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Hourly Earnings by Industry Selected W age Areas September 1948-January 1949 Bulletin No. 969 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR M a u r ic e J. T o b i n , Secretary BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Ewan Clague, Commissioner Hourly Earnings by Industry Selected W age A reas September 1948-January 1949 [From the Monthly Labor Review o f the Bureau of Labor Statistics March, April, May, and August 1949 issues] Bulletin No. 969 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Maurice J. Tobin, Secretary BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Ewan Clague, Commissioner Letter of Transmittal U nited S tates D epartment of L abor , B ureau of L abor S tatistics , Washington, D . C ., October 1 2 ,1 9 4 9 . The S ecretary of L abor: I have the honor to transmit herewith a publication which provides brief summaries of straight-time hourly earnings for a limited number of occupa tions in manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries. The studies were made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the latter half of 1948 and in 1949 in the leading localities for the industries selected. They were part of the Industry Wage Studies program of the Division of Wage Analysis. The studies were conducted in the Branch of Industry Wage Studies under the direction of Harry Ober. E w an C lague , Commissioner. Hon. M aurice J. T obin , Secretary o j Labor. Contents Page Wood and upholstered furniture: Earnings, September 1948______________________ Hosiery manufacture: Earnings, October 1948__________________ ______ __________ Footwear manufacture: Earnings, October 1948............. ........................... ............ ........ Machinery manufacture: Earnings, November 1948_____________ ____ ____________ Paint and varnish manufacture: Earnings, November 1948_______________________ Machine tool accessories: Earnings, December 1948______________________________ Glassware manufacture: Earnings, January 1949_________ _____ __________________ 1 3 5 6 8 9 11 Hourly Earnings by Industry, Selected W age Areas, September 1948-January 1949 W ood and Upholstered F urniture: Earnings in September 19481 Earnings of men employed in 12 wood-furni ture plant occupations in Los Angeles ranged from $1.22 to $1.70 an hour in September 1948 (table l).2 Hourly averages for individual jobs were from 8 to 33 cents lower in Chicago— the area ranking next to Los Angeles among 10 leading wood-furniture production centers. In Grand Rapids (Mich.) and Rockford (111.) earnings were usually near the Chicago levels. These 4 areas, as well as Fitchburg-Gardner (Mass.) and James 1 The study was limited to plants with 21 or more workers in the wood household and office furniture industry, and to plants with 8 or more workers in the upholstered furniture industry. Greater detail on wages and wage practices for each area represented here is available upon request. 2 Earnings data represent average straight-time hourly earnings, including earnings under incentive pay plans but excluding premium pay for overtime and night work T able town (N. Y .), seldom had job earnings averaging less than $1.10 an hour. Among 3 southern areas (Martinsville, Va.; Morganton-Lenoir, N. C.; and Winston-Salem-High Point, N. C.), individual job averages rarely differed by more than 5 cents an hour and were usually below the $1.10 level. Earnings of men in 4 upholstered-furniture pro duction areas were highest in New York, where hourly averages ranged from $1.46 to $2.52, and were lowest in Winston-Salem-High Point, where averages ranged from 82 cents to $1.60 (table 2). Off-bearers, the lowest-paid men’s occupation in each area, averaged $1.22 in Los Angeles woodfurniture plants; among the other areas, hourly earnings ranged from 76 cents in MorgantonLenoir to 97 cents in Chicago. Among the higherpay jobs, general maintenance men and hand shaper operators in Los Angeles averaged $1.67 and $1.70. In the other areas, averages for general main- 1.— Average straight-time hourly earnings 1 in selected occupations in wood furniture establishments in selected areas, September 1948 Occupation and sex Plant occupation Men: Assemblers, case goods......................................... Assemblers, chairs................................................ Cut-off saw operators............................................ Gluers, rough stock - ............................................ Maintenance men, general utility....................... Off-bearers, machine............................................ Packers, furniture................................................. Rubbers, hand...................................................... Sanders, belt......................................................... Sanders, hand....................................................... Shaper operators, hand, set-up and operate....... Sprayers................................................................ Women: Off-bearers, machine............................................ Sanders, hand....................................................... Office occupation Women: Bookkeepers, hand............................................... Clerk-typists......................................................... Stenographers, general......................................... Fitch Chicago, burg111. Gardner, Mass. Grand Rapids, Mich. James town, N. Y . JasperTeU City, Ind. WinstonMartins Morgan Los tonRockford, Salemville, Angeles, High Lenoir, 111. Calif. Va. Point, N. C. N . C. $1.43 1.38 1.32 1.18 1.34 .97 1.19 1.30 1.30 1.14 1.38 1.34 $1.15 1.11 .99 1.17 1.15 .87 .92 1.33 1.14 (*) 1.16 1.27 $1.41 1.33 1.27 1.16 1.37 .91 1.17 1.31 1.39 1.12 1.36 1.38 $1.41 <2) 1.16 1.16 1.28 .92 1.12 1.49 1.29 1.20 1.25 1.45 $1.28 (*) 1.07 1.04 1.06 .96 1.05 (2) 1.16 1.10 1.11 1.20 $1.51 1.46 1.59 1.39 1.67 1.22 1.46 1.46 1.54 1.29 1.70 1.60 $0.93 (2) 1.00 .90 1.04 .80 .82 .83 1.02 .83 1.04 .95 $0.98 .96 1.08 .91 1.10 .76 .86 .85 1.02 .81 1.03 .99 $1.35 (2) 1.27 1.12 1.31 .94 1.11 1.24 1.39 1.25 1.47 1.42 $0.95 .94 .97 .88 1.13 .78 .85 .86 .96 .80 1.01 .94 .92 1.06 .74 .98 .90 .99 .86 .83 (2) .97 (2) 1.26 (2) (2) (2) .70 (2) 1.02 .78 .75 1.28 1.00 1.23 1.03 .78 .87 1.31 .84 1.17 (?) .78 .88 1.10 .83 .89 1.69 1.02 1.20 (2) 1.01 1.16 (2) .82 .98 (2) 1.02 (2) <2) i Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work. * Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average. 853528-49 1 .83 1.07 2 HOURLY EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY tenance'men ranged from $1.04 in Martinsville to $1.37 in Grand Rapids, and for shaper opera tors from $1.01 in Winston-Salem-High Point to $1.38 in Chicago. Upholsterers and cover cutters were among the highest paid men in upholstered-furniture plants; area averages of complete-suite upholsterers ranged from $1.56 to $2.43 and of cover cutters from $1.31 to $2.50. Earnings of furniture packers, representative of wages in the lower-pay jobs, ranged from 89 cents to $1.46. In each of these comparisons, earnings were highest in New York and lowest in Winston-Salem-High Point. Women plant workers accounted for a very small proportion of the labor force in both wood and upholstered furniture plants. Women hand sanders in nine wood-furniture areas earned from 70 cents in Morganton-Lenoir to $1.26 in Los Angeles, and slightly over $1 in Rockford and Chicago. A majority of the women plant workers in the upholstered-furniture industry were em ployed as cover sewers. Their earnings averaged $1 or more in all areas, and as much as $2.13 in New York. Area averages of women hand bookkeepers were above $1 in both industries. General stenogra phers and clerk-typists were also above the $1 level in upholstered-furniture plants in two of three areas; in wood furniture, general stenographers were in this category in five, and clerk-typists in three, of nine areas studied. T able 2.— Average straight-time hourly earnings 1in selected occupations in upholstered furniture establishments in selected areas, September 1948 Occupation and sex Plant occupation Men: Cut-off saw operators....................... Cutters, cover................................... Frame makers............................. . Gluers, rough stock......................... Maintenance men, general U tilityPackers, furniture....................... ___ Upholsterers, chairs......................... Upholsterers, complete work........... Upholsterers, section work.............. Women: Cutters, cover................................... Sewers, cover.................................... Office occupation Women: Bookkeepers, hand.......................... Clerk-typists............- ................ . Stenographers, general..................... New Chicago, Los An- York, 111. N.Y. $1.33 1.69 1.64 1.22 1.30 1.27 (2) 1.80 (2) $1.61 $1.82 1.94 2.60 1.63 1.95 1.47 (2) 1.66 (2) 1.31 1.46 2.23 (2) 2.38 1.98 2.52 $0.94 1.31 .96 .82 1.16 .89 1.60 1.56 1.39 (2) 1.33 1.70 1.46 (2) 2.13 1.06 1.00 1.14 1.04 1.17 1.61 1.06 1.17 1.48 1.07 .71 .78 1 Excludes premium pay foi overtime and night work. 2 Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average. WinstonSalemHigh Point, N. C. § Comparisons of earnings for occupations in cluded in both the 1947 and 1948 studies showed increases ranging from 5 to 15 percent in approxi mately two-thirds of the area averages in both industries. Areas with increases of at least 10 percent in more than half the jobs were WinstonSalem-High Point in both industries, and Chicago and Los Angeles in wood furniture. A few area averages in both industries showed declines— probably a result of turn-over in employment and of changes in work flow in incentive pay jobs. Related Wage Practices Over half the wood-furniture plants had work week schedules of 44 or more hours for both men and women plant workers. All plants in Los Angeles and Martinsville and a high proportion in Winston-Salem-High Point had 40-hour sched ules; and only Jamestown reported schedules of 50 or more hours for men and 48 or more for women in more than half the plants. In the upholsteredfurniture industry, most New York plants had 35-hour schedules for both men and women; in the other three areas a 40-hour schedule predominated. Paid vacations were provided plant workers in approximately seven-eighths of the wood-furniture plants and five-sixths of the upholstered-furniture plants. Those reporting no vacations with pay were primarily located in the Morganton-Lenoir and Winston-Salem-High Point areas. In both industries practically all plants reporting formal paid vacation provisions allowed 1 week to plant workers after a year of service, except in New York where about two-thirds of the upholsteredfurniture plants allowed 2 weeks. Office workers were granted 2 weeks with pay in about two-fifths of the wood-furniture plants and three-fifths of the upholstered-furniture plants; practically all other plants limited the vacation to 1 week. Typically, office workers in both industries were allowed either 5 or 6 holidays with pay in all areas except in New York upholstered-furniture plants, where the number reported varied from 5 to 14. For plant workers, no paid holidays were reported by about two-thirds of the wood-furniture plants and one-third of the upholstered-furniture plants. Of the plants which reported paid holidays for plant workers in both industries, most plants in Chicago allowed 6 days and in Los Angeles 2 or 3 SELECTED WAGE .AREAS - - days. In the wood-furniture industry, a few plants in Grand Rapids allowed 6 holidays; most of the others reporting paid holidays were in Fitchburg-Gardner, and in Morganton-Lenoir where approximately half the plants allowed from 1 to 4 days. Half the New York upholsteredfurniture plants allowed 9, and the others from 5 to 10 holidays with pay. H osiery M anufacture: Earnings in October 1948* Occupational earnings levels in the fullfashioned and seamless hosiery industries, pre sented separately in this report, differed substan tially in October 1948. The manufacturing processes used in producing full-fashioned hosiery are more complicated than those in seamless hosiery. Use of similar job terms in the two industries (as in the accompany ing tables) does not imply identical or equal job requirements. In the major production areas studied, full-fashioned hosiery mills on the average were larger, measured by employment, than seam less hosiery mills. The full-fashioned hosiery in dustry is also more highly unionized, although comparatively few of the southern mills had agree ments with a labor union in October 1948, the date of the Bureau’s study.*4 Women account for three-fifths of the labor force in the full-fashioned hosiery industry and for an even larger proportion in seamless-hosiery pro duction. Nearly all the knitters in full-fashioned hosiery mills are men, whereas in this work in seamless-hosiery mills, women predominate. The highly automatic types of knitting equipment em ployed in seamless-hosiery manufacture, however, require a proportionately greater number of adjusters and fixers than is needed in full-fash ioned hosiery mills. Except for this job group, in which time rates are typical, a majority of the workers in the occupations for which earnings data are here presented are paid on a piece-work basis. * Greater detail on wages and wage practices for each area included in the study is available on request. 4 The number of production areas studied, and estimated employment in the areas in October 1948, were: full-fashioned hosiery, 5 areas, 30,000 workers; men’s seamless hosiery, 3 areas, 11,300 workers; and children’s seamless hosiery, 2 areas, 3,000 workers. Mills employing less than 21 workers were excluded from the study. 3 Nearly all establishments studied reported that a 40-hour workweek was scheduled in October 1948. Formal provisions for granting paid vaca tion leave to mill and office workers had been estab lished by 74 of 81 full-fashioned hosiery establish^ ments, 36 of 52 men’s seamless-hosiery mills, and 8 of 21 plants manufacturing children’s hosiery. Vacation plans typically provided 1 week with pay to employees with a year of service. A sub stantial number of employers, however, provided 2 weeks of paid vacation leave to office workers. Paid holidays, generally 5 in number, were pro vided for mill and office workers by a great majority of the full-fashioned hosiery plants in Philadelphia and Reading. Very few of the other establishments studied provided paid holidays to mill workers, but a majority (except in the men’s hosiery industry in Statesville-Hickory, N\ C. and the children’s hosiery industry in WinstonSalem-High Point) provided 2 or more paid holi days to office employees. Full-Fashioned Hosiery Average hourly earnings of men knitters (using single-unit equipment and legger machines fitted with backrack attachments) varied considerably by area, gauge of hosiery, and number of sections in the machine. Knitters producing 45-gauge hosiery (24 sections or less) averaged from $1.61 in Statesville-Hickory, N. C., to $2.42 in Reading, Pa. In contrast, knitters making 51-gauge ho siery (26 or more sections) earned from $1.97 in Statesville-Hickory to $2.75 in Philadelphia. Within an area, Philadelphia showed the greatest, variation in earnings among the knitting classifi cations: knitters making 51-gauge hosiery (26 or more sections) averaged 99 cents an horn* more than those producing below 45-gauge hosiery (24 sections or less). Knitting machine adjusters and fixers averaged $1.77 and $1.90 an hour, respectively, in Phila delphia and Reading; however, in the three North Carolina areas, earnings ranged from $1.84 in Statesville-Hickory to $2.05 in Charlotte. Earn ings of men boarders (machine) averaged $1.77 in Philadelphia and $1.75 in Reading, but in North Carolina ranged from $1.11 to $1.35. Thus, although workers in Philadelphia in these two jobs had similar earnings, and in Reading differed 4 HOURLY EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY by only 15 cents, average earnings of adjusters and fixers in each of the southern areas exceed ed those of boarders by 65 cents or more. Seamers (major women’s job in the industry) earned 98 cents in Statesville-Hickory, $1.14 in Burlington-Greensboro, $1.25 in Charlotte, $1. 37 and $1.39, respectively, in Philadelphia and ReadT able 3.— Straight-time average hourly earnings 1in selected occupations in full-fashioned hosiery industry , in selected areas, October 1948 Occupation and sex StatesBurlingvilletonChar Phila del ReadHickGreens- lotte, ing, ory, Pa. boro, N .C phia, Pa. N. C. N. C. Plant occupations, men Adjusters and fixers, knitting ma chines (4 years' or more expe rience)........................................... Borders, machine............................ Knitters, single-unit or backrack: Below 45-gauge, 24 sections or less.......................................... 45-gauge, 24 sections or less___ 45-gauge, 26 or more sections__ 51-gauge, 24 sections or less___ 51-gauge, 26 or more sections__ Preboarders..................................... 12.00 $2.05 1.35 1.38 $1.77 $1.90 1.77 1.75 $1.84 1.11 (*) 1.71 1.84 1.90 2.11 1.37 1.95 1.95 2.08 1.79 2.12 1.37 1.76 2.07 (*) 2.12 2.75 1.57 2.25 2.42 (2) 2.49 (2) 1.59 1.36 1.61 1.65 1.77 1.97 1.26 1.23 1.11 1.09 1.21 .95 1.10 1.66 1.13 1.05 (2) .99 1.17 1.10 .95 .93 1.24 1.11 .96 1.28 1.14 1.18 1.33 1.05 1.16 1.25 1.34 1.31 1.22 1.55 1.37 1.29 1.3C 1.40 (2) 1.39 1.07 1.10 .98 (2) .98 Pland occupations, women Boarders, machine____ ____ _____ Folders............................................. Inspectors, hosiery....................... Loopers, toe only (1 year's expe rience or more)............................. Menders, hand....... ........................ Pairers............................................. Preboarders..................................... Seamers............................................ Seamless Hosiery Women knitters operating automatic machines averaged 83 cents an hour in October 1948 in men’s seamless hosiery mills in Reading, Pa., and the Statesville Hickory area of North Carolina. For other women in this job, averages were 98 cents in men’s hosiery mills in Winston-SalemHigh Point, N. C., 86 cents in children’s hosiery mills in the same area, and 91 cents in children’s hosiery mills in Chattanooga. Transfer knitters’ earnings ranged from 72 cents in Statesville-Hick ory to 92 cents in Chattanooga. Women loopers (the largest job group in the industry) had average earnings ranging from 85 cents to 97 cents. For menders (the lowest-paid job studied) the range was from 64 to 81 cents an hour. Men knitting machine adjusters and fixers earned $1.21 in Chattanooga, $1.26 in Reading, and $1.34 in Statesville-Hickory; in the WinstonSalem-High Point area, they averaged $1.40 in children’s hosiery mills and $1.51 in the men’s hosiery division. Men knitters, automatic ma chines, averaged from 5 to 9 cents an hour more than did women on similar work in the same area. T able 4.— Straight-time average hourly earnings,1 selected occupations in seamless hosiery industryf by type of hosiery and wage area, October 1948. Men’s hosiery Children's hosiery WinstonRead States villeSaleming, Hickory, High Pa. N. C. Point, N. C. WinstonChat Salemta nooga, High Term. Point, N. C. Office occupations, women Clerks, pay-roll............................... CJerk-typists................................... Stenographers, general.................... 1.0C .87 1.05 1.03 1.04 1.08 1.02 .90 1.09 1.13 .78 (2) (2) (2) (2) Occupation and sex » Exclusive of premium pay for overtime and night work, s Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average. ing. Inter-area differences in earnings were gen erally smaller in other women’s jobs. Hand menders, for example, earned from $1.10 in States ville-Hickory to $1.33 in Charlotte. Hosiery in spectors averaged 93 cents in Statesville-Hickory and from $1.05 to $1.17 among the other areas. Folders, the lowest-paid mill group studied, earned 95 cents in Charlotte and Statesville-Hickory, 99 cents in Reading, $1.11 and $1.13, respectively, in Burlington-Greensboro and Philadelphia. As in the case of men’s jobs (other than adjusters and fixers), Reading and Philadelphia mills generally had the highest earnings and the StatesvilleHickory area the lowest in nearly all jobs. Plant occupations, men Adjusters and fixers, knitting machines (4 years’ experience or more).................................... $1.26 Boarders, hand............................ 1.03 Knitters, automatic..................... .88 $1.34 .90 .90 $1.51 1.14 1.07 $1.21 .99 (2) $1.40 1.02 .94 (2) .82 .75 .83 (2) .86 .77 .74 .69 .83 (2) .72 .98 .94 .89 .98 1.00 (2) .85 .92 (2) .91 .84 .92 .78 .81 .82 .86 .96 .79 .77 .85 .64 .71 .97 .72 .90 .88 .81 .87 (2) (2) <2) .93 .77 .90 1.01 .93 .98 .91 .81 1.34 Plant occupations, women Boarders, hand............................ Folders and boxers...................... Inspectors, hosiery....................... Knitters, automatic..................... Knitters, string............................ Knitters, transfer......................... Loopers, toe only (1 year's expe rience or more)......................... Menders, hand........ ................... Pairers.......................................... <2) Office occupations, women Clerks, pay-roll............................ Clerk-typists..... .......................... Stenographers, general................ 1 Exclusive of premium pay for overtime and night work. 2 Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average. .86 .95 .68 .79 (2) (2) <2) SELECTED WAGE AEEAS Occupational earnings in production of men's seamless hosiery were highest iu the WinstonSalem-High Point area and lowest, except in two men's jobs, in the Statesville-Hickory area. In the children's hosiery division, earnings for nearly all the women's jobs were higher in Chattanooga than in Winston-Salem-High Point, but for men adjusters and fixers and for hand boarders, the reverse was true. Wages in men's hosiery mills exceeded those in the production of children's hosiery in the Winston-Salem-High Point area; in 7 of 10 jobs providing a comparison, the wage advantage in favor of men's hosiery workers amounted to 11 or more cents an hour. Footwear M anufacture: Earnings in October 1948 s In women's cement-process shoe manufacture, average hourly earnings of men cutters (machine) in New England in October 1948 ranged from $1.42 in the Auburn-Lewiston area of Maine to $1.72 in Boston. Among six New England areas, hourly averages of men in other production jobs, also typically paid on a piece-rate basis, ranged as follows: Side lasters (machine), $1.63 in Worces ter to $2.05 in Haverhill, Mass.; bed-machine operators, $1.55 in Auburn-Lewiston to $1.84 in Haverhill; and treers, $1.30 in Worcester to $1.66 in Haverhill. Earnings of fancy stitchers, the major women's job studied, ranged from $1.06 in Worcester to $1.38 in Boston. Earnings of floor girls, paid hourly rates, ranged from 85 cents in Boston to 94 cents in Lynn and Worcester. The highest job averages in New England were generally found in Boston or Haverhill; Worcester and, to a lesser extent, Auburn-Lewiston had the lowest earnings. Among other women's shoe centers, St. Louis pay levels fell within the New England range, earnings in Missouri (except St. Louis) were gen erally below the lowest New England areas aver ages, and job averages for Los Angeles generally matched earnings for similar shop work in Boston * * Greater detail on wages and wage practices for each wage area included in the study is available upon request. The study covered the manufacture of selected types of footwear in 13 major production areas. Approximately 65,000 workers were employed in October 1948 in the industry divisions covered. Establishments employing less than 21 workers were excluded from the study. 5 and Haverhill. Earnings in New York City, where the study was limited to women's street shoes, were the highest recorded for any of the production jobs. Men edge trimmers (machine), for example, averaged $1.39 in Missouri (except St. Louis), $1.65 in St. Louis, $1.98 in Los Angeles, and $2.67 in New York; area averages in New England ranged from $1.55 in Worcester to $2 in Boston. In men's Goodyear welt shoe manufacture, vamp and whole shoe cutters (machine) averaged $1.57 in Worcester, $1.67 in Illinois, and $1.69 in Brockton, Mass.; but men Goodyear stitchers averaged $1.55 in Worcester, $1.61 in Brockton, and $1.73 in Illinois. Among the women's jobs studied, vampers were the highest paid, ranging from $1.22 in Worcester to $1.35 in Brockton; floor girls had a low average of 83 cents in Illinois and a high of 89 cents in Brockton. The Wor cester area had the lowest earnings in 8 of the 11 plant jobs for which averages could be presented for each of the three centers. An important segment of the children's welt shoe industry is located in southeastern Pennsyl vania. The generally lower pay level in this area is reflected by the hourly averages of 71 cents for floor boys and $1.12 for men cutters. Edge trim mers were the highest paid men workers covered, averaging $1.31 an hour. In women's jobs, earn ings ranged from 74 cents for floor girls to 96 cents for top stitchers. Hourly earnings in this area averaged 20 cents or more below those in women's cement-process shoe plants in Missouri (except St. Louis), the second lowest pay area studied, in a majority of the plant jobs for which comparable figures were available. Office jobs showed smaller differences in earn ings from area to area than did plant jobs. Clerktypists averaged from 67 cents in Brockton to 99 cents in New York, and general stenographers from 80 cents in Auburn-Lewiston to $1.18 in New York. In contrast to the earnings relation ship reported for plant jobs, office pay levels in southeastern Pennsylvania were above those in New England. Related Wage Practices A 40-hour workweek was scheduled by 180 of the 183 establishments studied in the 13 areas. Paid holidays were granted to plant workers by 6 HOTTBl.X mRNIN.QS BY INDUSTRY T able 5.— Straight-time average hourly earnings 1 in selected occupations in footwear establishments, by process and wage area, October 1948 Women’s cement process shoes M en’s Goodyear welt shoes Ne\fr England Occupation and sex AuSouth burnHaver Lynn, eastern Wor hill, Lewis- Boston, New cester, Mass. Mass. Mass. Hamp ton, Mass. Maine shire Chil dren’s welt shoes Mis Los New souri, St. South York except Louis, Angeles, Brock Wor eastern Mo. Calif. St. C ity 2 ton, Penn cester, Illinois Louis1 2 syl Mass. Mass. vania3 Plant occupations: M en Assemblers for pullover, machine___ Bed-machine operators...... ................ Cutters, vamp and whole shoe, hand. Cutters, vamp and whole shoe, ma chine................................................. Edge trimmers, machine.................... Floor boys............................................ Goodyear stitchers___________ _____ Mechanics, maintenance................... Side lasters, machine....... .................... Snip, atfpphprs, ppm ant Treers.—............................................ .. Wood-heel-seat fitters, hand ................. Wood-heel-seat fitters, machine......... $1.64 1.55 (0 1.42 1.64 ft 1.68 1.79 1.42 1.37 $1.89 1.59 1.78 $1.83 1.84 1.72 2.00 .78 1.63 1.95 .88 (*) 1.41 1.99 1.55 1.64 1.36 (4) 1.22 .88 1.30 1.38 .85 1.68 (0 (4) 0) 0) 1.60 2.05 1.63 1.66 0) 1.70 $1.41 1.58 $2.39 2.36 $1.19 1.35 1.34 1.49 1.55 .92 2.09 2.67 1.07 1.39 1.39 .85 ft 1.54 1.63 1.46 1.30 1.60 2.49 2.27 1.96 2.04 2.61 1.24 1.34 1.19 1.29 1.25 1.06 1.31 1.57 1.41 1.53 1.54 1.51 ( 4) (4) (4) (4) 2.09 1.76 .89 .78 .92 1.21 1.12 .89 1.07 1.16 1.02 .99 1.18 .84 .77 .86 .87 .82 .97 $1.80 1.70 1.67 $1.54 1.69 0) ( 4) 1.54 1.80 (4) 1.50 1.67 .79 1.63 1.69 1.76 1.57 1.69 (4) 1.50 1.72 1.53 1.42 1.36 1.33 1.25 .94 1.24 1.20 .91 1.17 .97 0) 1.51 («) $1.56 1.60 1.59 1.65 .86 0) ft $1.75 1.94 1.98 .94 $1.71 1.48 1.52 $1.42 1.46 ft $1.60 1.69 1.85 $0.99 1.14 .91 1.12 1.31 .71 1.10 1.03 1.09 .84 .95 1.69 1.81 1.57 1.62 ( 4) ( 4) 1.55 1.51 1.63 1.67 1.89 (4) 1.73 1.31 1.61 1.43 1.53 ft (4) ft (4) (4) 1.74 1.01 1.64 1.74 1.12 .89 1.08 1.35 1.11 .86 1.04 1.22 1.23 .83 1.32 1.28 .94 .74 .96 .90 1.16 .93 .77 .67 .85 .82 .77 .89 .93 .88 1.06 .8 6 1.87 <4) 1.73 ft 1.61 1.50 1.48 ft ft ft Plant occupations: Women Fancy stitchers........................................... Floor girls..................................................... Top stitchers....................................... Vampers............................................... 1.25 .90 1.38 1.09 0) 1.06 .94 1.16 1.17 Office occupations: Women Clerks, pay-roll................................... Clerk-typists....................................... Stenographers, general....................... .70 (0 .80 .84 .74 .89 .82 .72 .83 .81 .77 .83 1 Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work. 2 Study limited to establishments primarily engaged in producing women’s street shoes. 129 of the 139 establishments producing women’s cement-process shoes, by 13 of 33 men’s Goodyear welt shoe plants, and by only 1 of the 11 children's welt shoe plants surveyed. The most common practice in New York and among the New England shoe centers provided 6 paid holidays; 8 of 10 plants in Los Angeles and half of those in St. Louis paid for 3 holidays. Nearly all establish ments granted paid holidays to office employees and the number of paid holidays received by this group generally exceeded the number granted to plant workers in the same establishments. Vacations with pay were granted to plant workers with a year of service by nearly all estab lishments. With few exceptions, eligible shop workers received 1 week of paid vacation leave. All or a majority of the women’s shoe plants in New York, Missouri (except St. Louis), St. Louis, Los Angeles, and of the men’s shoe plants in Brock ton and Illinois, provided a 2-week paid vacation to plant workers with 5 years of service. Office workers with a year of service received 1 week with pay in two-thirds of the establishments .80 .74 .82 .76 ( 4) .85 1.11 .90 .83 3 Berks, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Schuylkill Counties. 4 Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average, and 2 weeks in the remainder. Of 181 establish ments employing office workers, 108 provided 2 weeks with pay after 5 years of service. M achinery M anufacture: Earnings in November 1948 * Tool and die makers in machinery establish ments6 in November 1948 had average hourly earnings ranging from $1.51 to $2.13, among 30 large cities included in a Bureau of Labor Statis tics study. An average of $1.75 or more was earned in this job in nearly half the cities. Pro duction machinists earned from $1.38 to $1.81 an hour, and generally similar ranges were recorded for class A assemblers, class A engine-lathe 6 Greater detail on wages and wage practices for each city presented here is available on request. The study covered machinery industries other than the machine tool, machine tool accessories, and electrical machinery industries. Approxi mately 507,000 workers were employed in November 1948 in the machinery industries surveyed in the 30 cities. Establishments with fewer than 21 workers were not studied. 7 SELECTED WAGE AREAS higher earnings were recorded in other jobs in 10 areas. Earnings of class A assemblers in Hart ford, Milwaukee, Syracuse, and Worcester, for example, exceeded those of tool and die makers. At the lower end of the scale, class C assemblers and class C drill-press operators in a few com munities were found to be earning less than hand truckers. The degree of wage difference between skilled and unskilled jobs varied among the cities. The wage advantage that tool and die makers held over hand truckers, for example, ranged from 37 cents in Worcester, Mass., to 90 cents in Houston. New England cities generally showed the smallest amount of wage spread between these two jobs. (See table 6.) Comparisons of earnings of men plant workers with those reported for November 1947, the date operators, class A inspectors, and class A welders (hand). The lowest-paid plant job studied— hand truckers— in half of the cities averaged $1.15 or more, city averages ranging from 85 cents to $1.41 an hour. Although the general level of earnings in Great Lakes and Pacific Coast cities exceeded those in other areas, a few cities in other regions showed the highest earnings in one or more of the 18 plant job classifications studied. Seven cities (Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Pitts burgh, San Francisco, and Syracuse) had the highest earnings in 2 or more jobs.7 With few exceptions, the lowest earnings were in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Dallas. Individual jobs varied in relative position in the earnings scale from city to city. Although in most of the cities, tool and die makers were the highest-paid workers studied, T able 6.— Straight-time average hourly earnings 1 o f men in selected occupations in machinery establishments, SO cities , November 1948 City Atlanta..................................... Baltimore................................. Birmingham............................. Boston...................................... Buffalo...................................... Chattanooga............................ Chicago..................................... Cincinnati................................ Cleveland................................. Dallas........................................ Denver...................................... Detroit...................................... Hartford................. — ............. Houston.................................... Indianapolis............................. Los Angeles.............................. Milwaukee............................... Minneapolis-St. Paul............. Newark-Jersey City............ . New York.................... ........... Philadelphia............................. Pittsburgh.............................. Portland, Oreg......................... Providence............................ St. Louis............................... . San Francisco........................... Seattle...................................... Syracuse................................... Tulsa........................................ Worcester....................... .......... Drill-press oper ators. single-and multiple-spindle Inspectors Electri cians, mainteClass Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class nance Class Class Class A B C O C A B A A B C B Ma chin ists, pro duc tion $1.50 $1.17 $0.82 $1.09 $1.49 $1.19 (2) (2) (2) 1.47 1.26 1.10 1.39 $0.98 1.36 1.46 ft (2) 1.53 1.37 1.25 1.59 1.26 (2) (2) (2) (2) 1.55 1.34 1.25 1.23 1.12 1.64 1.35 $1.24 (2) 1.55 1.38 1.24 $1.53 1.64 1.49 1.31 (2) (2) 1.52 1.40 1.04 1.56 1.47 1.05 1.68 1.28 1.11 1.70 1.52 1.40 1.56 1.51 1.44 1.69 1.54 1.45 1.36 1.20 1.02 1.29 1.16 .97 1.44 1.18 1.05 1.74 1.61 1.34 1.74 1.72 1.27 1.78 1.65 1.33 1.36 1.18 1.08 1.09 .88 1.52 1.30 (2) <2) $1.57 1.59 1.51 1.53 1.51 1.67 1.38 1.64 1.45 Assemblers (*) 1.77 1.80 1.57 1.53 1.57 1.74 1.52 1.75 1.68 1.58 1.68 1.71 (2) 1.67 1.72 1.77 1.88 1.39 1.64 1.27 1.56 1.41 1.42 1.44 1.37 1.63 1.36 1.50 1.46 1.47 1.23 1.33 1.32 1.24 1.56 1.25 1.30 1.20 1.42 1.68 1.61 1.35 1.29 1.51 1.56 1.50 1.23 1.41 1.29 1.30 1.37 1.03 1.21 1.31 (2) 1.55 1.11 1.34 (2) 1.63 1.61 1.47 1.65 1.55 1.64 1.57 1.21 1.62 1.40 1.38 1.48 1.39 1.50 1.34 1.43 1.37 1.61 1.19 1.23 1.09 1.81 1.30 1.16 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 1.67 (2) 1.54 1.28 1.70 (2) 1.68 1.33 1.20 1.38 1.47 1.56 1.48 1.12 (2) (2) (2) (2) 1.48 (2) 1.05 1.22 (2) 1.24 1.13 <*> (2) 1.37 1.02 1.07 Engine-lathe operators 1.54 1.84 1.81 1.73 1.57 1.67 1.68 1.54 1.68 1.64 1.72 1.67 1.71 (2) 1.65 1.78 1.76 1.67 1.50 1.45 i Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work. of a previous Bureau wage study, showed that job averages had increased in four-fifths of the cities by at least 5 percent and in somewhat less than half of the cities by 10 percent or more. 7In three job categories, the highest average was found in two cities. 1.31 1.62 1.16 (2) (2) (2) 1.41 1.55 1.39 1.44 1.64 1.35 1.51 1.44 1.28 1.50 1.49 1.56 1.31 1.45 (2) (2) (2) (2) 1.21 1.47 (2) (2) 1.41 1.43 1.38 (2) (2) (2) 1.16 (2) (2) (2) (2) 1.17 (2) (2) (2) (2) m $1.47 $1.45 (2) (2) 1.52 1.61 (2) 1.57 1.60 $1.42 (2) 1.61 1.62 1.35 1.50 1.48 1.21 $1.04 1.70 1.59 1.48 1.38 1.34 1.47 1.30 1.18 1.69 1.68 1.58 1.37 1.44 1.41 (2) (2) (2) 1.86 1.37 1.89 1.57 1.89 1.64 1.58 1.70 1.62 1.57 1.65 1.70 1.43 1.68 1.90 1.79 1.51 1.53 1.54 1.48 1.77 1.64 1.69 1.61 1.61 1.63 1.55 1.61 1.66 1.64 1.31 1.65 1.45 1.42 1.54 1.35 1.46 1.53 (2) 1.79 1.73 (2) 1.60 (2) 1.54 1.72 (2) 1.53 1.49 1.46 (2) <*> (2) 1.43 1.23 1.60 (2) 1.27 1.38 (2) (2) 1.17 1.24 (2) (2) 1.33 1.33 1.09 1.19 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 1.33 1.20 1.32 1.12 (2) (2) 1.45 (2) 1.43 1.78 Welders, Tool Truck hand and ers, die makers hand Class Class A B $1.51 1.71 1.68 1.64 1.71 1.67 1.89 1.59 1.89 1.56 $0.85 .89 (2) 2 .0 0 1.16 1.41 1.10 .98 1.18 1.15 1.17 1.15 1.13 1.13 1.66 1.59 1.58 1.64 1.56 1.73 1.88 1.89 1.76 1.73 1.74 1.80 1.83 1.59 1.81 1.69 1.47 1.75 1.76 1.77 1.61 1.56 1.47 1.75 1.80 1.85 1.58 1.92 2.13 2.06 1.69 1.61 1.57 (2) 09 1.12 1.19 .97 1.21 .98 1.27 <2) 1.13 1.20 1.41 1.02 1.12 1.40 1.38 1.15 (2) 1.20 (2) (2) $1.55 1.51 1.68 1.65 1.71 1.40 1.75 1.30 $1.24 (2) (*) 1.32 1.46 1.34 1.58 1.22 1.48 1.16 (2) (2) ( 2) (2) 1.73 1.79 1.56 1.75 1.69 1.54 1.70 1.61 1.73 1.60 1,72 1.51 1.61 1.85 1.76 1.85 1.47 1.49 1.70 1.78 1.46 1.49 1.66 1.45 1.47 1.47 1.57 (2) (2) 1.26 1.29 C2) (2) 1.72 1.37 1.36 * Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average. Women plant workers, estimated to account for less than 8 percent of the labor force, are employed primarily in assembling, inspection, and machinetool-operating jobs. Although the Bureau study included women in these groups, the limited number of job averages that could be established 8 HOURLY EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY for them did not justify their inclusion in the table. To the extent that comparisons could be made within the various job classifications, men workers in most cases were found to average higher earnings. Women general stenographers averaged from 95 cents to $1.27 an hour and the earnings of clerk-typists ranged from 82 cents to $1.08 (table 7). Pay-roll clerks typically had rates higher than those of clerk-typists, but lower than those of general stenographers. Average earnings ex ceeded $1 for each of the jobs in the four Pacific Coast cities and in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Newark-Jersey City, and New York. Related Wage Practices A 40-hour workweek for men plant workers was scheduled by three-fourths of the machinery plants studied, and in each city was the most common weekly hours figure reported. A tenth 7.—Straight-time average hourly earnings 1 of women in selected office occupations in machinery establishments, SO cities , November 1948 T able City Clerks, pay-roll Clerktypists Stenog raphers, general Atlanta_____ _____________________ Baltimore_________________________ Birmingham , Boston - ______________________ _ Buffalo ...... ___ Chattanooga_______________________ Chicago___________________________ Cincinnati_________________________ Cleveland_________________________ Dallas____________________________ (*) $0.95 (*) .97 .96 1.10 1.15 .96 1.14 .97 $1.02 .86 .96 .89 .85 .94 1.04 .86 1.03 .91 $1.11 1.07 (*) 1.06 99 1.11 1.16 1.03 1.18 1.08 Denver___________________________ Detroit - Hartford__________________________ Houston____- ______ —____________ Indianapolis. - Los Angeles_____________ ____ _____ M ilwaukee____ ___________________ Minneapolis-St. Ban! _ _ Newark-Jersey City________________ New York_____ ________ _____ _____ (•) 1.18 1.00 1.24 1.15 1.13 .97 1.01 1.09 1.17 .97 1.03 .92 1.05 1.01 1.03 1.02 .91 1.01 1.03 1.02 1.20 1.03 1.22 1.19 1.19 1.04 1.05 1.14 1.27 Philadelphia.. ... . -Pittsburgh________________________ Portland, Oreg_____________________ Providence________________________ St. Louis__________________________ San Francisco____________________— Seattle.__________________________ Syracuse Tulsa Worcester_______________________ _ 1.09 (*) 1.12 .94 1.02 1.11 1.17 1.00 1.06 1.01 .93 .94 1.07 .82 .90 1.08 1.03 .89 .95 .89 1.08 1.01 1.13 .95 1.06 1.19 1.24 1.01 1.14 1.08 ’ Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work. ’ Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average. of the plants scheduled a 45-hour week. The workweek for women plant workers seldom ex ceeded 40 hours. Second shifts were reported by half the plants, and third-shift operation by about a fifth, in November 1948. With few exceptions, these es tablishments paid differentials for extra-shift work. The most common practice provided addi tional pay on a cents-per-hour basis, rarely ex ceeding 10 cents for either second- or third-shift work. Approximately a third of the establishments reported payment of a uniform percent addition to the first-shift hourly rate, typically 10 percent for second and third shifts. Paid vacations were granted to plant and office workers who had 1 year of service, by nearly all establishments studied. Eligible plant workers usually received 1 week of vacation leave, whereas office workers more commonly received 2 weeks. Paid holidays, typically 6 in number, were granted to plant workers by approximately 70 percent of the establishments studied. With few excep tions, office workers received 6 or more paid holidays. In Boston, Houston, New York, Provi dence, and Worcester, most establishments granted more than 6 paid holidays to office workers. Paint and Varnish Manufacture: Earnings in November 19488 Hourly earnings in paint and varnish manu facturing plants9 studied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 12 cities were generally highest in San Francisco and Detroit and lowest in Phila delphia and Louisville, in November 1948. In half the cities, average straight-time earnings were rarely below $1.50 an hour for general main tenance men, technicians, tinters, and varnish makers. Only in Philadelphia were the average rates for any of these 4 occupations below $1.30. The highest hourly rates were $1.75 for general maintenance men in Chicago, $1.73 for tinters in San Francisco, and $1.69 each for technicians in Detroit and varnish makers in Cleveland. The lowest earnings in these occupations varied from $1.11 for technicians in Philadelphia to $1.36 for • Greater detail on employment, wages, and wage practices for each city is available on request. •The study covered establishments manufacturing paints, varnishes, lacquers, and allied paint products, employing 8 or more workers. The 12 cities included approximately three-fourths of the industry's employment in November 1948. 9 SELECTED WAGE AREAS general maintenance men in Louisville. Mixers, the largest occupational group of men workers, had average earnings of $1.30 or more in 8 cities, averages in all cities ranging from $1.11 in Phila delphia to $1.53 in San Francisco. The latter 2 cities also represented the extremes in rates for labelers and packers, with averages by city rang ing from 90 cents to $1.42 for men and from 83 cents to $1.36 for women. Among 3 office jobs, earnings of women were highest for hand bookkeepers, the averages in 7 cities ranging from $1.20 in Boston to $1.58 in New York and San Francisco. General stenog raphers earned from 85 cents in Philadelphia to $1.21 in Chicago, and clerk-typists from 81 cents in Pittsburgh to $1.14 in San Francisco. Earnings levels in the 12 cities showed increases for practically all jobs since August 1947, the date of a similar Bureau study. Over three-fourths of the average job rates had increased by 5 to 20 percent during the 15-month period. On a per centage basis, average rates in Newark, Philadel phia, and San Francisco had increased somewhat less than those in the other 9 cities. Related Wage Practices Most of the 153 plants visited in November 1948 had single-shift operations. The normal weekly schedule for men plant workers in 7 of every 8 establishments was 40 hours. Practically all establishments employing women in plant jobs re ported a normal schedule of 40 hours for these workers. With only 2 exceptions, all establishments re ported formal paid-vacation policies applying to both plant and office workers. After a year of service, plant workers were usually allowed 1 week with pay, whereas about two-thirds of the es tablishments employing office workers granted them 2 weeks with pay. A large proportion of the firms reporting a vacation of 1 week after a year of service granted 2 weeks after longer service. Time off with pay on certain holidays also was usually provided. From 6 to 7 days were allowed plant and office workers in four-fifths of the es tablishments. Those providing more than 7 paid holidays were in Boston, Newark, and New York. In the latter city, more than half the establish ments provided 11 days. T a b l e 8 .— Average straight-time hourly earnings 1 in selected occupations in paint and varnish establishments, 12 cities , November 1948 Occupation and sex Plant occupations Men: Labelers and packers............................................ Maintenance men, general utility..................... Mixers_______________ ______________________ Technicians_____________ ________ ___________ Tinters_____________________________ ______ — Truckers, hand.............. ...... ................................ Varnish makers..................................................... Women: Labelers and packers............................................ Los Boston Chicago Cleve land Detroit Ange les $1.17 1.40 1.27 1.39 1.40 1.21 1.36 $1:31 1.76 1.40 1.42 1.66 1.28 1.64 $1.26 1.48 1.38 1.61 1.60 1.26 1.69 $1.39 1.67 1.46 1.69 1.69 1.44 1.66 $1.26 (*) 1.36 1.69 1.43 (l) 1.46 1.01 1.16 .91 1.20 1.20 .88 .93 1.26 1.01 1.21 1.37 .92 1.08 1.44 .99 1.13 Louis NewarkJersey ville City Phila Pitts New York delphia burgh St. Louis San Fran cisco $1.16 1.69 1.30 1.69 1.61 1.08 1.66 $0.90 1.47 1.11 1.11 1.23 (Q (*) $1.31 1.60 1.34 (*) 1.44 1.16 1.34 $1.28 1.43 1.23 1.61 1.40 1.13 1.63 $1.42 (*) 1.63 1.60 1.73 1.44 1.66 (*) 1.10 .83 1.06 1.04 1.36 (*) .97 1.14 1.68 1.02 1.20 (*) .87 .86 (*) .81 .92 1.24 .88 1.10 1.68 1.14 1.16 $0.97 1.36 1.19 1.36 1.36 1.06 1.36 $1.28 1.61 1.37 1.39 1.61 1.20 1.66 1.06 <*) (*) 1.09 1.12 <*) .90 1.07 Office occupations Women: Bookkeepers, hand............................................... Clerk-typists.......................................................... Stenographers, general.......................................... 1 Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work. Machine-Tool Accessory Plants: Earnings in December 194810 Average straight-time earnings of tool and die makers in machine tool accessory establishments in December 1948 ranged from $1.60 to $2.22 an Greater detail on wages and wage practices for each city presented here Is available on request. * Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average. hour among 10 leading centers of the industry.11 In 2 cities, these workers averaged over $2 an hour; in 5 cities from $1.82 to $1.86, and in 3 cities, less than $1.76. Other highly skilled work ers studied generally averaged less than tool and ii The study covered tool and die jobbing shops and other establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing machine tool accessories and employing 8 or more workers. In December 1948, these establishments in the 10 areas employed approximately 36^000 workers. 10 HOURLY EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY die makers. For class A operators of engine lathes, milling machines, and grinding machines, and for class A inspectors, the highest earnings levels in the 10 cities ranged from $2.11 to $2.19, and the lowest from $1.42 to $1.53. In most cities, class B machine tool operators earned from 20 to 40 cents loss than class A operators. Enrnings of janitors ranged from 92 cents to $1.39 and were the lowest rates among all jobs studied. In 12 of the 13 jobs for which averages could be compared, earnings in Detroit were from 13 to 39 cents above the next highest city. Averages for 6 skilled jobs exceeded $2.10 an hour in Detroit; except for tool and die makers in Chicago, the second highest wage city, earnings in these selected jobs in the other cities did not exceed $2. Earnings in Cleveland, the next in the wage scale, were below the Chicago averages in considerably more than half the jobs. These 3 highest wage cities accounted for nearly twothirds of the industry’s total employment in all cities surveyed. Lowest rates for most jobs were in Boston, Hartford, and Providence, where averages were generally from 10 to 35 cents below those in Chicago and Cleveland. Workers in skilled jobs generally had higher earnings in jobbing shops than in production shops,12 in Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit, where such comparisons could be made. In less-skilled jobs, such as class B and class C machine tool operator, a limited number of comparisons indicated that earnings were higher in production shops. Workers employed under incentive-pay systems had higher earnings than time workers in the same jobs. However, incentive-pay systems were not common in the industry. Most of those in operation were in the larger production shops in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and Hartford. Women employed in 3 oflice jobs had highest earnings in Detroit, where hand bookkeepers averaged $1.62, general stenographers $1.39, and clerk-typists $1.18. Lowest earnings in these jobs were $1.08 for hand bookkeepers in M il waukee, 95 cents for general stenographers in Providence, and 80 cents for clerk-typists in Boston. , T ajile 9.- Average straight-tithe hourly earnings1 in seUcted occupations in machine tool accessory establishments in 10 cities Dice tuber lOjS Occupation, grade, and sex ' Host on 1 Chicago ■ Cleve land Detroit i ark- i New 1Milwau- New Hanford • Indian 1 York apolis 1 koc > Jorsey City • i i P lant occupations -M en Electricians, maintenance ........................... ........... : Engine-lathe operators, class A .............................. . Engine-lathe operators, class 11 ................................ Grinding-machine operators, class A ...................... Grinding-machine oixnaiors, class 11......................... Grinding-machine operators, class C..... ........... ........ Inspectors, class A .................................... ................. Inspectors, class 31...................................................... ' Janitors............................................................... ■___ > M achinist s, product ion............................................. Milling-machine oix»rators, class A ......................... Milling-machine operators, clns> II.......................... 0) 0) ! <*) SI. 51 1.20 0) (2 ) (*) . 03 1 .3 1 (2) (2) 1I I1 j: i .o :i 1.71 Tool and die makers.................................................. Office occupationft- W om en ! Hook keepers, hand................................. .................... ! Clerk-typists.......................................................... : Stcnogrsipliers, general.............................................. 1 .1 0 .80 1.04 31.02 1.8-1 1.57 1.85 1.02 1.81 1.71 1.57 1.12 l .o o 1.85 1.75 1.38 i ! 2 07 1 1.80 1.00 1.20 |I j !> ii ' |1 1: 1-8 9 ii 1 $2.11 2.12 1.73 2.10 1.70 1.30 2.10 1.70 1.30 (2) 2.11 1.72 1.55 2.22 ‘ j 1 I 1 $1.52 1.42 1.47 1. 74 1.01 1.23 1.53 M ! ! (2 ) , .00 1.55 1.30 1.30 J . 00 1.32 1.03 1.21 1.02 ' 1.18 j 1.30 1.23 .00 1.00 1 i! ! i . j ! i . (o $1.52 (*) 1.70 1.48 ! (2 ) j < * (2 ) (2 ) (2 ) <: > 1 • '■ (2) ! $1.00 ' (2 ) 1.00 : 1.45 ; 1.05 .00 1.07 i! 1.08 , jj 0) 1.82 ! ! i A comparison of plant occupational averages in December 194S with those obtained by a study conducted a year earlier in the same cities revealed that over half the job averages had increased by 5 percent or more. Increases rarely amounted to more than 15 percent. About a tenth of the 1 1.02 i 1.05 1.37 1.41 1.85 i 11 i 1.40 1 .0 0 ii ij 1 Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work. $1.72 1.04 1.00 1.78: 1.51 j 1.85 i 1.15 . 1.51 1.05 0 ) C ) 1.83 1 ! 1.08 .02 ! : i <2) .08 1.14 1I , j J’rovij donee (2 ) $1.01 1.30 1.00 1.38 1 1 <>) *1.7* 1.37 1.70 1.35 $1.38 1.53 (2) 1.57 1.30 (0 (2 ) (*) 1.85 (2) (2) (2 ) (2) 1.30 .02 1.34 1.52 1.20 .0 1 1.55 1.53 <-> <‘ > 1.84 |! .00 1-72 1 .0 2 1.30 (2) 1.86 (*) 1.64 s <s> 1 (2) (2) 1.00 (*) (2 ) (*) 1.30 • N) . 05 • Insufficient data to justify presentation of an overture. occupational averages showed slight declines. Lower earnings of workers paid on an incentive basis in some jobs (probably because of changes in work (low) accounted for a number of the declines; :: Production shops normally manufacture more or loss standardized acces sories, usually in large quantities to t)C stocked, whereas jobbing shops tiro typically engaged in producing nonstandard items according to special orders. 11 Se l e c t e d w a g e a r e a s others probably resulted from turn-over in em ployment. Related Wage Practices Of the 215 establishments studied in December 1948, 60 were operating second shifts and 12 reported third or other shift operations. Employ ment on extra shifts varied from zero in Boston and Providence to about 15 percent in Detroit. M ost of the plants with extra shifts paid shift differentials; the differential over the day-shift hourly rate usually was 10 cents. A 40-hour normal workweek schedule was reported for men in about two-thirds of the plants. In other plants, the normal scheduled horns varied widely, about a fourth reporting from 42 to 48 hours, and about a tenth more than 48 hours. Over four-fifths of the firms employing women plant workers reported a 40-hour schedule for women. Vacations with pay to both plant and office workers were provided by approximately 9 of every 10 plants studied, after a year of service. Most plants provided 1 week, for plant workers, whereas office workers were given 2 weeks by more than half the firms employing such workers. Many plants increased the vacation time after longer service; more than three-fifths of those granting 1 week to either plant or office workers after a year of service, allowed 2 weeks after 5 years' service. Paid-holiday provisions for plant workers were reported by about half the establishments, and for office workers, by about five-sixths. The typical allowance was 6 holidays. Glassware Manufacture: Earnings in January 1949134 1 Metal-mold makers in pressed- and blownglassware plants averaged $1.77 an hour in Ohio and $1.7814 in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania, in January 1949. Earnings levels o f other jobs in major centers of production of pressed and blown glassware and glass containers 13Greater detail on wages and wage practices for each area included in the study is available on request. 14 Average earnings include incentive payments but exclude premium pay for overtime and night work. varied more considerably from area to area.15 Pressed-ware punty gatherers, predominantly paid on an incentive basis, averaged $1.60 in West Virginia, $1.80 in Ohio, and $2.18 in the Pennsyl vania area. Selectors, the largest occupational group of women workers, averaged $1 in Ohio, 96 cents in Pennsylvania, and 91 cents in West Virginia. 10.—Average straight-time hourly e a r n in g s /or selected occupations, in pressed and bloum glassware and glass con tainer establishments, by area, January 1949 T able Pressed and blown glassware Occupation and sex Glass con tainers Pennsyl vania: New Fayette, Jersey: Wash West In Salem and Ohio ington, Vir diana and ginia Cumber land West moreland Counties Counties Plant occupations Men: Batch mixers....... ..................... Blowers____________ ________ Carry-in-boys.........- ____ ____ $1.26 1.91 1.00 C utters, decorative. _ __ __ 1.50 Electricians, maintenance....... 1.43 Forming-machine operators. . . 1.98 Gatherers, blow-pipe________ 1.62, Gatherers, pressea-ware,punty. 1.80 Grinders, glassware__________ 1.22 Janitors..................................... 1.07 Lehr tenders............................ 1.28 Machinists, maintenance......... 1.63 Mechanics, maintenance......... 1.75 Mold makers, m etal............... 1,77 Prossers, glassware, hand 2.07 Truckers, hand..... ................... 1.11 W arm ing-in-boys. _ _ 1.07 Women: Assemblers, cartons................. 1.06 (a) Cutters, decorative..________ Grinders, glassware_____ ____ 1.08 Selectors.:................................ 1.00 Silk-screen decorators________ 1.40 Wrappers______________ ____ .92 $1.08 2.13 .91 1.41 1.50 (*) 1.80 1.60 1.10 .99 1.10 (2) 1.39 1.78 1.91 1.06 1.05 .80 (2) 1.23 (2) 1.04 .86 .96 .91 (2) (2) .97 .9 0 $1.14 (*) 1.09 (*) 2) (*) 1.76 2.18 1.27 (2) 1.21 (2) 1.59 1.78 1.99 1.08 1.15 $1.12 (2) 1.44 1.63 $1.22 (2) 1.51 1.69 1.08 (2) 1.50 1.80 .98 1.06 <2) 1.62 (2) 1.74 1.19 .96 1.12 1.00 1.04 (2) Office occupations Women: Clerks, pay roll......................... Clerk-typists............................. Stenographers, general. - ......... .94 .89 1.00 1.03 .92 (2) .99 .94 .89 .92 1.05 1.06 (2) (2) 1.01 * Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work. * Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average. In Ohio, the leading area manufacturing machine-made ware, men's earnings ranged from $1 for carry-in boys to $2.07 for hand pressers, and in approximately half the jobs the averages amounted to $1.50 or more. Earnings of women ranged from 92 cents for wrappers to $1.40 for 12 The pressed- and blown-glassware industry, surveyed in 3 areas, include the manufacture of hand- and machine-made tableware, cooking and ovenware, illuminating glassware, and technical, scientific and industrial glass ware. The glass-container industry, studied in 2 areas, includes establish ments manufacturing glass containers for commercial packing, bottling, and home canning. Approximately 30,000 workers were employed in Janu ary 1949 in the 5 areas, in the industry divisions surveyed. Establishments employing fewer than 21 workers were excluded from the study. 12 HOURLY EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY silk-screen decorators. Southwestern Pennsyl vania averages were generally within 10 cents of the Ohio averages; in about half the jobs in each area, earnings were higher than in the other area. In West Virginia, where the major product was handmade ware, averages in most occupations were below those in the other 2 areas. In the glass-container industry, metal-mold makers averaged $1.80 in Indiana and $1.74 in Salem and Cumberland Counties of New Jersey. Wage levels were highest in the latter area in all other comparisons. The numerically important group of men forming-machine operators averaged $1.69 in the New Jersey area and $1.63 in Indiana. The lowest earnings for men in the 2 areas were 98 cents for hand truckers in Indiana and $1.06 for janitors in New Jersey. Women carton assemblers and selectors averaged $1.12 and $1.04 in New Jersey, compared with 96 cents and $1 in Indiana. Earnings of women office workers were generally similar in the 5 areas surveyed. Clerk-typists earned from 89 to 92 cents and general stenog raphers from $1 to $1.06. Related Wage Practices Over three-fourths of the establishments studied were operating second shifts, and nearly half scheduled more than two shifts. Substantial proportions of the work force were employed on extra shifts, as continuous operations are common in the industry, particularly in the manufacture of containers and machine-made ware. However, a scheduled workweek of 40 hours for first-shift plant workers was reported by more than fourfifths of the establishments. Continuous-process operations were maintained by employing swing shifts; staggering days off and adding relief workers; and extending the workweek to 48 hours for 1 shift. The policy of paying shift differentials was not extensive, as shift rotation was the usual practice. Paid vacations were granted to plant workers in 45 of the 53 establishments and to office workers in all but 1 establishment. Plant workers with a year of service were eligible for 1 week with pay in all of the glass-container plants and in three-fifths of the pressed- and blown-glassware plants; the remainder of the plants in the latter industry provided less than a week. Vacation policies relating to office workers were generally more liberal than those for plant workers. Office workers with a year of service received a 2-week vacation in more than two-thirds of the estab lishments. Many of the firms reported that longer vacations were granted to plant and office workers with longer periods of service. Holidays with pay, generally seven in number, were granted to office workers in all except two establishments. None of the firms reported paid holidays for plant workers. O. • . tOVttMMEHY PRINT! 1ft OFFICE) 1»4P
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