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L ! EARNINGS OF WOMEN i - ^ IN SELECTED r’ MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, 1946 i» GR1NNELL COLLEGE - LIBRARY |3 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR l.^~ WOMEN’S BUREAU BULLETIN 219 n5 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL United States Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, Washington, December 22, 194-7. Sir: I have the honor to present a report on the earnings of women factory workers, a subject of widespread interest, both current and continuing. This report is a compilation and interpretation of the most comprehensive data that ever have been available at a single period of time to show certain important details as to the earnings of women employed on manufacturing processes in selected industries. The basic material used here was secured from Bureau of Labor Statistics Industry Wage Structure Bulletins and from wage tabu lations for individual localities. Women constitute from 40 to over 75 percent of the work force in almost every industry included here. Taken together these industries employ over a sixth of all women manufacturing production workers. > The statistical tables on women’s earnings used as a basis for this analysis were prepared by Helen H. Hassell under the direction of Isadore Spring, Chief of the Bureau’s Statistical Section, and the interpretation was made and the report written by Mary Elizabeth Pidgeon, Chief of the Bureau’s Economic Studies Section. Respectfully submitted. Frieda S. Miller, Director. Hon. L. B. SCHWELLENBACH, Secretary of Labor. CONTENTS Page Letter of transmittal Foreword Character and Source of Data---------------------------------------------------------------Industry Variations in Women’s Earnings-------------------------------------Industry Variations in Women’s Earnings Among Chief Geographical Regions Industry Variations in Women’s Earnings Among Individual Localities.Occupational Variations in Women’s Earnings---------------------------------------- u 1 1 -3 Minimum Entrance Rates and Minimum Job Rates------------------Earnings in Union and Nonunion Plants------------------------------------------------- 10 12 ii 4 6 ■7 EARNINGS OF WOMEN IN SELECTED MANU FACTURING INDUSTRIES, 1946 FOREWORD The amount of money that can be earned to meet the expenses of daily living is a first consideration with the worker. Hence repeated requests come to the Women’s Bureau for information on women’s wages, both as to their earnings in general and also as to the amounts they receive in particular industries and localities. This type of information has special significance, for example, to minimum-wage administrators, to women in unions and union wage negotiators, to women’s organizations furthering programs relating to women’s wages, and to others. Furthermore, a knowledge of such earnings is of primary importance in the work the Women’s Bureau is legally directed to perform—“to formulate standards and policies for the welfare of wage-earning women.” Many of the persons asking for information on women’s wages do not have a general understanding of the marked extent to which the contents of the worker’s pay envelope varies, for example, by indus try, occupation, locality, and period of time—often even from week to week. Moreover, these are only the more obvious factors that influence wages; the over-all volume of economic activity and the relative importance of different types of activity determine to a considerable extent the levels and the general patterns of wages. CHARACTER AND SOURCE OF DATA The data on women’s earnings shown in this report afford a good general picture of what women factory workers in certain industries were receiving within the 2- to 10-month period immediately follow ing the war. They give information on the variations in women’s earnings by industry, skill of occupation, and section of the country in which they work. Earnings in union and nonunion plants are also discussed. This is the first time available wage data by sex have been of such scope, including as they do detailed occupational and other break downs, covering a considerable number of important industries and a wide geographical area, and confined, furthermore, to a brief span of time. The Women’s Bureau is fortunate in having access to this 772324°—48 1 2 WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING material, which was prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from wage data collected directly by representatives in its various regional offices from the records of individual companies.1 Naturally, those who need to use wage data want them to refer to a very recent period. It would be immensely helpful to all agencies requiring them to have women’s earnings reported for a large number of industries and occupations over a wide geographical area and at frequent intervals, say every 6 months, or even annually. To achieve this wTould require a very considerable statistical staff in continuous operation—a much larger staff than any government agency ever has had or is likely to have in the near future for this special purpose.2 Taken together, the industries included in this report employ over a sixth of all women production workers. The industries reported here are those for which data on postwar earnings were available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in preliminary form in February 1947 and in which the employment of women is important.3 The number of women plant workers in these industries, as esti mated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, totals 543,600. For the most part, the earnings shown in this study are those reported for these women in Bureau of Labor Statistics Industry Wage Structure Bulletins. These were supplemented, for the discussion of earnings differences among individual localities (pp. 6-7), by information secured from Bureau of Labor Statistics reports on earnings tabulated by individual locality. These locality tabulations included 215,000 women in 29 States of chief industrial importance. Table 1 shows for each industry the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates both of the total number of women plant workers and of the proportion the women constituted of the industry’s plant force. Women constituted more than 40 percent of the estimated plant work force in almost every industry reported here, most of which are long-time employers of many women. In 8 of the 12 industry groups shown on table 1, from one-half to more than three-fourths of the work force were women. 1 Only establishments with eight or more employees are included. The Wage Analysis Branch of the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows these wage data separately for various industries in its mimeographed industry Wage Studies Bulletins, Series 2—Wage Structure, Reports for individual industries. 2 The Women’s Bureau has concentrated the wage studies of its small field and research staffs on: (1) con ditions in some particular industry which employs many women, or pays them low wages, or presents special wage problems for them; and (2) certain special problems arising in connection with women’s wages. See, for example, current Women’s Bureau report on Women Workers in Power Laundries and releases on equal-pay legislation. Earlier reports also give analyses that still are useful in relation to particular problems connected with women’s wages, for example Bulletin 196, “Equal Pay” for Women in War Industries, and Bulletins 166 and 191 showing minimum-wage laws and orders and their influence on women’s wages. 3 These industries are limited to those for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics obtained pay-roll data representing the months October 1945-June 1946. WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING 3 Table 1.—Number of Women Plant Workers in Selected Manufacturing Industries Industry All industries included in report_______ Textile mill products: Cotton_____ _____ ______ Southern mills. ... Northern mills____ Hosiery. ______ Seamless_________ Full-fashioned____________ Woolen and worsted______ Rayon and silk________ Footwear 2_________ Tobacco............................... Cigar------------------------------- ------ ----------------Cigarette_________________ Paper container________ _. Set-up box __ _____ I olding box_____________ Corrugated, fiber box........................ Costume jewelry_________ Month and year reported Estimated number of women plant workers 1 Percent women were of all plant workers 543, 599 175, 945 144,657 31,288 69, 325 37, 225 32,100 67,975 39, 800 92, 600 3 54, 304 41 33’ 850 45 8^ 600 9,800 56 64 43 50 56 66 1 As reported in Bureau of Labor Statistics Industry Wage Structure Bulletins. 2 Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. 3 Total exceeds details as details not shown for a small number of women in tobacco plants other than those making cigars and cigarettes. The earnings reported were received in the early postwar period— largely in early 1946, a few in late 1945, as indicated in table 1. They consist of straight-time average hourly earnings, including earnings by piece work and under incentive systems, but excluding premium overtime and special bonuses such as Christmas and profit-sharing payments. General wage raises given after these reports were secured are not shown here. INDUSTRY VARIATIONS IN WOMEN’S EARNINGS A brief over-all summary serves to show the general relationships of these industries to one another in respect to levels of women’s wages. Among the industries and industry groups analyzed (see table 2), average hourly earnings for women plant workers were highest in woolen and worsted mills—86 cents an hour. Earnings in these plants averaged 85 cents or more for over 40 percent of the women and less than 65 cents for only a very small proportion. Nearly half of the women had averages of 75 to 90 cents an hour, and a small propor tion (nearly 2 percent), representing the highest skills, averaged $1.40 an hour or more (as is shown in fuller data not published here). At the other end of the scale were the seamless hosiery plants and the plants making paper containers. Averages for the women plant workers reported in these industries were 58 to 65 cents an hour. In these industries few women received average pay as high as 85 cents an hour; well over half had averages below 65 cents an hour; and the more complete data show that some of the women had averages WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING 4 below 50 cents.4 A brief summary of the distribution of these aver ages is presented in table 2. Table 2.—Average Earnings of Women Plant Workers in Selected Manufacturing Industries, All Areas Reported Percent of women whose average hour ly earnings were— Average hourly earnings Industry Less than 65 cents $0. 86 .78 .75 .74 .72 .69 .69 .68 .65 .62 .61 .58 7 34 24 17 15 55 45 44 53 61 66 71 85 cents or over Weekly average, if a 40hour week 41 34 29 19 11 20 18 12 6 4 5 4 $34.40 31.20 30.00 29. 60 28.80 27. 60 27. 60 27. 20 26. 00 24.80 24. 40 23.20 i Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. INDUSTRY VARIATIONS IN WOMEN'S EARNINGS AMONG CHIEF GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS Average hourly earnings in the same industry varied markedly from one geographical region to another, as table 3 shows. Table 3.—Average Hourly Earnings of Women Plant Workers in Selected Manufacturing Industries, by Region 1 Industry Textile mill products: Hosiery: Tobacco: Paper container: United States $0.72 New England $0.77 .58 .78 .86 .74 .69 « (2) .69 .75 p) p) .61 .62 .65 .68 p) .90 .77 .77 Middle Atlantic South east $0.71 p) $0.63 .86 .84 .72 .69 p) p) .66 .64 .62 .67 .75 .73 .69 .75 .71 p) .55 .60 .57 .71 p) pj p) p) Great Lakes p) p) $0.82 m p> .64 p) p> p) .60 .63 .66 1 Earnings for each industry are shown only for regions where more than 10 percent of the women were emuiujcu. No women or less than 10 percent of all women reported m the industry. 3 Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. In the Middle West region, where 15 percent of the women were employed, earnings averaged 58 cents. . , 4 In the Border region, where 46 percent of the women were employed, earnings averaged 75 cents. 2 4 No attempt is made in this bulletin to discuss the factors which enter into estimates of minimum cost-ofiving budgets. It may be noted, however, that in the 7 minimum-wage States for which cost-of-living bud gets were prepared in 1946, estimates of the minimum amounts needed weekly to enable a single woman without dependents to be self-supporting ranged from $28 to $39. These estimates allow for the purchase of food, shelter, clothing, and other commodities and services and for the payment of social security, Federal, and State income taxes where required. WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING 5 In the cotton textile1 industry, which employed more women than any other single industry included in this report, the average hourly earn ings of women in the Southeast region were 6 cents less than in the New England region. The widest regional spread in earnings was reported in footwear, where there was a difference of 19 cents in the average hourly earnings of women between the New England and the Middle West regions. Difference in Average Earnings Between Highest-Paying and Lowest-Paying Region, for Each Industry 1 Regional difference in— Industry Footwear2 Highest-paying region Lowest-paying region ____ __________ _____ Set-up paper box_____ _____ _____ Cotton textile___ - Middle Atlantic. ___ _______ Middle Atlantic. ___ Cigar ___________________ _ (3)- (3) Hourly average Weekly average, if a 40hour week $0.19 .15 .09 .09 .06 .06 .06 .05 .03 .02 .01 .00 $7.60 6.00 3. 60 3.60 2.40 2.40 2.40 2.00 1.20 .80 .40 .00 1 Derived from data shown in table 3. 2 Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. 3 This industry was represented in only two regions, Southeast and Border, and in each region earnings averaged 75 cents. There also was wide variation in the earnings among different industries in any one region. The greatest difference—35 cents per hour—between the highest-paying and lowest-paying industry in any one region occurred in New England. The least difference in average earnings among the various industries was in the Southeastern region, though even there the highest hourly average was 18 cents above the lowest. See the following summary. Difference in Average Earnings Between Highest-Paying and Lowest-Paying Industry, for Four Regions 1 Industry difference in— Region Highest-paying industry Lowest-paying industry Hourly average New England_______ Middle Atlantic............ Great Lakes__________ ____do..._____ _____ _______ Southeast..................... . 1 Derived from data shown in table 3. $0.35 .24 .22 .18 Weekly average, if a 40hour week $14.00 9.60 8.80 7. 20 6 WOMEN'S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY VARIATIONS IN WOMEN'S EARNINGS AMONG INDIVIDUAL LOCALITIES5 Up to this point the discussion has dealt with average earnings in broad geographical regions. The pages that follow consider average earnings of women plant workers as between individual localities. It is not surprising that these frequently vary more markedly than the over-all averages for broader areas, since an average for a broader area will tend to cancel out some of the more extreme differences between individual localities. Average hourly earnings paid in the highest-paying localities for the individual industries analyzed ranged from 65 cents in the seamless hosiery industry to $1.06 in the footwear industry. Average hourly earnings in the lowest-paying localities for the different industries analyzed varied from 49 cents in the set-up box industry to 72 cents in the woolen and worsted industry. The highest and lowest average earnings reported by individual localities, for the industries covered, are shown in table 4. Table 4.—Average Earnings of Women Plant Workers in Selected Manufacturing Industries, by Highest-Paying and Lowest-Paying Locality 1 Average weekly earn ings, if a 40-hour week Average hourly earnings Industry Number of localities reported Highestpaying locality Textile mill products: Hosiery: Tobacco: Paper container: Lowestpaying locality Highestpaying locality Lowestpaying locality 26 $0.87 $0.67 $34.80 $26. 80 13 11 16 16 18 .65 .89 .96 .94 1.06 .50 .65 .72 .69 .55 26.00 35. 60 38. 40 37. 60 42. 40 20. 00 26. 00 28.80 27. 60 22.00 12 3 .84 .78 .60 .68 33.60 31.20 24.00 27.20 12 12 11 4 .78 .83 .81 .87 .49 .50 .55 .66 31.20 33.20 32.40 34. 80 19. 60 20. 00 22.00 26. 40 i There may be a lower or higher average for a locality for which data were not available. 3 Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. In most industries, women in the highest-paying locality reported for an industry had an hourly average more than 20 cents higher than 6 Locality (or wage area), as used here, corresponds with the definition of a wage area as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its Wage Structure Bulletins—“a wage area * * * consists of a city and such surrounding territory as constitutes a relatively homogeneous area with respect to wage structure. In general, each wage area consists of a single county, although some cover a smaller or larger territory.’' 7 WOMEN'S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING those in the lowest-paying locality for the same industry. The greatest locality difference in earnings was in footwear, where women in the highest-paying locality had an average of 51 cents an hour more than those in the lowest. For a 40-hour week this difference would amount to $20.40. Only in 2 of 12 individual industries was the difference in hourly averages from highest- to lowest-paying locality as little as 15 cents or less. The following summary shows how much less, on the average, women earned in the lowest-paying locality of each industry compared with the highest-paying. Difference in Average Earnings Between Highest-Paying and Lowest-Paying Locality, for Each Industry1 Locality difference in— Industry Hourly aver age $0.51 .33 .29 .26 .25 .24 .24 .24 .21 .20 .15 . 10 Weekly average, if a 40-hour week $20. 40 13.20 11.60 10. 40 10.00 9.60 9.60 8. 40 8.40 8.00 6.00 4.00 Derived from data shown in table 4. OCCUPATIONAL VARIATIONS IN WOMEN’S EARNINGS It is to be expected that there are great variations in the earnings of women in different occupations, even within the same industry. Some occupations are considerably more skilled than others and therefore require more training and experience before proficiency is gained. Some industries or plants may have a more carefully studied wage structure than others. Some may have a more fully developed system of collective bargaining for a wage scale than others. These and other circumstances tend to influence differences in occupa tional pay, from industry to industry, and even within the same industry. From 10 of the industries included in this report, 63 characteristic occupations (see p. 9) that employ large numbers of women have been selected for analysis. The range in average hourly earnings within each industry in the occupations selected for that industry is as follows: 8 WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING Occupational Difference in Average Hourly Earnings of Women Plant Workers1 Average hourly earnings Industry 1 Number of plant occu pations included 1 6 4 8 6 9 5 9 4 4 8 Highestpaying occupation Lowestpaying occupation $1.09 . 93 . 85 .85 . 94 .92 .87 . 69 . 72 .64 $0.74 . 58 . 60 . 72 . 71 . 67 .55 . 59 .57 Difference between highest and lowest $0.35 .32 . 22 . 14 . 13 .07 1 Limited to industries for which more than one occupation was reported and to occupations which re ported 1,000 or more women. This basis of selection resulted in the omission of all occupations in the folding paper box and corrugated, fiber box industries. The foregoing summary shows that in each of these individual industries the average hourly earnings of the women engaged in the highest-paying occupation were from 7 to 35 cents more than the average of those at work in the lowest-paying job in the same industry. A glance at the list of occupations on page 9 will show the detail for each individual industry. In 21 of the 63 occupations included here, women’s earnings averaged 80 cents or more an hour. These 21 were in cotton textile, fullfashioned hosiery, woolen and worsted, rayon and silk, footwear, cigar, and cigarette plants, most of them industries that have long traditions both of requiring considerable skill in some operations and of well-organized unions that bargain collectively for a wage scale. Some types of weaving occupations in cotton, in woolen and worsted, and in rayon and silk mills, boarder and pairer occupations in fullfashioned hosiery mills, and the occupation of machine packer of cigarettes paid averages higher than any other of all the 63 occupations included here. Following these closely were the earnings of fancy stitchers in footwear factories, of hand bunchmakers for cigars, and of ring-frame spinners in woolen and worsted mills. All the foregoing had averages of at least 85 cents an hour. In none of the characteristic occupations in full-fashioned hosiery listed here did women’s earnings average less than 72 cents, and, in woolen and worsted mills, less than 74 cents. At the other end of the scale, averages were less than 65 cents in all the seamless hosiery occupations reported here; and were 60 cents or less in four occupations in this industry, in two occupations each in footwear and in set-up paper box plants, and in one each in cos tume jewelry and in cigar factories. Lowest hourly averages of all were 55 cents for bundlers of boxes in set-up paper box plants and 57 cents for hand menders of seamless hosiery. 9 WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING The following summary lists the earnings in the 63 occupations discussed here. Average Hourly Earnings of Women Plant Workers in Chief Occupations of Women in Selected Manufacturing Industries, 1946 1 Average hourly earnings of women in— Industry and occupation 1 Cotton textile: Weaver, dobby__________ Weaver, plain automatic. Doffer, spinning frame__ Spinner, ring frame_____ Twister tender__________ Winder, yarn___________ Inspector, cloth, hand___ Inspector, cloth, machine. Battery hand___________ Industry and occupation 1 Average hourly earnings of women Seamless hosiery: Knitter, automatic$0. Looper 3 Boarder, machine_________ Pairer-----------Knitter, transfer___________ Folder and boxer__________ Inspector-_________________ Mender, hand_____________ Full-fashioned hosiery: Boarder, machine_________ Pairer___ ______________ ___ Seamer..._________________ Topper• Looper:3 Toe only______________ Toe and heel__________ Mender, hand___ _________ Folder and boxer__________ Inspector______________ Woolen and worsted: Weaver (except Jacquard)— Spinner, ring frame________ Twister tender____________ Winder, yarn______________ Inspector, cloth, hand_____ Doffer, spinning frame_____ Rayon and silk: Weaver, box_______________ Weaver, plain, automatic-Weaver, dobby____________ Twister tender and spinnerWinder, yarn______________ 64 . 62 . 61 . 61 .60 .60 . 58 . 57 . . . . 94 87 83 83 . 82 . 81 . 78 .76 . 72 1. 09 . 85 .83 . 83 -. 77 . 74 .92 . 92 . 91 . 71 . 71 United States3 New England $0. 87 . 83 . 74 .73 . 72 .71 .70 . 69 .67 (!) $0. 88 (0 .79 0) .80 .72 C) .68 Industry and occupation i Footwear: 4 Southeast $0. 86 . 83 .72 .72 .73 .70 .69 .69 .67 Average hourly earnings of women Fancy stitcher$0. 85 Vamper _________._____ . 80 Skiver .74 Treer_ . 74 Shoe cleaner-______________ . 62 Inspector . 61 Paster, backer, fitter_______ .60 Floor girl . 58 Cigar: Bunchmaker, hand________ .85 Roller, hand_______________ . 83 Wrapper layer, long-fillermachine_________________ .70 Bunchmaker, shredded-filler machine_________________ . 67 Stripper, machine_________ . 62 Stripper, hand_____________ . 60 Cigarette: Packer, machine___________ . 93 Catcher, machine__________ . 82 Picker (searcher)__________ . 67 Stemming-machine feeder __ . 61 Set-up paper box: Wrapping-machine opera tor, automatic__________ . 69 Stripping-machine opera tor . 67 Box-maker, hand__________ . 59 Bundler, box_______________ .55 Costume jewelry: Punch-press operator, class B . 72 Assembler, class C_________ . 70 Bench hand, class B_______ .65 Carder, wrapper and packer. . 59 1 Limited to industries for which more than one occupation was reported and to occupations which reported 1,000 or more women. This basis of selection resulted in the omission of all occupations in the folding paper box and corrugated, fiber box industries. 2 Includes data for other regions in addition to those shown separately. 3 With more than 1 year’s experience. * Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. 10 WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING MINIMUM ENTRANCE RATES AND MINIMUM JOB RATES Minimum entrance rates for women plant workers were as high as 75 cents in only 3 percent of the total number of manufacturing plants reported in this study; they were less than 50 cents in about one-third of these plants. These figures are shown in table 5. Table 5.—Minimum Entrance Rates and Minimum Job Rates for Women Plant Workers in Plants in Selected Manufacturing Industries Plants having minimum hourly rates for women ofTotal number of plants Less than 50, less 55, less 65,less estab 75 cents No reported 50 cents than 55 than 65 than 75 and lished over minimum cents cents cents Minimum entrance rates: Number of plants Percent distribution ... Minimum job rates: Number of plants. Percent distribution._ .. . 2, 546 100 822 32 517 20 579 23 395 16 84 3 149 6 2, 555 100 619 24 431 17 646 25 479 19 184 7 196 8 Table 5 also shows that minimum job rates for women plant workers were as high as 75 cents in only 7 percent of the plants studied; in almost one-fourth of these plants, minimum job rates were below 50 cents. MINIMUM ENTRANCE RATES IN INDIVIDUAL INDUSTRIES Of the plants with minimum entrance rates for women plant workers as high as 75 cents an hour, 70 percent were woolen and worsted mills. Twenty-two percent of all woolen and worsted mills had these higher minimum entrance rates, but this was true of only 7 percent of the northern cotton mills, 3 percent of the rayon and silk mills, and 4 percent of the costume jewelry plants. In the other industries reported here not one plant, or only a negligible percent, had minimum entrance rates as high as 75 cents. Of those at the lower end of the scale, having a minimum entrance rate of less than 50 cents, two-thirds were footwear, seamless hosiery, and paper container factories. Detailed data show that over 80 percent of the seamless hosiery plants and practically half of the footwear and of the cigar factories had an entrance minimum this low. Further details on the industry distribution of plants having various minimum entrance rates are given in table 6. MINIMUM JOB RATES IN INDIVIDUAL INDUSTRIES Of the 184 plants with the higher minimum job rates for women plant workers (75 cents or more) over two-thirds were textile mills, though textile mills were less than half of all plants reported. Detailed data 11 WOMEN'S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING Table 6.—Minimum Entrance Rates for Women Plant Workers in Plants in Selected Manufacturing Industries, by Industry Plants having minimum hourly entrance rates for women of— Industry Total 1_____ _________ Textile mill products: Cotton Northern mills........... . Hosiery: Woolen and worsted _____ Rayon and silk_________ Footwear 2 Tobacco: Cigar. --------------- -- ------- number of plants Less than 50, less reported 50 cents than 55 cents 55,less than 65 cents 65, less than 75 cents 2, 546 822 517 579 395 84 149 343 222 121 30 23 7 26 20 6 123 87 36 147 91 56 8 8 9 1 8 205 184 265 236 346 166 74 19 27 183 18 68 27 32 102 10 15 76 69 37 1 3 83 93 2 59 8 1 10 24 1 7 21 196 18 92 1 42 1 16 14 8 2 2 36 285 181 165 92 134 45 26 13 61 63 57 16 65 41 64 38 9 23 12 10 1 1 4 16 8 5 11 Paper container: Folding box Corrugated, fiber box. .. Costume jewelry-------------------- No estab 75 cents lished and over minimum r Total exceeds details as details not shown for a few tobacco plants other than those making cigars and cigarettes. 2 Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. show that 34 percent of the woolen and worsted mills, only 8 percent of the rayon and silk and of the northern cotton mills, and none of the southern cotton mills had minimum job rates as high as 75 cents an hour. (See table 7.) Table 7.—Minimum Job Rates for Women Plant Workers in Plants in Selected Manufacturing Industries, by Industry Plants having minimum hourly job rates for women of— Total number 55,less 65,less estab of plants Less than 50, less 75 cents No than 75 and lished than 55 than 65 reported over minimum 50 cents cents cents cents Industry Total C . .. ________ Textile mill products: Cotton Northern mills Hosiery: Full-fashioned Woolen and worsted Footwear 2____ Tobacco: Cigar Paper container: Set-up box Folding box.. Corrugated, fiber box Costume jewelry... -------------- 2, 555 619 431 646 479 184 196 343 222 121 13 8 5 13 10 3 117 95 22 180 109 71 10 10 10 205 182 277 236 346 149 56 8 5 135 23 39 14 19 92 10 43 59 73 67 3 4 88 120 14 1 95 19 7 196 18 87 1 40 1 22 12 8 4 5 34 285 181 164 92 98 33 16 6 77 56 41 13 72 52 75 33 13 14 15 14 7 19 8 12 18 7 9 14 10 20 39 13 31 1 Total exceeds details as details not shown for a few tobacco plants other than those making cigars and cigarettes. 2 Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. 12 WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING At the lower end of the scale, of the plants with minimum job rates of less than 50 cents, about 70 percent were footwear, seamless hosiery, or paper container factories, though less than half of all plants reported were in these industries. Detailed data show that more than 70 per cent of the seamless hosiery mills, nearly half the cigar factories, 30 to 40 percent of the footwear and of the full-fashioned hosiery mills, and over 20 percent of the paper container plants had minimum job rates below 50 cents. Table 7 gives further detail on minimum job rates in tlie various industries. EARNINGS IN UNION AND NONUNION PLANTS EARNINGS IN INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONS In some cases sufficient data were reported to enable a comparison of women’s average earnings in occupations in union and nonunion plants. Pay in these individual occupations almost always averaged somewhat higher in all the union plants taken together than in all the nonunion plants together. The differences in women’s occupational averages from union to nonunion plants usually were greater—some times considerably greater—in the more skilled than in the less skilled occupations. In eight of the nine reported occupations in cotton textile plants, women’s hourly averages in the total of union plants were from 1 to 6 cents above those in the nonunion plants. In seven of eight occupations in seamless hosiery manufacture, women’s averages were from 2 to 11 cents more in the total of union than of nonunion plants. In nine occupations in full-fashioned hosiery manufacture, women’s averages were from 3 to 23 cents more in the total of union than of nonunion plants, the difference being 12 cents or over in four of these occupations. In five of six reported occupations in woolen and worsted mills the union plants averaged from 4 to 10 cents higher than the nonunion plants. In all five occupations reported in rayon and silk mills the averages were higher in union than in nonunion plants. In six occupations in the making of footwear, women’s hourly averages were from 3 to 8 cents higher in all union plants together than in the total of nonunion plants, and in the two other occupations hourly averages were 11 cents higher. In three out of the six reported occupations in cigar factories, and in tlie four occupations reported in set-up paper box plants, women’s hourly averages in the total of union plants were 10 cents or more above those in nonunion plants. WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING 13 - In costume jewelry two occupations averaged 13 and 14 cents higher in the union plants, and the two other occupations were 6 and 7 cents above the nonunion plants. The summary following shows in detail the data on average hourly earnings of women in individual occupations in union and nonunion plants. EARNINGS IN ALL REPORTED OCCUPATIONS COMBINED Where averages are taken for the total number of workers in all occupations in union plants, and in all those reported in nonunion plants in the same industry and wage area, the higher averages were found sometimes in union, sometimes in nonunion plants. Moreover, these differences between averages of union and of nonunion plants were small—in the great majority of cases less than 5 cents. Such over-all averages reflect differences among plants in the proportions of workers in the various occupations, as well as differences in the rates on particular jobs. It already has been pointed out that, at least so far as women are concerned, differences in averages between union and nonunion plants usually are greater for the more skilled than the less skilled occupations. Average Hourly Earnings of Women Plant Workers in Chief Occupations of Women in Union and Nonunion Plants 1 Average hourly earnings of women in— Industry and occupation1 Union plants Nonunion plants Cotton textile: Spinner, ring frame_____ __ _ Seamless hosiery: Folder and boxer ______________________________________ ___________ Full-fashioned hosiery: Seamer____ _____________________________________________________ Inspector___ _____ Footnotes at end of table. $0. 86 .85 . 76 . 76 . 75 . 73 . 73 . 70 .69 $0.88 . 82 . 72 . 71 .70 . 72 .67 . 69 .66 .67 .66 . 66 . 64 . 56 .61 .63 .62 . 61 .61 .59 .65 .60 .56 1. 06 .92 .91 .90 .86 .86 .83 .79 .75 .83 .73 .83 .78 .76 .71 .80 .73 .71 14 WOMEN’S EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING Average Hourly Earnings of Women Plant Workers in Chief Occupations of Women in Union and Nonunion Plants 1—Continued Average hourly earnings of women in— Industry and occupation 1 Union plants Woolen and worsted: Weaver (except Jacquard)------------------Twister tender_______________________ Spinner, ring frame___________________ Winder, yarn------------ -------- ---------------Inspector, cloth, hand________________ Doner, spinning frame________________ Rayon and silk: Weaver, plain, automatic----------- --------Weaver, box_________________________ Weaver, dobby_______________________ Winder, yarn________________________ Twister tender and spinner____________ Footwear: Fancy stitcher-----------------------------------Vamper__ ____ ______________________ Treer............................................................... Skiver-------------- ----------------------- --------Shoe cleaner__________________________ Inspector_____________________ _______ Paster, backer, fitter...----------------------Floor girl____________________________ Cigar: Bunchmaker, hand___________________ Roller, hand______________ __________ Bunchmaker, shredded-filler machine... Wrapper layer, long-filler machine-------Stripper, hand___________________ ____ Stripper, machine------------------------------Set-up paper box: Wrapping- machine operator, automatic. Stripping-machine operator-----------------Box-maker, hand...__________________ Bundler, box_________________________ Costume jewelry: Punch-press operator, class B__________ Assembler, class C.................. ...................... Bench hand, class B__________________ Carder, wrapper and packer----------------- . Nonunion plants $1.14 .87 .86 .86 .82 .74 $1.04 .79 .82 .80 .74 .74 .95 .94 .93 .77 .76 .91 .91 .91 .69 .70 .86 .83 .79 .77 .68 .62 .61 .59 .83 .76 .68 .69 .57 .59 .57 .56 .92 .90 .72 .68 .65 .62 .78 .73 .65 .71 .51 .62 .78 .76 .68 .62 .63 .59 .55 .52 .84 .75 .72 .71 .70 .69 .65 .58 1 Limited to industries and occupations listed on p. 9, with the exception that data were not available on occupations in the cigarette industry. 2 With more than 1 year’s experience. 3 Excludes house slippers and rubber footwear. U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1948 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. Price 10 cents
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