The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
Ul& it* UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WOMEN’S BUREAU Bulletin No. 180 EMPLOYMENT IN SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FRANCES PERKINS, Secretary WOMEN’S BUREAU MARY ANDERSON, Director + EMPLOYMENT IN SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE [3kBHT'c?> SjTESOj, Bulletin of the Women’s Bureau, No. 180 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1940 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Price 10 cents CONTENTS Page Letter of transmittal Introduction and summary Retail stores Regular employees Hours of work Week’s earnings Hourly earnings Part-time workers 11 Year’s earnings in 1939—all types of stores 11 Beauty shops_______________ Week’s earnings 13 Year’s earnings 14 Wage supplements------------------------------------------------------------------Uniforms 15 Apprenticeship----------------------------------------------------------------------Laundries and dry-cleaning plants 17 Hours of work 17 Week’s earnings 18 Hourly earnings_____________________ Year’s earnings----------------------------------------------------------------------Hotels and restaurants Hours of work____________________________________________ ___ Week’s earnings 22 Tips 24 Uniforms 24 Hourly earnings----------------------------------------------------Year’s earnings----------------------------------------------------------------------Office workers 27 Hours of work 27 Week’s earnings 28 Hourly earnings 29 Year’s earnings 30 v 1 6 7 7 8 8 13 15 16 19 19 21 21 25 26 TABLES 1. Number of firms visited and number of men and women they em ployed, by industry_______________________ 2. Hours worked by regular employees in retail stores, by sex_________ 3. Week's earnings of regular employees in retail stores," by sex_______ 4. Hourly earnings of regular employees inretail stores, by sex_________ 5. Year’s earnings of women in retail stores who worked more than half the year in 1939, by type of store 12 6. Week’s earnings of employees in beauty shops, by number of days 14 worked and by sex 7. Year’s earnings of women in beauty shops in 1939, by number of months worked 15 8. Hours worked by employees in laundries and dry-cleaning plants, by sex---------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------9. Week’s earnings of employees in laundries and dry-cleaning plants, by sex1___________________________________________________ 10. Hourly earnings of employees in laundries and dry-cleaning plants', by sex-------------------------------------------------------------------------------11. Year’s earnings of employees in laundries and dry-cleaning plants in 1939, by sex and by number of months worked______________ 12. Scheduled weekly hours in hotels and restaurants, by service depart ment____________________ _________________________________ 13. Week’s earnings in hotels and restaurants, by service department and wage supplements 23 14. Hourly earnings in hotels and restaurants, by service department and wage supplements 25 15. Week’s earnings of office workers, bysex and by industry__________ 16. Hourly earnings of office employees,by sexand byindustry_________ in 2 7 9 10 18 18 19 20 22 28 29 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL United States Department op Labor, Women’s Bureau, Washington, August 12, 1940. have the honor to transmit the report of a survey by the Women’s Bureau of stores and service industries in Maine, made at the request of the State Commissioner of Labor and Industry and the League of Women Voters, who are interested in minimum-wage legislation. A preliminary report was sent to the State in April. The field work was conducted by Caroline Maiming, industrial supervisor, and the report was written by Arthur T. Sutherland. Respectfully submitted. Mary Anderson, Director. Hon. Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor. Madam: 1 v EMPLOYMENT IN SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY The census of 1930 reported for Maine a total population of 797,423, of whom 308,603 were gainfully occupied. Manufacturing and mechanical industries employed over one-third; agriculture one-sixth; and trade, domestic and personal service, professional service, and public service, together, less than one-third. Maine’s minimum-wage law, passed in 1939, covers only women and minors in the packing of fish and fish products in oil, mustard, or tomato sauce. These occupations are part of the fish-processing industry, exempted from the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (com monly called the wage-hour law) that requires a wage of at least 30 cents an hour in interstate industries. The League of Women Voters of Maine and the State Commissioner of Labor and Industry requested that the Women’s Bureau of the United States Department of Labor make a survey of Maine indus tries that employ considerable numbers of women. The Bureau made such a survey in January and February 1940. Manufacturing and fish packing were excluded from the survey, which was confined to trade and the service industries. The chief figures from the survey findings are presented in this report. A total of 433 establishments, in 33 cities and towns, were scheduled. The list of places follows: Auburn Augusta Bangor Bath Belfast Biddeford Brewer Brunswick Calais Caribou Dexter Dover-Foxcroft Gardiner Guilford Hallowell Iloulton Lewiston Millinocket Norway Old Town Orona Portland Presque Isle Rockland Rumford Saco Sanford Skowhegan South Portland South River Springvale W aterville Westbrook The numbers of establishments visited and the numbers of men and women they employed are shown by industry in table 1. About one-fourth of the establishments, employing two-fifths of the workers, were in Portland. The employing firms generally were small; almost three-fifths (58 percent) had less than 10 employees. Only 9 of the total 433, com prising 5 stores, 2 laundry and dry-cleaning plants, and 2 hotels, had 100 or more workers. 1 2 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Table 1.—Number of firms visited and number of men and women they employed, by industry Number of employees Industry group Number of estab lish ments Wo men Total Men Number Total—all industries ........................................... . Percent of total 433 6,679 2,038 4, 641 69.5 Stores— total_______________ ____________________ 133 3,172 664 2,508 79.1 Department; dry goods_________________ _____ Limited price____ ______ ________ __ ______ Apparel...... .......... .................................................. . 42 40 51 1,600 975 597 494 107 63 1,106 868 534 69.1 89.0 89.4 59 93 1,005 308 359 19 646 289 64.3 93.8 148 2,194 996 1,198 54.6 41 91 16 1,190 873 131 601 371 24 589 502 107 49.5 57.5 81.7 Laundries and dry-cleaning plants Beauty shops Hotels and restaurants—total Hotels Independent restaurants______ ____ __________ Store’ restaurants.......... ......................................... . Pay-roll records for a recent and representative week, in most cases in October 1939, were copied, as were the whole of the year’s earnings and the number of weeks worked of all employees in 1939. Week’s earnings. With the exception of hotels and restaurants, where meals or full maintenance may form part of the compensation, the average week’s earnings1 of women varied from $11.65 in limited-price stores and $11.75 in laundry and dry-cleaning plants, to $15.50 in apparel stores. Highest of all was the $17.15 average for beauty shops in Portland. Only 4 percent of the women in department and dry-goods and in apparel stores, but 10 to 15 percent of those in limited-price stores and beauty parlors and 32 percent of those in laundries and cleaning plants, had week’s earnings of less than $10. Many of these workers were employed for only a part of the week. In a cost-of-living study made recently in Connecticut to find out how much money a working woman must have to live at a decent American standard, it was found that a single woman living in a rented room and eating in restaurants needed about $18 a w’eek ($17.99) for shelter, food, clothing, medical care, recreation, and her other expenses. Most of the women in Maine were earning less than this; only 1 percent in limited-price stores, 8 percent in laundry and dry-cleaning plants, and from 21 to 39 percent in the other industries earned as much as $18. Women in hotels and restaurants who were given meals and lodging or meals only had average cash wages of $6.45 to $7.25, and those who had only cash earnings averaged $9.95 to $12.10. Office workers have been tabulated separately from other employees. Three-fourths of them were women, and their week’s earnings ranged from less than $5 to more than $30. Women office workers in stores averaged $15.65. those in laundries and dry-cleaning plants $15.20, 1 W ith two exceptions—the year’s earnings in hotels and restaurants and in offices in 1939—the average used throughout the report is the median or midpoint of earnings when arranged in order of amount, one-half of the employees earning more and one-half earning less than the figure shown. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 3 and those in hotels and restaurants who received wage supplements had average cash earnings of $12.45. Men’s averages in hotels and restaurants ranged from $12.80 to $15.50. In the various kinds of stores and in laundry and dry-cleaning plants the averages were from $20.15 to $21.65, but as many as 17 or 18 percent of those in stores and 12 percent in laundries earned less than $15. Hours of work. The Maine law that regulates women’s hours of work allows their employment for 9 hours a day and 54 hours a week, which is extremely long by present-day standards. Approximately half of the States (4 of them in New England) and the District of Columbia have a maxi mum week of 48 hours or less; and no one covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act may work more than 42 hours unless paid time and a half for the extra hours. In several industries in Maine large proportions of women worked over 48 hours in the pay-roll week taken: In department and dry goods stores 26 percent, in limited-price stores 11 percent, in apparel stores 16 percent, in laundry and dry-cleaning plants 13 percent. Scheduled hours were over 48 for 26 percent in hotels, 53 percent in independent restaurants, and 12 percent in store restaurants. Men’s hours were even longer; 89 percent of the men in limitedprice stores and 44 percent in laundries and dry-cleaning plants worked over 48 hours, 29 percent and 17 percent, respectively, exceeding 54. Scheduled hours were 54 or more for 84 percent in independent restaurants and 52 percent in hotels. As might be expected, hours for office workers also were long. Though but 14 percent of the women in Portland stores worked 48 hours and none of them exceeded 48, as many as 27 percent of the women in stores in other places worked 48 hours and 30 percent worked more than 48. Hours exceeded 48 for about two-fifths of the women in laundry office work and for nearly three-tenths of those doing such work in hotels and restaurants. Hourly earnings. For each employee with earnings and hours worked reported, the earnings were divided by the number of hours to arrive at the hourly earnings. The average for women was highest in apparel stores, 34 cents, followed by department and dry-goods stores with 31.3 cents, laundry and dry-cleaning plants with 28.4 cents, and limitedprice stores with 25.2 cents. In hotels and in independent restaurants, where many workers have wage supplements, the cash earnings of women who received such supplements averaged from 13.5 to 14.3 cents an hour, and those who did not receive supplements had average cash earnings of 20.7 cents, 27.3 cents, and 28.1 cents, according to type of restaurant. Men’s hourly averages were higher: 46.6 cents in laundry and dry cleaning plants, 44.1 cents in department and dry-goods stores, and 35.5 cents in limited-price stores. In hotels and independent restaur ants men with wage supplements averaged 22.9 cents and 26.5 cents an hour in cash; men in hotels without wage supplements averaged 29.2 cents an hour. 259235° —40-----2 4 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Records of hours worked by beauty-shop employees were too few for computing hourly earnings. . Women in office work in stores had average hourly earnmgs of 33.1 cents and those in laundry offices averaged 33.5 cents; 21 percent of the former and 27 percent of the latter averaged 40 cents and more. None of these industries studied in Maine come under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, but the wage levels may be compared with the Federal 30-cent minimum as a matter of interest. The pro portions of women in the State survey who earned less than 30 cents an hour in the week recorded were 42 percent in department and dry-goods stores, 96 percent in limited-price stores, 31 percent in ap parel shops, 56 percent in laundry and dry-cleaning plants, 29 per cent in store offices, and 39 percent in laundry offices. In spite of their higher averages, 14 percent of the men in department and dry goods stores, 37 percent in limited-price stores, and 13 percent in apparel shops earned less than 30 cents an hour. Four New England States with minimum-wage laws have set rates for laundries. Connecticut has set a minimum of 32% cents an hour, Massachusetts and Rhode Island a minimum of 30 cents an hour’ and New Hampshire a minimum of 28 cents. In Maine, nearly half the women in the laundries and cleaning plants earned less than 28 cents an hour, and well over half (56 percent) earned less than 30 cents. Many laundries in Maine are paying as high a wage as that set by law in neighboring States, but many of their competitors are not: 16 of the 59 laundries and cleaning plants visited paid all their women employees less than 28 cents an hour. Year’s earnings. Like everyone else, working women must live 52 weeks in the year, so the year’s earnings are vitally important. The total earnmgs of each person employed at anv time in 1939 were secured by the Women’s Bureau agents for about 6,770 women in stores, laundries, and beauty shops and for about 2,200 in hotels and restaurants. Less than one-fourth of the group first named worked in all 12 months. The averages of the year’s earnings of those who did work in 12 months (though perhaps only part time) varied from only $583 in limited-price stores and $661 in laundry and dry-cleaning plants, to $763 in department and dry-goods stores, $794 in apparel stores, and $850 in beauty shops; that is, half the women, in spite of having an all-year job, earned less than the various amounts just quoted. The Connecticut cost-of-living study found that the lowest amount on which a single woman living alone in that State could support herself adequately for a year was $935.39. In general. Twenty-six States, the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Puerto Rico have minimum-wage laws, but only Oklahoma and Connecticut cover men as well as women. The chief reason for this emphasis on women is women’s low wage status, greatly below that of men. Slow to join trade unions, inexperienced in bargaining, women have had to accept what wages were offered, and for those in the low-paying jobs in low-paying industries State minimum-wage laws are establish ing levels below which their wages may not go. INTRODTJCTION AND SUMMARY 5 The Maine survey shows the same discrepancy between men’s and women’s wages as all other studies have shown. The hourly earnings of men in department stores, for example, were about 40 percent higher than those of women in the same stores; in laundries, men’s wages were 64 percent higher than women’s. There is no foundation for the fear that making the low-paying em ployers raise wages to the level of the better employers will cause the displacement of women by men. There has been no such displace ment in States that have had minimum-wage laws for years. Men and women in industry generally do very different kinds of work, and certain jobs are given to women because they are better fitted for them. Even when women’s wages are raised 10 or 20 percent by law they still are so much below men’s wages that employers find it cheaper to employ women. The 40 percent and 64 percent differences in hourly earnings of men and women in Maine department stores and laundries show that a 10-percent or 20-percent increase for women would still leave wide discrepancies. The Women’s Bureau study makes it clear that in Maine as in all other States there are employers who pay good wages and others in the same industry who do not. It shows also that many women earn less than a living wage, in some cases very much less. From the findings of the survey it is evident that the conditions that caused certain fish canners of the States to seek minimum-wage legislation exist with equal seriousness in other industries. RETAIL STORES Retail stores are among the more important employers of women. Situated in communities of all sizes, they constitute one of the few fields of employment in places that have no manufacturing. The 1935 Census of Business reported that Maine had 227 depart ment and general-merchandise stores, with 2,341 full and part-time workers; 62 limited-priced stores, with 1,413 workers; and 226 readyto-wear and family clothing stores, with 938 workers—a total of 515 stores and 4,692 employees. With the exception of 11 stores the date of the pay roll copied was in October 1939; in 6 stores the pay period was in November and in 5 it was in February 1940. In each case the records were for a period regarded as representative of normal operation in the 1939-40 winter season. . As the volume of business in stores varies considerably at different times of the day or week, and also with such seasons as Christmas and Easter, and when special sales are held, it is customary for a significant proportion of the work force to be employed on a part-time basis. These employees may work relatively few hours in the week or few weeks in the year. Employment standards are so different for the regular full-time workers and the part-time workers that separate tabulations of the two groups are presented. The employees whose records furnish the basis of this report were divided as follows: In the department-store group, which includes dry goods stores, regular employees totaled 411 men and 688 women, and part-time workers 71 men and 236 women; in limited-price stores there were 93 men and 412 women regular employees, and 14 men and 409 women part-time workers; and in apparel stores there were 51 men and 332 women regular workers, and 6 men and 136 women part-time workers. These figures do not include the office workers, discussed elsewhere. Type of store All stores-----Department; Num ber of stores Number of em ployees Total Men W omen Num ber of stores Number of em ployees Total Men Women Num ber of stores Number of em ployees Total Men Women 133 3,172 664 2, 508 25 1,122 247 875 108 2,050 417 1,633 42 40 51 1,600 975 597 494 107 63 1,106 868 534 5 6 14 563 264 295 187 31 29 376 233 266 37 34 37 1,037 711 302 307 76 34 730 635 268 dry Apparel---------------- Other places Portland State Most of the stores were small, though 3 in Portland and 2 elsewhere had 100 or more workers. Of the 42 department and dry-goods stores, 28 employed less than 25 persons; of the 40 limited-price stores, 23 had 10 and under 25; and of the 51 apparel stores, 33 had less than 10. 6 7 RETAIL STORES About 22 percent of the employees in the department and dry-goods group, 46 percent of those in limited-price stores, and 27 percent of those in the apparel shops were part-time workers, discussed sepa rately from other workers because usually their hours are shorter and their earnings much less. Office workers in stores are tabulated with clerical workers from other industries in the last section of this report. REGULAR EMPLOYEES Hours of work. Unlike some other industries, there is little time lost in stores except for personal reasons. In many stores in Maine the scheduled hours were long; though 78 stores—two-thirds of all reporting their sched ules—had a week of 44 to 48 hours for women, and 4 stores a week of less than 44, as many as 36 had weekly hours in excess of 48, 2 apparel shops exceeding 54 hours. Only one-sixth of the limited-price stores, but one-third of the department and dry-goods group and more than two-fifths of the apparel shops, had weekly hours of over 48 for women. Men’s hours were much longer. Of 72 stores reporting their schedules for men, 54 had a week in excess of 48 hours, almost onethird of these requiring men to work from 55 to 60 hours. Hours actually worked in the week were reported for nearly all employees. In the department and dry-goods group, 59 percent of the women worked between 44 and 48 hours and 35 percent worked 48 and under 54. In limited-price stores, 31 percent worked between 44 and 48 hours, and 58 percent worked 48 and under 54. In apparel shops, a third of the women (33 percent) worked 40 to 44 hours, 38 percent worked between 44 and 48, and only 24 percent worked 48 and under 54. Table 2.—Hours worked by regular employees in retail stores, by sex Percent of employees who worked— Type of store Num ber of Under em ployees 40 hours 40 to 44 hours Over 44. under 48 hours 48 hours Over 48, under 54 hours WOMEN Department; dry goods: State_____________ Portland_________ Other places............. Limited price: State........ .................. Portland_________ Other places______ Apparel: State------------- -----Portland_________ Other places---------- 54 hours Over 54 hours --------* 653 217 436 2.5 3.2 1.4 2.3 58.9 94.4 41.3 10.3 1.4 14.7 411 121 290 4.9 9.9 2.7 4.4 5.0 4.1 30.9 53.7 21.4 29.8 56.9 132.9 55.7 4.3 38.3 36.9 40.0 9.2 5.1 14.3 55.4 82.9 33.5 17.6 3.7 28.6 18.4 8.5 26.2 2.4 .6 3.9 4.6 1.2 7.3 4.4 1.6 4.4 8.5 18.7 21.0 41.8 40.3 28.6 27.4 2.0 1.0 316 176 140 MEN 2 Department; dry goods: Limited price: Other places---------------------------- 370 164 206 0.8 1.2 91 62 2.2 3.2 1.1 1.8 .5 1 All worked less than 44 hours. . > Fewer than 40 men in apparel stores and in Portland limited-price stores. 8 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Hours worked were shorter in Portland than in other places. In department and dry-goods stores in Portland, 97 percent of the women worked less than 48 hours; in other places, 53 percent worked 48 and more. In limited-price stores, 69 percent in Portland worked under 48 hours; in other places 72 percent worked 48 and more. ' In apparel stores, 93 percent in Portland worked under 48 hours; in other places 48 percent worked 48 and more. Hours worked by men were especially long in limited-price stores, where 70 percent of all reported worked 54 hours and more. Week’s earnings. The average (median) week’s earnings of women were $14.80 in the department and dry-goods group, $11.65 in limited-price stores, and $15.50 in apparel. Earnings ranged from less than $10 to about $19 in limited-price stores and to about $45 in the others. The con centration was at $10 and under $13 for the women in limited-price stores (71 percent of the women had such earnings), but it was at $12 and under $16 in the other groups, with 51 percent (apparel) and 55 percent (department-store group) so reported. The difference in average earnings in favor of the women in Portland was $1.50 in limited-price stores, $1.60 in the department-store group, $1.75 in apparel stores. This difference in week’s earnings is signficant when related to the fact that women in Portland averaged fewer hours in the week than those elsewhere. Men averaged $20 or $21 in each type of store, their concentration being at the higher wage levels. In all cases, and for both sexes, earnings were higher in Portland than elsewhere, in spite of the shorter hours in the larger city. That time lost is not solely responsible for low earnings is made clear by a comparison of tables 2 and 3, which shows that less than 3 % percent of the women and less than 1 percent of the men worked under 40 hours, but that almost 6 percent of the women and more than 1 percent of the men had earnings under $10. The discrepancy is greatest among women in limited-price stores, where 5 percent worked under 40 hours but 10 percent earned under $10. Table 3 shows the week’s earnings of men and of women by type of store and by locality. Hourly earnings. For each employee with week’s earnings and hours worked reported, the hourly earnings have been computed by dividing earnings by hours. Women in the department and dry-goods group averaged 31.3 cents an hour, those in limited-price stores 25.2 cents, and those in apparel shops 34 cents. Using as a basis of comparison the 30-cent minimum set for interstate industries by the Fair Labor Standards Act, it may be seen that in the stores in Maine, which of course are outside the act, 42 percent of the women in the department and dry-goods group, 31 percent of those in apparel shops, and 96 percent of those in limitedprice stores earned less than 30 cents. In fact, in the limited-price group 47 percent earned less than 24 cents. Table 4 gives the hourly earnings for all groups with as many as 40 persons. Table 3.— Week’s earnings of regular employees in retail stores, by sex Employees with week’s earnings as speciCed Men Women Week’s earnings Department and dry-goods stores Portland 688 Number of employees- - Average week’s earnings. $14.80 218 $15.80 35.8 48.1 9.2 5.6 1.4 Under $10...... ............................. $10, under $15.............................. $15, under $20............................$20, under $25...... ....................... $25, under $30.............................. $30, under $35.............................. $35, under $40---------------------$40 and over............................... 3.9 49.7 34.7 6.9 3.7 .6 .1 i.3 Other places Other places State Portland 470 $14. 20 412 $11.65 121 $12. 55 291 $11.05 5.8 56.1 28.5 5.8 2.9 .2 .2 1.4 10.2 86.6 3.1 7.4 89.4 3.2 11.3 85.6 3.1 Other places Other places Limit id-price St ores State Other places Apparel stores State State Portland 153 $14. 25 411 $20.60 166 $21.00 245 $20.25 era $20.15 64 $18.65 51 $21.25 Percent of emp■loyees 7.8 3.6 49.1 24.6 35.9 30.8 53.6 43.0 6.4 10.0 8.4 3.9 9.0 6.6 1.3 2.2 1.8 .6 .3 i.6 1.3 1.2 16.0 26.5 18.6 16.2 8.0 4.6 8.8 0.6 10.8 26.6 18.7 20.4 6.6 6.0 10.2 1.6 19.6 26.6 18.4 13.4 9.0 3.7 7.6 18.2 30.1 28.0 11.8 6.5 5.4 21.9 31.3 25.0 12.5 6.3 3.1 2.0 15.7 25.4 15.7 15.7 15.7 5.9 4.0 State Portland 332 $15. 50 179 $16.00 RETAIL STORES State Depart]nentand ry-goods stores Apparel stores Limited-price stores i No one earned more than $45. CO Table 4.—Hourly earnings of regular employees in retail stores, by sex Employees with hourly earnings as specified Women Department and dry-goods stores State Number of employees Average hourly earnings (cents).......................... ........... 24, under 28.................................. 28, under 32.________________ 32, under 36 Portland Other places Limited-price stores State Portland Department and dry-goods stores Apparel stores Other places State Portland Other places State Portland Other places Limited-price stores State Other places 653 217 436 411 121 290 316 176 140 370 164 206 91 62 31.3 33.9 29.5 25.2 27.3 22.3 34.0 35.8 29.4 44.1 46.0 41.7 35.5 34.5 0.6 5.7 23.8 26.7 16.3 10.6 7.5 3.5 1.4 2.0 1.4 .5 0.9 9.3 25.8 22.1 14.3 14.7 4.1 1.8 2.3 3.2 1.4 0.9 8.0 31.2 27.3 13.3 8. 7 3.9 3.2 1.2 1.8 .5 3.4 43.6 42.4 9.0 1.1 .2 .2 1.7 6.0 74.4 14.1 3.2 .8 .8 4. 1 59.6 29.0 6.9 .3 1.4 11.4 27.9 25.8 11.5 7.1 7.9 2.1 0.8 3.0 6.8 10.3 9.2 10. 7 12.4 6. 8 7.0 9.2 5. 7 4.1 2. 2 11.8 4.3 12.8 10.3 5. 4 15.9 6. 7 4.3 12.8 6.1 4. 3 1. 2 15.9 1.5 5.3 8.7 8.2 8.3 15.1 9.7 6.8 9.2 6.3 5.3 3.9 2. 9 8.8 1.1 7.7 12.1 22.0 9.9 13. 2 9.9 6.6 6.6 4.4 5. 5 1.6 11.2 11.2 21.0 9.6 17.9 4.8 8.1 8.1 1.6 4.8 Percent of employees 0. 6 5.0 13.6 2.3 21.8 18.8 22.2 30.7 11. 2 14.1 11.1 13. 6 3. 5 4.5 3.2 5.7 4.0 3. 2 2. 2 2.9 .9 1.1 .6 1.1 .9 1.2 2.1 1.4 .7 .7 1.1 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Hourly earnings (cents) Men 11 RETAIL STORES PART-TIME WORKERS On the week’s pay rolls examined in Maine stores, part-time em ployees comprised 22 percent of all in the department and dry-goods group, 46 percent of all in limited-price stores, and 27 percent of all in apparel stores. Large proportions worked only 1 or 2 days, but some worked a few hours daily and some had a week’s work. Of the women with hours reported, the proportions working less than 12 hours and 32 hours or more follow: Type of store Percent of women who ______ worked—_____ Under 82 hours 12 hours or more Department; dry goods47 Limited price63 Apparel 48 19 19 25 Women part-time workers in Portland had much more work in the week than women elsewhere. This, as well as rates, made a great difference in earnings, which in Portland were well over twice what they were in other places. Type of store Department; dry goods$3. 95 Limited price 2. 40 Apparel 3. 80 Average earnings in week of women in— State Portland Other places $8. 00 4. 60 8. 75 $2.95 2.00 2.85 For the 91 men part-time workers, average earnings in the week were $3.65; 41 percent earned under $3 and only 14 percent earned as much as $10. Average hourly earnings of women on part time were below the hourly earnings of regular workers. Their average in department and dry-goods stores was 28.3 cents, in limited-price stores 22 cents, and in apparel stores 28.9 cents. No woman in the limited-price stores, and only 33 percent in the department and dry-goods group and 36 percent in apparel stores, earned as-much as 30 cents. Three percent in the department group and 7 percent in apparel earned 40 cents or more. YEAR’S EARNINGS IN 1939—ALL TYPES OF STORES Total earnings and number of weeks worked in the year 1939 were secured in 131 of the 133 stores visited. The numbers of employees, including part-time as well as regular workers, were— In 42 department and dry-goods stores, 1,062 men and 2,016 women. In 39 limited-price stores, 342 men, 2,420 women. In 50 apparel stores, 109 men, 856 women. Thus the total, of 1,513 men and 5,292 women, is 6,805. Large numbers of these workers must have been employed only before Easter or Christmas, or as extras in the tourist season, the proportions employed for 9 weeks or less in the year being as follows: Type of store Department; dry goods 46 Limited price 54 Apparel 40 259235°—40---- 3 Percent employed 9 weeks or less Women Men 45 52 34 12 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE In the department and dry-goods group the 498 women who worked 49 to 52 weeks, one-fourth of all women, averaged $763, equivalent to $64 a month. As many as two-lifths of these earned at least $800, but about one-eighth earned less than $600. For the 793 who worked more than half the year the average earnings were $676, as many as 27 percent earning at least $800, and 9 percent $1,000 or more. In limited-price stores, where part time was most common, the 315 women who worked 49 to 52 weeks averaged only $583, equivalent to less than $50 a month. Only 11 percent earned $700 and more. The 653 women who worked more than half the year had average earnings of only $422. The women in apparel stores had the best earnings. The 241 who worked 49 to 52 weeks averaged $794, equivalent to $66 a month, and more than one-fifth earned $1,000 and over. The 401 who worked more than 26 weeks had average earnings of $687; 30 percent earned at least $800 and 13 percent earned $1,000 or more. Table 5.—Fear’s earnings of women in retail stores who worked more than half the year in 1939, by type of store Women who worked more than 26 weeks in— Year’s earnings Department and dry-goods Limited-price Apparel stores stores stores Number of women_________ ____ _____________ ____ ____ Average earnings1. ____________ _________ _____________ Under $100 $200', under $300 $300, under $400 $400, under $600.________________ ____ ______ _________________ $800' under $1,000 $U200 and over- ___________________ ______ ________________ ------------- ------ ---------------------- ---------- - 793 $070 653 $422 401 $087 Percent of women 1.9 7.4 5.4 14.7 5.5 11.0 6.3 13.3 19.4 30.8 34.7 21.6 17.9 1.1 3.9 4.9 .2 3.0 5.5 4.5 6.0 18.5 32.4 17.0 6.0 7.2 i Computed on more detailed data. Men’s earnings in the year also were low. The average for all men in the department-store group was $140, and only 37 percent earned as much as $400; however, for those who worked 49 to 52 weeks, the average was $1,207, one in five earning at least $1,600. In limitedprice stores the average for all men was only $100, and not quite onefourth earned $400 and more; but of the small group who worked 49 to 52 weeks, almost three-fourths earned at least $800. Even in apparel stores men’s earnings were practically twice those of women, the average for all men being $241 and 24 percent of the total earning $1,000 and more; of those who worked all year, more than one-fourth earned as much as $1,400. BEAUTY SHOPS The Census of Business of 1935 reported 482 beauty shops in Maine; these had only 343 employees, as in many cases the owner had no help. Owner shops were omitted from the Women’s Bureau survey, which covered 93 shops and 308 employees. Locality Number of shops State_________ Portland _____ Other places__ ___ __ Number of employees Total Women Men . ______________ 93 308 289 19 __ .______________ .______________ 26 67 130 178 119 170 11 8 j 17.1 11.7 10.6 8.2 4.8 6.5 14.7 6.5 13 over and 8.2 8.7 $24 6.5 15.2 un 11.4 14.0 der $24 8.9 15.8 O dJ <M rO $22, 6.5 4.7 p 00 CO rH ra der $20 under $14 3.2 2.9 O co $18, un- $12, | ! i der $12 un $10, un 8.1 5.9 ’-1 rO der $10 a P $8, M un der $8 (median) e a rn in g s 123 $17.15 171 15.00 Percent of employees who earned— CO $6, Other places Average week ’s N um ber employees of Only 3 shops had 10 or more employees; none had so many as 15; only 22 had 5 to 9. Twenty-eight shops had only 1 employee (in a few cases a part-time worker) and 17 had 2. Portland had the larger shops: 14 had 5 or more workers, 3 having at least 10. In other places 56 shops had fewer than 5, 24 having only 1, and none employed so many as 10. Excepting 21 manager-operators and 4 maids, the women were all round operators; the 19 men, found in 13 shops, were chiefly specialists. Week’s earnings. Homs worked were not available. Because of evening and earlymorning appointments, hours were very irregular, especially in small shops. Most shops had hour schedules—38 to 46 hours in 13 shops, 48 in 47 shops, 49 to 51 in 17, and 54 in 3—but these were rarely followed. Of 80 shops reporting on overtime, 18 stated that they had none, the owners themselves taking the early and late appoint ments or the employees working staggered horns; 46 shops gave time off in compensation for overtime, 5 gave overtime pay, but 11 gave nothing extra. All but 38 of the 294 employees with earnings reported had worked on 6 days. Average earnings for the week were $17.15 for the 123 employees in Portland, $15 for the 171 elsewhere, and $15.65 for the two groups combined. In Portland 30 percent earned $20 or more, 7 percent earning at least $30; but 18 percent had earnings below $10. In other places 21 percent earned $20 or more and 14 percent earned less than $10. 14 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE In Portland the women averaged $16. The few who worked on 1 or 2 days earned less than $8 (actually less than $7); those on 3 or 4 days, $8 and under $12. The 99 who worked on 6 days averaged $17.90, but 13 earned less than $10 and 12 earned as much as $25. Five women who worked 5% days show how earnings vary: One earned $10, one $55, and the other three $20 and under $30. In other places the women averaged $14.95, or $1.05 below Portland. The few who worked on 1 or 2 days earned less than $6; those on 3 or 4 days, less than $12, as did half those who worked on 5 days. How ever, those were small groups. The 140 who worked on 6 days averaged $15, or $2.90 below Portland; only 10 women earned less than $10 and 30 earned $20 and more. One man, a cleaner in Portland, earned less than $6; 4 others earned less than $20; 7 among all earned $25 or more. Table 6.—Week’s earnings of employees in beauty shops, by number of days worked and by sex Portland Other places Women Week’s earnings A verage week’s earnings (meUnder $6 $16’ under $18............ Women Total Number who worked on— Men, Total Number who worked on— Men, total1 numtotal i number ber 1 or 2 3 or 4 5 days lor 2 3 or 4 5 days 6 days re re 6 days ported days days ported days days 113 6 4 4 $16. 00 9 4 8 11 14 8 10 19 12 4 14 99 10 5 1 2 2 1 1 2 7 8 8 $14.95 $17. 90 4 3 6 8 13 6 10 19 12 4 14 163 1 2 1 2 4 10 5 8 27 24 26 14 19 12 10 8 140 8 $15.00 7 1 2 3 2 2 4 1 1 2 5 21 23 25 14 17 12 10 8 2 1 1 All the men worked on 6 days except 1 (in other places) who worked on 3 days. 2 Not computed where base less than 40. Year’s earnings. In 80 shops, total earnings in 1939 were obtainable. These covered 487 women and 29 men. Most employers reported their busy season in spring and summer, with additional employees at that time. Of the women on the 1939 pay rolls, 48 percent worked 6 months or less; 1 in 6 worked less than a month and 1 in 9 worked only 1 or 2 months. Only one-third of all worked 11 months or more. Onethird of the 29 men worked less than 6 months. Under these conditions, year’s earnings were low. Women aver aged $306, which equals $25.50 a month. Over three-tenths earned less than $100 in the year; almost one-fourth earned less than $50. One-third of the women earned $600 and more, but only 1 in every 11 as much as $1,000. 15 BEAUTY SHOPS The women who worked all year averaged $850, equal to about $71 a month. About three-tenths of these earned at least $1,000 and almost as many earned $800 and under $1,000, but 1 woman in every 7 earned less than $600. Table 7.— Year’s earnings of women in beauty shops in 1939, by number of months worked State Women who worked— Year’s earnings All women Number of women Average year’s earnings (median). Under $50________ $50, under $100___ $100, under $200___ $200, under $300..._ $300, under $400___ $400, under $500___ $500, under $600__ $600, under $700___ $700, under $800.__. $800, under $900.... $900, under $1,000.. $1,000, under $1,200. $1,200 and over___ * 1 * * * 5 3 months or less 4 to 6 months 7 or 8 months 9 to 11 months 487 $305. 75 167 $24. 60 67 $205. 35 50 $388.90 71 $629.15 23.2 8.0 10.7 7.8 6.0 6.5 5.3 5.7 8.0 6.0 3.9 4.7 4.1 66.5 18.0 13.8 1.8 Percent of women 3.0 11.9 32.8 6.0 29.9 . 24.0 24.0 13.4 V 9.0 24.0 12.0 4.0 2.0 2.0 2.6 5.6 4.2 8.5 15.5 11.3 16.9 19.7 11.3 2.8 1.4 2.8 12 months 132 $850.00 0.8 1.5 2.3 18.2 12.9 Wage supplements. Tips from customers, and commissions, bonuses, and so forth from employers, were inquired into. In 56 of the 84 shops reporting on tips, they were said to be unimportant: 13 said there was no tipping8, that only tourists gave tips; 35, that tips were few. The amounts could be learned in only 5 shops; in 3 the operators averaged about $1 a week in tips, and in 2 they averaged $2 or $3 a week in winter and about $5 in summer. In 52 shops no supplements of any kind were given by the employer; but 13 gave a commission for selling cosmetics, or on permanent waves; 15 gave time off with pay for vacations, holidays, or sickness1 gave a bonus in busy weeks; 2 increased wages in the busy season." Uniforms. All firms required the wearing of uniforms and in all but 2 shops their entire cost was borne by the employees; of the 2 exceptions 1 firm paid all laundry costs and 1 paid half such costs. Of 69 shops reporting number of uniforms necessary, 67 said 2, 3, or 4 and 2 said 5 or 6. Costs ranged from $1 to $5.50; 26 shops reported $3 and under $4, 23 shops $2 and under $3. Weekly costs of laundry service were reported as 50 cents by 7 shops, 70 or 75 cents by 13, and 90 cents, $1, or $1.20 by 7. In 22 shops all operators laundered their uniforms at home. 16 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Apprenticeship. At the time of the survey 15 shops had apprentices, all of whom were receiving training in lieu of wages. State regulations require that operators have certain qualifications before being given a license. They must be at least 18 years old; should have 6 months, with a minimum of 720 hours, of professional training—either school training or as an apprentice in a regular beauty shop; and they must pass an examination by the State Board of Hairdressers and Beauty Culturists. A number of shops visited criticized the beauty-school training: “They turn out only 1 good operator in 10”; “They shoidd be investigated”; “Good operators are scarce”; “Too many trained by schools are passed by State Board without sufficient training.” LAUNDRIES AND DRY-CLEANING PLANTS The Census of Manufactures for 1935 reported 64 laundries and 28 dry-cleaning plants in Maine, with respectively 940 and 265 employees, or 1,205 combined. The Women’s Bureau survey covered 36 laundries and 23 dry cleaners. To prevent the identifying of a very large cleaning plant, doing a parcel-post business as well as truck service and employing about two-fifths of all cleaning employees, and also because some laundries do dry cleaning, the two industries are thrown together in this report. The number of employees was 1,005; almost two-thirds were women. Number Number of employees j- uLut • State................................ Portland------------------------------------------------Other places------------------------------------------- jvj.cn women 59 1,005 359 646 12 47 446 559 153 206 293 35S Most of the plants were small, only 11 having as many as 25 workers; 2 of these—a laundry and a cleaning plant, both in Portland—had 100 or more, 2 had 50 and under 75, and 7 had 25 and under 50. Fifteen plants had less than 5 workers, 14 had 5 and under 10, and 19 had 10 and under 25. As office and other clerical workers are reported with such groups from the other industries, the wage and hour data in the following pages are for smaller numbers—week’s earnings for 907 employees, hours worked and hourly earnings for 763. Hours of work. The State hour law permits women in laundries to work 54 hours a week, but no plant surveyed had so long a week for women. The majority had a schedule of 40 to 50 hours for women, but in several the hours were under 40 because it was the slack season of the year. Only about 3 in 10 plants had a week so long as 50 hours for women, but in more than one-half the plants 50 to 59 hours were required of men; one cleaning plant, employing only men, had a week of 67ji hours. Many employers said that hours depended on the volume of work. Hours worked in the pay-roll week studied were recorded for 531 women and 232 men. The largest group of women, 44 percent of all, worked 40 to 48 hours, and 13 percent worked more than 48; but another 44 percent worked less than 40, almost half of these less than 32. Three percent of the women worked 54 hours, but none exceeded that. The hours worked by men were longer; 41 percent of the men worked 40 to 48 hours, but 27 percent worked over 48 to 54 hours, and 17 percent even exceeded 54. 17 18 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Table 8.—Hours worked by employees in laundries and dry-cleaning plants, by sex Employees who worked the hours specified Women Men Number with hours reported--------Under 32_______________ _____ _________ 44 . ... ____ ______________ Over 44, under 48____________ _________ 54 _______ ____ 531 232 6.5 4.3 4.3 15.1 4.3 18.1 3.9 21.6 5.2 16.8 Other places Portland State Hours worked 20.0 9.8 13.7 16.0 1.9 24.7 .9 10.2 2.8 Men Women 242 89 Percent distribution 3.3 9.5 4.1 1.1 11.2 3.4 14.0 7.8 7.8 .8 28.1 35.5 1.7 18.6 24.7 4. 5 3.4 20.2 Men Women 143 289 8.4 6.3 4.9 19.6 2.1 11.9 6. 3 19.6 6.3 14.7 28.7 14.5 15.9 17.6 2.8 15.6 .3 3.1 1.4 Hours worked were longer in Portland than elsewhere. One in four of the women in Portland, in contrast to 1 in 20 in other places, worked 48 hours and more. In Portland the largest group of women, about 36 percent, worked over 44 and under 48 hours. In the case of men the difference between Portland and other places was less striking. Week’s earnings. For all women on the week’s pay rolls the average earnings were $11.75; 41 percent of the women earned $10 and under $14, 17 percent earned less than $8, and only about 1 in 20 earned as much as $20. Due chiefly to their longer hours, women in Portland averaged almost $3 more than those in other places, the figures being respectively $13.25 and $10.30. In Portland, 68 percent earned $10 and under $16; in other places, 61 percent earned $8 and under $14. Only 18 percent in Portland and only 9 percent elsewhere earned as much as $16. Men’s average earnings were about $10 higher than women’s; in Portland, more than $11 higher. Not only were their rates much higher, but they worked a very much longer week. Table 9.—Week’s earnings of employees in laundries and dry-cleaning plants, by sex Portland State Other places Week’s earnings Men Number of employees-----------------Average week’s earnings (median) _. Under $6 MS, under $8 __________________ $10, under $12 $12, under $14------ -------------- ------------- $14, under $16--------------------------------------$18, under $20_______________ _________$20, under $22.. ------- ----------------------------$22, under $24-------------------------------------- $30and over...-------- --------------- -------- Women 353 $21.65 554 $11. 75 0.3 1.9 1.4 2.3 4.8 7.6 8.5 9.4 15.6 9.0 11.1 6.5 4. 5 17.0 7.7 8.8 15.5 20.4 20.7 13.7 4.9 3.8 2.1 .8 .9 .2 Men 151 $24. 60 Women 245 $13.25 Percent of employees 5.7 2.8 2.0 4.9 .7 21.3 .7 25.7 4.0 21.3 4.7 6.1 5.9 4.9 9.3 9.9 3.2 1.2 10.5 2.0 11.3 6.6 .4 5.3 29.2 .4 .4 Men Women 202 $20.50 309 $10.30 0.5 2.0 2.0 3.5 5.5 9.9 10. 4 9.4 19.8 7.9 10.8 6.4 4.0 8.0 9.4 13.6 23.9 19.8 16.9 7.7 3.8 2.9 1.3 .3 .3 19 LAUNDRIES AND DRY-CLEANING PLANTS Hourly earnings. Hourly earnings were computed for each worker separately by dividing the week’s earnings by the hours worked. Women’s average was only 28.8 cents in Portland and 27.8 cents in other places. In Portland 35 percent of the women earned 27 and under 28 cents, in other places 34 percent earned 20 and under 26 cents. In Portland 56 percent, in other places 55 percent, had earnings below 30 cents, but for only 5 percent in Portland, in contrast to 34 percent elsewhere, were earnings even less than 26 cents. Men’s average was 48.2 cents in Portland and 46.1 cents elsewhere. Only 7 percent of all the women, in contrast to 71 percent of the men, earned as much as 40 cents. Table 10.—Hourly earnings of employees in laundries and dry-cleaning plants, by sex State Portland Other places Hourly earnings (cents) Men Number of employees Average hourly earnings—median (cents)-....................................... ........ 20, 25, 26, 27, under 25 . ............................................. under 26-............................. ..................... under 27............................... ................... _ under 28 -._________________________ 33, under 34..._________ ___ _____ ______ 34, under 35_______ ____ ____________ 35, under 40 40, under 45............................ ........................ 45, under 50________ ____ ______________ 50, under 55............. ...................................... 55, under 60 Women Men Women Men Women 232 531 89 242 143 289 46.6 28.4 48.2 28.8 46.1 27.8 0.4 3.9 2.6 0.4 8.5 11.9 1.7 24.9 5.6 2.1 15.3 18.3 4.2 16.2 2.4 3.9 .4 1.3 2. 2 1.3 .9 1.7 2.2 8.7 16.8 12.1 15.9 11.2 14. 7 1.7 17 5 1. 7 2 6 4.9 2.3 8.3 4.0 1.5 1.1 .4 2 Percent of employees 1.1 1.1 0.4 3.4 4.1 3.4 35.1 1.1 4.5 8.9 19.1 7.9 16.9 9.0 21.4 3.3 2.5 8.2 5.8 1.7 .8 .4 2.1 2.1 .7 8.4 15.4 14.7 15.4 12.6 10.5 6.2 2.1 8.3 2.4 1.4 1.4 .3 Year’s earnings. Pay rolls for the whole of 1939 were obtained from some 50 firms. These gave weeks worked and total earnings for the 987 women and the 471 men employed at any time in 1939, regardless of whether part-time or full-time employees. As in other summer-resort States, laundry business increases greatly in the summer and extra help is employed. Of the 987 women on the 1939 pay rolls examined, 40 percent had worked not more than 6 months, 26 percent working 3 months or less. Only 53 percent worked for 9 months or more, 41 percent working the entire year. Men had more stable employment, 60 percent working all year and only 26 percent working 6 months or less. The average year’s earnings of women were $412, equivalent, if spread over the year, to less than $35 a month. Those who worked all year averaged $661, equal to $55 a month. The 254 at 3 months or less had average earnings of $47, and the 136 at 4, 5, or 6 months averaged $206. 20 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Men in the State who worked all year averaged $1,094, the 44 who worked 4, 5, or 6 months averaged $300, and those under 4 months, $68. Table 11.—Year’s earnings of em-ployees in laundries and dry-cleaning plants in 1939, by sex and by number of months worked Employees who worked— Year’s earnings All em ployees 3 months 4 to 6 or less months 7 or 8 months 9 to 11 months 78 $334. 20 110 $484.80 409 $661.25 2.7 3.6 15.5 34.5 18.2 14.5 6. 4 1.8 2. 7 0.2 1.2 .7 16.1 18.3 21.8 20.0 10.0 5.6 5.9 27 282 $1, 094. 45 12 months WOMEN Average year’s earnings...................... Under $100 $500, under $600 987 $411.80 254 $47.45 21. 1 12.0 9.1 6.6 12.1 10.1 10.6 9.0 4.4 2.6 2.4 79.1 20.5 .4 136 $205. 55 Percent o employees 5.1 41.9 6.4 43.4 26.9 7.4 44.9 1.5 16. 7 .7 5.1 MEN Total number ________ ___________ Average year’s earnings.. _____ _ $200, under $400___________________ ____ 1 Nor computed; base less than 40. 471 $945.00 78 $68. 20 16. 1 8.9 8.5 8.3 11.7 16.8 13.0 16.8 91.0 6.4 1.3 1.3 44 $300.00 40 $533. 35 Percent of employees 11.4 61.4 20.0 22.7 45.0 2.3 22.5 10.0 2.3 2.5 1.8 7.1 17.0 25. 5 20. 6 28 0 HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS The 1935 Census of Business reported for Maine 207 hotels, with 1,667 employees, of the kinds surveyed by the Women’s Bureau; that is, excluding seasonal hotels. It also reported 1,177 restaurants and other food-serving places, employing 2,883 workers. The Women’s Bureau survey covered 41 hotels, with 1,192 employees; 91 independ ent restaurants, with 873; and 16 store restaurants, with 131. Thirtyfour of the hotels had both lodging and restaurant departments. The scope of the survey follows: Type of establishment Total..................... Independent restaurants-. Store restaurants............ - - State Portland Other places Number of Num employees ber of establish- Total Wom Men ments en Number of Num employees ber of establish- Total Wom Men ments en Number of Num employees ber of establish- Total Wom Men ments en 148 2,196 1,199 997 40 953 499 454 41 1,192 873 91 131 16 590 502 107 602 371 24 8 27 5 541 347 65 244 205 50 297 142 15 108 1,243 33 64 11 651 526 66 700 543 346 297 57 305 229 9 The establishments wore small; 129 of the 148 employed under 25 persons, 14 hotels and 61 restaurants employing under 10. Two hotels, both in Portland, employed over 100. Hours of work. The 6-day week was the most general, but 39 percent of the women and 25 percent of the men in hotels, 28 percent of the women and 60 percent of the men in independent restaurants, and 5 percent of the women and 4 percent of the men in store restaurants, had a 7-day week. Scheduled hours of less than 40 a week were reported for 21 percent of the women in hotels, 11 percent of those in independent restaurants, and 37 percent of those in store restaurants. Hours were over 48 for 26 percent of the women in hotels (for 12 percent they were 54 and over), for 53 percent of those in independent restaurants (for 25 per cent they were 54 and over), and for 12 percent of those in store restau rants (but for only 2 percent was the week as long as 54 hours). Scheduled hours were 54 or more for 52 percent of the men in hotels and for 84 percent of those in independent restaurants. For the service departments with scheduled hours reported for 40 or more, the short and long weeks are clear from table 12. In hotels and restaurants workdays are of irregular length, and alternating long and short days are not uncommon. For women in hotels the most usual daily hours worked in the pay-roll week recorded were over 6 and including 8, but a few days were over 12 and includ ing 14 hours. Even fairly short hours may be made inconvenient for 21 22 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE the worker by periods of time' off duty that are of little use and yet lengthen the day unreasonably. This spread from beginning to end ing the day’s work was over 12 hours on more than one-third of all days worked by women in hotels. Table 12.—Scheduled weekly hours in hotels and restaurants, by service department Percent with scheduled hours of— Number of em ployees Under 40 40, under 48, under 54 and 48 54 over Service department WOMEN Hotels: Independent restaurants: Store restaurants: 211 182 56 24.1 23. 6 3. 6 30. 3 30. 7 7. 2 38. 9 36.8 46. 5 6 6 8. 8 1 42. 8 367 64 11.4 9.4 19. 2 15.6 46. 0 43.8 23. 5 31. 3 78 2 41.0 11.6 44. 8 2.6 215 64 137 3.3 3 26. 5 1.4 17.2 9.4 3.0 33.0 29. 7 25. 5 46. 5 34.4 70. 1 113 224 2.7 2.1 4.5 1.8 14. 2 9.8 78.8 86.2 MEN Hotels: Independent restaurants: Kitchen___________ _____ ___________________ 1 28.6 percent exceeded 54 hours. 2 21.8 percent had a week of under 28 hours. 318.7 percent had a week of under 32 hours. In independent restaurants the workday was from 7 to 9 hours long on more than four-fifths of the days worked by women. In store restaurants the most usual hours were 7 or 8, but a con siderable number of days were over 8 and including 11 hours in length. On almost one-fourth of all the days worked the spread from beginning to end of the day was 10 to 16 hours. Men’s hours were longer than women’s. Though 27 percent of the men in hotel dining rooms had a week of under 40 hours, 52 percent in hotels as a whole and 70 percent in hotel kitchens had a week of 54 hours or over; and figures for men in independent restaurants show that 75 percent of them exceeded 54 hours. The most usual daily hours for men were 8 to 10, but more than one-fifth of all days worked by men in independent restaurants were over 10 and including 15 hours. Week’s earnings. Because of the nature of the hotel and restaurant business it is customary for employees to have their cash wages supplemented by meals, and in some cases by lodging, though this practice varies widely among firms and individual employees. As the cash equivalent of such supplements was not reported, separate tabulations have been prepared for employees receiving and those not receiving wage sup plements so as to show the extent to which this practice affects the HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS 23 cash wages paid. The earnings figures given represent the net cash earnings in the period reported. For 100 women hotel employees who received meals and lodging, average earnings were $7.25, 38 percent earning less than $6; for 284 who were given meals only, the average was $6.45. and 44 percent earned under $6; and for 119 with no wage supplements it was $12, only 7 percent receiving less than $6. For 404 women in independent restaurants who were given meals, average cash earnings were $6.75 and 63 percent earned $4 and under $8; 41 women in such restaurants who had no wage supplements averaged $9 95, 66 percent receiving $8 and under $12. Seventy women in store restaurants (67 of them dining-room workers), not receiving meals, averaged $12.10; 52 percent earned $12 and over, but 24 percent earned under $6. Table 13 gives these figures and those for men. As in the other industries, earnings of men greatly exceeded those of women and in most cases earnings were higher in Portland than elsewhere. The women in the dining rooms of independent restaurants in Portland averaged $6.50 in addition to meals. Such women in other places as a group averaged $6.60, though in Bangor the average was only $5.70. Another exception to the general rule was that of men in hotel kitchens, also receiving meals, whose cash earnings averaged $17.50 in Portland and $19.50 in other places. In contrast to women’s earnings in independent restaurants in Bangor, men’s earnings in these restaurants were distinctly higher than those in other places, kitchen workers averaging $15, as in Portland. Table 13.— Week's earnings in hotels and restaurants, by service department and wage supplements WOMEN Service department1 Num ber re ported 100 60 Percent of women who earnedAver age week’s Under $2, $4, $6, $8, $10, $12, earn $2 under under under under under under ings $4 $6 $8 $10 $12 $14 $14 and over Received meals and lodaina $7 25 7. 20 3.4 11.6 6.7 8.3 9.9 meals 25.7 45 6 17.0 30.0 21.2 35 3 14.2 27.5 2.9 1.4 5.4 1.7 7.5 .6 7.5 2. 3 15. 0 34.9 39.1 13.7 Hotels—total............................. Lodging_____ ____ _ . . Diningroom___ ______ Kitchen________ ____ Independent restaurants— total__ _ _ Dining room___________ Kitchen______ _______ 284 68 176 40 $6. 45 7.80 5. 45 8.40 3.5 5.1 2.5 11.9 5.9 15.9 5.0 Received 28.2 2.9 43.2 5.0 404 338 66 6.75 6. 55 8.75 1.7 1.8 1.5 4.2 3.6 7.5 28.5 31.4 13.7 17.1 14.8 28.8 7.2 6.8 9.1 3.4 2.4 9.1 2.9 .3 16.7 Hotels—total_______ . Lodging____ __ Independent restaurants— 119 $12.00 110 12.20 2.5 1 8 No additions received 3.3 .8 10.1 6.8 3 6 5.4 6.3 26.9 29.1 36.1 39.1 13.4 14.5 Store restaurants—total.......... Diningroom.. .. . 2 41 70 67 8.6 9.0 111 4 10.5 32.9 32.8 4 0 18l 6 17.9 9.95 12.10 12.05 14.3 14.9 7 3 1.4 1.5 4.3 4.5 8.6 9.0 1 Departments with fewer than 40 employees are included in totals but not shown separately. Also not shown are 37 women in store restaurants who received meals, 26 men in independent restaurants with no supplements, and 24 men in store restaurants, 11 with meals and 13 with no supplements 2 All in dining-room service. 24 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Table 13.—Week’s earnings in hotels and restaurants, by service departments and wage supplements—Continued MEN Service department1 Percent of men who earned— Aver Num age ber week’s $25, $20, $15, $10, $5, re Under under under under under under ported earn $5 ings $25 $30 $20 $15 $10 Hotels—total--------- --------------- 60 |$12.80 Hotels—total________________ Lodging----------------- -------Kitchen_________________ Independent restaurants—total Dining room_____________ Kitchen_________________ 229 $15.10 6.30 74 118 18. 50 328 15.15 100 16.10 228 14.15 Hotels—total................ ............. Lodging........................... ....... i $15. 50 16.50 Received meals and lodging 11.7 | 21.7 | 23.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 16.1 45.9 .8 3.3 2.0 4.0 Received meals 14.8 18.3 15.3 9.5 15.0 14.8 14.4 22.8 16.2 24.1 31.5 14.5 37.0 33.0 7.0 18.4 30.7 18.1 14.0 8.1 16.9 13.4 17.0 11.8 21.2 21.6 No additions received 21.2 3.4 23.6 3.6 23.0 18.0 11.2 12.9 8.3 | 11.4 2.7 13.6 7.3 4.0 8.8 8.4 1 7.9 $30 and over 8.3 10.0 4.1 15.2 5.7 8.3 11.2 12.9 i Departments with fewer than 40 employees are included in totals but not shown separately. Also not shown are 37 women in store restaurants who received meals, 26 men in independent restaurants with no "supplements, and 24 men in in store restaurants, 11 with meals and 13 with no supplements. Tips. In all comparable cases the lowest earnings of women were those of dining-room workers, in which occupation it frequently is taken for granted that tips will comprise an important part of earnings. In few cases, however, can tips be relied on, and in Maine most employers said that they were not an important source of income. Hotel tipping was the most general; 28 hotels said that tipping was customary, though varying with the season. Four hotels reported that no tips were received. . Of 89 independent restaurants reporting on tips, 18 stated that no tips were received; 31 that tips were infrequent and negligible; 34 that tips were usual or frequent; 6 that the winter trade (local) did not tip but that summer tourists usually did. Of 15 store restaurants reporting, 9 said no tips were received, 5 said they were very rare, and only 1 said they were usual. Uniforms. An expense to employees, instead of an addition to wages, is the wearing of uniforms. In all but 14 of the 146 establishments report ing, employees were required to wear uniforms. The conditions in these 132 places, in 70 of which the whole expense of uniforms was borne by the employees, were as follows: Of 36 hotels, only 5 supplied all uniforms, 4 of these paying also lor laundry; 9 supplied them to certain employees; but in 22 the workers had to furnish their own, and in 19 of these had to launder them. Of 81 independent restaurants, 18 supplied uniforms to all em ployees, 12 of these paving also for laundry, and 14 supplied them to some of the workers; but in 49 the cost of buying and laundering the uniforms was borne by the employees. . Store restaurants were an exception, as 13 of the 15 supplied uni forms to their employees and 9 of these also laundered them. In 2 store restaurants employees both bought and laundered their uniforms. 25 HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS The most usual cost of uniforms was from $2 to $5, in a few cases $6 or $8; bellboys’ suits naturally were much higher. Laundry charges varied from 15 to 35 cents a garment. In about 60 estab lishments it was stated that waitresses laundered their own uniforms. Hourly earnings. Hourly earnings have been computed for each employee with full time week’s earnings and scheduled hours reported. Of about 240 women in hotel lodging departments, those who received meals and lodging averaged 14.3 cents an hour in cash earnings, those with only meals 16.5 cents, and those with no wage supplements 28.5 cents. About 150 women in hotel dining rooms who were given meals aver aged 13.3 cents. Of practically 380 women in independent-restaurant dining rooms, those who were given meals averaged 13.1 cents an hour, and those who were not averaged 20.7 cents. Kitchen workers in these restau rants who received meals averaged 16.8 cents. Women in store-restaurant dining rooms, not a large group, and not receiving meals, averaged 27.2 cents an hour. The table following shows for men as well as women the averages and distributions of earnings for all service departments with 40 or more employees reported. Table 14.—Hourly earnings in hotels and restaurants, by service department and wage supplements Service department1 Ho tels—Lo dging ............................— ............ ............ Hotels: Lodging----------- -------------- -------- ----------------DiningroomIndependent restaurants: Dining room______________ _______ _________ Kitchen________ _____________ __________ Hotels—Lodging.......... ........................ ...................... Hotels: Lodging...................................................................... Kitchen. ____ _________________________ Independent restaurants: Diningroom _______ _____ ______ ________ Kitchen___________ _____ ____ _____ ____ Hotels—Lodging ................. ..................... ............... Average hourly earnings (cents) Percent of employees who earned— Under 10 cents 10, under 20, under 30 cents 20 cents 30 cents and over Women who received meals and lodging 14.3 12.5 75.1 6.3 16.5 13.3 Women who received meals 7.5 73.2 16.4 23. 2 69.6 6.0 9.5 7.8 13.1 16.8 80.7 59.5 9.5 21.7 Women who did not receive additions 8.3 28.5 1.0 56.3 22.5 77.5 20.7 27.2 3.0 79. 2 Men who received meals 44.9 24.5 11.4 3.7 23.8 23.0 10.7 29.9 26.0 22.3 30.2 1.0 4.4 24.9 34.6 6.2 3.0 1.3 .3 10.9 34.4 17.9 19. 1 49.5 40.7 29.2 33.3 31.7 Men who did not receive additions 29.3 9.6 10.5 50.5 ' Departments with less than 40 employees not shown separately. Only two of the hourly averages for men, and none for women, equal the 30-cent minimum required under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act for interstate industries: 123 men in hotel lodging departments, with no wage supplements, averaged 30.2 cents an hour, and 109 men in hotel kitchen departments who were given their meals averaged 29.9 cents, actually a somewhat better rate because of the free meals. 26 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Year’s earnings. Records for the whole of 1939 were available in 40 hotels, 78 inde pendent restaurants, and 9 store restaurants. The persons they em ployed at some time in the year, including seasonal and part-time workers as well as the regular staff, comprised 2,180 women and 1,700 men. Three-fifths of the employees reported worked half the year or less. Those who worked 27 weeks and more included 53 percent of the women in hotels, 29 percent of those in independent restaurants, and 39 percent of those in store restaurants; 47 percent of the men in hotels and 35 percent of those in independent restaurants. Only 23 percent of all women reported and 26 percent of all men worked in 49 to 52 weeks; 36 percent of all women and 35 percent of all men worked 9 weeks or less. Women in hotels who worked 49 to 52 weeks and had no wage sup plements had average year’s earnings of $705, equivalent to about $59 a month. Over two-thirds of these women earned $500 and under $700 and one-seventh earned under $500. Those who worked less than 27 weeks averaged $101. For those who worked 27 weeks or more, the average was between $500 and $600. About seven-tenths of the women in independent restaurants worked only half a year or less. Of those with no additions to their wages, the average earnings were $93. Only one in eight of the few year-round women workers in independent restaurants with no additions to wages earned $600 and over. In store restaurants also most of the women worked only half a year or less. The average earnings of those not receiving meals were $92. Of the very few who worked all the year, only three-fourths averaged as much as $50 a month. Men in hotels who worked in 12 months of 1939 and who had no wage supplements had average earnings of $857, or about $71 a month. Almost three-tenths of these earned $1,200 or more, but a larger group—35 percent—earned less than $400. Men in hotels who worked 27 weeks or more and who had no additions to wages averaged total earnings of between $600 and $700. OFFICE WORKERS In the establishments visited, data were recorded for office as well as industrial workers. These have been tabulated separately to show the standards in office employment. Records were secured for 627 workers in 180 establishments; 87 of these places were stores, 56 wore hotels and restaurants, 31 were laundry and dry-cleaning offices, and 6 were beauty shops. Three-fourths of the employees were women. Most of the women (63 percent) were in the offices of stores, 20 percent were in those of laundry and dry-cleaning plants, and 16 percent were in the hotel and restaurant group. Less than 2 percent were in beauty shops. Of the men, 86 percent were in hotels and restaurants, 11 percent in stores, and relatively few elsewhere. As only a few office workers—9 percent of the women and 5 percent of the men—were on a part-time basis, they are included with regular workers. The summary following gives the number of offices and number of employees, by industry. Industry Total............................. . All stores_______ _____ _______ Department; dry goods___ Apparel Laundry and plants___ .. dry-cleaning Hotels and restaurants............... Hotels Independent restaurants... Number of offices Women Total Portland Men Other places Total Portland Other places 180 470 227 243 167 58 99 87 26 34 27 295 182 47 66 125 78 12 35 170 104 35 31 18 12 3 1 15 11 6 2 4 31 6 66 35 21 92 7 76 46 30 48 4 50 29 21 44 3 26 17 9 3 1 135 127 8 2 1 52 50 2 83 77 6 1 Most of the employees did usual clerical work, but a very small group—too small to show separately—were cashiers and telephone operators in stores, clerks in agencies of laundry and dry-cleaning plants, and managers or assistant managers, buyers, hostesses, cash iers, telephone operators, even musicians, in hotels and restaurants. Almost half the women (48 percent) but only 37 percent of the men were in the 49 places in Portland that reported on office workers. Hours of work. Weekly hours of office workers, reported for 436 women and 138 men, were long. In Portland stores 63 percent of the 124 women worked 44 and under 48 hours, and 14 percent worked 48 hours, but no one exceeded 48. In other places, 34 percent of the 161 women worked 44 and under 48 hours, 27 percent worked 48, and 30 percent worked even more than 48. 27 28 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Twenty-two of the 41 women in Portland laundry offices worked over 48 hours; of 38 women in other places, 12 worked 48 and including 54 hours. In hotels and restaurants the week was under 40 hours for 26 per cent of the 72 women, but it was over 48 for 28 percent. Men’s hours were longer. Though 16 percent of the 118 men had a week of under 40 hours, it was 48 to 54 hours long for 31 percent and more than 54 hours for 41 percent. In places other than Portland 63 per cent of the 73 men had a week of over 54 hours. Week’s earnings. Women’s earnings ranged from less than $5 to more than $30. Women in stores averaged $15.65, and those in laundry and dry cleaning offices $15.20. Just over three-fifths of those in stores earned $12 and under $18, and not far from one-fifth earned $20 and more; those with earnings in these groups in laundry and dry-cleaning offices were respectively 52 percent and 22 percent. Table 15.—Week’s earnings of office workers, by sex and by industry Office employees with earnings as specified Men Women Week’s earnings Stores Number of employees-Average week's earnings. Laundry and dry cleaning plants 295 $15.65 92 $15.20 3.8 2.7 20.7 45.4 17.6 6.0 6.5 4.3 28.4 28.3 21.7 7.6 2.1 1.1 3.8 Hotels and restaurants Receiving additions 40 $12.45 Hotels and restaurants No addi tions Receiving additions 36 77 $16.80 58 $19.50 5.2 9.1 18.2 23.4 15.6 13.0 1.3 14.3 3.5 6.9 10.4 15.5 24.2 18.9 6.9 13.8 (■> Percent of employees 10.0 17.5 37.5 27.5 7.5 No addi tions 1 Not computed; base less than 40. Women in the hotel and restaurant group who received wage sup plements had average cash earnings of $12.45. More than half earned $12 and under $16, but only about 1 in 13 earned as much as $18. Of the small groups with no wage supplements, one-fourth earned below $10, but more than half earned $15 and over—one-sixth, $25 and over. Of the seven appointment clerks in beauty shops, two on part-time earned $2 and $3, and the five regular workers earned from $11 to $18. Women in Portland had somewhat better earnings than those elsewhere. Only in the hotel and restaurant group were there enough men office workers for separate tabulation. Those who received meals or other wage supplements averaged cash earnings of $16.80, and those with no additions $19.50. Of the men with additions, 35 percent 29 OFFICE WORKERS earned $20 and over; 14 percent, $30 and over. Of those without additions, 52 percent earned $16 and under $26, and 21 percent earned $26 and over. Of the 22 men in store, laundry, and beauty-shop office work, only 3—including 2 part-time workers—earned $10 or less; only 7 besides these earned less than $20 (none of them less than $15). Five of the group earned $30 and more. Hourly earnings. For employees with hours worked reported, hourly earnings were computed by dividing week’s earnings by the number of hours the employee worked; for hotel and restaurant workers, the weekly rate was divided by the scheduled hours. Table 16.—Hourly earnings of office employees, by sex and by industry Industry and locality Num ber of em ployees Average hourly earnings (cents) Percent of employees who earned— Under 20 cents 20, under 30 cents 30, under 40 cents 40, under 50 cents 50, under 60 cents 60 cents and over WOMEN i Stores: State............................................. Other places Laundry and dry-cleaning plants: State. ...... ................................. Portland ................................. 285 124 161 33.1 33.9 31.3 0.4 .6 28.9 12.0 41.7 50.0 62.8 40.3 15. 4 17. 8 13.7 2.5 1 6 3. 1 79 41 33.5 36.3 2.5 2.4 36.8 34.2 34.1 34.1 17.8 17.1 7.6 9.8 MEN1 Hotels and restaurants—Addi tions to wages: Hotels and restaurants—No addi- 63 47 25.5 23.3 26.9 34.0 31.9 38.3 12.8 14.9 17.3 8. 5 3.2 2.1 55 52.5 5.5 12.7 10.9 18.2 16.4 i Distribution not shown for groups of less than 40. The women office workers reported averaged 33.1 cents an hour m stores and 33.5 cents in laundries. It is clear that the majority earned more than the 30-cent minimum set by Federal law for inter state industries; however, 29 percent of those in stores and 39 percent of those in laundry and dry-cleaning offices earned less than 30 cents. Twenty-one percent in stores and 27 percent in the laundry group averaged 40 cents and above, a few earning 60 cents or more. The men office workers in hotels and restaurants who had no wage supplements had average cash earnings of 52.5 cents an hour, but the average was only 25.5 cents for those who had such additions. Only 18 percent of the group first named, but 59 percent of the other, re ceived less than 30 cents an hour in cash, 27 percent of those with wage supplements receiving even less than 20 cents. Only 3 of the 18 men in store offices (not shown in the table) earned less than 30 cents; 4 earned 40 and under 50 cents, and 7 earned over 50 cents. 30 SERVICE AND TRADE INDUSTRIES IN MAINE Year’s earnings. Tbe total earnings in 1939 and the number of weeks worked were obtained for 546 women and 52 men in office work in stores, the laundry group, and beauty shops, and for 153 women and 202 men in such work in hotels and restaurants. Just over half of the 546 women worked 49 to 52 weeks; but a third worked 26 weeks or less, about 2 in 3 of this group working 9 weeks or less. Thirty-five of the 52 men in the same types of offices worked 26 weeks or less, 20 of them 9 weeks or less; only 12 worked as long as 49 weeks. In hotel and restaurant office work 43 percent of the women and 51 percent of the men worked 49 to 52 weeks; however, 42 percent of the women and 34 percent of the men worked not more than 26 weeks, about half of these working 9 weeks or less. Of the store, laundry, and beauty-shop office workers, all women combined averaged year’s earnings of $559, or about $47 a month when spread over the year. There was little concentration; 31 per cent earned less than $200, and 27 percent earned $800 and more. The women in stores averaged $551; those in laundry and dry-clean ing offices, $596. For the women who worked 49 to 52 weeks, average earnings were $869, or about $72 a month; they were $893 in stores and $769 in the laundry group. About 1 in 11 of all earned less than $600, and nearly 1 in 5 earned $1,000 or more. The full-year group averaged $933 in Portland and $819 in other places; full-year workers in stores, $957 in Portland, $847 elsevdiere. Women in hotels and restaurants, without regard to weeks worked, averaged $595 when they had no wage supplements. The 52 men in office work in stores, laundry and dry-cleaning places, and beauty shops averaged $450; those in the stores, $425. Eleven of the 12 who worked 49 to 52 weeks earned at least $800—6 of them $1,000 and under $1,400, 3 of them $1,400 and over. In hotels and restaurants the 86 men with no additions to wages averaged $808. The 49 w'ho worked 49 to 52 weeks and had only cash earnings averaged $1,202, or $100 a month. o