers,
inspectors,
and packers
(99 percent
women)

Cutters
(8 percent
women)

Pressers
(93 percent
women)

General
indirect
labor
(74 percent
women)

3
su
©OT-

3©
©,
Si

◄
53.3

999

40.7

California------Connecticut___
Chicago______
Massachusetts..
New Jersey-----

487
271
228
183
620

48.9
51.9
41.3
49.3
43.4

342

40
41
33
36

43.9
40.5
36.7
37.3
37.6

70.7

487

47.8
52.5
40.9
49.1
43.8

1,825
778
2,307

61.0
48.6
53.9
39.1

1, Oil
529
1, 540
44

60.6
50.6
55.6
36.7

340
160
259
4

45.5
38. 7
37.3

128.9

66

211

137

110

86

l The mean—the simple arithmetic average. Not computed where base less than 25.




© U5

©
§3
3-OT
as
Si

c3.3

©co

33
o.3 w
&
3.a

ES

35
10

3

23
14
24
"94.'6'

Plant
clerical
(73
percent
wom­
en)

88.6

54.5

100.6

4,411

o3/-^

© co

Supervisory
and
machinists
(76 percent
women

130
34
339

""i
69.7
49.5
51.4

38.5

41.0

33.0

6

'^Michigan, Minnesota, and Washingon.

105.9

15
4

1

■WOMEN’S BLOUSES

231

53.1

New York City_____
Up-State New York..
Pennsylvania---------Other3..................... .

a
3
£

a
3
£

6,765

Maintenance
(9 percent
women)

£*3
3w
o ©,
3­
© iS.

Area

All areas..

Shipping
(7 percent
women)

Oi
Or

56

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

1.2 cents. The distribution of pressers’ earnings shows that approxi­
mately one-fifth earned less than 40 cents and three-tenths earned 60
cents or more.
Supervisors and machinists ranked next to cutters, with an average
of 88.6 cents, while the lowest-paid were the general indirect workers,
with an average of 37 cents.
Table III shows the average hourly earnings of employees in each
occupation in an area where 25 or more workers were reported in the
occupation. New York City had the highest average earnings in each
class but shipping workers, the averages in this area varying from 38.5
cents for general indirect workers to 105.9 cents for supervisors and
machinists and 128.9 cents for cutters. In Pennsylvania average
earnings varied from 33 cents for general indirect workers to 94 cents
for cutters.
The average for machine operators varied from 36.7 cents in Michi­
gan, Minnesota, and Washington combined to 60.6 cents in New York
City, and it was above 50 cents also in Pennsylvania, Connecticut,
and up-State New York. Hand finishers, inspectors, and packers
averaged from 40.5 cents to 45.5 cents in Connecticut, California,
and New York City, and from 36.7 cents to 38.7 cents in the 5 other
areas.
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops.—As already noted,
the great majority of the plants scheduled—133 of the 156, and found
in all areas but Massachusetts—operated under a union contract. All
the plants in Connecticut, Chicago, New York City, and up-State
New York were unionized. About nine-tenths of the employees were
in union plants.
The average hourly earnings of employees in union plants varied
from 41.3 cents in Chicago to 61 cents in New York City; those in
nonunion plants, from 37.3 cents in Pennsylvania to 49.3 cents in
Massachusetts. In only two States—California and Pennsylvania—
were the numbers in union and in nonunion plants large enough for
the computation of averages, and in each case the earnings in the
union plants greatly exceeded those in the nonunion plants. The av­
erage hourly earnings of union employees in California were 59.7 cents,
or 12.4 cents above the average of nonunion workers; and in Pennsyl­
vania the average earnings of union employees exceeded the average of
nonunion workers by 16.6 cents.
Hourly earnings in the various firms.—Average hourly earnings have
been computed for each firm scheduled, and they are classified in the
accompanying summary. In unpublished tables these are related to
size and location of firm, and individual employees’ earnings.
Hourly earnings varied widely when classed by size of firm. In
firms with fewer than 25 employees the average earnings varied from
25 and under 27K cents to 80 and under 90 cents, and in firms with
75 or more employees they varied from 32^ and under 35 cents to 72^
and under 75 cents.
_ There was no concentration of average earnings peculiar to any one
size of firm. For example, of the 47 firms with fewer than 25 work­
ers, average earnings were below 40 cents in 12, were 40 and under 50
cents in 11, were 50 and under 60 cents in 8, and were 60 cents or
more in 16. Of the 54 firms with 50 or more employees, average earn­
ings were below 40 cents in 7 firms, were 40 and under 50 cents in 18,
were 50 and under 60 cents in 16, and were 60 cents or more in 13.




57

PART IV.—WOMEN’S BLOUSES

When the averages of the individual employees are examined in
relation to the firms’ averages, it is clear that in most classes there
were employees with relatively low and others with relatively high
earnings. In the 7 firms with average earnings below 35 cents and
employing only 4 percent of all employees, the range in individual
employees’ earnings was from less than 25 cents to 57% and under 60
cents, but in practically all the other classes the individuals’ earnings
varied from less than 30 cents to $1 and over.
Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

Employees

Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

Employees
Number
of firms

Number
6,765

100.0

2
3
2
8
12
9
12
10

24
103
163
219
359
312
542
431

0.4
1.5
2.4
3.2
5.3
4.6
8.0
6.2

Number

Percent

156

Number
of firms

42.5, under 45.0-_
45.0, under 47.5___

47.5, under 50.0

_ -

52.5, under 55.0____
55.0, under 57.5_ . _
57.5, under 60.0
60.0, under 65.0
65.0, under 70.0
70.0, under 75.0
75.0 and over

13
13
6
9
12
16
8
10
11

775
500
454
419
637
876
301
369
281

Percent
11.5
7.4
6.7
6.2
9.4
12.9
4.5
5.4
4.2

A comparison of average earnings in firms in the different areas
shows that the high-wage firms, with averages of 60 cents or more,
were found in only 5 areas—New York City (29), Pennsylvania (12),
California (2), New Jersey (1), and up-State New York (1)—while
firms whose average earnings were below 40 cents were found in each
area but Connecticut and Massachusetts. In New York City the
lowest firm average was at 37% and under 40 cents and the highest
(in a jobber’s shop) was at 80 and under 90 cents. In Pennsylvania,
the second largest blouse center, the firms’ averages ranged from 25
and under 27% cents to 72% and under 75 cents.
Hours worked.

The number of hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded was
reported for 6,777 persons, or over 97 percent of all with week’s
earnings reported. Table IV shows that the majority of the employ­
ees, 55 percent, worked a favorable workweek of from 35 to 40 hours.
A significant proportion of the group, however, 32 percent, worked
less than 35 hours. Only 8% percent had a workweek as long as
44 hours.
Table

IV —Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the
BLOUSE INDUSTRY
Employees

Employees
Hours worked

Hours worked
Number

Number

Percent

6,777

Over 35, under 40

202064°—40------5




100.0

40_________________________

2,148
1,598
l]333

31.7
23.6
19.7

44____ ____________________
Over 44______ ____ ___ _____

797
320
416
165

Percent
11.8
4.7
6.1
2.4

58

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Week’s earnings.

The total earnings received in the pay-roll week were reported for
6,964 experienced employees and are presented in table V. Without
regard to the number of hours worked the average earnings for the entire
group were $18.35. Unpublished details show that the range in the
week’s earnings was from less than $5 to more than $100, but the
greatest concentration was at $11 to $21. One-fourth of the workers
earned $10 and under $15, and over three-tenths (31 percent) earned
$15 and under $20. Fifteen percent had earnings of $25 or more,
and less than 11 percent had earnings below $10.
Workers in New York City had much the highest earnings, with an
average of $21.25. As many as three-fourths earned $15 or more,
almost one-fourth earning at least $25. Less than 8 percent had
earnings below $10.
California followed, with an average of $19.35 and an even larger
proportion (79 percent) earning $15 and over; however, 18 percent,
in contrast to New York’s 24 percent, earned as much as $25. In
Massachusetts the average was $18.75, and two-thirds (66 percent)
of the employees earned $15 or more.
Concentration was most pronounced in Connecticut, with about
three-fifths (59 percent) of the employees earning $15 and under
$20; in fact, almost one-half (48 percent) of the total had earnings
falling in the $1 interval of $18 and under $19.
In 6 of the 9 areas—California, Connecticut, Chicago, Massa­
chusetts, New York City, and up-State New York—the largest pro­
portions earned $15 and under $20, and in 2 others—New Jersey
and Pennsylvania—that group and another were practically equal.
There was wide variation in Pennsylvania, which ranked second
in the proportion at under $10 but was among the States with high
proportions at $25 and over.
The lowest earnings were those of employees in Chicago, New
Jersey, and the combined Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington,
shown by averages varying from $15.80 to $15.35. In each case
less than 5 percent of the workers earned as much as $25.




Table V.—Week’s earnings of experienced employees in the BLOUSE INDUSTRY, by area
Percent of employees with week’s earnings as specified in—

Total
Week’s earnings

Number of firms_____________________ ____ _______ ___
Number of employees..------ --------------- --------------------Average earnings 3...... ............................................................

Percent

Califor­
nia

156
6,964
$18.35

100.0

13
487
$19. 35

Connect­ Chicago
icut

Massa­
chusetts

9
229
$15.80

6
183
$18. 75

3
271
$17.55

New
Jersey

New
York
City

Up-State Pennsyl­
New
vania
York

53
1,899
$21. 25

13
798
$16. 35

42
2,364
$17. 75

3.7
11.4
34.2
33.6
12.6
2.1
2.4

2.1
5.4
18.0
25.9
24.4
12.0
12.3

3.5
7.4
30.8
38.0
12.4
5. 5
2.4

2.4
11.1
27.5
26.9
16.9
7.3
7.9

14
667
$15. 40

Other
States 1
3
66
$15.35

Percent of employees

$5, under $10................................................-..........................................
$10, under $15........... ............................. l---------------------- -----------$15, under $20________________________________ ____________
$20, under $25................................ ................ .................. ------- -------$30 and over................................................. ..............-......................... -

167
566
1,753
2,187
1,234
539
518

2.4
8.1
25.2
31.4
17.7
7.7
7.4

1.0
5.1
15.2
40.2
20.5
9.9
8.0

0.4
3.3
21.4
59.4
10.0
4.8
.7

4.4
7.9
30.1
41.5
11.8
.9
3.5

1.1
4.9
27.9
33.9
15.3
9.8
7.1

6.1
56.1
27.3
9.1
1.5

Cumulntrte percents
Under $12....... .........................................................................................
Under $14----- ---------------------- ------------- ------------.........-............
Under $16---------- -------------------------- ---------------------------------Under $18......... ..................... ....................................................... .........

1,282
2.002
2.932
3,827

18.4
28.7
42.1
55.0

10.3
16.7
28.0
46.4

8.5
15.2
26.3
33.2

20.9
32.7
53.7
68.6

15.1
26.0
41.9
62.3

26.1
40.6
57.1
70.9

12.6
20.4
30.2
41.8

19.1
30.9
50.2
66.9

23.7
35.4
47.6
58.6

15.1
30.2
75.6
81.8

$18 and over.---------- ----------------------------- -------------------- -----$20 and over..................... .......................................... .............................
$22 and over...................................... ................ ................ -....................

3,137
2,291
1,683

45.0
32.9
24.2

53.6
38.3
29.1

66.8
15.5
8.8

31.4
16.0
7.7

37.7
32 0
21.6

29.1
16.8
9.8

58.2
48.7
37.9

33.1
20.4
13.3

41.4
32.2
23.9

18.2
10.5
7.5

PART IV.----WOMEN ’S BLOUSES

Number

i Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington.
* The mean—the simple arithmetic average.




Cn
CO

Part V.—CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’
OUTERWEAR
This study of the children’s and infants’ outerwear industry covers
factories making almost exclusively infants’ outerwear or children’s
play suits, dresses, coats, and suits. While only 4 of the factories
scheduled made any other type of garment in the spring period for
which pay-roll data were secured, some men’s work-clothing factories
also produced a line of children’s play suits and similar garments.
All men’s work-clothing factories, including those making children’s
clothing, are included in the Bureau of Labor Statistics study of men’s
work clothing rather than in this study.
The inside manufacturer predominated in the children’s and infants’
outerwear industry. However, there are a number of contractors in
6 States who receive goods uncut as well as cut to make into children’s
and infants’ clothing. In determining the size of the industry every
effort has_ been made to eliminate from the count of manufacturing
firms the jobber who does not employ any person in manufacturing.
Unquestionably, the variation in numbers of firms in this industry in
New York City shown in the several available firm listings is due to
the inclusion or elimination of the jobber who is a wholesaler only and
the jobber who sends out material to be cut as well as made up by
contractors.
Scope of survey.

At the time of the survey, February to May 1939, 431 firms were
known to be manufacturing the articles included in the children’s
and infants’ outerwear branch. These firms gave employment to
24,304 persons. Twelve States had 3 or more factories and 2 States
had 1 or 2. 1
Pay-roll information was secured from 238 firms, or 55 percent of
those known to be in business. Factories were visited in every State
with 3 or more and in 2 States with fewer than 3. The number of
employees in the factories scheduled was 16,882, or 69.5 percent of the
total as reported in the spring of 1939. Home workers, who comprise
a large number in this industry, are not included in the study because
time did not permit visits to individual houses to ascertain earnings
and hours worked. However, 39 firms in 8 States reported that they
were sending out work to home workers at the time of the survey.
This industry centers in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,
over 80 percent of the workers being in these States. In the survey
there is a slight difference in the proportion covered in the New York
area as compared with the proportion of the total in this area; however,
it is too small to affect earnings to any appreciable extent.
The large majority, 156, of the firms scheduled were inside manu­
facturers, but 66 firms, in 6 States, reported that they were contract
1 The census lists 1 factory in each of 6 States not visited. As no information was secured concerning
these, they are not included.

60




61

PART V.--- CHILDREN'S AND INFANTS’ OUTERWEAR

firms, and 16, in 3 States, that they were jobbers. Five of the firms
reported as inside manufacturers had part of their work done by con­
tractors. In general, the factories in this industry were relatively
small. There were 120 plants that employed less than 50 workers,
49 of these having fewer than 25; 71 had 50 and under 100; 34 had
100 and under 200 ; and only 13 had as many as 200.
The pay-roll period for which data were obtained was in February,
March, or April 1939; a few firms asked that an earlier month be used
as more representative of normal operation.
Table I.—Extent and location of CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ OUTER­

WEAR INDUSTRY in the spring of 1939 and number of firms and employees
included in survey
Firms in business,
spring of 1939

Firms included in survey

Factory
employees 1

State

Factory employees 1
Firms—
Number

Firms—
Number
Number Percent
Total
California______ _______
Maryland and Virginia.-Massachusetts. ----------

Men

Women

431
100.0

24,304

100.0

238
55. 2

16,882
69.5

100.0

1,655

15, 227

12
10
7
11
15

244
1,059
382
487
920

1.0
4.4
1.8
2.0
3.8

5
7
4
7
9

139
533
188
385
873

0.8
3.2
1. 1
2.3
5.2

9
31
17
34
61

130
502
171
351
812

7
7
100
2 192
61
9

240
616
5,117
7,946
7, 011
282

1.0
2.5
21.1
32.7
28.8
1.2

4
4
53
101
39
5

158
466
3,941
4,991
5,063
145

.9
2.8
23.3
29.6
30.0
.9

16
34
203
770
471
9

142
432
3,738
4,221
4, 592
136

Michigan, Indiana, and

Pennsylvania_____ _____
Texas - -

Total
number Percent

> Home workers employed are not included in this study.
1 Jobbers who perform no manufacturing operations are not included.

Labor costs.

Total costs as well as labor costs for 1938 were secured from 26 firms
elsewhere than in New York City. Because the firms reporting were
in 9 States, the relation they show between labor costs and total costs
may be considered as indicative of the conditions in some inside shops
not in the Metropolitan Area. Labor costs represented 30 percent of
total costs in the factories reporting. Twenty-four firms reported
that labor costs were 36 percent of manufacturing costs.
In only two States—New Jersey and Pennsylvania—did 3 or more
firms report both total and labor costs, and in only three—California,
Missouri, and Pennsylvania—did 3 or more report manufacturing and
labor costs. In the 4 New Jersey firms reporting, labor costs were
only 22 percent of the total costs, but in the 10 Pennsylvania firms
(including a branch plant in New Jersey) they were 27 percent of the
total. The proportion that labor costs formed of the manufacturing
costs was 35 percent in Pennsylvania, 41 percent in California, and 42
percent in Missouri.




62

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN’S ArPAREL INDUSTRY

Learners.

Comparatively few firms employed learners; and in the firms that
did employ them, the learning period and the method and rate of pay
differed considerably from firm to firm. Of the firms that reported on
a learning period, about one-third reported the time as indefinite, de­
pending on the ability of the individual and the type of work. Those
that gave a specific period as the time required reported periods vary­
ing from less than 1 month to as much as 6 months. The most usual
period was 1 month or less, but significant proportions reported from
6 to 8 weeks, and from 10 to 12 weeks, as the necessary learning time.
In the majority of these firms learners were paid a time rate ranging
from 19 cents an hour to 814 for a 35- to a 40-hour week, the most
usual rate being 25 cents an hour or $10 for a 40-hour week. In the
remaining firms learners were paid piece rates, though usually they
were guaranteed a minimum of 25 cents an hour or $10 for 40 hours.
Data were reported also as to the number of learners and substan­
dard or handicapped persons employed at the time of the survey.
The number of workers reported to be learners was 275, and there were
also 65 handicapped workers. Approximately three-fourths of the 340
were machine operators and nearly one-eighth were hand finishers,
inspectors, and packers.
The most common earnings of learners and handicapped workers
were 25 and under 30 cents an hour, paid to 73 percent of the group,
42 percent earning 25 cents even. However, a significant proportion,
14 percent, had earnings below 25 cents, and only 3 percent had earn­
ings of 35 cents or more. Learners and handicapped persons are not
included in the tables on earnings.
EARNINGS AND HOURS
Hourly earnings.

The tables on hourly earnings that follow give the earnings of ex­
perienced workers for whom records of hours and earnings were com­
plete. A loss of records of 116 workers, or less than 1 percent, was
caused by inaccuracies in records of hours worked by individuals
scattered over a number of pay rolls. Hourly earnings were arrived
at by dividing the week’s earnings by the number of hours worked,
for each employee separately. Earnings are computed for regular
time only, all overtime payments having been eliminated from such
computations.
Too few workers were employed in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio to
permit of a separate distribution of earnings by State; consequently,
these State reports are combined, as are those of Maryland and
Virginia.
Table II shows that the average hourly earnings of the 16,425
employees were 41.3 cents, and though there was a very wide range in
individual earnings, the bulk of them, 66 percent, were 25 and under
42% cents. On the basis of 2%-cent intervals, the largest group of
workers, 14 percent, earned 25 and under 27% cents, followed by 12
percent with earnings of 32% and under 35 cents, and 11 percent with
earnings of 35 and under 37% cents. A negligible group, less than 1
percent, had earnings below 25 cents an hour, but 22 percent earned




<r

Table

II.-—Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ OUTERWEAR INDUSTRY, by area
All areas

Average earnings 1 (cents)----

Number
of em­ Percent
ployees
16, 425
41.3

100.0

125
45.1

Connect­
icut

521
36.1

Chi­
cago

186
34.3

Michi­
Mary­
gan,
Massa­ Indiana, Missouri New
land
Jersey
and
chusetts
and
Virginia
Ohio
369
31.2

807
38.4

131
36.2

New
York
City

Other
Up-State Phila­
New
delphia Pennsyl­ Texas
vania
York

431
41.7

3,863
36.4

3,873
53.9

977
36.2

2,198
44. 0

2,799
34. 5

145
30.9

Percent of employees
0.7
14.3
6.5
8.5
11.6

0.8
3.2
12.0

22.8
7.1
11.9
9.8

2.7
23.7
16.1
10.2
7.5

1.6
23.6
6.8
47.4
5.7

0.9
7.8
5.3
6.3
10.2

14.5
9.9
17.6
13.0

0.2
12.3
5.3
6.7
10.6

0.5
18.4
9.1
9.9
18.4

0.3
3.0
2.1
3.8
3.9

0.3
22.2
9.5
11.0
14.1

1.5
7.8
4.7
5.8
6.7

1.3
24.4
8.6
8. 7
18.1

2.1
41.4
14. 5

1, 722
1,217
1,225
927
900

10.5
7.4
7.5
5.6
5.5

11.2
9.6
8.8
8.8
12.0

11.5
8.1
8.4
4.8
3.5

14.0
7.5
4.8
3.8

2.4
2.7
3.8
.8
1.6

31.5
11.8
7.6
5.0
4.1

8.4
8.4
13.0
6.1
1.5

7.7
8.4
9.3
9.0
7.0

9.6
7.3
6.5
4.7
3.7

9.3
3.3
8.4
7.5
10.4

10.5
7.0
5. 3
4.9
3.3

7.8
12.4
11.1
8.0
6. 5

10.6
8. 5
5. 4
3.4
2.6

6.9
5. 5
3.4
2.1

660
958
526
352
233

4.0
5.8
3.2
2.1
1.4

8.8
9.6
6.4
3.2
1.6

3.3
4.0
1.7
1.0
.6

2.2
2.2
2.2
1.6.

.5
1.1
.3
.8
.3

2.2
2.2
1.1
1.0
.5

.8
2.3
2.3

4.2
7.7
3.5
2.1
1.2

2.7
3.8
2.0
1.0
.8

7.8
10.8
6.2
5.0
3.4

1.8
3.9
2.0
1.3
.4

4.4
8.3
5.0
2.3
2.0

2.4
2.8
1.1
.7
.3

1.4
.7

214
135
164
363

32.5, under 35.0...... ........................... -

123
2,341
1.065
1,388
1,912

1.3
.8
1.0
2. 2

2.4
1.6

.2
.4
.6
.4

.5
.5
.5

.3

.7
.4
.5
1.0

1.2
1.4
1.2
1.2

.5
.3
.2
.5

3.5
2.0
2.5
6.8

.5
.4
.9
.5

1.0
1.0
1.5
2.2

.4
.1
.2
.4

.7
.7

1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.




.3

2.3

8.3

.7

PART V.'— CHILDREN ’S AND INFANTS ’ OUTERWEAR

Hourly earnings (cents)

Cali­
fornia

O
co

64

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

less than 30 cents. Eighteen percent of the total averaged from 50
cents to a dollar or more.
^ Earnings were influenced greatly by locality and by type of product.
They were at their highest level in New York City, with an average
of 53.9 cents; only one-fourth of the workers in that city had earnings
below 40 cents and nearly one-fourth earned 60 cents or more.
New Jersey had about the same number of employees as New York
City but paid much lower wages. Average earnings in New Jersey
were only 36.4 cents. Nearly three-tenths (28 percent) of the workers
earned less than 30 cents, and only about one-tenth earned as much
as 50 cents.
Other areas with relatively high wage standards were Massachu­
setts, Missouri, Philadelphia, and California, shown by averages vary­
ing from 38.4 cents to 45.1 cents. The proportion of workers with
earnings below 30 cents was only 1 percent in California, but it was
14 percent in Philadelphia and Massachusetts and 18 percent in Mis­
souri. At the other extreme of the wage scale, with earnings of 50
cents or more, were 7 percent of the workers in Massachusetts, and
from 20 to 25 percent of those in Missouri, Philadelphia, and California.
The remaining seven areas—Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio combined,
up-State New York, Connecticut, other Pennsylvania, Chicago, Mary­
land and Virginia, and Texas—paid relatively low wages, the average
varying downward from 36.2 cents to 30.9 cents. In each area a sub­
stantial number of the workers had earnings of less than 30 cents, the
proportions being 24 percent in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, 30 to
34 percent in Connecticut, up-State New York, Maryland and Vir­
ginia, and other Pennsylvania, 43 percent in Chicago, and as much as
58 percent in Texas. Of these areas up-State New York was the only
one in which as many as one-tenth of the workers averaged 50 cents
or more. In comparison are Maryland and Virginia and Texas, where
only 3 percent of the employees had such earnings.
Hourly earnings by occupation.—In addition to earnings data,
information was obtained as to the sex and occupation of each worker
in the 238 plants scheduled. Nine-tenths of the 16,542 employees
for whom week’s earnings were reported were women. A fairly
accurate picture of the kinds of work done by men and by women is
shown in the accompanying summary, and table III gives the average
hourly earnings of the workers in the various occupations.
Like the other apparel industries, from the point of view of numbers
the most important occupation is sewing-machine operating; well
over half of ah workers—9,560, or 58 percent—were machine operators
and of this large group only 1 percent, or 107 persons, were men.
The second largest group, consisting of hand finishers, inspectors,
and packers, numbered 2,583, or 16 percent of the total. This class
also consisted chiefly of women, who comprised 98 percent of the
group. Pressers formed one-ninth of the total and 91 percent of
them were women.
Other groups that consisted largely of women were the supervisors
and machinists (combined because of the small number of machinists
employed), general indirect labor, and plant clerical workers. Together
these groups formed only about 8 percent of the total, but over
three-fourths of the workers were women.
The most important occupation for men is cutting, a highly skilled




65

PART V.--- CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ OUTERWEAR

occupation in all apparel industries. However, in children’s and
infants’ outerwear the group is relatively small, forming only about
4 percent of all employees, though differing considerably by area, as
is clear from table III. Four-fifths of the cutters and of the shipping
and maintenance workers were men.
The summary following shows the number of men and women in
each occupational group for all areas combined.
Wornen
Occupation

All
employees

Men
Number

Total...........................................................................—
Machine operators------------------ ------------ ---------------Hand finishers, inspectors, and packers....... .......... .
Cutters
Pressers________________________________
Shipping--. ---------------------- --------- ------- ------- -------Maintenance___________________ _____ _______ ______
Supervisory and machinists_______ _____ ____ _____
Plant clerical—................................ -.......................................

Percent

16,542

1,645

14,897

90.1

9,560
2, 583
723
1,847
615
451
88
576
99

107
49
591
169

9,453
2, 534
132
1, 678

98.9
98.1
18.3
90.9

364
70
147
10

87
18
429
89

19.3
20.5
74.5
89.9

The highest earnings were paid to the supervisors and machinists
and the cutters, their average earnings being respectively 75.2 cents
and 72.3 cents. Considerably lower, but still above the general
average for all workers (41.3 cents), were the pressers with an average
of 43.4 cents, and the shipping employees with an average of 42.3 cents.
Machine operators, the largest of the occupational groups, averaged
only 39 cents. The lowest-paid workers were the hand finishers,
inspectors, and packers, who averaged 34.8 cents, and those doing
general indirect labor, whose average amounted only to 31.9 cents.
Unpublished details show that nearly seven-tenths (68 percent)
of the cutters and the supervisors and machinists earned 50 cents an
hour or more, over one-fifth of them a dollar or more. Less than onetwentieth (4 percent of the cutters and 1 percent of the supervisors
and machinists) were paid below 30 cents.
The workers in the other occupations had much lower earnings.
For example, one-fourth of the machine operators earned 32X and
under 37X cents and three-tenths earned less than 32X cents; only
one-seventh of the operators earned as much as 50 cents. One-third
of the hand finishers, inspectors, and packers were paid less than
30 cents and another third earned 30 and under 37X cents. The
earnings of the pressers were less concentrated than those of the oper­
ators, but 50 percent had earnings of 30 and under 45 cents, the
largest number in any 2X-cent interval being 10 percent earning 42X
and under 45 cents. Nearly one-tenth of the pressers (8 percent)
earned as much as 60 cents.
The workers in the general indirect labor group had very low
wages; two-fifths had earnings below 27X cents and nearly one-half
earned 27X and under 40 cents. Only 2 percent of the group earned
as much as 50 cents an hour.
Table III, giving average hourly earnings by occupation in the
various areas, shows how greatly both earnings and importance of an
occupation varied according to locality. Type of product undoubtedly
had considerable influence in this. New York City workers had




III.—Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ OUTERWEAR INDUSTRY, by
occupation and by area

34.8
39.6
36.5
52.5
34.3

Philadelphia
2,198
Other Pennsylvania
% 799
Texas......................................
145

44.0
34.5
30.9

798
2,100
82

43.8
33.6
30.7

608

28.8
33. 5

47.6

36. 8

10
7
6
15

499
788
174

35.3
30.1
41.0
29.2

7
22
51
277
36

65.0
92. 5
66.1

6
32
284
502
132

35.6
40.5
52.8
42.1

9
22
255
147
16

426
319
18

35.5
32.9

189
60
6

534
160
23

40.6
38.2

51
66
4

31.9

441

42.3

j

1

43.4

8
37
8
12
99

Average hourly earn ­
ings (cents)

1,837

!

a

N um ber of employees

72.3

8
7
10
13
29

a

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

715

3}
a
&
a

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

82
261
2,654
1,688
550

o
h
<D
rQ
a
£

CO

Plant
clerical
(90 percent
women)

Num ber of employees

36.2
41.7
36.4
53.8
36.2

Supervisory
and
machinists
(75 percent
women)

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

Michigan, Indiana, and
Ohio........................ ...........
131
Missouri_______ ____ ____
431
New Jersey
3, 863
New York City ............. ... 3,873
Up-State New York..........
977

Maintenance
(21 percent
women)

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

34.8

13
80
20
53
128

Shipping
(19 percent
women)

N um ber of employees

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

2,580

42.5
35.2
32.4
29.6
37.3

Average hourly earnings 1 (cents)

N um ber of employees

39.0

83
363
130
248
494

N um ber of employees

Average hourly earn ­
ings i (cents)

9, 533

45.1
36.1
34.3
31.2
38.4

Average hourly earn ­
ings i (cents)

Num ber of employees

41.3

125
521
186
369
807

Num ber of employees

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

16,425

Area

General
indirect
labor
(78 percent
women)

N um ber of employees

Pressers
(91 percent
women)

1

Cutters
(18 percent
women)

i

Hand
finishers,
inspectors,
and packers
(98 percent
women)

^

Machine
operators
(99 percent
women)

All areas
California. .............................
Connecticut.................... .
Chicago _______________
Maryland and Virginia. __
Massachusetts

15

29.1

64.4
46.9

1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average. Not computed where base less than 25.




44.1

80

38.3

534

75.2

97

69.1

1

37.3

10
8
10

9

5
29

1

87
38
4

5

10

28

54. 7

13

8
1

35
7

66.9

13

45 7
43.1

18
39.6
32.2

17
28

44 5
33.4

38.0

Cs
05

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

All factory
employees
(90 percent
women)

N um ber of employees

Table

67

PART V.—CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ OUTERWEAR

higher earnings in all occupations but general indirect labor and
shipping. The average earnings of machine operators generally
were lower than the averages of all workers; they ranged from 29.6
cents in Maryland and Virginia and 30.7 cents in Texas to 42.5 cents
in California, 43.8 cents in Philadelphia, and 52.5 cents in New York
City. In the other areas the averages varied from 32.4 cents to 39.6
cents. Supervisors and machinists and cutters had much the highest
earnings, and general labor, except in Philadelphia, had the lowest,
in each area where the numbers in the various occupations were
large enough for the computation of averages. Hand finishers,
inspectors, and packers had somewhat lower earnings than machine
operators. In 5 of the 8 comparable areas—the exceptions being
Massachusetts, Missouri, and Philadelphia—pressers averaged more
than machine operators.
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops.—More than half (55
percent) of the firms scheduled reported an agreement with a union,
and these firms employed about three-fifths (59 percent) of all the
workers. One or more union plants were found in each area covered
except California, Maryland and Virginia, and Michigan, Indiana,
and Ohio. Over two-fifths of the 53 firms in New Jersey and the 39
in Pennsylvania, and nearly nine-tenths (87 percent) of the 87 in New
York City, were unionized.
_
_
Average hourly earnings in union plants ranged from 31 cents in
Texas to 54.6 cents in New York City. In 6 of the 7 areas where
union and nonunion earnings can be compared, the earnings in union
exceeded those in nonunion plants. The difference in average earn­
ings in faVor of union workers varied from 1.4 cents in Philadelphia
to 8.5 cents in New York City; it was more than 5 cents also in
Chicago, other Pennsylvania, and up-State New York. In Connecti­
cut, nonunion workers averaged 38.1 cents, or 3.5 cents more than the
employees in union shops.
Hourly earnings in the various firms.—Wage standards were found
not only to vary by area but to differ greatly among firms in the same
locality and among firms of the same size. The distribution of all
firms and the numbers of their employees are shown in the following
summary.
Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

Employees
of firms

Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

Employees
Number
of firms

Number

Number

Percent

238

16, 425

100.0

42. 5, under 45. 0__

21

1,927

6
14
15
33
31
18
13

291
428
820
2, 751
2,980
1,746
878

1.8
2.6
5.0
16.7
18.1
10.6
5.3

47. 5, under 50.0___
50.0, under 55.0__
55.0, under 60.0__
60.0, under 70.0__
70.0, under 90.0 _ _
100.0 and over

16
16
13
9
7
7

839
693
636
317
210
110

25.0, under 27. 5 .
27.5, under 30.0__30.0, under 32. 5___
32.5, under 35.0 __
35.0, under 37. 5___
37. 5, under 40.0___
40.0, under 42. 5___

Percent
11.7
11.0
5.1
4.2
3.9
1.9
1.3
.7

In the unpublished classification by number of employees it may be
seen that 120 firms employed fewer than 50 workers and that their
average hourly earnings ranged from 25 and under 27 K cents to $1 or
more, with the average below 40 cents in 50 firms and 60 cents or more
in 21 firms. In the high-earnings group are the manufacturing jobbers
who employ highly skilled workmen almost entirely.




63

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

The range in average hourly earnings in firms employing 100 or
more workers was not so wide as that in the small firms; in fact, of the
total of 52 firms whose employees averaged 50 cents or more, only 1
had as many as 100 employees. In 28 of the 47 firms with 100 or more
workers the average was below 40 cents.
Another unpublished table gives the distribution of individual
employees’ earnings in firms, the latter classified according to the aver­
age earnings for all employees of the firm. This shows that in 117
(49 percent) of the firms studied, employing 9,016 (55 percent) of the
workers, the average hourly earnings were below 40 cents, and that
among these there was a pronounced concentration of individual
employees’ earnings in the wage intervals below 35 cents; however,
as many as 208 employees, or just over 2 percent of the group, had
earnings of 60 cents or more, and 318, or 4 percent, earned 50 and under
60 cents. Firms in which average hourly earnings were 50 cents or
more numbered 52; they employed 1,966 workers, or 12 percent of the
total. In this group, as would be expected, individual employees’
earnings had large concentrations at the higher levels. Thirty-six
percent earned 60 cents or over, though 302, or 15 percent, earned less
than 40 cents.
From a comparison of the average hourly earnings in firms accord­
ing to locality it appears that of 52 firms with average earnings of 50
cents or more, all but 3 were in New York City. In 1 firm in Cali­
fornia, 1 in Massachusetts, and 1 in New Jersey, the average was 50
and under 52}i cents; in no firm in Chicago, Connecticut, Maryland
and Virginia, other Pennsylvania, or Texas was it so much as 42K
cents. The average was 40 cents or more in all the California firms
and 35 cents or more in all the Massachusetts firms.
Hours worked.

Information as to the number of hours worked by individual
employees is shown in table IV. Just over one-fifth of the 16,418
employees with hours reported worked 40 hours, but a larger group,
32 percent, worked more than 40. Practically one-fourth of the
workers (24 percent) worked 35 and under 40 hours, and almost as
large a group, 23 percent, worked less than 35 hours.
IV.—Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the
CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ OUTERWEAR INDUSTRY

Table

Employees

Employees

Hours worked

Hours worked
Number

Total__________ ____
Under 35................................
35
Over 35, under 37H____ _____
37H-.................. .........................

Percent

16,418

100.0

3,837
'304
1,003
1,306

23.4
1.8
6.1
8.0

Number

40________
44

Percent

3' 430

20.9

'634

3.9

Week’s earnings.

Data in regard to week’s earnings were reported for 16,542 experi­
enced employees in the 238 firms and are presented in table V. With­
out regard to the number of hours worked in the week covered, the




Table V.—Week’s earnings of experienced employees in the CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ OUTERWEAR INDUSTRY, by area
Percent of employees with week’s earnings is specifie I in—

Total

Number of firms----------------Number of employees------ - Average earnings 1............. - -

Mary­ Massa­ Michi­
Con­ Chicago land and chu­ gan. Indi­
Califor­
Number Percent
ana, and
Vir­
necticut
nia
setts
Ohio
ginia
238
16, 542
$15. 55

100.0

5
126
$17.45

7
525
$13.55

4
186
$13.45

7
371
$12.70

9
810
$14.15

4
138
$14. 55

Mis­
souri

4
432
$17.00

New
York
City

Up­
State
New
York

Phila­
delphia

Other
Penn­
sylva­
nia

53
3,895
$14. 00

87
3,914
$20.00

14
977
$13. 70

18
2, 216
$17.00

21
2,807
$12. 30

5
145
$11.50

2.0
12.1
53.7
23.4
5.6
1.3
1.9

1.2
4.9
22.0
39.2
15.6
6.0
11.2

2.3
14.0
54.1
21.7
4.4
1.3
2.1

2.0
9.3
32.7
33.7
12.1
3.8
6.4

5.1
19.6
55.2
16.0
2.6
.6
.9

4.1
11.0
71.0
12.4
1.4

New
Jersey

Texas

Percent of employees
Under $5
$5, under $10------ -----------------------$10, under $15--------------- ------------$15, under $20._ ----------- -------$20, under $25----------------------------$25, under $30...------- ----------------$30 and over-.. ------------------­

387
1,912
7,115
4,543
1,361
463
761

2.3
11.6
43.0
27.5
8.2
2.8
4.6

4.0
8.7
17.5
39.7
18.3
8.7
3.2

2.3
20.2
44.6
23.8
5.7
1.5
1.9

15.1
58.1
20.4
1.1
3.8
1.6

1.9
17.3
66.8
10.0
1.6
1.9
.5

1.2
10.4
54.7
27.8
2.6
1.4
2.0

2.2
15.2
44.9
29.0
1.4
3.6
3.6

2.5
6.5
32.6
35.9
13.9
3.2
5.3

Cumulative percents
Under $12--------------- ---------- .......
Under $14------- --------------------------Under $16
Under $18

5,095
8, 058
10,726
12, 673

30.8
48.7
64.8
76.6

14.3
23.1
38.9
56.3

41.9
59.4
73.9
85.3

45.7
62.4
82.8
91.9

35.8
81.1
88.4
93.0

31.0
50.3
80.4
90.9

34.8
53.6
69.6
83.3

21.1
33.1
48.8
64.6

36.5
59.8
75.4
85.5

10.9
20.3
35.7
52.3

40.8
62.8
78.0
86.6

22.7
36.4
53.9
69.1

50.2
71.6
86.5
93.0

60.7
82.8
91.0
97.2

$18 and over
$20 and over........................... ..............
$22 and over

3,869
2, 585
1,855

23.4
15.6
11.2

43.7
30.3
20.8

14.7
9.1
6.1

8.1
6.5
5.9

7.0
4.1
3.2

9.1
5.9
4.4

16.7
8.7
8.0

35.4
22.5
14.1

14.5
8.9
5.8

47.7
32.7
24.8

13.4
7.9
4.8

30.9
22.3
16.2

7.0
4.1
2.2

2.8
1.4

1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.




PART V. — CHILDREN ’S AND INFANTS ’ OUTERWEAR

Week’s earnings

05

CO

70

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

average earnings for the entire group were $15.55. The range in the
earnings was from less than $5 to as much as $140, but the great
majority of the workers, 63 percent, earned $10 and under $18. Not
far from one-sixth earned $20 or more.
Among the different areas the two extremes in earnings were those
of New York City and Texas; in the former average earnings were
$20, in the latter they were $11.50. Only one-fifth of the large group
of workers in New York City were paid less than $14, but in Texas
just over three-fifths earned less than $12. In New York City 33
percent earned as much as $20, three-fourths of these earning $22 and
more, but in Texas only about 1K percent had earnings as high as $20
and none earned so much as $22.
Areas other than New York City where workers had relatively high
earnings were California, with an average of $17.45, and Missouri
and Philadelphia, each with an average of $17. The most usual earn­
ings in California were $14 and under $21, reported for 54 percent of
the workers, though a large group, 21 percent, earned $22 and over.
In Missouri and Philadelphia over three-fifths earned $11 and under
$20 and well over one-fifth earned $20 and over.
Average week’s earnings were below $13 in Maryland and Virginia
and in other Pennsylvania, as well as in Texas. They varied from
$13.45 to $14.55 in the remaining areas.
In 7 of the 13 areas—the exceptions being California, Connecticut,
Missouri, New York City, Philadelphia, and the group of Michigan,
Indiana, and Ohio—the majority of the workers, varying from 54
percent to 71 percent, had earnings of $10 and under $15. In Con­
necticut, 52 percent earned $9 and under $15. In the other areas the
modal groups, 51 to 54 percent, fell at $11 and under $18 in Philadel­
phia, at $13 and under $20 in New York City, and at $14 and under
$21 in Missouri and in California. The proportions of employees in
these areas who were paid less than $10 ranged from 6 percent in New
York City to 23 and 25 percent, respectively, in Connecticut and
other Pennsylvania.




Part VI.—CORSETS AND ALLIED GARMENTS
This study of the corset and allied-garments industry includes
factories making foundation garments, known as girdles, corsets,
surgical belts, combinations, and corset accessories. These plants
are engaged in manufacturing only. Local sales outlets of firms
doing a semicustom business are not included, as these shops cor­
respond closely to those maintained in the corset departments of
retail stores.
Scope of survey.

The list of firms believed to be making these garments was corrected
by field investigation in each community. As a result of mergers,
shutdowns, transfers to other States, and closing out of business,
the census enumeration of 1937 had to be adjusted to conditions
in the spring of 1939. At the time of the survey, February to May
1939, 194 firms were manufacturing these articles. These firms had
on their rolls 17,185 factory employees. In 8 States there were 3 or
more factories, and in 3 other States and the District of Columbia
there were 1 or 2. On the basis of number of workers the leading
States were New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois, with
from 6,300 to 1,600 employees.
In choosing a 50-percent sample of this branch of the apparel
industry for survey purposes, effort was made to cover in each State
one-half the firms in each class as grouped by size. In States with
only a few firms, however, a larger sample was necessary to prevent
disclosure of individual firm conditions; and in States with only
one large firm, data for one-half the employees on the pay roll were
taken.
Pay-roll data were secured from 100 firms, or just over 50 percent
of all in business. These factories were in all the States with 3 or
more such factories and in two States with less than 3. The persons
employed in the plants scheduled numbered 10,070, or 58.6 percent
of the total for all factories in the spring of 1939. This industry,
like several other apparel industries, employs very much larger num­
bers of women than of men. According to the Women’s Bureau
survey, the proportion women form of the total work force varies
only from 85 percent in Michigan and Pennsylvania and 86 percent
in New York to 90 percent in Connecticut and 91 percent in Massa­
chusetts.
According to table I, the employees in the firms scheduled exceeded
55 percent of the total for all firms in the State in every case but
Massachusetts. However, the Massachusetts sample, 43 percent of
all employees in the State, was carefully chosen and is regarded as
thoroughly representative.
Corsets and allied garments are made in factories owned and oper­
ated by the same management and generally termed inside manu­
facturers. In only 6 cases did factories send out any work to con­
tractors; and only 5 firms, in Connecticut and New Jersey, were




71

72

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

reported as contract firms. While there arc many relatively small
shops in this line of manufacture there are also many of medium
size and some large ones. Of the 100 firms scheduled, 43 employed
fewer than 50 workers, but 32 employed as many as 100 workers and
7 had more than 400. The data in table I show actual numbers of
firms and employees in the industry and in the survey by the Women’s
Bureau.
I.—Extent and location of the CORSET AND ALLIED-GARMENTS
INDUSTRY in the spring of 1939 and number of firms and employees included
in survey

Table

Number in business,
spring of 1939
State
Firms—
Number

Factory
employees

Firms included in survey
Factory employees
Firms—
Number

Number Percent
Total

Total
number Percent

Men

Women

194
100. 0

17,185
100. o

100.0

100
51.5

10,070
58.6

100.0

1,182

8,888

California........................ ...
Connecticut................ .........
Illinois-------- ----------------Massachusetts-...................
Michigan. ................. ..........

17
19
13
15
7

422
2,762
1,634
755
738

2.5
16 1
9.5
4.4
4.3

10
11
7
5
4

286
1,518
1,099
327
453

2.8
15.1
10.9
3.2
4.5

37
153
113
30
67

249
1,365
986
297
386

New Jersey_________ _
New York..........................
Pennslyvania....................
Other 1 .................................

28
84
5
6

3,274
6,283
462
855

19.1
36.6
2.7
5.0

13
43
3
4

2,020
3, 543
298
626

20.1
35.2
3.0
6.2

210
479
45
48

1,810
3,064
253
478

1 Includes Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, and District of Columbia, the first two of which were covered in
the Women’s Bureau survey.

In most cases the pay period for which data were obtained was in
March or April, chosen by firm officials as representative of normal
conditions at that time. As production in this branch of the women’s
apparel industry was steady in the spring of 1939, the majority of
the firms operated scheduled hours.
Labor costs.

Labor costs, manufacturing costs, and total operating costs for
1938 were reported by one-third of the firms scheduled. As these
data were secured from firms in every State, they are indicative of
the relation of labor costs to the total. In the firms reporting, labor
costs were 29.3 percent of manufacturing costs and 22 percent of
total costs of operation.
In the States in which 3 or more firms reported costs, the proportion
labor costs were of manufacturing costs varied from 22 percent in
Connecticut to over 30 percent in Illinois and Indiana and in New
York City, and to a high of 59 percent in California. The propor­
tion labor costs were of total costs of operation varied from 15 percent
in Connecticut and 19 to 27 percent in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana,
up-State New York, and New York City, to 46 percent in California.
Learners.

The data in regard to learners include, first, the general policy of
each firm with reference to the employment of learners, the length of




PART VI.--- CORSETS AND ALLIED GARMENTS

73

the learning period, and the beginning rate of pay, and second, the
number of learners actually employed at the time of the survey and
the amount of their earnings in the pay period covered.
Of the 100 firms scheduled, 62 reported that they employed learners
when necessary, but there was little agreement as to the length of
time that constituted a learning period or as to the method of pay.
In 27 firms from 1 to 6 weeks, in most cases 6 weeks, was reported
as an adequate learning period; in 10 firms the estimate was from
1J4 to 3 months; and in 9 firms it was from 4 months to a year. In
16 firms the learning period was said to be indefinite, depending on
the ability of the individual and the type of work.
Of the firms reporting on learners’ rates, 37 paid learners on a timerate basis. In 1 the beginning rate was only 21 cents an hour; in
22 it was 25 cents an hour or $10 for a 40-hour week; and in 14 it
was 27K cents, 30 cents, or 35 cents an hour, or was a weekly rate
of $11, $12, or $14 for a 40-hour week.
In 24 firms learners were paid on a piece-rate basis, but in 13 of
these they were guaranteed a minimum of 25 cents an hour and in
5 of them such guaranty was 28K cents, 30 cents, or 35 cents an
hour; that is, in these 18 firms learners were paid the guaranteed
rate if their piece-work earnings were below such rate but received
their piece-work earnings if these exceeded the guaranty. Six firms
paid the learners the regular piece-work rates without any hourly
guaranty.
At the time of the survey, 324 learners and 44 handicapped or
substandard workers were employed in 48 plants. By occupation
these were distributed as follows: 312 were machine operators, 35
were hand finishers, inspectors, or packers, and the remaining 21 were
employed as cutters, pressers, machinists, or general indirect labor.
The largest single group of learners, 40 percent, earned 25 cents
an hour, indicating that many of the firms were paying the minimum
rate permissible since the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards
Act of 1938. However, 42 percent of the learners had hourly earnings
of 30 cents and over. Only 5 percent of the entire group, which
included 44 handicapped workers, were paid less than 25 cents. The
earnings of these learners and handicapped workers are not included
in the wage tabulations in this report.
EARNINGS AND HOURS
Hourly earnings.

The tables on hourly earnings that follow show the earnings of
experienced workers for whom hours worked and wages received were
recorded. A loss of records of 56 workers, or one-half of 1 percent,
scattered over a number of pay rolls, was caused by faulty hour data.
Hourly earnings were arrived at by dividing the week’s earnings by
the number of hours worked, for each employee separately. Earnings
were computed for regular time only, all overtime payments being
eliminated from such computations.
In the cases of New York and Illinois, earnings information is given
separately for New York City and Chicago, as employees’ earnings are
higher in metropolitan areas than in smaller communities. Figures
for Indiana workers are included with those for Illinois to avoid
202064°—40----- 6




Table

II.—Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the CORSET AND ALLIED-GARMENTS INDUSTRY, hy area
All areas

Hourly earnings (cents)

9, 628
46.3

100.0

Connecti­
cut

255
47.5

1,489
45.4

Percent

Chicago

708
50.4

Other Illi­ Massachu­
nois and
setts
Indiana
671
37.8

319
40.3

Michigan

New
Jersey

New York Up-State
City
New York

Pennsyl­
vania

410
47.2

1,980
43.3

2, 328
54.3

1,072
41.8

280
38.6

3.4
1.2
1.7
3.4
8.5
8.8
13.9
9.5
8.8
8.5
9.0
2.9
2.9
2.4
3.4
3.2
2.0

2.5
1.4
2.3
2.1
3.4
3.1
5.9
15.5
7.5
5.6
6.1
5.6
5.2
4.6
5.0
3.1
6.2
4.3
2.6
1.5
1.9
1.7
2.9

17.3
7.2
8.2
6.7
7.5
4.9
9.0
4.9
5.7
5.3
4.8
3.5
2.8
2. 1
.9
1.8
2.1
1.5
.6
.9
.6
.8
1.0

6.4
8.9
8.2
10.0
20.7
10.7
15.0
5.0
3.2
2.9
1.8

2.0
1.5
1.5
.5
.5

5.9
4.9
6.7
4.6
11.7
10.1
9.4
14.5
8.6
3.8
3.5
3.8
2.6
L7
1.0
1.1
1.2
.5
1.0
.4
.6
.8
1.8

4.6
9.7
27.0
50.4
67.7
32.3
20.4
15.1

10.8
22.1
43.8
67.7
80.1
19.9
12.6
8.2

3.9
8.3
14.8
36.2
49.3
50.7
39.0
29.2

24.4
39.4
51.7
65.6
76.6
23.4
15.1
10.2

15.4
33.6
65.0
85.0
91.1
8.9
7.1
5.7

Percent of employees
5.7
3.9
5.5
4.7
9.3
7.9
9.2
11.0
7.5
5.2
5.1
4.0
3.7
2.7
2.2
2.1
2.9
1.6
1.5
.8
.9
1.0
1.6

.8
3.1
18.0
3.5
11.8
7.5
16.1
7.1
11.0
1.6
3.1
2.0
2.0
3.1
3.1
.4
1.6
.8
1.6

__________

550
375
531
450
899
763
887
1, 055
721
502
487
387
360
256
213
203
275
156
144
81
87
94
152

Under 30____
___________
Under 35________ ____ ________
Under 40__________ ________ _
Under 45------- --------------- -----Under 50___ _____
50 and over_______________
55 and over
60 and over_____________ ____ _

925
1,906
3, 536
5, 510
6, 733
2,895
2, 021
1, 405

9.6
19.8
37.0
57.2
69.9
30.1
21.0
14.6

25.0, under 27.5_____ ____ _____
30.0, uhder 32.5
32.5, under 35.0
35.0, under 37.5__________ _____
37.5, under 40.0_
_
_
40.0, under 42.5 ______________
42.5, under 45.0
45.0, under 47.5____
47.5, under 50.0-- _____ _____
50.0, under 52.5________
55.0, under 57.5............................. .
57.5, under 60.0.. _ . __ _
__
62.5, under 65.0.-65.0, under 70.0______ _____ ___
75.0, under 80.0____

100.6 and over____

_

__

0.8

1.2

3.4
3.8
5.0
4. 2
9.1
10.9
12.0
9.8
8.5
7.0
6. 1
4.2
4.2
1.8
1.3
1.5
1.9
.8
.9
.5
.8
.9
1.1

1.4
1.7
1.8
3.0
7.3
9.5
7.1
9.5
8.2
5.9
5.4
6.9
8.2
5.4
3.4
4.7
3.5
1.1
1.4
.7
.3
1.8
1.8

.8
4.7
26.3
45.5
68.6
31.4
18.8
13.7

7.3
16.4
30.4
58.3
73.7
2G.3
15.9
9.9

3.1
7.9
24.7
41.3
55.4
44.6
32.3
18.7

9.2
7.5
14.5
10.1
19.1
12.7
8.9
6.1
2.4
.7
1.9
.6
.6
.3
.1
.3
1.5

5.3
4.1
10.7
9.4
12.5
13.2
14. 1
7.8
6.9
5.0
3.1
1.6
.9
.6

2.2
.6
.1
.4

.6
.6
1.3
.9
.9
.3

1.1
.4
2.9
.4
1.8

.7

Cumulative percents




1 Total includes Georgia, not shown separately.

16.7
41.3
73.0
88.1
91.2
8.8
6.3
5.4

9.4
29.5
55.2
77.1
89.0
11.0
6.3
4.7

1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.

»

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Total employees _ . _
. _.
Average earnings2 (cents)

California

Number
of em­
ployees 1

PART VI.--- CORSETS AND ALLIED GARMENTS

75

disclosure of individual firm information. Employees of two Georgia
firms are included in the total but are not shown separately.
The average hourly earnings of the 9,628 workers amounted to
46.3 cents, ranging downward from 54.2 cents in New York City
and 50.4 cents in Chicago to 38.6 cents in Pennsylvania and a low of
37.8 cents in other Illinois and Indiana. California, Michigan, and
Connecticut had the relatively high average of more than 45 but
under 50 cents. New Jersey and up-State New York, which ranked
second and fourth respectively in number of employees, had average
earnings of less than 45 cents an hour. The details of hourly earnings
by area are shown in table II.
There was an extremely wide variation in the hourly earnings of
individual employees, as the actual spread was from 25 cents to $3.38.
However, in each State or city group with the exception of up-State
New York, the most pronounced concentration of earnings occurred
in the wage intervals of 35 and under 50 cents or 30 and under 45 cents;
from 41 to 64 percent of the workers in New York City, Chicago,
Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, and California had earnings of
35 and under 50 cents, and 68 percent of those in Massachusetts, 70
percent of those in Pennsylvania, and 71 percent of those in other
Illinois and Indiana earned 30 and under 45 cents. In up-State New
York the concentration was in the intervals of 25 and under 35 cents,
with 39 percent of the workers receiving such earnings. For all States
combined, 37 percent of the employees had earnings of 35 and under
45 cents.
Almost 10 percent of the workers in the corset and allied-garments
industry were paid less than 30 cents an hour. Workers with such
low earnings were found most largely in up-State New York, other
Illinois and Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Only from 1 to 5 percent in California, Chicago, New York City, and
Michigan were paid less than 30 cents. The proportion of employees
with hourly earnings falling at the higher wage levels, 60 cents or over,
varied from 5 to 6 percent in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and other
Illinois and Indiana to almost 19 percent in Chicago and to 29 percent
in New York City. Other States in which as many as one-tenth of the
workers received at least 60 cents were Connecticut, up-State New
York, California, and Michigan.
Hourly earnings by occupation.—Machine operators form much the
largest group of workers in the corset industry as in other apparel
manufacture. However, special machines are used for this work, such
as riveters, claspers, steel stitchers, hook and eye machines, supporter
makers, and brassiere and corset makers. Of the 9,702 employees
with occupation reported, 6,134, or 63 percent, were engaged in these
types of work. Only 9, or one-tenth of 1 percent of the entire group
of machine operators, were men.
There is a limited amount of hand work on garments, such as boning,
shaping, end tacking, and hand lacing. After garments are finished,
they are inspected and packed for shipment. The number of workers
employed on these types of work was 1,502, or 15 percent of the total,
and all but 3 were women. Cutters numbered 598, or 6 percent of
the plant staff, and of these 87 percent were men. Pressers, the
large majority of whom are women, were few in number and comprised
only about 2 percent of the work force.




76

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

There are also a few workers, generally known as floor boys and girls,
that do odd jobs in the factory. Other groups of nonmanufacturing
employees in the plant are workers in the shipping department, in the
office, and in the plant maintenance department. Working foremen
and forewomen, and the machinists, are grouped as supervisors and
machinists.
The following summary shows the number of men and women in
each occupational group for all areas combined.
Occupation

All
employees

Women
Men
Number

Percent

9, 702

1,171

8, 531

87.9

6,134
1,502
598
157
311
279
205
359
157

9
3
517
8
65
240
187
110
32

6,125
1,499
81
149
246
39
18
249
125

99 9
99. 8
13.5
79 1
14.0
8.8
79.6

Earnings of supervisors and of cutters have the same average.
Maintenance workers are the second highest class, but as the group
is not homogeneous, and includes janitors, watchmen, and matrons, as
well as firemen and engineers, the earnings have a wide range.
The lowest-paid occupations are hand workers, whether employed
on hand finishing the garment, as inspectors and packers, or as general
utility workers. Average hourly earnings of the group composed of
hand finishers, inspectors, and packers were only 38.8 cents; those of
the general utility workers were 39.3 cents. Machine operators, over
three-fifths of all plant employees, averaged 44.5 cents an hour; 10
percent earned less than 30 cents and 37 percent earned less than 40
cents an hour. Of the employees actually engaged in the manu­
facturing operations, the proportion who earned as much as 60 cents
an hour varied from less than 1 percent of the general utility workers
and 3 percent of the hand-worker group to 11 percent of the machine
operators, 19 percent of the pressers, and 61 percent of the cutters.
Differences in occupational earnings in the several areas are shown
in table III. New York City plants reported the highest earnings for
cutters, machine operators, and hand workers, and Chicago firms the
next highest. Lowest earnings for machine operators were found in
other Illinois and Indiana, Pennsylvania, up-State New York, and
Massachusetts, and the lowest-paid groups of cutters were in Cali­
fornia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, other Illinois and Indiana, and
Michigan.




*

Table III.—Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the CORSET AND ALLIED-GARMENTS INDUSTRY, by occupation

and by area

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

N um ber of employees

Average hourly earn ­
ings (cents)

Num ber of employees

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

N um ber of employees

Average hourly earn ­
ings i (cents)

N um ber of employees

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

Num ber of employees

589

69.6

157

48.6

308

39.3

270

49.2

197

53.9

332

69.7

153

440
220

45.3
42.9
49. 7
34.5
38.1

18
202
118
86
42

39.5
41. 6
36.6
38.5

22
85
46
37
17

72.2
76. 7
57.0

7
29
16
10
8

239
1, 243
1,470
676
153

44.4
41.1
54.9
37. 2
36.6

56
343
418
147
56

40.0
34. 7
42.9
37. 3
32.9

34
118
157
46

68.0
63.8
78. 7
71.8

8
23
28
27

47. 5
45.4

171
978

671
319

37.8
40. 3
47. 2
43.3
54.2
41. 8

58.1

49.0
51.8

7
74
2136
14
8
43
70
16
18

40.9
35.7

39.2
39.3

10
39
5
13
5
14
48
91
32
12

49.7

47.8
47.7
53.9

6
25
8
15
3
15
44
38
37
5

53.6

55.7
64.5
55.1

11
45
32
26
8

66.5
70. 4
61.5

27
68
35
61
12

61.2
74.6
100.0
61.3

Average hourly earn ­
ings i (cents)

N um ber of employees

38.8

1

Average hourly earn ­
ings i (cents)

1,496

1

N um ber of employees

Plant
clerical
(80 percent
women)

Average hourly earn ­
ings i (cents)

Supervisory
and
machinists
(69 percent
women)

N um ber of employees

Maintenance
(9 percent
women)

Average hourly earn ­
ings (cents)

Shipping
(14 percent
women)

44.5

The mean—the simple arithmetic average. Not computed where ba-e less than 25.
) Total includes Georgia, not shown separately.
'




General
indirect
labor
(79 percent
women)

6,126

1,980
2, 328

1

Pressers
(95 percent
women)

46.3

1, 489
Other Illinois and Indiana-

Cutters
(14 percent
women)

N um ber of employees

All areas2----- --------- 9, 628

Hand
finishers,
inspectors,
and packers
(99+ percent
women)

Average hourly earn ­
ings 1 (cents)

N um ber of employees

Area

Machine
operators
(99+ percent
women)

46.4

3
12
8
9
50
21
30
2

51.8
41.6

PART VI.----CORSETS AND ALLIED GARMENTS

All factory
employees
(88 percent
women)

-vj

78

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops.—The corset and
allied-garments industry is not unionized to any extent except in
New York City, and only 3 firms (in New Jersey and Pennsylvania)
outside of that city reported an agreement with a union. In New
York City 25 of the 36 firms had a union agreement; the union firms
employed 1,569 workers and the nonunion 759 workers. Conse­
quently, the comparison of earnings in union and nonunion shops is
confined to New York City.
Within the union shops, the organization is comprised chiefly of
workers on the product itself and not of miscellaneous plant workers.
Average hourly earnings were 55 cents for the workers in the union
shops and 52.7 cents for those in the nonunion shops. However,
there were important differences in the distribution: Only 12 percent
of the union workers, but 21 percent of the nonunion workers, were
paid less than 40 cents an hour; and 31 percent of the union workers,
in comparison to 25 percent of the nonunion workers, had earnings
of 60 cents an hour or more. Hourly earnings varied widely in both
types of shop.
Hourly earnings in the various firms.—Average hourly earnings of
employees have been computed for each firm scheduled and these
earnings have been tabulated according to size of firm and also by area.
The distribution of these firms’ averages is shown in the accompany­
ing summary. For the firms in all areas combined, the range in aver­
age earnings was from 27% and under 30 cents to 65 and under 67%
cents. There was some concentration in the 2%-cent intervals from
40 to 47% cents; 41 firms had averages of such amounts. Thirtyeight firms had averages of 47% cents or more.
Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)
Total
27.5, under 32.5
32.5, under 35.0____
36.0, under 37.5........
37.5. under 40.0
40.0, under 42.5____

Number
of firms

Employees

Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

Number

Percent

100

9,628

100.0

42.5, under 45.0___

6
4
3
8
12

362
342
408
567
1,306

3.8
3.6
4.2
5.9
13.6

47.5, under 50.0____
50.0, under 55.0___
55.0, under 60.0___
60.0 and over..........

Number
of firms

Employees
Number

17
12
8
16
10
4

2,222
916
655
1,710
878
262

Percent
23.1
6.8
17.7
9.1
2.8

Unpublished figures show the variations in earnings according to
size of firm. For example, the average earnings of the 27 firms that
employed fewer than 25 workers ranged from 27% and under 30
cents to 57K and under 60 cents; in 12 of these firms the averages
fell within the groups of 40 and under 47% cents. Averages in firms
employing 100 and under 200 employees ranged from 30 and under
32% cents to 57% and under 60 cents, and the range in averages of
firms employing 200 or more workers was from 32% and under 35 cents,
also to 57% and under 60 cents.
To express it in another way, of the 21 firms whose employees had
average earnings of less than 40 cents, 11 had fewer than 50 employees,
7 had 50 and under 200, and 3 had 200 or more. Of 49 firms with
average earnings of 40 and under 50 cents, 22 employed fewer than
50 workers, 11 employed 50 and under 100, 8 employed 100 and under
200, and 8 employed 200 or more.
There was considerable variation also in the firm averages in the
different States and cities, with low-average firms (less than 40 cents)




*■

*

79

PART VI.--- CORSETS AND ALLIED GARMENTS

found in all areas but California and Chicago, and with relatively
high-average firms (50 cents or more) found in California, Chicago,
Michigan, New York City, and up-State New York. However, firms
with average earnings of 57% cents or more were found only in New
York City.
Hours worked.

The number of hours worked was reported for 9,646 employees in
the 100 corset and allied-garments firms. The majority of the em­
ployees had a favorable workweek, slightly over three-tenths work­
ing over 35 and under 40 hours, and one-fifth working 40 hours even.
The amount of undertime and overtime in the industry is indicated to
some extent by the figures, which show that one-fifth of the employees
had less than 35 hours of work and one-tenth worked longer than 44
hours. The details in regard to hours of work are given in table IV.
Table IV.—Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the

CORSET AND ALLIED-GARMENTS INDUSTRY
Employees

Employees
Hours worked

Hours worked
Number

Number

Percent

9, 646
35

100.0

40

1,900
71
3,003

19.7
.7
31.1

44

_________ ______ _

1,903
946
856
967

Percent
19.7
9.8
8.9
10.0

Week’s earnings.

The amount of the actual earnings received in the pay-roll week
recorded was reported for 9,702 experienced employees. The average
for the entire group, regardless of the number of hours worked,
amounted to $17.90. It varied by area from $13.25 in Massachusetts
to $21.40 in Chicago. Other areas with relatively low averages were
Pennsylvania ($14.45) and other Illinois and Indiana ($14.50). In
an intermediate position were up-Statc New York, Connecticut, New
Jersey, California, and Michigan with averages of $16 to $18.55, in­
clusive. New York City ranked second highest with $20.20. Table
V shows the week’s earnings of the employees scheduled.
Considering all employees as a group, the largest proportion (36
percent) had earnings of $15 and under $20, and the second largest
group (28 percent) had earnings of $10 and under $15. For less than
one-tenth (8 percent) were the earnings below $10.
The heaviest concentration occurred in the wage intervals between
$10 and $25. In Chicago, New York City, and California, from 49 to
67 percent had earnings of $15 and under $25, and in the other areas
from 62 to 78 percent earned $10 and under $20.
The proportion of employees with earnings below $10 was from 3
to 5 percent in New York City, California, Michigan, and Chicago;
was from 13 to 16 percent in Pennsylvania, other Illinois and Ind­
iana, and up-State New York; and was 30 percent in Massachusetts.
At tbe other extreme of the wage scale, with earnings of $30 or more,
were 2 to 4 percent in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and
other Illinois and Indiana; 5 to 8 percent in California, New Jersey,
up-State New York, Michigan, and New York City; and 14 percent
in Chicago.




—Week’s earnings of experienced employees in the CORSET AND ALLIED-GARMENTS INDUSTRY, by area

Table V.

Total

Percent of employees with week’s earnings as specified in—

Week’s earnings

...

100
9, 702
$17. 90

100.0

Cali­
fornia

10
255
$18. 45

Connecti­ Chicago
cut

11
1.496
$16.95

4
719
$21. 40

Other
Illinois
and
Indiana
5
671
$14. 50

Massa­
chusetts Michigan

5
319
$13.25

New
Jersey

New
York
City

Up-State
Penns ylNew
vania
York

4
412
$18. 55

13
1,994
$17. 70

36
2,355
$20.20

7
1,084
$16. 00

3
280
$14.45

1.2
3.2
18.4
51.0
15.0
3.9
3.6
3.6

1.3
5.2
26.5
41.9
14.7
5.4
1.8
3.4

0.6
2.1
15.8
39.3
24.1
10.1
3.5
4.5

1.5
14.4
37.3
24.8
12.1
4.7
1.8
3.5

0.7
11.8
52.5
25.7
3.2
3.6
1.8
.7

Percent of employees
Under$5-. ..................... .
$5, under $10_________________
$10, under $15_____ ____
$15, under $20.. .
$20, under $25_______________
$25, under $30... ... ..
$30, under $35... . . .
$35 and over___________________ _

122
644
2,671
3,484
1,536
639
274
332

1.3
6.6
27.5
35.9
15.8
6.6
2.8
3.4

0.8
2.7
19.6
45.9
21.2
4.7
2.4
2.7

1.5
5.9
33.0
36.9
14.5
3.9
1.7
2.5

1.1
3.6
16.1
29.1
19.9
16.0
8.8
5.4

1.8
13.0
49.6
26.2
3.3
1.8
1.9
2.4

4.7
25.1
36.1
26.0
3.4
2.5
1.6
.6

Cumulative percents
Under$12............. ... ..
Under $14_______ ____________
Under $16_______ ___
Under $18. _____________ ______

1,693
2, 752
4, 254
5,808

17.5
28.4
43.8
59.9

9.4
14. 5
32.5
47.0

18.4
31.7
50.5
65.8

9.5
15.7
26.3
39.2

32.9
56.3
75.1
86.0

41.7
56.1
73.7
86.2

10.9
19.2
32.5
52.4

14.7
24.9
41.2
61.9

6.9
13.2
26.9
45.5

34.2
47.4
58.8
68.5

29.3
49.3
76.1
86.4

$18 and over___ ________ ______ ...
$20 and over_________________________ ___

3,894
2,781

40.1
28.7

53.0
31.0

34.2
22.7

60.8
50.1

14.0
9.4

13.8
8.2

47.6
26.2

38.1
25.2

54.5
42.2

31.5
22.0

13.6
9.3

1 Total includes Georgia, not shown separately.
2 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.




fr

A

►

*

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Number 1 Percent

Number of firms.............. .....................
Number of employees__________
Average earnings2 ______________

00

Part VII.—UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR

•<

*

}

m

The underwear and nightwear branch of the women’s and children’s
apparel industry, as defined for purposes of this study, includes facto­
ries sewing woven or knitted purchased fabric into women’s shirts,
bloomers, step-ins, athletic underwear, slips and petticoats, children’s
waist suits, and infants’ underwear, or into women’s, children’s and
infants’ nightgowns, pajamas, bathrobes, negligees, house coats, or
similar garments. Factories knitting underwear fabrics and sewing
the knitted material into garments are not included in this study, as
such factories have been covered in a knit-goods study.
The larger number of underwear and nightwear firms are inside
shops. In and around New York City there are jobber manufacturers
and contract shops, though even here inside manufacturers out­
number them. Many firms employ less than 50 workers, but there
are a few with over 300 workers.
In each community the field work in this branch of the industry was
carried on at the same time that surveys of other branches of the indus­
try were being made. It was possible, therefore, to revise lists of firms
according to the type of garment made in largest quantity in the pay­
roll period covered. About 20 percent of the firms whose major
production in the pay-roll period was in women’s and children’s
underwear and nightwear either made other garments at the same time
or had made others at some time in 1938. The other garments made
consisted of many types of sports garments, such as slacks, wovenfabric swim suits, beach garments, boys’ and men’s polo shirts, and
children’s sportswear, as well as blouses, uniforms, house dresses,
brassieres, pillow slips, and men’s nightwear.
At the time of the survey, February to May 1939, the chief product
of 493 firms was women’s and children’s underwear and nightwear as
defined. These firms gave employment to 30,148 persons. Twelve
States had at least 3 factories—4 having 30 or more—and in 7 others
there were 1 or 2 factories.
Scope of survey.

The Women’s Bureau secured pa3'--roll data from 290 firms, or 59
percent of all in the industry in the spring of 1939. The firms visited
were in all States that had 3 or more factories and in 4 of those with
only 1 or 2. They gave employment to 22,459 persons. Table I
shows that in each State the proportion of employees for whom wage
data were secured corresponds closely to the proportion of the total
represented by that State. The distribution of the firms scheduled
also compares favorably with the distribution of all firms. Threefourths of the plants surveyed employed less than 100 persons (29
percent, fewer than 25) and only 2 percent had as many as 300 workers.
Except in the New York-New Jersey area, undergarments are made
in inside factories, that is, in factories purchasing their materials and
carrying on all manufacturing processes. In New York City and




81

82

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

New Jersey, part of the manufacture is done on a jobber-contractor
basis, the contractor sewing garments from cut materials furnished by
the jobber. Eleven of the firms scheduled were jobbers and 55 were
contractors. The remaining firms were inside manufacturers, though
24 of these also sent some work out to contractors and 4 reported
doing some work on contract for other firms.
Except in a few plants, the pay period for which earnings were
obtained was in February, March, or April of 1939; in the exceptions
it was necessary to take a November, December, or January pay roll
to secure figures considered representative by the management.
The large majority of workers in the underwear and nightwear
industry are women; they comprised slightly more than nine-tenths
of the factory employees in the plants scheduled.
I.—Extent and location of the UNDER WEAR AND NIGHTWEAR
INDUSTRY in the spring of 1939 and number of firms and employees included,
in survey

Table

Firms in business, spring
of 1939
State
Firms—
Number

Firms included in survey

Factory
employees

Factory employees
Firms—
Number
Total
number Percent

Number Percent

Men

Women

Total________ ____
Percent
..............

493
100.0

30,148
100.0

100.0

290
58.8

22,459
74. 5

100.0

2,032

20,427

California_ ________
Connecticut.............. ..........
Illinois________ __ _ _
Indiana. . ______ ______
Massachusetts................... .

24
10
30
5
22

765
2, 278
1,729
349
2,162

2.5
7.6
5.7
1.2
7.2

16
9
16
3
12

441
1,457
823
325
1, 568

2.0
6.5
3.7
1.4
7.0

27
125
74
25
144

414
1,332
749
300
1,424

Michigan
Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Missouri_______ ________
New Jersey____ ____
New York_____ _______

5
4
12
61
245

592
253
1,006
5.024
11, 353

2.0
.8
3.3
16.7
37.7

3
4
10
40
133

450
253
765
4,359
8, 560

2.0
1.1
3.4
19.4
38.1

43
20
68
280
913

407
233
697
4,079
7,647

Ohio.______ ___________
Pennyslvania.
Other 1...............................

10
42
14

295
3,822
520

1.0
12.7
1.7

6
32
6

239
2,896
323

1.1
12.9
1.4

19
277
17

220
2,619
306

1 Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, and Utah, the first three of which were covered in the
Women’s Bureau survey.

Labor costs.

Small underwear firms in the New York area employ itinerant
auditors. In the time available for this study it was not possible
to visit these auditors to secure cost data for the firms scheduled. In
other sections. of the country, some firms scheduled reported total
costs of operation and labor costs. While these figures cannot be taken
as representative of conditions in the entire industry, they are quoted
here as indicative of inside manufacturers’ relative costs. Labor
costs in 45 plants reporting were 21.6 percent of total costs and in
40 plants reporting were 26 percent of manufacturing costs.
The proportions that labor costs formed of total costs in the
State and city areas in which three or more firms reported costs were
14.8 percent in Texas and 17.2 percent in Pennsylvania; from 21.5




&

PART VII.—UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR

83

to 26.3 percent in California, Illinois, up-State New York, New Jersey,
and New York City; and 31.6 percent in Ohio. Labor costs were
only 18.2 percent of manufacturing costs in Texas, but varied from
22.3 to 28.4 percent of such costs in Pennsylvania, Illinois, up-State
New York, New Jersey, and California, and were 36 percent in Ohio.
Learners.

Approximately one-half of the firms scheduled reported a learner
policy. There was no agreement as to the time required to become
an efficient worker, opinions varying from two weeks to over six
months. Of the firms reporting the learning period, almost equal
proportions gave as their policy one month or less, 6 or 8 weeks, and
10 to 16 weeks. In about 10 percent ot the firms the learning period
was reported as six months or more. About one firm in three con­
sidered the learning period indefinite, varying according to the ability
of the individual and the type of work.
Sixty-two firms paid learners on a time basis and 66 paid them on
a piece basis. In 34 firms the time rate was 25 cents an hour, $10
for a 40-hour week, or $10.65 for 42% hours. In 7 firms the rate
was only 18% cents an hour, or $8 to $9 for a week of 37% or 40 hours;
and in 21 firms it was on a distinctly higher level, 12 of them paying
from $11 to $15 for a week of 35, 37%, or 40 hours.
Thirty-three firms paid learners the regular piece rates with no guar­
anty; 30 paid piece rates with a guaranty of 25 cents an hour, and 3
guaranteed $8 or $10 for 40 or 44 hours.
The total number of learners employed during the pay-roll period
covered was 623. There were also 98 employees reported as handi­
capped persons. The large majority (557) were machine operators,
but a substantial group (111) were employed as hand finishers, inspec­
tors, or packers. From the actual hourly earnings of 715 of the learn­
ers and handicapped employees it is clear that the largest group, 42
percent, had earnings of 25 cents, but 17 percent had earnings of less
than 25 cents. Over one-fifth (22 percent) earned 30 cents or more,
and 4 percent earned more than 40 cents. The earnings of these em­
ployees are not included in the wage tables that follow.
EARNINGS AND HOURS

The tables on hourly earnings that follow show earnings of experi­
enced workers for whom hours worked and earnings were reported.
Hourly earnings were arrived at by dividing the week’s earnings by
the number of hours worked, for each employee separately. Hourly
earnings are computed for regular time only, all overtime payments
having been eliminated from such computations.
Earnings information is shown for New York City, Philadelphia,
and Chicago separately from the remainder of the respective States.
To avoid disclosure of individual firms, earnings for Indiana are in­
cluded with those for Illinois State, earnings for Wisconsin with those
for Minnesota, and earnings for Texas with those for Tennessee and
Virginia.




Table

II.—Hourly earnings of experienced employees in the

UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR INDUSTRY, by area

All areas
Hourly earnings (cents)

Total employees-------------- 21, 417
Average earnings 1 (cents)..
41.5

Per­
cent

100.0
—

Cali­
fornia

Con­
necti­
cut

373
47.5

1,452
35.8

Chi­
cago

678
42.0

Other
Min­
Illinois Massa­ Michi­ nesota
and
chu­
and
gan
Indi­
Wis­
setts
consin
ana

424
42.8

1,438
39.9

408
40.9

249
47.9

Mis­
souri

New
Jersey

New
York
City

Up­
State
New
York

Ohio

Phila­
del­
phia

Other
Penn­
sylva­
nia

Tennes­
see,
Texas,
and
Vir­
ginia

727
32.6

4,219
38.1

6,055
51.7

2.009
36.0

236
39.8

580
40.4

2, 266
33.2

303
31.1

Percent of employees

25.0,
27.5,
30.0,
32.5,

under 27.5........ ....... __ __
under 30.0________________
under 32.5....... .........................
under 35.0_______ _________

292
2, 832
1,410
1,718
1,908

1.4
13.2
6.6
8.0
8.9

0.8
.8
1.3
2.4
8.3

0.6
22.0
10.7
9.1
9.8

0.9
7.8
4.6
4.7
8.7

0.5
19.1
6.1
3.8
4.7

0.6
3.3
1.5
2.4
2.2

0.2
5.4
3.9
4.7
6.6

1.6
.4
1.6
.4

0. 6
37.7
10.5
11.8
12.5

0. 8
14.8
8.2
9.5
13.5

0.4
6.5
3.1
4.3
4.7

1.3
20.5
10.7
11.9
11.5

2.1
10.6
3.4
8.5
4.7

1. 4
8.6
5.9
11.4
11.7

6. 9
20.6
10.3
13.5
12.9

2. 3
18.2
19.1
31.7
15.8

35.0,
37.5,
40.0,
42.5,

under 37.5 _____________
under 40.0___
______
under 42.5....................... .........
under 45.0_____ _________

2.410
1.600
1, 718
1,160
1,136

11.3
7.5
8.0
5.4
5.3

7.8
9.4
14.5
8.6
8.3

10.9
8.3
8.1
5.9
5.0

11.9
10.2
9.7
7.8
9.0

16.3
4.0
6.4
6.1
4.7

41.4
13.6
9.9
6.9
5.6

9.8
12.0
30.9
6.1
6.9

2.4
15.3
10.8
14.1
11.6

6.5
5.1
3.9
2.3
2.2

11.4
8.7
7.3
4.6
4. 5

5.3
4.6
7. 7
6.5
6.8

10.4
7.2
6.3
5.0
4.3

16.9
9.3
8.1
7.6
8.1

11.0
9.3
8.3
4.8
6. 2

11.1
7.3
7.1
2.2
2. 6

6.3
2.3
.7
1.3

849
736
613
4S2
408

4.0
3.4
2.9
2.3
1.9

6.4
5.6
4.8
4.8
2.9

2.8
1. 7
1.2
.8
.8

4.3
5.3
2.7
2.5
2.5

4.2
4.0
3.1
3.5
2.4

3.3
2.2
1.6
.9
1.0

2.9
2. 2
2.0
.7
.5

8.4
9. 2
5.2
4.8
1. 2

.8
1. 8
.4
.6
.1

3.5
2.9
2.9
1.S
1.1

6.2
5. 6
5.3
4.4
4.4

2.5
2.1
.9
1.0
.6

5.9
3 4
3.0
2.1
2.1

4.1
3. 4
3.1
1.4
.7

1.6

.3

.5
.6

.3
.7

339
288
192
210
156

1.6
1.3
.9
1.0
.7

1.3
2.7
1.9
1.3
1.1

.6
.1
.3
.1
.1

1.5
1.2
1.0
.4
.1

2.1
1.7
.9
1.7

.4
.3
.4
.3
.1

.5
.7
.7
.2
.2

2.0
2.8
2.0
1. 6
.4

.3
.8
1.2
.4

.9
1.0
.5
.3
.1

3.7
2.9
2. 0
2.4
1.9

.7
.6
.2
.4
.3

2.1
1.0
.3
.7
1.4

.l
.3
.l
.1
.2

110
182
130
100
113
325

.5
.8
.6
.5
.5
1.5

.5
.8
.8
.8
1.1
.8

.1
.3
.2
.2
.3

1.0
.7
.3
.3
.3
.4

.7
.2
.5
.7

.1
.8
.2
.3
.1
.5

1.5
.2
.5
.2
.2

.4
1.6

.1

.1
.4
.1
.4
.2
.5

1.4
2.0
1.6
.9
1.4
4.1

.1
.3
.2
.2
.1
.4

47.5, under 50.0
52.5, under 55.0_____ ___________
55.0, under 57.5.................................

62.5, under 65.0

72.5, under 75.0..................... .......

90.0, under 100.0...............................
100.0 and over______ _______ ___

2.6

.8
.8
.4

.3
.1

1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average.




*•

*

.8
.4
.8

1.3

.3
.7
.7
.3
.3
.7

.2
.1
.4

.3

.3
.3

WOMEN ’S AND CHILDREN ’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Num­
ber of
em­
ployees

00

PART VII.--- UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR

85

Hourly earnings.

*

a

j

*

The average hourly earnings of the 21,417 workers were 41.5 cents.
Table II shows that 21 percent of all employees earned under 30
cents an hour and 57 percent earned under 40 cents. Only onetenth earned as much as 60 cents an hour.
Of the various State and city groups, workers in New York City
had the best earnings, shown by an average of 51.7 cents, followed
by Minnesota and Wisconsin with an average of 47.9 cents, and Cal­
ifornia with 47.5 cents. In an intermediate position, with averages
varying downward from 42.8 cents to 38.1 cents, were other Illinois
and” Indiana, Chicago, Michigan, Philadelphia, Massachusetts, Ohio,
and New Jersey. Areas that paid relatively low wages were up­
State New York, Connecticut, other Pennsylvania, Missouri, and
Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia combined, these having averages
varying from 36 to 31.1 cents.
The range in hourly earnings was very wide, from 10 cents to over
$2, but in each area there was some concentration of earnings, the
degree varying considerably by locality. An examination of table
II shows that the largest groups falling in any 2^-cent interval were
41 percent in Massachusetts and 38 percent in Missouri; but in New
York City the largest group comprised only 8 percent, and in Phila­
delphia and Chicago the largest groups were only 12 percent of the
workers.
The point of concentration in the wage scale also varied in the
different areas. On the basis of 5-cent intervals the modal groups
in New York City, California, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Michi­
gan had earnings of 40 and under 45 cents. Areas in which the larg­
est groups of workers had earnings of 35 and under 40 cents were
Chicago, Ohio, and Massachusetts; those with earnings in the next
lower interval, 30 and under 35 cents, were Philadelphia and the
combination of Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. In the remaining
six areas the largest groups of workers had earnings of 25 and under
30 cents; in these and in Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, more than
one-fifth of the workers earned under 30 cents.
A substantial proportion of the workers in New York City (44
percent), Minnesota and Wisconsin (33 percent), California (31 per­
cent), other Illinois and Indiana (24 percent), and Chicago (20 percent) earned 50 cents or more, but only from 10 to 17 percent in
Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, and Philadelphia, and less than 10
percent in the six other areas, had such earnings.
Hourly earnings by occupation.— -As is generally the case in the women’s apparel industries, women largely predominate among the em­
ployees. In the factories included in the current study, just over ninetenths of the workers were women. Distribution of the employees by
occupation shows striking differences in the number and sex of the
workers in the occupational groups, and the earnings received for the
various types of work may be considered as indicative of the wage
levels for the two sexes.
Sewing-machine operators made up the largest group, numbering
13,779, or 64 percent of all the employees reported. All these but 74
were women. The next largest group, 3,084, or 14 percent of the total,
consisted of hand finishers, inspectors, and packers; 97 percent of this
group were women. Cutters numbered 1,069, or 5 percent of the




86

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN'S APPAREL INDUSTRY

workers, and over four-fifths of this group were men. Seven percent
of the workers were pressers, and again the great majority, 96 percent,
were women. Smaller groups were employed in general factory work,
as floor boys or girls and cleaners (4 percent of the total workers), and
in such nonmanufacturing occupations as shipping (2 percent), main­
tenance (1 percent), and plant clerical work (1 percent). Working
foremen and forewomen are grouped with machinists and together com­
prise 3 percent of the work force. The summary following shows the
numbers of men and women with occupation reported.

Occupation

All
employees

W omen
Men
Number

Percent

21, 704

2,018

19, 686

90.7

13,779
3,084
1, 069
1,484
'846
630
183
630
99

74
89
879
61
124
413
171
195
12

13, 705
2,995
190
1,423
722
117
12
435
87

99.5
97.1
17.8
95.9
85.3
22. 1
6. 6
69.0
87.9

Average hourly earnings are shown by occupation and area in table
III. The supervisory and machinist group and the cutters had much
better earnings than workers in the other occupations, their averages
being respectively 66.3 cents and 62.3 cents. Machine operators, the
largest of the occupational groups, averaged 41 cents, but the hand
finishers, inspectors, and packers had an average of only 35.7 cents.
The lowest earnings, only 31.7 cents, were those of the general indirect
workers. The other groups, maintenance, pressing, shipping, and
plant clerical workers, had averages varying from 39.5 cents to 41.8
cents.
Unpublished figures show that the number of workers with earnings
below 30 cents varied from only 4 percent of the supervisory group and
14 to 19 percent of the cutters, pressers, and machine operators, to
over 30 percent of the hand finishers, inspectors, and packers and the
maintenance workers, and to nearly one-half (47 percent) of the gen­
eral indirect workers. More than half of the employees in each group
but the supervisors and the cutters had earnings below 40 cents.
Thirty-five percent of the cutters and 34 percent of the supervisors
and machinists earned 70 cents or more, but fewer than 10 percent of
the workers in the other groups were paid such wages.
In nearly every case where it was possible to compute average earn­
ings, the supervisors and machinists and the cutters had the liighest
earnings and the general indirect labor and the hand finishers, inspec­
tors, and packers had the lowest. Other Illinois and Indiana plants
paid hand finishers, inspectors, and packers higher wages than did
other areas, and Massachusetts paid the general indirect labor group
more than did other places. With these exceptions, New York City
plants paid the highest amounts in all occupations. Machine oper­
ators and hand finishers, inspectors, and packers had relatively high
earnings in Minnesota and Wisconsin and in California.




Table III.—Average hourly earnings of experienced employees in the UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR INDUSTRY, by occupation

and by area
Machine
operators
(99+ percent
women)

Hand
finishers,
inspectors,
packers
(97 percent
women)

Cutters
(18 percent
women)

Pressers
(96 percent
women)

General
indirect labor
(85 percent
women)

Shipping
(22 percent
women)

Maintenance
(7 percent
women)

Supervisory
and
machinists
(69 percent
women)

Plant clerical
(88 percent
women)

Area

&9

All areas.

21,417

41.5 13,670

41.0

1,060

3,057

62.3

47. 5
35. 8
42. 0
42. 8
39. 9

252
903
445
273
967

46. 5
36. 2
41. 4
38. 6
39. 7

42
253
93
60
203

408
Michigan
Minnesota and Wisconsin,,
249
727
Missouri_________ _______
New Jersey........ .................... 4, 219
New York City....... ............ 8,055
Up-State New York............ 2,009

40.9
47.9
32.6
38.1
51.7
36.0

288
141
474
2,881
3, 319
1, 351

39.5
48.7
31.3
37.9
53.1
35.5

52
30
570
1,064
275

38.7
44.0
31.1
32.9
39.6
32.1

14
14
44
143
329

Ohio............. ......................... .
Philadelphia------------------Other Pennsylvania
Tennessee, Texas, and Vir­
ginia...................................

236
580
2,266

39.8
40.4
33.2

165
396
1, 606

39.4
39.3
33.4

18
48
224

35.2
29.7

303

31.1

209

30.2

373
California
Connecticut................ .......... 1, 452
Chicago----- ------ ------------678
Other Illinois and Indiana,
424
Massachusetts___________ 1,438

101

88

41.0
54.2
91.5
53.9

17
18
35
313
467
144

24
38
106

63.1
33.0

54
124

31.7

504

46.3
37.0
40.4

8
65 ___
29.4
6 ___
7 _____
43
32.9

38.4

32
30

8

6

36.5
32.6

170

36.1

2
8

39.8

13
23
30

8

15

36.3
45.8

4
7
24
43
18

26
79
214
47

32.4

28

5
3

11

21

114
401
54

32.6
31.4
29.8

3

18

30.8

14
50
6

1

58.2

15

19
8
11

16
14
3

5

34

3
2

50.9
61.6
79.8
55.9

20

35.7

41.8
3
3

12

2

7

570
16

3

11

1

8

92

84
202

39.5

66.3

21

5
4
7

20
2

7

32.8
37.3
48.8
34.6

40.7

6

828

1,472
25
106
36
23
85

40.7
31.4
37.4
44.3
36.5

54.9

2 ’
1

PART VII.----UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR

All factory
employees
(91 percent
women)

1 The mean—the simple arithmetic average. Not computed where base less than 25.




OO

^1

88

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia combined paid the lowest wages, and
Missouri the next lowest, to machine operators, and in the other classes
for which average hourly earnings were computed the areas paying the
lowest amounts were other Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Connecticut.
The lowest earnings of all were the 29.4 cents averaged by general
indirect labor in Connecticut and the highest were the 91.5 cents aver­
aged by cutters in New York City.
Hourly earnings in union and nonunion shops.—Fifty-two percent
of the firms scheduled were union shops. To compare the hourly
earnings for all employees in union shops with the earnings for all
employees in nonunion shops, averages have been computed for the
two types of shop. While usually only the productive workers are
organized, the earnings of the other groups are included, as they are
influenced to some degree by union rates of coworkers.
The greatest degree of unionization exists in New York City, and
here the a verge earnings were higher than elsewhere; they were 17
cents higher than the earnings in nonunion shops in the same city,
or 53.7 cents compared with 36.6 cents. In New Jersey, the socond
largest center of underwear production, the average earnings in
organized shops were 39.4 cents, in unorganized 36.7 cents. In
up-State New York, Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia, Cali­
fornia, and Chicago, employees in union shops earned slightly less
than those in nonunion shops, the difference in hourly earnings vary­
ing from 1.6 cents to 4.2 cents. In the other areas in which both
union and nonunion shops were scheduled the averages for union
employees exceeded those for nonunion workers, the difference in
favor of union employees being as follows: 1.6 cents in Philadel­
phia, 3.3 cents in Missouri, 7.1 cents in Connecticut, 8.9 cents in
other Illinois and Indiana, and 13.6 cents in Ohio.
Hourly earnings in the various firms.—Equally significant is the
contrast in average earnings for the various establishments. These
averages are shown in the summary following.
Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)

Number
of firms

Employees
Number

Total..............

290

25.0, under 27.5___
27.5, under 30.0___
30.0, under 32.5___
32.5, under 35.0___
35.0, under 37.5___
37.5, under 40.0___

8
12
21
29
44
26

21,417

—
198
671
1, 541
2,975
4,617
2,037

Percent
100.0
0.9
3.1
7.2
13.9
21.6
9.5

Average hourly
earnings in the
firm (cents)
40.0, under 42.5___
42.5, under 45.0___
45.0, under 47.5___
47.5, under 50.0___
50.0, under 55.0___
55.0, under 60.0...."
60.0, under 70.0___
70.0 and over_____

Number
of firms

Employees
Number

22
29
11
15
33
19
15
6

1,628
2,105
683
835
1,867
1,172
812
276

Percent
7.6
9.8
3.2
3.9
8.8
5.4
3.8
1.3

Jobbers, few in number, had the highest averages, as they employed
only cutters or sample workers. However, unpublished flgures show
that when jobbers’ shops are eliminated many manufacturers with
less than 50 employees paid higher rates than firms with over 100
employees; in fact, firms having 300 or more employees paid rates
that yielded their workers, considered as a group, amounts ranging
only from 32.5 and under 35 cents to 42.5 and under 45 cents an hour.
Of the 149 plants employing fewer than 50 workers, average earn­
ings were below 30 cents in 16, 30 and under 40 cents in 48, 40 and
under 60 cents in 72, and 60 and under 90 cents in 13. Only 2 of the




*

*

89

PART VII.--- UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR

71 firms employing 100 or more workers had averages below 30 cents,
but in 41 plants the average was 30 and under 40 cents, in 25 it was 40
and under 60 cents, and in only 3 did the workers average 60 cents
or more.
_
The distribution of employees by their individual earnings accord­
ing to the average for the firm also is available in unpublished tables.
The range of the employees’ earnings in each class but the lowest is
very wide; in fact, in all but the highest of the 2%-cent intervals in
firm averages there were employees who earned less than 32cents
and in all but the lowest there were employees who earned $1 or more.
In plants #with low average hourly earnings there is a pronounced
concentration of earnings in the wage intervals below 30 or 35 cents;
and as the plant average increases, the proportion of employees
with relatively high earnings increases and the proportion paid low
wages decreases.
The different wage levels of the firms in the various areas are
striking. In all the firms in Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia the
average earnings were below 35 cents, and in all in other Pennsyl­
vania and in Missouri the averages were below 40 cents. In the
other areas the range in plant averages was much wider. Plants
with average earnings under 30 cents were found in all areas but
California, Chicago, other Illinois and Indiana, Michigan, and Phila­
delphia. No area but New York City had plants in which average
earnings were as much as 57)4 cents, but plants in that city had
averages up to 70 cents and over. However, one or more plants
with averages of 50 cents or more were found also in California,
other Illinois and Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin,
New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
Hours worked.
Data in regard to the number of hours worked in the pay-roll
period covered were reported for 21,440 employees. These are shown
in table IV. Nearly two-fifths of the employees worked from 37j4
to 40 hours, inclusive, but a significant number, 27 percent, had
less than 35 hours of work. Almost one-sixth had a workweek of
44 hours or longer.
Table

IV.—Hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded by employees in the
UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR INDUSTRY
Employees

Employees
Hours worked

Hours worked
Number
21,440
............. .
87H—-1----------------------------35

202064°-




Number

Percent
100.0

5,807
313
1, 637
2,071

27.1
1.5
7.9
9.7

40
44

2,095
3,869
2’ 279
2,435
884

Percent
9.8
18. 0
10.6

11.4
4. 1

90

WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S APPAREL INDUSTRY

Week’s earnings.

Table V gives the total week’s earnings as reported for 21,704 experi­
enced employees. The average of the entire group, regardless of the
number of hours worked, was $15.30. It ranged by area from $12.45 in
Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia to $18.70 in New York City. Other
relatively high earnings, shown by averages of $16.10 to $17.60, were
those for Chicago, California, and Minnesota and Wisconsin. At a
lower level, with averages varying from $13.45 to $15.45, were Ohio,
Connecticut, up-State New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, other
Illinois and Indiana, Philadelphia, and Michigan. Missouri and other
Pennsylvania also ranked low, with averages of $12.60 and $12.70,
respectively.
In each area there was a very wide range, but the most common
earnings, on the basis of $5 intervals, were $10 and under $20, in
most cases $10 and under $15. The modal groups in New York
City, Chicago, California, Michigan, and Minnesota and Wisconsin,
varying from 32 to 54 percent, had earnings of $15 and under $20.
The intervals in which fell the earnings of at least 50 percent of
the employees in an area, arranged in descending order according to
the highest of the intervals, are as follows:
Minnesota and Wisconsin—54 percent earned $15 and under $20.
New York City—54 percent earned $11 and under $20.
California—52 percent earned $13 and under $19.
Chicago—51 percent earned $13 and under $19.
Other Illinois and Indiana—51 percent earned $10 and under $17.
Michigan—50 percent earned $13 and under $17.
Ohio—55 percent earned $10 and under $17.
Philadelphia—52 percent earned $10 and under $17.
Massachusetts—51 percent earned $12 and under $10.
Missouri—53 percent earned $10 and under $16.
New Jersey—56 percent earned $10 and under $16.
Connecticut—51 percent earned $10 and under $15.
Up-State New York -54 percent earned $10 and under $15.
Other Pennsylvania—54 percent earned $10 and under $15.
Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia—59 percent earned $11 and under $14.

The proportion of workers with relatively low or high earnings
also varied considerably in the different areas. Less than one-fifth
of the workers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, California, New York
City, and Michigan had earnings below $12, but in up-State New
York, Connecticut, other Pennsylvania, and Missouri, from two-fifths
to more than one-half of the workers had such earnings. In Ohio,
other Pennsylvania, and Missouri, roughly one-fourth earned less
than $10.
From 20 to 33 percent of the workers in Chicago, Minnesota and
Wisconsin, California, and New York City, earned $20 or more. In
contrast to this, only 2 percent of those in Tennessee, Texas, and
Virginia, and only from 7 to 11 percent of those in Connecticut, other
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, up-State New York, Michigan, Mis­
souri, Ohio, and New Jersey, had earnings of as much as $20.




» >

a

Table V.—TFeefc’s earnings of experienced employees in the UNDERWEAR AND NJGTTTW EAR INDUSTRY , by area
Percent of employees with week’s earnings as specified in—

Total

Week’s earnings

Per­
cent

Cali­
fornia

290
21,704
$15. 30

100.0

16
375
$17. 20

9
1,454
$13. 50

Chi­
cago

15
681
$16.10

Min­
Other
Illinois Mas­ Michi­ nesota
and
sachu­
and
gan
Wis­
Indi­
setts
consin
ana
4
425
$15.15

12
1, 453
$14. 45

3
411
$15. 45

4
250
$17.60

Ten­
nessee.
Texas,
and
Vir­
ginia

Ohio

Phila­
del­
phia

Other
Penn­
sylva­
nia

21
2,080
$13. 55

6
238
$13.45

16
596
$15. 40

16
2,274
$12. 70

6
304
$12. 45

1.7
7.5
26.4
31.5
16.5
8.1
8.3

2.4
15.0
53.9
20.7
4.7
1.4
1.8

5.5
18.5
42.0
24.4
5. 5
2.9
1.3

2.3
12.8
35.9
23.9
11. 1
4.0
3.0

5.2
18.3
54. 3
15. 3
4. 9
.8
1. 2

3.0
8. 2
77. 6

Mis­
souri

New
Jersey

New
York
City

Up­
State
New
York

10
746
$12. 60

40
4,233
$13. 80

112
6,184
$18. 70

8.4
18.2
49.1
14.9
4.6
2.3
2.5

2.6
16.2
43.7
21.7
7.6
1.6
1.6

Percent of employees
Under $5_____
$5, under $10...
$10, under $15..
$15, under $20 .
$20, under $25.
$25, under $30..
$30 and over...

604
2,727
9,153
5,573
2,043
790
814

9 4
3.8

26.1
40. 8
16. 5
6 7
2.7

2 2
15.8
50.5
24.5
4.4
1.4
1.2

2.8
10. 3
29.8
37.4
12. 5
4.0
3.2

5.6
13.4
40.2
24.2
9.4
3.1
4.0

2.0
10.5
53.2
25.9
4.6
1.4
2.4

2.4
5.4
40.6
42.3
4.4
1.7
3.2

1.2
6.4
14.0
53.6
16.4
4.4
4.0

.7

Cumulative percents
6,813
10, 347
14, 134
16, 505

13.9
25.3
43.2
61.9

42.2
59.5
76.6
86.9

20.9
31.4
51.4
69.0

38.6
47.8
63.8
75.8

25.6
44. 0
76.1
85.8

18.5
33.6
63.0
81.8

10.8
17.2
36.8
59.6

53.2
69.7
80.0
87.3

38.2
57.9
74.7
84.2

18.2
28.9
43.0
56.0

41.2
62.7
78.6
87.3

37.4

28.8
42.9

44.0
64.4
83.7
90.8

36.2
79.9
93.7
97.4

5,199
3. 647
2,537
i

31.4
47.7
65.1
76.0
24.0
16.8
11.7

38.1
25.9
17.3

13.1
7.0
3.9

31.0
19.7
12.6

24.2
16.5
11.3

14.2
8.4
5.3

18.2
9. 2
6.8

40.4
24.8
14. 4

12.7
9.4
7.0

15.8
10.8
6.0

44.0
32.9
25.3

12.7
7.9
5.0

16.4

27.5

9.2

5.5

10.7

2.6
2.0
2.0

PART VII.----UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR

Number of firms
Number of employees
Average earnings l-----------

Numher

Con­
necti­
cut

The mean—the simple arithmetic average.




O
CO