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6
A Special Issue on Labor in—
Puerto Rico
Alaska
Hawaii
M
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U N ITEB/STATEiPD
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w* EPA RTM ENT OF LABOR
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
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-O
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
James P. M itchell, Secretary
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
E w an C la g u e , Commissioner
A r y n e ss J oy W ic k e n s , Deputy Commissioner
H erm an B. B y er , Assistant Commissioner
H e n r y J. F itzgerald , Assistant Commissioner
N elson M. B ortz, Acting Chief, Division of Wages and Industrial Relations
D orothy S. Brady, Chief, Division of Prices and Cost of Living
Arnold E. Chase , Chief, Division of Construction Statistics
W. D uane E vans, Chief Statistician
J oseph P. G oldberg, Special Assistant to the Commissioner
L eon G reenberg , Chief, Division of Productivity and Tectmological Developments
R ichard F. J ones, Chief, Division of Administrative Services
W alter G. K eim , Chief, Division of Field Service
P aul R. K erschbaum, Chief, Office of Program Planning
L awrence R. K lein , Ohiet, Office of Publications
L eonard R. L insenmayer, Chief, Division of Foreign Labor Conditions
F rank S. M cE lroy, Chief, Division of Industrial Hazards •
Oscar W eigert, Special Assistant to the Commissioner
F aith M. W illiams, Chief, Office of Labor Economics
8 eymour L. W olfbein , Chief, Division of Manpower and Employment Statistics
Regional Offices and Directors
NEW ENGLAND REGION
W endell D. M acdonald
18 Oliver Street
Boston 10, Mass.
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Massachusetts
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B runswick A. Bagdon
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60 Seventh Street N E.
Atlanta 5, Ga.
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Georgia
Louisiana
M ississippi
North Carolina
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South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
N ew Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
M ID-ATLANTIC REGION
R obert R. B ehlow
Room 1000
341 Ninth Avenue
New York l, N. Y.
Delaware
M aryland
N ew Jersey
N ORTH CEN TRA L REGION
Adolph O. B erger
Tenth Floor
106 West Adams Street
Chicago 3. 111.
Illinois
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W ESTERN REGION
M as D. K ossoris
Room 802
630 Sansome Street
San Francisco 11, Calif.
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Monthly Labor Review
U N IT E D STATES D EPARTM ENT OF LABOR • BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
L a w r e n c e R. K l e in , Editor
CONTENTS
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Labor in Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii
II
1347
1354
1359
1363
1369
1375
1383
1388
1395
1401
1409
1416
1422
1427
1431
1440
A Prefatory Note
Puerto Rico: The Labor Force and Level of Living
Migration to the Mainland
Labor Unions and Labor Relations
Labor Laws and Their Enforcement
Wage Structure and Minimum Wages
Alaska: The Economy and the Labor Force
The U. S. Government as an Employer
Wages and Working Conditions
Labor Law and its Administration
The Character of Industrial Relations
Hawaii: Economic Forces and Growth Prospects
Characteristics of the Labor Force
Working Conditions and Workers’ Wages
Labor Legislation and Enforcement
Labor Relations: Pattern and Outlook
Bibliography on Labor Conditions, Labor Problems, Labor
Economics
Summaries of Studies and Reports
1448
1453
1459
1464
New BLS Economic Sector Indexes of Wholesale Prices
Earnings in Cigar Manufacturing, April 1955
Earnings in Office-Building and Contract-Cleaning Services,
1955
State Labor Legislation in 1955
Technical Note
1473
Accuracy of BLS Current Estimates of Employment
Departments
1446
1470
1478
1484
1488
1495
1502
The Labor Month in Review
Foreign Labor Briefs
Significant Decisions in Labor Cases
Chronology of Recent Labor Events
Developments in Industrial Relations
Book Reviews and Notes
Current Labor Statistics
December 1955 • Vol. 78 • No. 12
Labor in Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii
• • •
for producing this special issue of the Monthly
Labor Review on the status of labor in Puerto Rico, Alaska, and
Hawaii, the most compelling is that no other compilation of this type
exists. Indeed, as the bibliography of related material so pains
takingly unearthed by the Department of the Interior Library
reveals, very little, has been published in the way of comprehensive
studies of labor in any one of the three areas embraced by the
present inquiry.
But beyond this obvious justification is the interesting and
challenging example, to a world beset with colonial problems,
of the manner in which the United States has handled (not always
without error) the progressive growth toward self-government of
these three. T hat the United States has avoided colonialism is
due, perhaps in some small measure, to our national origin in revolt
against colonial status. One stern test of this national policy is
the well-being of workers in the Territories and the chances for
improving their lot. The 15 articles are designed to present facts
from which the reader can judge the present situation as well as
the prospects for working people.
The general pattern followed for each (one is pressed for a single
expressive term applicable to all three, bearing in mind that Puerto
Rico has Commonwealth status) is a discussion of the economy,
labor force, and level of living; the existence and enforcement of
labor law; the wage structure and working conditions; and the man
ner in which industrial relations are practiced.
While each of the three has its distinguishing characteristics
(after all, their geographic relationship is a triangle with legs up
wards of 6,000 miles long), there are some which they hold in common.
All were acquired by the United States late in the 19th century.
All enjoy a large degree of self-government and share common
United States citizenship. Each was economically primitive at the
time of acquisition, with a native population and a very sizable
percentage of nonarable land. Lacking basic raw materials, none
is self-sustaining. The policies and expenditures of the United
Of
ii
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the m any reaso ns
A Prefatory Note
States Government have had decisive effects on their economies.
With an impartiality fine enough to satisfy their most enthusiastic
advocates, we can proclaim them all to be vacation delights.
Despite fast air travel, they remain remote and isolated from the
States. Puerto Rico and Hawaii are islands. Alaska and Hawaii
are sparsely populated. Since independence was granted the
Philippines, they are our largest territories.
Similarity in terms of labor, however, does not extend beyond
the practice of free trade unionism and collective bargaining. The
island Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is an overpopulated nation
striving to create an industrial expansion, to raise living standards,
to improve its work-force skills, and at the same time to protect its
workers from exploitation. The Territory of Alaska is an Arctic
and sub-Arctic region, underpopulated and underdeveloped. Much
of its industrial enterprise is absentee owned and its stable unionism
operated from the States. Government workers constitute a large
fraction of the work force. Wages and prices are high, and there is
considerable seasonal importation of workers, especially in the con
struction field. The tropical Hawaiian Islands have moved rapidly
from the primitive to the modern. Their cosmopolitan work force is
concentrated in a highly specialized agriculture. National defense
expenditures, tourist trade, and transportation activity are a boon to
Territorial income. Unemployment, in fact, tends to vary with
fluctuations in local Federal expenditures. Industrial relations have
not matured and considerable strife has accompanied collective
bargaining.
Our aims and our means, however, preclude our being encyclo
pedic, even within the confines of the labor field. And one of the
revealing facts of this compedium is the paucity of facts concerning
many items relating to the economics of labor. Some data, as
routine and familiar in the States as the daily mail delivery, simply
do not exist in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico. The authors, chosen
for their knowledge and integrity, have drawn on what is available,
but at times they have had to improvise or to do without.—L. R. K.
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h i
Contributors to the Special Section
All the authors of the articles in the special section of the Monthly Labor
Review on Labor in Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii are either working on
the scene as experts or have been closely associated with one of the areas in a
professional capacity. Our sincere thanks go to them for their faithful and
fruitful efforts. What they have written represents their own views on the
many problems discussed, and not necessarily those of the Bureau or the
Department of Labor.
Special acknowledgment is due the Office of Territories of the Department
of the Interior, and especially to Edwin M. Fitch of that Office, for cooperation
and good counsel in planning and reviewing much of the material.
E w an C lague,
Commissioner of Labor Statistics
H. L. C lark is Supervisor of Reports and Analysis, Alaska Employment Security Com
mission
L eo n a rd E. E v a n s is Territorial Representative of the U. S. Department of Labor in Alaska
E d w in M . F itch is Special Representative of the General Manager, The Alaska Railroad
J o seph T. F la k n e is Program Director of the Arctic Institute, Washington, D. C.
J oa q u ín G allart -M e n d ía is Director, Bureau of Legal Affairs, Puerto Rico Department
of Labor
T homas H. I ge is Associate Professor of Economics, University of Hawaii
A. J. J a ffe is Director, Manpower and Population Program, Bureau of Applied Social
Research, Columbia University, and Consultant on Manpower, Puerto Rico Depart
ment of Labor
R u th W . L oomis is Deputy Attorney-General, Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial
Relations
M arg ar ete M cB r id e is with the U. S. Department of the Interior Library
E d w in C. P e n d l e t o n is Associate Professor of Economics, University of Hawaii
H arold S. R o ber ts is Dean of the College of Business Administration and Director of the
Industrial Relations Center, University of Hawaii
G eorge W. R ogers is the Economist in the Office of the Governor of Alaska
C la ren c e S e n io r is Chief, Migration Division, Puerto Rico Department of Labor
J am es H. S h o em a k er is Vice President and Research Director, Bank of Hawaii
F er n a n d o S ie r r a -B er dec ía is Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor
R o ber t S roat is Administrator, Bureau of Labor Law Enforcement, Hawaii Department
of Labor and Industrial Relations
S a m u el W e is s , at time of his death in July 1955, was president, Samuel Weiss Research
Associates, and Consultant on Statistics, Puerto Rico Department of Labor
F r a n k Z orrilla is Chairman, Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Board
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PUERTO
RICO
The Labor Force
and Level of Living
Samuel Weiss
and
A. J. Jaffe
U n t i l r e c e n t y e a r s , Puerto Rico was a typically
underdeveloped area, not too different from many
of the present-day, underdeveloped areas in need
of assistance. The economy of the island was
largely dependent upon sugarcane, which was
raised for export. Only small amounts of addi
tional crops, such as coffee and tobacco, were
raised. What little manufacturing there was
consisted primarily of handwork, of which only
needlework products were of any real significance.
Since most of the good agricultural land was used
to grow sugarcane, a large proportion of the food
consumed by the population had to be imported.
The lack of fertile soil (only about half of the
land is arable) and the very high population
density (over 630 persons per square mile) made
agriculture an extremely unsatisfactory base for
the Puerto Rican economy. Under these condi
tions, the people were quite poor, with all of the
accompanying characteristics of poverty including
unemployment, illiteracy, high death rate, poor
housing, and so on.
In the mid-1930’s, the Puerto Rican Govern
ment gave serious consideration to the question
of how to advance the island’s economic well
being. Certain important steps were taken at
that time, including a great expansion of the
hydroelectric system, the establishment of a
cement factory, expansion of the road system, and
the adoption of various financial measures designed
to aid economic development.
It was not until 1940, however, when the
Popular Democratic Party came into office (under
the leadership of Luis Muñoz Marín, the present
Governor), that a real program of economic
development got under way. World War II both
aided and hindered the program. Projects of
direct concern to the United States war effort were
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fostered; others were neglected. After the war,
the Government renewed its broader efforts to
advance the island’s economy.
Since 1940, great improvements have been
made in practically every socioeconomic field.
The Government’s programs of health education
and application of modern public health methods,
together with general economic improvement,
resulted in a decline in the death rate from 18.4
per thousand in 1940 to 7.7 per thousand in 1954.
At the same time, life expectancy rose from 46
years in 1940 to 61 years in 1954—an increase
of 1 year annually during those 15 years.
Enrollment in educational institutions in Puerto
Rico increased from less than 300,000 in 1940 to
almost 600,000 in 1954. During this same period,
Government expenditures for education increased
from $7 million to $38 million annually.
Much improvement has been made in housing
through large-scale slum clearance and public
housing programs. Electric power facilities have
been greatly expanded: Between 1940 and 1952,
electric power production rose from 174 million
to 735 million kilowatt-hours. Transportation,
communications, water supply, and sewerage have
also been continually improved and expanded.
Population and Labor Force
Effect of Population Changes. Between 1940 and
1954, changes in the size of the labor force gener
ally tended to parallel the changes in the size of
the population of labor-force age, that is, the civil
ian population 14 years of age and over, excluding
inmates of institutions. As the following figures
show, in April 1940, the labor force constituted
52.0 percent of the population of labor-force age;
in April 1950, 55.6 percent; and in April 1955, 48.6
percent.
April
April
April
April
1940________________________
1950________________________
1954_______________________
1955_______________________
Population of
labor-force age
Labor
force
1,150,000
1,293,000
1,275,000
1,327,000
598,000
719,000
631,000
644,000
The labor-force and population changes were
not exactly parallel because of outmigration and
withdrawals to the military.1 All of the persons
who entered the military and the majority of the
outmigrants were men. Since normally many
more men than women are in the labor force,
these withdrawals during the 1950’s resulted in a
i See article on p. 1354 of this issue.
1347
1348
reduction in the size of the labor force simultane
ously with a slight increase in the adult population.
The number of civilians 14 years of age and over
in Puerto Rico increased by 143,000 persons
between April 1940 and April 1950. During this
decade, there was a net migration to the mainland
of about 154,000 persons, most of whom were of
labor-force age; this is about 13 percent of the
population of labor-force age in 1940. Hence, the
total natural growth of the adult population was
almost 300,000 for the decade, or about 2% percent
per year.
Between April 1950 and April 1954, the popula
tion of labor-force age decreased from 1,293,000 to
an estimated 1,275,000. The net migration to
the mainland of persons 14 years of age and older
numbered about 160,000, or about 12 percent of
the number living in Puerto Rico in 1950; this is
an unusually large loss.2 Also, about 36,000 men
withdrew from the civilian population to enter the
military service. Hence, during these 4 years the
natural growth of the adult population amounted
to 178,000 or over 3 percent per year.
The Birthrate. Compared to the continental United
States, Puerto Rico has a high rate of growth in its
population of labor-force age, resulting from the
high birthrate of past decades. Prior to 1940, the
death rate was also very high by modern standards
(18.4 per thousand in 1940), but during the 1940’s
it fell rapidly. In 1950, it was still fairly high,
about 15 per thousand; but by 1954, it had dropped
to 7.7 per thousand, which is not very different
from the death rate on the mainland. The
accelerated reduction in the death rate during the
1950’s, compared with the preceding decade,
contributed to the increased rate of natural
growth of population of labor-force age since 1950.
During the last decade, the birthrate has not
decreased enough to alter materially the future
natural increase in the civilian population of
labor-force age. In the period 1939-41, the net
reproduction rate is estimated to have been about
184; 10 years later, in 1949-51, about 224.3 In 1953
and 1954, the net reproduction rate may have
s See also Demographic and Labor Force Characteristics in Puerto Rican
Population of New York City, New York, Bureau of Applied Social Re
search, Columbia University, 1954 (pp. 3-29).
s Generally speaking, a rate of 100 implies that birth and death rates are
about equal, that is, during a generation there would be no increase in the
size of the population. A rate of 220 means that a stable population would
increase by about 120 percent during one generation, providing birth and
death rates at all ages remain unchanged.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
been about 220. The rate of 220 indicates that
the population in Puerto Rico could more than
double during the next 25 to 30 years. Whether
it will cannot be predicted, since future changes in
birth and death rates are certain to occur.
Nevertheless, even if the birthrate should de
crease greatly in the future and reach the level of
that in the continental United States (net repro
duction rate of 156 in 1952), it will be many years
before such decreases affect the amount of natural
growth in the population of labor-force age. This
is so because 14 years must elapse between the
time of birth and the time that a person becomes
of working-force age. Currently, births exceed
deaths by about 65,000 per year. Fourteen years
from now, the survivors will still number close to
60,000 per year, in the absence of outmigration.
Economic Need for Migration. The combined
effects of previous high fertility rates and a smaller
number of outmigrants became apparent in the
year April 1954 through March 1955. The
natural growth of the civilian population of laborforce age amounted to about 52,000 in this year
(that is, the number of persons becoming 14
years of age minus deaths among all civilians over
14). Simultaneously, the recession in the conti
nental United States greatly curtailed the net
outmigration to an estimated 16,000 civilians 14
years of age and over as compared with 36,000 in
the year ending March 1954. Also, curtailment
in the size of the Armed Forces resulted in a
return of about 16,000 more men to civilian life
than were inducted. The net outmigration was
canceled by the excess of discharges from the
Armed Forces. The civilian population of laborforce age grew by the amount of natural increase,
about 52,000, to an estimated 1,327,000 as of
April 1, 1955. This is a growth of about 4 percent
in 1 year. By comparison, the population of
labor-force age in the continental United States
grew by about 1 percent during this same year.
In 1 year then, as a result of the curtailment of
migration, population growth in Puerto Rico more
than made up for the loss between 1950 and 1954.
On April 1, 1955, the population of labor-force age
was about 34,000 greater than on April 1, 1950.
Clearly, if outmigration should continue to be
curtailed, the potential growth of the labor force
would be of such magnitude as to increase greatly
the difficulties of providing enough additional
1349
PUERTO RICO : LABOR FORCE AND LEVEL OF LIVING
jobs; indeed, continued large-scale outmigration
is a necessary condition for further economic
development.
Industrial Development
Government Encouragement. The core of the Com
monwealth’s efforts to improve the economic
condition of the island has been the program
“Operation Bootstrap” designed to increase indus
trialization. The Puerto Rican Government has
recognized that increasing productivity through
industrial expansion is an important factor in ad
vancing the Puerto Rican economy—with its high
population density, l a c k of natural resources,
chronic unemployment, and relatively low standdard of living.
To aid such industrialization, the Common
wealth has offered various inducements to en
courage new industries to locate on the island.
These incentives include tax exemption, industrial
services, provision of factory buildings, and other
forms of assistance. Between the end of World
War II and April 1954, as a result, 287 new manu
facturing plants commenced operation. In April
1954, they employed about 23,000 persons, or
one-third of all employees in manufacturing.
In general, these Government-sponsored plants
are much larger than other Puerto Rican factories;
they average 80 employees per plant, almost 3
times the average work force of other factories.
For the most part, they use modern machinery
and produce goods identical with those manufac
tured on the mainland. These include apparel,
electronics products, electric razors, radio parts,
and pharmaceuticals. Since Puerto Rico is part
of the United States, there is of course no tariff on
Puerto Rican manufactured goods shipped to the
mainland.
Puerto Rico’s industrial development program
has brought about a diversification of the manu
facturing structure in a relatively brief period.
For example, in April 1946, 6 out of every 10
employees in manufacturing were in the food and
tobacco industries, but in April 1954, only 4 out
of 10 were so employed.4 The Government’s
efforts to diversify industry is also evident in the
fact that in April 1954 only 7 percent of the em
< D ata obtained from publications of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
366804— 55------ 2
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ployees in Government-sponsored plants were
engaged in food and tobacco manufactures.
In the long run, the most important aspect of
the Commonwealth’s efforts to speed economic
development may be triggering the action of the
industrialization program. As new and relatively
good jobs are created through Government spon
sorship of new plants, they tend to have a multi
plier effect. Demand increases for consumer goods,
housing, and so on. If this process continues for
some time, large-scale economic development will
take place.
The Changing Employment Distribution. In April
1954, 36 percent of all employed persons in Puerto
Rico were engaged in agriculture, compared with
37 percent in April 1950 and 45 percent in April
1940 (table 1). The great majority of these work
ers were in the sugarcane fields. During the off
season, a larger proportion of agricultural workers
were engaged in other crops, such as coffee and
tobacco.
Among nonagricultural industries in April 1954,
commerce (wholesale and retail trade) employed
the greatest number of workers, with about 85,000,
or 15 percent of the employed. Manufacturing,
excluding home needlework, followed closely, with
about 72,000 employees. The third largest group
consisted of the various service industries, which
employed 63,000 persons.
The most outstanding change from earlier peri
ods is the increased employment in the better
paying and more productive industries and, conT able
1.—Industrial distribution of employed persons in
Puerto Rico, A pril 1940, 1950, and 1954
Number (in
thousands)
Percentage
distribution
Industry division
April
1954
April
1950
April
1940
April
1954
April
1950
April
1940
Total employed___________
559
638
508
100
100
100
Agriculture_______________
Nonagriculture. __________
Construction__________
Manufacturing_________
Home needlework___
All other _________
Trade, wholesale and retail.
Transportation, commu
nication, public utilities.
Services_______________
Governm ent2__________
All o th e r ..___ ________
200
359
27
97
25
72
85
235
403
24
125
61
64
92
230
278
16
101
45
56
54
36
64
5
17
4
13
15
37
63
4
20
10
10
14
45
55
3
20
9
11
11
33
63
48
6
32
78
47
5
20
• 64
i 18
4
6
11
9
1
5
12
7
1
3
13
4
1
i Partially estimated.
>Includes public school and college teachers.
Source: 1940 data from Puerto Rico Population, IT. S. Census of Population,
Bull. No. 2, table 14; 1950 and 1954 data from reports of the Puerto Rico De
partment of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1350
versely, the decreased employment in the relatively
poorer paying industries. The better paying jobs
are found in construction, manufacturing (exclud
ing home needlework), and transportation, com
munication, and public utilities. Government
employment—which includes schoolteachers, fire
men, policemen, doctors, nurses, and other public
health workers, as well as administrators—also
belongs to the group of better paying pursuits.
Altogether, such employment increased by an
estimated 13,000 between 1950 and 1954.
The poorer paying and less productive jobs are
found in agriculture, home needlework, commerce
(especially retail trade, which includes pushcart
and other peddlers), and the service occupations
(especially domestic service). Employment, in
cluding unpaid family workers, in these industries
decreased 93,000 between 1950 and 1954. The
most significant decrease was in the homeneedlework industry, in which employment de
clined from 61,000 to 25,000, or from 10 percent
of all employed persons to 4 percent.
Since the number of unemployed decreased dur
ing this period, although the proportion of the
unemployed to total labor force remained the same,
it appears that these individuals were not deprived
of jobs which they wanted. More probably, they
took jobs in the better paying industries, or mi
grated to the continental United States, or entered
the Armed Forces. In addition, a few women and
older men may have withdrawn from the labor
force.
Changes in Unemployment. In April 1940, the
unemployment rate for men was about 16.2 per
cent. By April 1950, it had fallen to 10.4 percent,
and by April 1954, to 9.0 percent. Several fac
tors—including the Commonwealth’s fostering of
economic development, full or reasonably full em
ployment on the mainland since the end of World
War II, and extensive outmigration—combined to
reduce the unemployment rate among men in
Puerto Rico.
Among women, the unemployment rate seems
to have remained about the same during the 1950’s,
fluctuating between about 10 and 14 percent, with
no discernible trend.5 Almost all workingwomen
are engaged in nonagricultural employment.
8 These figures exclude women engaged in home needlework, for whom it
is difficult to measure unemployment. Comparable data for 1940 are not
available.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Large seasonal fluctuations in unemployment are
still occasioned by the growing of sugarcane. Be
tween February and May or June, the cane is cut
and employment is at its highest levels. During
these months, the unemployment rate in agricul
ture may fall to 5 percent or so. In the off season
for sugarcane, unemployment in agriculture may
rise to as high as 20 percent. In nonagricultural
employment, on the other hand, there is compara
tively little seasonal change, and the unemploy
ment rate varies only from about 10 to 14 percent.
Despite the decreases in unemployment which
have occurred, Puerto Rico still suffers from
chronic unemployment averaging about 15 percent
of the labor force (table 2). This is one of the most
important problems in the Commonwealth. Dur
ing recent years, the pressure of population has
been lessened by large-scale migration to the main
land, which reached a high of 69,000 in 1953, and
dropped to an estimated 22,000 in 1954. As chart
1 shows, net outmigration has fluctuated inversely
with levels of unemployment on the mainland.
If large-scale outmigration as experienced during
1953, for example, should not occur again in the
future, unemployment will probably reach even
higher levels than at present because of the poten
tially large growth in the population of labor-force
age, and consequently, in the labor force. The
economy at present has difficulty in providing
T a b l e 2.— Employment and unemployment in Puerto Rico,
April 1950 to October 1954
[In thousands]
Date
1950: April________
July_________
October_____
1951: January______
April.................
July_________
October_____
1952: January______
A p ril_______
July-------------October . . .
1953: January______
April________
July_________
October______
1954: January______
April________
July-------------October______
1955: January_____
April__ -
Labor
force
719
710
710
717
716
705
681
669
662
662
641
643
637
624
630
639
631
626
628
648
644
Employ
ment
Unem
ployment
Employment in
manufacturing
(excluding
home needle
work)
638
615
594
574
631
594
563
541
586
572
535
520
573
547
531
522
559
536
519
525
578
82
96
116
142
84
111
117
129
76
90
106
123
64
77
100
117
72
90
109
124
67
64
52
56
53
62
54
59
56
59
65
63
59
64
63
67
65
72
66
67
60
71
N ote.—Because of rounding, employment and unemployment figures do
not necessarily equal the labor force.
Source: Rcportsofthe Puerto Rico Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
1351
PUERTO RICO: LABOR FORCE AND LEVEL OF LIVING
enough additional relatively well-paying jobs for
those now underemployed 6or unemployed. Nat
ural growth, unless offset by outmigration, will re
quire providing between 2 and 4 percent additional
new jobs each year for the growing labor force.
Chart 1. Relationship Between Net Migration from
Puerto Rico to United States, and M ainland
Unemployment, 1945-55
M ILLIO N S
Improvement in Economic Well-Being
Operation Bootstrap, aided by the large-scale
outmigration since World War II, has resulted in
remarkable economic gains for the residents of
Puerto Rico. The outmigration offset the natural
population growth; therefore, the economic gains
during these years were not dissipated among an
ever-growing population. Instead, they were
divided among about the same number of people
each year, so that, on the average, each person
improved his level of living.
As a result, the incomes of both individuals and
families increased over the last decade and a half
at a far more rapid rate than prices, enabling them
to buy more goods and services and to satisfy a
greater variety of material wants. All major
sectors of the economy—wage earners, farmers,
and businessmen—shared in these economic ad
vances. Puerto Rico’s average per capita income
is now greater than the average in most Latin
American countries, although it still falls far short
of per capita income in even the low-income States
on the mainland.
Increased Family Income. The average income of
wage earners’ families in Puerto Rico rose from
$360 in 1941, to $1,081 in 1952, and to $1,180 in
1953.7 Not all of the increased income, of course,
could be translated into increased purchasing
power in the market place. Because of an 80.3percent rise in the cost of living between 1941 and
1953, the average wage earner’s family would have
had to increase its money income from $360 to
$649 merely to break even in terms of purchasing
power. The difference between this break-even
point and the actual 1953 average of $1,180 repre6 See Concept and Measurement of Underemployment, M onthly Labor
Review, March 1955 (p. 283).
7 Includes money income and other money receipts which are not consid
ered regular income, such as inheritances, as well as the value of food pro
duced for family use. 1941 data are from Incomes and Expenditures of
Wage Earners in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Department of Labor with
cooperation of U. S. Department of Labor, Bull. 1, M ay 1, 1947; data for
1952 and 1953 are from income and expenditure surveys by the Puerto Rico
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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(9 Monîits;
THOUSANDS
united states department of labor
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Source:
U.S. Bureau of the C e n s u s and
Pu er t o R i c o Depa rtment of Labor.
sents the improvements in real income. This
increase amounted to 82 percent over the 12-year
period. On an annual basis, the increase in real
income amounted to slightly over 5 percent per
year. Starting with any given year, this rate of
increase would raise income by 50 percent in 8
years and would double it in approximately 14
years—a remarkably rapid rate of progress.
Over the 12 years from 1941 to 1953, the pro
portion of wage earners’ families receiving an an
nual income of $1,000 or more rose from 2.9 to
52.2 percent and those having an income below
$500 declined from 80.9 to 6.9 percent (chart 2).
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1352
Chart 2. Distribution of W a ge Earner's Family
Income, Puerto Rico, 1941 and 1953 1
1 Data include money income plus the value of food produced for family
use. In addition, data for 1941 include, but those for 1953 exclude, money
receipts not considered regular income, such as inheritances. See text foot
note 7 for source of data
Family Expenditure Patterns.
The increased
income of wage earners’ families in Puerto Rico
resulted in a shift in their expenditure patterns.
In 1952,8 wage earners’ families spent relatively
less of their income for food and relatively more
for clothing and household furnishings than in
1941, as shown below:
Percentage distribution
of expenditures in —
All expenditures
_______
__________
F ood 1 ___ _______________ __________
Housing______ __ __ __ __________
Housefurnishings.. __ _____ __________
Clothing____ ________ ___ __________
Medical care_
______
__________
Other_____ ____ ____
__________
1 Includes alcoholic beverages.
Source: See footnote 7.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1952
100. 0
mi
100. 0
51.
9.
5.
13.
2.
18.
58.
10.
2.
8.
5.
16.
5
3
9
0
2
1
0
2
4
3
1
0
Although the proportion of income spent for food
declined, the increase in income was sufficient
to enable wage earners’ families to buy more and
better food and still have enough money left over
to buy more of other goods. Expenditures for
medical care decreased from 5.1 to 2.2 percent,
a result of the Commonwealth’s increasing medical
and health facilities in the years since World War
II ended. Also, the average wage earner’s
family in 1952 brought 2.7 times the amount of
clothing and 4.2 times as much furniture as it did
in 1941. These kinds of changes in expenditure
patterns clearly reflect an improved standard of
living.
Increased Per Capita Income. All major elements
of the Puerto Rican community have made sub
stantial gains in recent years. According to data
compiled by the Puerto Rico Planning Board, per
capita income increased from $233 in 1943-44 to
$431 in 1953-54. During this 10-year period, the
cost of living rose by 37.7 percent, resulting in an
increase of about 34 percent in real income, or
3.1 percent annually, compared with an increase
of 85 percent in money income.
These figures suggest that the income of wage
earners’ families (with an increase of slightly
over 5 percent per year in real income between
1941 and 1953) has been increasing at a slightly
more rapid rate than per capita income for the
island as a whole. However, between 1943-44
and 1953-54, there was no significant change in
the distributive shares of total income payments.
Neither wages nor profits rose at the expense
of the other. Compensation to employees changed
from 61.6 to 62.6 percent of total income; the
share represented by net profits of business rose
from 30.9 to 32.6 percent; net interest decreased
from 1.9 to 0.8 percent; and rental income de
creased from 5.6 to 4.0 percent.9
From 1939 to 1949, Puerto Rico’s rate of growth
in per capita income was greater than any other
Western Hemisphere country for which compar
able data are available. As measured in constant
prices, the per capita income of Puerto Rico rose
8 1953 expenditure data are not yet available.
9 1943-44 figures are from the 1951-52 Statistical Yearbook of Puerto Rico,
Puerto Rico Planning Board, Bureau of Economic Statistics; 1953-54 from
Net Income and Gross Product, 1950-54 (also published by the Planning
Board) and unpublished Planning Board data.
1353
PUERTO RICO: LABOR FORCE AND LEVEL OF LIVING
by 67 percent during this 10-year period, as com
pared with 23 percent in Cuba, 37 percent in the
continental United States, 48 percent in Canada,
and 52 percent in Mexico.10
Comparison With Latin American Countries. Great
as Puerto Rico’s recent economic improvements
have been, the average income and standard of
living on the island are still considerably lower
than those on the mainland. In 1952, Missis
sippi’s per capita income of $826—lower than
that of any other State—was still about twice as
large as Puerto Rico’s per capita income.
However, in comparison with Latin American
countries, Puerto Rico fares quite well. In 1952,
Puerto Rico’s per capita gross national product
(which is always greater than the average of
income payments to individuals) amounted to
$469. This was greater than in any Latin
American country except Argentina. (See accom
panying tabulation.)
i° Statistics of National Income and Expenditure, United Nations, New
York City, Statistical Papers, Series H , No. 7, March 1955, table 2.
Per capita gross
national product
(in 1952 prices)
Per capita gross
national product
(in 1952 prices')
Argentina. _ ______
Puerto Rico .______
Venezuela. -______
C uba.. _ . -______
Panama _ .______
______
Uruguay
______
Chile___
Brazil__ __ .______
Colombia_________
Costa R ic a ..______
Mexico_____ ______
Dominican Republic
Guatemala...______
Nicaragua__ ______
El Salvador..______
Paraguay___ ______
Honduras_________
Peru. _ . . ______
B o liv ia ____ ______
Ecuador__ _______
Haiti_______ ______
$688
469
457
454
382
382
335
278
231
203
199
93
62
Source: Report on Economic Situation in Latin America, Foreign Opera
tions Administration, Office of Research, Statistics and Reports, August
1954, table 1 (p. 89).
*
*
*
*
*
Puerto Rico has come a long way in ameliorat
ing the poverty found among its people in earlier
years. It still has a long way to go before its
standard of living can compare with that on the
mainland. But the direction and the magnitude
of its rate of economic growth are encouraging.
Continued advance at its recent rapid rate, if it
can be sustained, points toward a dynamic, fruit
ful, and prosperous future.
“The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is unique in American political
history. It has been called ‘a new kind of state.’ The Commonwealth is
not a colony, nor a dominion as that term is understood in the British Com
monwealth, nor a separate, independent nation. Nor is it a ‘commonwealth’
in the sense that the Philippines once was, nor a member state of the Union,
nor an ‘incorporated territory’ as most of the States of the Union once were.
It has practically the same autonomy in local affairs as a State of the Union;
the Federal Government has in Puerto Rico the same authority as in a State
of the Union, but Puerto Rico does not contribute except very limitedly to
the U. S. Treasury and it does not have voting representation in Congress.
The overwhelming majority of Puerto Ricans feels that the Commonwealth
is admirably suited to their needs at the present tune, but they are wont to
rest assured also that, having been established under an agreement with
Congress, its federal relations may also be altered by agreement with Congress.”
Puerto Rico, a handbook published by the Office of the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, Washington (p. 21).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$189
182
168
167
166
134
118
109
PUERTO RICO
Migration
to the Mainland
Clarence Senior
T he a i r p l a n e has, in effect, drawn the island
occupied by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
close to the continental United States. The Com
monwealth’s labor force has now become part of
the labor force of the mainland. Puerto Ricans
continue to move to and from their homeland as
job opportunities expand and contract, just as do
millions of their fellow American citizens.
High employment encouraged almost 16 million
persons to move their homes across State bound
aries in the period between April 1950 and April
1953, including 148,000 Puerto Ricans who moved
from the island to the continent in this period.
The Puerto Rican migratory flow is extremely
sensitive to business conditions. In the major
depression years of 1907-08, 1920-21, and in the
decade of the 1930’s, more Puerto Ricans returned
to the island than moved away. The 1948-49
reduction in jobs resulted in a 22-percent drop in
migration from the island; economic conditions in
late 1953 and 1954 caused an over-the-year drop
in migration to the continent of 68.8 percent.
Increased demand for labor began to reflect itself
in an upturn in Puerto Rican migration during the
third quarter of 1955; present indications are that
the migration flow for the entire year will probably
be 30 percent more than for 1954.
The Puerto Rican migration is small compared
either with the immigration waves of the past from
other countries to the United States, or with the
migration from one labor market to another within
the United States in recent years. The migratory
flow to the continent from Puerto Rico averaged
about 4,000 a year from 1908 to 1945. “Full em
ployment” following World War II, plus a dra1354
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matic increase in the use of airplanes, helped
increase the migratory flow sharply. The net
movement in the postwar years has been as follows:
1946______ ______
1947______ ______
1948______ ______
1949______ ______
1950______ ______
N um ber of
migrants
Num ber of
migrants
39, 900
24,600
32,800
25,700
34, 700
1951______ ______ 52, 900
1952______ ______ 59, 100
1953______ ______ 69, 100
1954______ ______ 21,500
Two streams of migration flow from the island;
they differ significantly in origin, destination, and
length of stay. One flows out in the spring and
back in the fall; the other flows out and remains
permanently. One is fairly highly organized; the
other, spontaneous. The first consists of farm
workers; the second of city people.
Farm Labor Migration
The Puerto Rican sugarcane season lasts from
late fall to late spring; thus workers are available
when needed on the farms of the continent. Most
of them go to the United States under a work
agreement formulated and enforced by Puerto
Rico’s labor authorities and return at the end of
the continental farm season. They are placed in
areas of agricultural labor shortages in cooperation
with the Federal-State Farm Placement Service.
The Puerto Rican Department of Labor, through
the work agreement which must be signed by farm
operators, strives to protect the workers from
abuses which have sometimes characterized labor
relations in agriculture.1
The work agreement provides that the local
prevailing rate of wages shall be paid, and that
the worker shall be guaranteed 160 hours of work
or wages per month and acceptable housing, rent
free. It requires the employer to provide work
men’s compensation for the migrant, despite the
omission of farm labor from most State com
pensation laws. It also requires the employer to
post a performance bond and to open his books to
the agents of the Commonwealth’s Department of
Labor. The Department’s Migration Division,
with offices in New York and Chicago, investigates
complaints, secures enforcement, and helps both
1
See Migratory Labor in American Agriculture, Report of tbe President’s
Commission on Migratory Labor (Superintendent of Documents, Wash
ington, 1951), a summary of which appeared in the Monthly Labor Review,
June 1951 (p. 691).
1355
PUERTO RICO: MIGRATION TO THE MAINLAND
employers and workers to solve their problems.2
A former chairman of the United States Senate
Subcommittee on Agricultural Labor has praised
the program 3 as unique in the field and tending
to improve labor standards.
The farm-labor stream increased each year from
the start of the program in 1947, until some 15,000
were covered by the work agreement in 1953.
During the 1954 crop season, the number fell by
abour one-third. In 1955, there was a slight rise.
Several thousand other workers, during their first
season or two, established their own work relations
with employers and now return each summer
under their own arrangements.
One obstacle to the program is the private labor
contractor who tries to recruit Puerto Rican
workers for mainland employers who will not pay
prevailing wages or assume the responsibilities
required by the work agreement. Eight such
agents were jailed in 1954 for illegal recruiting of
workers for transportation to the continental
United States without having obtained United
States Employment Service clearance and having
established this to the satisfaction of the Puerto
Rico Employment Service.
2 Usually, any sizable group of Puerto Rican farmworkers contains a
sprinkling of bilingual persons who help introduce the others to new work
methods, etc. Their efforts are supplemented by the Migration Division
staff, which also furnishes sample menus so that Puerto Rican style food
may occasionally be served if the employer furnishes meals.
3 For description of the program, see Migratory Labor, Hearings before the
Subcommittee on Labor and Labor-Management Relations (82d Cong., 2d
sess.), P art 1 ,1952 (pp. 793-811); see also, P. A. Pagan de Colon, Farm Labor
Program in Puerto Rico (in Employment Security Review, U. S. D epart
ment of Labor, Bureau of Employment Security, March 1952, pp. 23-26);
and How To Hire Agricultural Workers From Puerto Rico, New York
office of Puerto Rico Department of Labor, 1955.
4 See Florida Study and Puerto Rican Farm Workers in the Middle At
lantic States published by the U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Employment Security, in M ay 1954 and November 1954, respectively.
«For characteristics of Puerto Ricans in 2 major “core areas” in New
York City in 1948, see C. Wright Mills, Clarence Senior, and Rose Kohn
Goldsen, The Puerto Rican Journey, New York, Harper & Brothers, 1950.
See also Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Institute for Research
in Human Relations, April 1954. Data on labor market participation, occu
pational trends, health, housing, education, and so forth, are contained in
Puerto Rican Population of New York City, New York, Columbia Uni
versity, Bureau of Applied Social Research, 1954.
®The 5 major types of industry in which Puerto Ricans in the United
States are found are: needle trades; radio, television, and other light assembly
and manufacturing; food processing; hotel and restaurant services; and
building trades. A majority of the workers are in manual occupations,
principally as operatives. About 18 percent of the men and 12 percent of
the women are in white-collar occupations.
2 For a comparison of New York City and non-New York Puerto Ricans,
first- and second-generation, see Puerto Ricans in the Continental United
States, U. S. Department of Commerce, 1950 Census of Population, Special
Report P -E No. 3 D, 1953.
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Continued high levels of employment on the
mainland undoubtedly will lead to another up
swing in the use of Puerto Rican farmworkers,
who provide a highly satisfactory answer to the
problems of seasonal farm labor. Most of those
who come to the continent have worked in the
sugarcane fields during the winter months. Swing
ing a machete to cut the heavy stalks of cane in
the tropical sun is hard, grueling work. “Stoop”
labor tasks on continental farms are usually less
exacting. The Puerto Rican worker is widely
accepted as making an outstanding contribution
throughout the Middle Atlantic and New England
States, where he is best known. Increasingly he
is becoming a part of the East Coast migratory
farm-labor stream.4
City Migrants
The migrants from the cities of the island to the
cities of the mainland,5 are seeking a new environ
ment in which to settle. These migrants in the
decade 1945-54 numbered 380,000. They settle
in urban service, trade, and industrial centers;6
about 75-80 percent now live in New York. The
1950 census showed 246,300 first- and secondgeneration Puerto Ricans there. The Health and
Welfare Council of New York City estimated that
on April 1, 1952, the figure was 321,000. The
number in 1954 was somewhere between 450,000
and 500,000. The two major areas of first settle
ment and heaviest concentration are East Harlem
and the Morrisania area of the Bronx. Man
hattan, with 12 important nuclei, contains about
50 percent of the city’s total; the Bronx, with 2
chief areas in addition to Morrisania, has around
30 percent; and Brooklyn, with a much more
widely dispersed Puerto Rican population, has
about 18 percent.
Those Puerto Ricans who have been in New
York City longer and who have climbed the occu
pational ladder have moved to the less crowded
areas of the city. They were found by the 1950
census enumerators in all but 1 of the city’s 352
health areas.7 Puerto Ricans and their children
are also found throughout the suburbs of West
chester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties in New
York and all along the west bank of the Hudson.
1356
Dispersion of the Migrants
Outside of New York, migrants from Puerto
Rico are found in such industrial areas as Bridge
port, Newark, Jersey City, Passaic, Paterson,
Dover, Trenton, Camden, Philadelphia, Allen
town, Bethlehem, Pittsburgh, Erie, Troy, Roch
ester, Schenectady, Buffalo, Youngstown (Ohio),
Cleveland, Lorain, Ashtabula, Detroit, Gary,
Chicago, Aurora (111.), Elgin, Joliet, Waukegan,
Savanna (111.), Milwaukee, and in cities in Utah,
Arizona, and California. The second largest
grouping of Puerto Rican communities is found
in and around Chicago. The tendency toward
dispersion is encouraged and facilitated by the
Commonwealth.
The Puerto Rican-born population of areas out
side New York City increased at a rate more
rapid than that of the metropolis from 1940 to
1953. Between 1940 and 1950, the increase was
442 percent outside the city and 306 percent
within; the absolute increase outside New York
was only around 150,000.
Dispersion began even before the United States
took over the island in 1898, so that by the 1910
census, Puerto Ricans were found living in 39
States. Ten years later, they were living in 45
States; by 1930, in all 48 States. Then, in the 15
years which followed, the depression and trans
portation difficulties during World War II slowed
down both the number migrating and their spread
to new communities.8 After the war, migration
picked up again and by 1950, 200 or more Puerto
Ricans were living in each of 26 States, whereas
in 1940 that many were found in only 10 States.
Estimates by the Migration Division, Depart
ment of Labor, show that the dispersion process
continued to gather momentum until the fall of
1953. The Puerto Rican-born population in
creased between 1950 and early 1953 by 83.8
percent outside of New York City, compared with
an increase of only 48.8 percent within that city.
The 1953-54 contraction in employment oppor
tunities was a devastating blow to many of the
recently established Puerto Rican communities
throughout the industrialized areas of the conti
nent. The Puerto Rican was among the last to
be hired, and, therefore, among the first to be
fired. One prosperous midwestern Puerto Rican
community of around 3,000 shrank to about 900
in approximately 6 months. Most of the re
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
mainder returned to former homes in Puerto Rico
where relatives, friends, and a more familiar
environment would help to tide them over their
period of unemployment. (The 1954 increases in
interstate unemployment insurance claims in
southern States by workers who returned home
after losing their jobs in northern States point up
one of numerous parallels between the reactions
of Puerto Ricans and those of other internal
migrants in the United States.)
The Commonwealth Migration Program
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as a matter
of public policy, usually neither encourages nor
discourages migration. It realizes that until the
island’s economic development has reached a point
where it can offer job opportunities and economic
security to its workers, ambitious citizens, who can,
will search elsewhere. Therefore, the Govern
ment strives to help those who decide to leave to
adjust more quickly in their new home com
munity. On the other hand, whenever increasing
numbers of Puerto Ricans lose their jobs in the
States, as they did in the late summer of 1953,
prospective migrants are urged to be certain they
have jobs before going to the continent.
The Commonwealth’s program of education
and orientation of the migrant in his new home is
administered by its Department of Labor. The
chief agencies engaged in this program are the
Puerto Rico Employment Service, which is affi
liated with the United States Employment Serv
ice, and the Migration Division, which has a na
tional field force, as well as the offices in Chicago
and New York City already mentioned.
A migrant’s education and orientation begin
before he leaves home. The spontaneous nature
of most of the migration requires a varied ap
proach. Movies, newsreels, the radio, newspaper
stories, leaflets and pamphlets, and personal inter
views in the eight local offices of the Puerto Rico
Employment Service—all are used to describe
situations likely to be encountered in the conti
nental United States and suggest ways to meet
them.
The migrants encounter few problems uniquely
characteristic of the Puerto Ricans as such; they
cope with the same difficulties found by other
6 Clarence Senior, Patterns of Puerto Rican Dispersion in the Continental
United States (in Social Problems, Brooklyn, N. Y., October 1954, pp. 93-99).
PUERTO RICO : MIGRATION TO THE MAINLAND
working-class groups, both past and present,
who move in search of better economic oppor
tunities, particularly if they also have differences
in language, color, dress, or customs.
Language presents the greatest single difficulty
for the Puerto Rican; this was also the case for
most of the 40 million immigrants who came to
our country in the past. Since knowledge of the
English language is the most important single key
to success in a migrant’s new home, its use is en
couraged by the Government in many ways. The
Puerto Rico Department of Education, for
example, has greatly increased its English classes
for adults during the last few years. In these
classes, materials pertinent to life on the continent
are utilized.
The one-tenth of the Puerto Rican migrants
who are nonwhites have their problems com
pounded by color prejudices, and many in the
white majority suffer by extension of this attitude.
Difficulties of adjustment to a metropolitan
environment parallel to a considerable degree
those of the Kentucky “hillbilly” described so well
by Warren Thompson. The family disintegration
under the clash of cultures differs in no essential
from the same process among immigrant families
known to social workers for generations and set
forth movingly in Oscar Handlin’s Pulitzer prize
winning history, The Uprooted.9
A 64-page guide to New York City, in Spanish,
has helped thousands to find their way more easily,
not only on the city’s subways but through its
vast network of civic, social, labor, religious, and
legal institutions. Adaptations of the guide have
been issued through cooperation of the Migration
Division and local committees in several cities.
The Migration Division’s employment sec
tions in New York and Chicago supplement the
public employment services. Continental em
ployment interviewers, who usually cannot speak
or understand Spanish, welcome the assistance of
the Division’s offices. Orientation is given the
Spanish-speaking migrant on many subjects,
including Federal and State minimum-wage and
maximum-hours regulations, fair employment
6
Published by Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1952. See also Clarence
Senior, Migrants, People—Not Problems (in Transactions of the 50th anni
versary meeting of the National Tuberculosis Association, New York, pp.
371-375); Donald R. Taft and Richard Robbins, International Migrations,
New York, Ronald Press, 1955; and Warren Thompson, Population Prob
lems, New York, McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 1953 (pp. 303-313).
See In-Migration of Puerto Rican Workers, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
State Employment Service, 1952.
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1357
practices, unemployment insurance, and so forth.
As one example, the Puerto Rican horror of “going
on relief” is so strong and widespread that a great
deal of time and energy is spent during slack em
ployment periods on explaining that unemploy
ment insurance is not relief and overcoming the
resistance of the worker who has lost his job to
registering for his insurance. The New York City
Commissioner of Welfare has repeatedly stated
that 94 or 95 out of every 100 New York-Puerto
Ricans are self-supporting and that those Puerto
Ricans who are forced onto relief get off the rolls
quickly.
The Division maintains social workers to help
the Puerto Ricans use effectively the agencies
which can best serve their particular needs in
problems of housing, health, conflicts with police,
vocational rehabilitation, child care, juvenile
delinquency, mental health, transportation, wage
claims, burials, and family relationships. The
social workers also provide information on the
legal and customary responsibilities of landlords
and tenants, and the right of citizens to fair treat
ment as well as the means of securing it in their
new communities.
Local offices of the State employment services
have been most helpful in interpreting the new
comers to the community, in addition to their
original efforts in job placement under nonexploitative conditions. They have sometimes
served as the focal point for the organization of an
interagency committee which helps to speed up
the adjustment process of these new entrants to
the local labor market.10 This process is always
one of mutal interaction if it is to accomplish its
purpose of orienting the newcomer and turning a
stranger into a neighbor. There has to be
understanding, cooperation, and accommodation
on the part of both the migrant and the resident
population if full economic, social, and political
participation is to be achieved. The Migration
Division works with both migrants and local com
munity leadership in all the fields mentioned above
in whatever ways the situation indicates.
Community organizations and educational spe
cialists add their efforts in aiding the migrant, the
employers, and community institutions. Trans
lations of educational material are made for
public and private agencies; e. g., safety manuals
for a foundry, suggested programs for parentteachers’ associations, exhortations to attend
1358
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
English and vocational classes in evening schools,
educational material for unions, and instructions
on how to vote. The Migration Division’s own
program of education and orientation for the
migrant and his family enters only those fields
where community facilities do not yet exist.
Members of the established community are
reached through speeches, conferences, movies,
exhibits, pamphlets, leaflets, radio, newspapers,
and magazines in efforts to build up an under
standing of the migrant, his background, his
motivations, and his contributions to the area’s
economy.
The myths which always grow up about new
comers in a community are investigated by the
Division and corrections of misstatements are
furnished to interested individuals and groups.
There are still many sources of friction, however,
particularly since 10 years of depression plus 5
years of war left many communities without
needed educational and recreational facilities, and
a shortage of housing. These frictions can and
are being overcome in one community after
another, as local institutions combat people’s
tendencies “to hate foreigners.” They seek to
work with the newcomers as fellow citizens, who
are experiencing in their lifetime what most of our
ancestors underwent in their search for a place
where they could contribute their share to the
common welfare. The Puerto Rican newcomer
himself, inspired by the attention which his
Commonwealth is attracting through “Operation
Bootstrap,” 11 is organizing for self-help and
cooperation with his neighbors.
11 For discussion, see p. 1349 of this issue.
“The needlework industry in Puerto Rico had its inception in the 16th
century. Needlework occupied a prominent place among the crafts intro
duced into the island in the early days of colonization. Due to its adaptability
to home work and its potentialities as a medium of self-expression and as a
means of adornment for women, embroidered apparel and decorative articles
became very much in evidence in better homes throughout the island. Needlework became increasingly popular as a pastime. This tendency, encouraged
by the custom prohibiting the frequent appearance of women in public, in
creased during the 300 years before Puerto Rico came under American
influence. Thus needlework became an art among women of well-to-do
families who had received instructions in music, art, and literature, and who
had a great amount of leisure time in which to become skillful. In turn, the
servants of these women learned to do the finest types of needlework.”
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Puerto Rico: The Needlework Industry, U. S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour
Division, 1940 (p. 1).
PUERTO RICO
Labor Unions
and Labor Relations
F ernando Sierra-B erdecía
firmly and unqualifiedly believe
that collective bargaining offers the best known
solution to the disputes of free labor and private
enterprise. This belief is so deep-seated that it
became a cardinal point in the constitution
adopted by the Puerto Rican people and approved
by the United States Congress in July 1952.
Article II, section 17, of the constitution declares:
P u e r t o R ic a n s
Persons employed by private businesses, enterprises,
and individual employers and by agencies or instrumen
talities of the government operating as private businesses
or enterprises, shall have the right to organize and to
bargain collectively with their employers through repre
sentatives of their own free choosing in order to promote
their welfare.
In addition, the Puerto Rican Constitution
further guarantees to labor the exercise of those
rights necessary to, and inherent in, free collective
bargaining. Thus, section 18 of the constitution
states:
In order to assure their right to organize and to bargain
collectively, persons employed by private businesses,
enterprises, and individual employers and by agencies or
instrumentalities of the government operating as private
businesses or enterprises, in their direct relations with
their own employers shall have the right to strike, to
picket, and to engage in other legal concerted activities.
Nothing herein contained shall impair the authority of
the Legislative Assembly to enact laws to deal with grave
emergencies that clearly imperil the public health or
safety or essential public services.
Adhering to this general principle, the Puerto
Rican Legislature has enacted a great variety of
social and labor legislation.1 Some of this
legislation parallels laws which exist in various
States; other legislation is unique and was designed
to meet the special problems both of the commu
nity and of the dominance of agriculture in the
economy.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Moreover, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
is subject to a number of Federal laws governing
labor. The National Labor Relations (TaftHartley) Act is one of these. Under recent
decisions, the National Labor Relations Board has
asserted jurisdiction in Puerto Rico on the same
basis as in the 48 States. Formerly, the Board had
asserted jurisdiction over all enterprises in Puerto
Rico as in the District of Columbia.
Since agricultural workers were excluded from
the application of the Wagner Act and its suc
cessor, the (Taft-Hartley Act), large numbers of
Puerto Rican workers were denied protection of
the law. As a remedy, the Puerto Rican Legisla
ture in 1945 enacted the Puerto Rico Labor Re
lations Act which specifically covers agricultural
employees, as well as employees of government
corporations. The Puerto Rican act, generally
speaking, is comparable to the Federal law; it not
only contains provisions to prevent commission of
specified unfair labor practices, but also machinery
for resolving representation disputes among labor
unions. Moreover, it makes provision for enforc
ing arbitration awards and collective bargaining
contracts.
The Puerto Rican Labor Relations Board, which
is responsible for enforcing the Labor Relations
Act, is often confronted with the perplexing
problem of determining the appropriate unit for
collective bargaining purposes. The ramifications
of this problem in the field of seasonal agriculture
comprise a novel field of decision for which no
precedents are to be found in Federal activity.
Union Organization and Membership
The disposition for labor organization among
Puerto Rican workers is historical and dates back
even before the American occupation of Puerto
Rico in 1898. The Samuel Gompers of the Puerto
Rican labor movement was Santiago Iglesias, who
in 1896 began labor organization and education on
the island. For this “agitation,” he was arrested
on several occasions; at the moment of American
occupation of the island in 1898, Iglesias was serv
ing one of his several jail sentences. He escaped
and joined forces with General Brooke, the Ameri
can general who led the march on San Juan in
the Spanish American War. Following the
overthrow of the Spanish regime, Iglesias took
1 See article on p. 1363 of this issue.
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1360
an increasingly active part in both the labor move
ment and the political life of Puerto Rico. He
founded the first workers’ organization, the Free
Federation of Workers of Puerto Rico, and was
designated as general organizer by the American
Federation of Labor. His labor group became
the AFL State organization in Puerto Rico.
Around 1940, the General Confederation of
Workers of Puerto Rico (GGT) was organized and
in 1949 became affiliated with the Congress of
Industrial Organizations.
In addition to these two affiliated organizations,
there are at present many independent labor
groups which, for the most part, are organized
only on a local basis. One exception is the inde
pendent International Longshoremen’s Associa
tion (ILA), which also represents other groups of
workers. This local was one of the groups in the
original TLA when it was affiliated with the AFL
in the United States. At the time of the expulsion
of the ILA from the AFL and the creation of a new
AFL union, later designated as the International
Brotherhood of Longshoremen, a similar split
took place in Puerto Rico, so that both an AFL
longshoremen’s affiliate and an ILA local exist on
the island. The AFL Longshoremen won the
most recent election conducted by the NLRB, on
January 26, 1954, to establish representation rights
on the Puerto Rico docks.
Predominant among the independent labor or
ganizations on the island are: Unión Obreros
Unidos de Loíza; Unión de Trabajadores Agrícolas
e Industriales de Yabucoa; Unión de Trabajadores
Agrícolas de Barceloneta; Unión de Trabajadores
Metalúrgicos de Ponce; Unión de Trabajadores de
Factoria y Ferrocarril de Fajardo; Unión de Traba
jadores del Transporte de Puerto Rico y Ramas
Anexas; Unión Obreros Unidos de Ferrovías;
Unidad General de Trabajadores de Puerto Rico
(UGT); Confederación General de Trabajadores
de Puerto Rico (Auténtica); Federación Libre de
los Trabajadores de Puerto Rico (FLT); and
Organización Obrera Insular de Puerto Rico
(OOI). The existence of the numerous independ
ent labor groups mentioned above is the result, in
part, of local organization and of splitting off from
existing labor groups. Unfortunately, this di
vision in the house of labor has not made for labor
stability. This fractionalization and the accom
panying changes of allegiance are characteristic of
a youthful labor movement.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
The structure of the labor organizations in
Puerto Rico does not reveal the predilection of the
rank and file for organization. The workers are
more highly responsive to the appeals of organized
labor than similar workers on the mainland. It
is estimated that over half of the maintenance and
production workers in Puerto Rico and threefourths of the 150,000 wage and salary workers in
agriculture are organized and covered by collective
bargaining agreements.2
The smaller proportion of organized workers in
industry is due to the fact that the island’s in
dustrialization program3 is fairly recent. For
many years, agriculture was the almost exclusive
source of employment. Accordingly, in Puerto
Rico, the earliest endeavors to organize took place
in that area and, as these organizational cam
paigns were largely successful, acceptance of the
principles of trade unionism spread among the
agricultural workers.
Further, the interest of Puerto Rican workers
in organization is found in the high percentage of
workers who vote in the elections conducted by
the NLRB: according to the most recent figures,
73 percent of the workers participate in the elec
tions. In 95 percent of the cases, a collective
bargaining agent is selected.
Union Structure and Collective Agreements
Structurally, the Puerto Rican labor unions
are somewhat loosely organized. The relatively
elaborate internal structure, of continental trade
unions is not to be found in the trade unions
of the Commonwealth. Their bylaws and con
stitutions tend to be simple, covering only the most
obvious matters. This loosely knit organization
is perhaps most graphically demonstrated by the
fact that until recently the Puerto Rican trade
union movement was largely financed on a volun
teer, or “pass the hat,” basis. Assessment of reg
ular dues was the exception, rather than the general
rule. This lack of assured financial support,
of course, meant curtailed activity—reflected in
voluntary as contrasted with professional trade
union officialdom—and a lack of stability which
such an informal arrangement engenders. Since
1946, when a March 21 act (No. 168) permitted
214 international unions with headquarters in the United States claimed
53,000 members in Puerto Rico in 1954. See Directory of National and
International Labor Unions in the United States, 1955 (BLS Bull. 1185).
2 See article on p. 1347 of this issue.
PUERTO RICO
LABOR UNIONS AND LABOR RELATIONS
dues checkoff, the trend has been toward regular
dues; today, dues are collected in many in
stances by virtue of checkoff provisions in union
contracts. It is to be hoped that this is a symptom
of growing up and of a greater stability in the
labor organizations.
The collective bargaining agreements in Puerto
Rico are likewise of a less complex nature than
those on the continent. This is to be expected
in the light of the less-experienced trade union
officialdom, and to a certain degree, of the absence
of the highly technical and complicated problems
which more advanced trade unionism and collec
tive bargaining bring about. Both the AFL and
CIO have, from time to time, loaned skilled
personnel to their affiliates on the island, who
have introduced many of the more standard
collective bargaining provisions. Provisions for
union security, dues checkoff, and arbitration are
to be found today in most Puerto Rican labor
contracts. In addition, the Labor Relations
Institute of the University of Puerto Rico has
attempted to instruct both labor and management
representatives not only in collective bargaining
procedures, but in expressing accurately the sub
stance of a labor agreement, once reached.
Associations of employers in Puerto Rico date
back to 1909. The Association of Sugar Producers
of Puerto Rico did not represent its members in
collective bargaining until 1934, when the first
islandwide contract in the sugarcane industry was
negotiated with the AFL Free Federation of
Workers.
Arbitration and Conciliation
The status of voluntary arbitration in Puerto
Rico is of considerable importance. The firm
establishment of the principle of collective bar
gaining and the interest of the Puerto Rican
Government in promoting it result from the
conviction that in collective bargaining is to be
found the quickest and happiest solution to in
dustrial disputes. Of course, collective bargaining
alone is not sufficient in all cases. Education,
voluntary arbitration, and mediation are all equal
ly important facets of the same problem. Accord
ingly, the Puerto Rican Legislature established a
4
A mediation and conciliation service was established in 1942, and an
arbitration section added in 1947. Since 1952, the service has been desig
nated as the Mediation, Conciliation, and Arbitration Bureau.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1361
conciliation and arbitration service 4within the De
partment of Labor. Its services are supplied only
if voluntarily requested by the parties to a dispute,
although many contracts provide specifically for
their use before resort to a strike.
The use of the services offered, the growing
awareness of how collective bargaining works,
and the increasing number of labor agreements
are evidence that Puerto Rico’s approach to the
problem of labor-management accommodation is
correct. The conciliation and arbitration service
handled 611 cases in the fiscal year ending June
30, 1954. Of these, 132 were submitted to volun
tary arbitration upon request of both parties.
None of the arbitration awards required enforce
ment by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.
Only 49 of the 611 cases reached the strike stage.
This experience strongly indicates that organized
labor and industry have confidence both in the
processes of collective bargaining and the benefits
of conciliation and mediation.
Labor Disputes
As in the United States, economic issues are the
most frequent cause of labor disputes in Puerto
Rico, but they have also arisen over lack of recog
nition, union security, refusal to bargain, contract
duration, the checkoff, and other issues. The
solution of disputes involving any one of these
issues brings greater understanding and increasing
knowledge of industrial relations in a community.
This is later reflected in the collective bargaining
agreements negotiated.
Labor relations on the waterfront are of great
importance to Puerto Rico. The island depends
primarily upon maritime transportation for all
exports and imports, valued at $347 million and
$532 million, respectively, in the year 1954. In
a sense, a waterfront strike can be more crippling
to the island’s activities and economy than a
naval blockade, for no ship is loaded or unloaded
during a strike. Moreover, Puerto Rico is
affected not only by waterfront strikes on the
island docks, but by those in the States.
The dispute between the AFL Longshoremen
and the ILA (Ind.) had repercussions in Puerto
Rico, requiring a representation election. But,
since in Puerto Rico the AFL affiliate had the
upper hand, it gained control in the island long
before the ILA (Ind.) was certified as bargaining
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
agent in New York. For this reason, bargaining
with the shipping concerns in Puerto Rico (all
representing continental shipping firms) began in
early 1954, well ahead of the New York negoti
ations. It was evident that any agreement
reached in Puerto Rico on wages would affect
future negotiations in New York.
The strike which began June 25, 1954, on Puerto
Rican docks had disastrous effects on the island’s
economy. The issues involved were wage increases
and changes in working conditions, and a demand
by the shipping concerns that they be free to
mechanize their operations, especially with bulk
sugar shipments. The union’s first demand for
an increase of 25 cents an hour was rejected.
Bargaining continued for more than a month with
no settlement in sight. Both Federal and Com
monwealth conciliators participated in the dis
cussions. No special procedures to deal with this
situation could be invoked by the Commonwealth
since labor relations on the island’s waterfront
are regulated by the Taft-Hartley Act. The only
recourse remaining was to expropriate the water
front facilities after the Legislature decreed a state
of emergency. As the Taft-Hartley Act does not
cover government or political subdivisions, the
Commonwealth Government could then directly
intervene.
An act authorizing expropriation of all dock
facilities was signed by the Governor on July 25.
Among other things, this emergency act, effective
through January 31, 1955, provided that the
Government could negotiate a collective bargain
ing agreement with the union for the duration of
the emergency.
On July 28, the expropriation took place and
the dockhands returned to work. Bargaining
between the union and the shipping companies
continued until September 3, when collective
bargaining agreements were signed. The settle
ment provided for a 10-cent wage increase retro
active to January 1, 1954, and another 10-cent
increase to take effect in 1955. The bulk ship
ments issue was postponed, to be negotiated later,
if and when such shipments actually begin and to
be arbitrated if necessary. On September 8, all
dock facilities were returned to their owners. The
Governor has appointed a commission to study
means of solving waterfront disputes without re
course to crippling strikes.
Future Course
Through education, attempts will continue, as in
the past, to inculcate on the island the knowledge
and “know-how” of the best practices of free
collective bargaining. Firmer contracts, more
clearly expressed, will give rise to greater stability
in the trade union movement and educational
resources will continue to be devoted to this end.
Similarly, more formal organization of the trade
unions themselves will certainly promote this
general objective, toward which both the Depart
ment of Labor and the University of Puerto Rico
are rendering aid.
Above all, the concept in Puerto Rico of a free
trade union movement carries with it the conno
tation of freedom from interference by either
employers or government. To be truly effective,
the growth must be internal and unrestricted.
To those critics who are intolerant of the time
necessary to learn these lessons, we can only
say—“does anyone know any better solution for
the problem of free men living in a free society?”
“Puerto Rico is in fact the biggest per capita customer of the United States
in the whole world! We are now buying U. S. goods at a half-billion dollars
annually.”
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Operation Bootstrap— The Industrial Revolution of Puerto Rico, speech by Teodoro
Moscoso, Administrator, Economic Development Administration, Common
wealth of Puerto Rico. (In Vital Speeches of the Day, New York, August 15
1955, p. 1429.)
Labor Laws and
minor females employed in industrial, commercial,
or public-service occupations; and a 1923 a c t5
fixed a minimum salary of $1 per day for laborers
or mechanics in public works built by the Govern
ment, either through contract or by force account.
Their Enforcement
Hours of Work
PUERTO RICO
J oaquín Gallart-M endía
P uerto R ico has today a body of laws of very
broad social scope for the protection of workers.
These laws compare advantageously with statutes
in force in many of the 48 States of the Union,
Alaska, and Hawaii. They apply equally to men
and women. Progress by Puerto Rico in labor
legislation during the last half century has been
remarkable. During the last decade, the Govern
ment’s principal emphasis has been on raising the
economic status of the workers and improving their
living and working conditions. This has been
expressed in a program of positive action extending
to all fields of human endeavor.
This article summarizes only those labor laws
in force in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 1
which are of chief importance to the life and
general welfare of the working class of Puerto Rico.
Minimum Wages
The creation of the Minimum Wage Board by a
1941 act2 marked the beginning of a new era in
labor legislation of immediate and positive benefit
to the working people. This act aims primarily to
protect workers so that, within the requirements of
competitive enterprise, their living standards will
be maintained at a fair level in proportion to gen
eral economic conditions.
Pursuant to this act, which supplemented and
improved an earlier minimum wage law of 1919,3
22 mandatory decrees fixing minimum wages and
other working conditions in various industries,
businesses, and occupations have been issued.4
Previously, only two laws had fixed minimum
wages in Puerto Rico. The act of 1919 established
a minimum weekly wage of $6 for women and
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Since August 7, 1935, the legal workday in
Puerto Rico has been limited to 8 hours.6 Any
employer operating a business for profit and hiring
a worker in any occupation for more than 9 hours
in any natural day would have to pay for the ninth
hour worked at double rates and would be guilty
of a misdemeanor if the worker had been engaged
beyond the ninth hour. Prior to 1935, the only
workers having a legal workday of 8 hours were
laborers and mechanics employed by the Govern
ment on public works.7
Considering the 1935 act (No. 49) not as a wage
law but rather as a penal act, the Supreme Court
of Puerto Rico, in Cardona v. District Court?
stated that, except where prevented through
collective bargaining agreements, starvation wages
could legally be paid in Puerto Rico under that
statute. Under the Cardona case, an employee
could work 12 hours per day for a long period, but
if his employer could prove that his agreed rate of
pay was such that the amount he received in1 On July 25, 1952, pursuant to a compact entered into with the United
States, Puerto Rico approved its own constitution and became known as
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
2 Act No. 8 of April 5,1941, amended by Act No. 48 of June 10, 1948.
s Act No. 45 of June 9, 1919. In 1920, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
upheld the constitutionality of this act, but later annulled it, following the
doctrine in the case of A d k in s v. C hildren’s H osp ita l o f the D istrict o f Colum bia,
261 U. S. 525, 67 L. Ed. 785 (Apr. 9, 1923). In 1940, after the famous case
of W est Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish, 300 U. S. 379, 81 L. Ed. 703 (Mar. 29,1937),
the Puerto Rico court restored the constitutional validity of this first statute
fixing a minimum salary for the benefit of women workers.
4
Also in force in Puerto Rico are 33 Federal wage orders approved by the
Wage and Hour Administrator of the U. S. Department of Labor, under
the Fair Labor Standards Act of June 25, 1938. These wage orders apply
to 108 industrial divisions, 13 of which, including some major industrial
divisions, are now paying a minimum of 75 cents per hour. (See also p. 1370 of
this issue.) Many of the workers covered by Federal wage orders are at
the same time covered by local mandatory decrees; in such cases, those legal
provisions which are more beneficial to the employees apply.
» Act No. 11 of June 30,1923.
6 Act No. 49 of August 7, 1935.
i Section 2 of the Organic Act (Jones Act of Mar. 2,1917).
8
62 P . R. R. 59 (May 18, 1943). The provision contained in Act No. 49
for double pay for the 9th hour was regarded, not as a wage provision, but
as a method of insuring compliance with the provision limiting hours of
work. This act had been passed during a period when the doctrine was
controlling that a State could not enact a minimum wage law. The con
stitutionality of Act No. 49 had been upheld on the ground that the Legis
lature had desired to improve the health of employees and relieve unem
ployment.
1363
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eluded the extra hours and double pay, he would
collect no additional pay. But the mandatory
decrees of the Minimum Wage Board—beginning
in 1943—constantly limited the legal workday to
8 hours and imposed payment of extra time for
work exceeding that limit, thus somewhat allevi
ating the adverse effects of the Cardona decision.
In 1948, the legal import of that decision was en
acted into law 9 and the act of 1935 (No. 49) was
repealed. This 1948 act not only limits the work
day in Puerto Rico to 8 hours, but defines what is
meant by extra hours and imposes payment of
double time for work done in excess of that limit,
except in the case of industries engaged in inter
state commerce which are required to pay only at
the rate of time and a half the regular wage for
work in excess of 8 hours per day or 40 hours per
week. Thus, instead of making it a crime to hire
employees beyond 9 hours a day, payment of
double time is assessed for all hours in excess of 8
worked out of 24 consecutive hours. Since July
25, 1952, the workday has been limited to 8 hours
by constitutional provision.10
Workmen’s Compensation
Puerto Rican workers in commercial, industrial,
and agricultural pursuits are protected by the
Workmen’s Accident Compensation Act.11 In
contrast, most State workmen’s compensation
acts do not cover farm workers. The Puerto
Rico act applies to all employers of three or more
workers, irrespective of wage levels. Every
workman or employee who suffers injury or
occupational disease is entitled to medical attend
ance and hospital services. Workmen’s compensa
tion is payable to the injured workmen in case of
permanent-total disability and for temporary- or
permanent-partial disability. In case of death,
the survivors are entitled to a benefit of as much
as $4,000 if they were either wholly or partially
dependent on the deceased. Compensation or a
death benefit amounting to $500 or less is paid in
full at one time. When more than $500 is payable,
the State Insurance Fund must require the em
ployee (or beneficiary) to apply all or part of the
sum to purchase a homestead, acquire a gainful
business, or make some other investment that may
be profitable.
The Puerto Rico law has been interpreted as a
dependency rather than an inheritance act. More
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
over, it expressly includes among the surviving
beneficiaries the woman who at the time of a
worker’s death and during the last 3 years before
had honorably lived with the workman in a public
state of concubinage as husband and wife.
In contracts authorized under Act No. 89 of
May 9, 1947, by the Secretary of Labor of Puerto
Rico on behalf of laborers who annually to go to
the United States to work in agriculture, the con
tracting employers are required to protect the
Puerto Rican workers against labor accidents in
the same manner in which laborers working in
industrial activities in those States are protected.
The Workmen’s Accident Compensation Act
makes the State the exclusive insurer of the em
ployers in case of industrial accidents, and, as a
result, a rehabilitation program has been developed
with remarkable results. Since 1946, the State
Insurance Fund has operated at San Juan a
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic for
treatment of injured workmen; another is being
developed at Ponce. In 1952, a School of Physical
and Occupational Therapy was founded to prepare
qualified physiotherapists and occupational thera
pists and to extend the services of the San Juan
Clinic. Students are trained in all physical medi
cine techniques so that rehabilitation may start
from the very earliest moment, thus sparing the
worker suffering and economic loss which cannot
be recompensed in money.
Vacations, Sick Leave, and Severance Pay
Puerto Rico has no general law granting vaca
tions or sick leave to employees in commercial,
industrial, or agricultural pursuits; however, the
Minimum Wage Board of Puerto Rico, as a gen
eral practice, includes in all its mandatory decrees
provision for granting vacations and sick leave
with full pay to employees covered by such
decrees. Only 6 12 of the 22 decrees now in force
contain no such provisions. Employees in indus
tries and businesses covered by decrees granting
benefits are usually entitled annually to 15 days’
vacation and, in addition, 15 days’ sick leave.
The constitutional validity of granting vacations
9 Act No. 379 of May 15, 1948.
10 Under section 16 of Puerto Rico’s constitution.
11 Act No. 45 of April 18, 1935.
12 Decrees No. 1 (leaf tobacco industry); No. 3 (sugar industry); No. 5
(soft drinks industry); No. 11 (construction industry); No. 17 (pineapple
industry); and No. 19 (coffee industry).
PUERTO RICO: LABOR LAWS AND THEIR ENFORCEMENT
was sustained by the Supreme Court of Puerto
Rico.13 In case the employee should quit or be
discharged, he is entitled to collect for all unused
vacation time accumulated to date.
Puerto Rican workers are also entitled by law 14
to 1 month’s severance pay if laid off without
just cause. This statute has proved a firm bar
rier against employer attempts to get rid of em
ployees through arbitrary or capricious means.
The law, however, is not applicable to work of a
seasonable or limited duration; and the courts are
responsible for determining whether the dismissal
was just or unjust.
Collective Bargaining
The right of workers to organize and to select
freely representatives of their own choosing, and
to negotiate collectively with their employers as
to wages and other conditions of employment is
guaranteed by law in Puerto Rico.15 The law
recognizes that labor-management disputes involve
the interest of the public, the employee, and the
employer, and it is the Government’s policy to
protect and promote each of these interests with
due regard to the situation and to the rights of all
parties. Collective bargaining contracts are de
clared to be affected by the public interest, so that
employer-employee negotiations under the law
are conducted with the principal objective of
maintaining industrial peace. The right to strike
is a corollary of collective bargaining and has been
given constitutional recognition.16
In the Commonwealth, since May 1942,17 an
employer may be guilty of a misdemeanor if he
performs any act of discrimination against his
employees, because they have organized, or taken
part in activities of a labor union, or demanded
that a collective labor agreement be made, or
13 A m erica n Railroad Co/v. M in im u m Wage Board, 68 P. R. R. 736 (May
24, 1948).
14 Act No. 50 of April 20,1949.
18 Act No. 130 of May 8, 1945, creating the Puerto Rico Labor Relations
Board, amended by Act No. 6 of March 7, 1946.
18 Section 18 of the Commonwealth Constitution declares that “in order
to assure their right to organize and to bargain collectively, persons employed
by private businesses, enterprises, and individual employers and by agencies
or instrumentalities of the government operating as private businesses or
enterprises, in their direct relations with their own employers shall have
the right to strike, to picket, and to engage in other legal concerted activities.”
17 According to Act No. 114 of May 7,1942.
18 Act No. 73 of June 21,1919, amended.
18 Act No. 3 of March 13,1942.
so 69 P. R. R. 387 (December 7, 1948).
21 Act No. 230 of May 12, 1942.
22 Act No. 90 of June 24, 1954.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1365
participated in a strike or in a claim for better
wages and working conditions, or are affiliated with
a given political party.
Employment of Women and Children
Puerto Rico’s labor legislation applies equally
to men and women, but there are in addition two
major statutes applicable only to women. A 1919
law 18 prohibits the employment of women in
commercial, industrial, or agricultural activities
between 10 p. m. and 6 a. m., with the exception
of women working in the packing and canning
or fruit and vegetable refrigeration industries,
women in the textile industry, and those under
18 years of age employed as telephone or telegraph
operators, artists, nurses, or homeworkers. This
law provides for the payment of double time after
8 hours of work and payment of 3 times the regular
rate for all work in excess of 12 hours during any
period of 24 consecutive hours.
Unlike the American Territories, the Common
wealth of Puerto Rico has a maternity welfare
law.19 This law applies to women working in
offices, commercial and industrial establishments,
and public-service enterprises. It entitles pros
pective mothers who are employed to a rest which
shall include 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after
childbirth, with half pay. During the period of
rest the employer shall be bound, notwithstanding
any stipulation to the contrary, to keep the posi
tion open for the working mother. The Supreme
Court of Puerto Rico upheld the constitutionaJity
of this act in the case of Ponce Candy Industries
v. District Court.20
Child labor is regulated under a law prohibiting
gainful employment during public-school hours of
minors who are between 14 and 18 years of age.21
This law also provides that no minor aged 14 and
over but less than 18 shall be employed at gainful
work for more than 6 consecutive days in any
week, or for more than 40 hours in any 1 week,
or for more than 8 hours in any 1 day. A number
of hazardous occupations are specified in which
the employment of minors under 16 or under 18
years of age is strictly prohibited.
This law was amended to protect minors
peddling newspapers.22 Under its terms, (1) no
child under 15 years shall engage in selling, deliv
ering, or distributing newspapers or other pub
licity material in districts or places declared by
1366
the Secretary of Labor to be dangerous to life and
safety; (2) newspaper enterprises or editing con
cerns which employ minors over 15 years for such
work in places deemed dangerous shall establish
stands or select sites in mutual agreement with
the Secretary of Labor and with the authorization
of the proper Commonwealth and municipal
authorities; and (3) minors between 12 and 18
years shall not be employed in peddling news
papers or other publicity materials after 11 p. m.
or before 5 a. m.
Other Labor Laws
Other laws of interest to the working people
include those which (1) provide for a day of rest
after 6 days of consecutive work in businesses not
covered by the “Closing Act” ; 23 (2) prohibit
issuance of injunctions in labor disputes; 24 (3)
create a public employment service affiliated
with the Employment Service of the United
States;25 (4) make unemployment compensation
payable to workers in the sugar industry during
the season following the cutting and grinding of
each cane crop; 26 and (5) establish a mutual
benefit plan for chauffeurs (defined in the law as
persons operating motor vehicles for pay),27
whereby both the chauffeur and his employer con
tribute to a common fund to be used to purchase
an $1,800 life insurance policy and to pay sub
stantial benefits in case of illness or disability.
Enforcement of Labor Legislation
The Puerto Rico Department of Labor is
responsible for enforcement of all labor legislation
in the Commonwealth. The Department at
tempts to keep employers and workers currently
advised concerning the various legal provisions in
which they may be interested. Before a manda
tory decree of the Minimum Wage Board is put
into effect, the Bureau of Labor Standards holds
general informational meetings of the employers
and employees affected, to avoid involuntary
violations and to obtain voluntary compliance by
employers. The Bureau of Legal Affairs of the
Department answers all inquiries made by labor
unions, employer organizations, individual em
ployers, or laborers as to the coverage, interpre
tation, and applicability of the various laws.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Violations of labor statutes are determined
either through investigations conducted by the
Department on its own initiative or following
complaints filed by workers. The Department,
following established policy, always attempts to
reach a friendly arrangement in those cases in
which it has intervened. At such times, adminis
trative hearings are held and the parties involved
are given the opportunity to make their respective
allegations and to offer evidence. Whenever em
ployers and employees fail to reach an agreement
through proper administrative channels, the case
is submitted to the Bureau of Legal Affairs, which
institutes the proper judicial proceedings; how
ever, this action is taken only when the employer,
for any reason, refuses to comply with the De
partment of Labor’s determination. To compel
immediate enforcement of the law in extraordinary
situations, the Secretary of Labor may resort to
injunction proceedings; or he may institute special
proceedings to force employers to produce the
evidence needed in cases under investigation; 28
or through complaints based on a special proceed
ing established by law, he may claim the payment
of wages or any other benefits provided for em
ployees in any mandatory decree; and whenever
the circumstances warrant, he may even file
criminal indictments for labor law violations.29
The Department’s attorneys act as special prose
cutors in criminal cases and as defenders in civil
actions.
Probably the most effective weapon available
to Puerto Rican workers in claiming payment of
wages due, whether for regular or extra hours,
vacations, or any other pecuniary benefit, is the
provision contained both in the Minimum Wage
Act and in the Hours Act (No. 379 of May 15,
1948) that employers must pay damages in an
amount equal to that awarded the employees by
the court. Experience has demonstrated that
the workers’ right to action against employers
28 Act No. 289 of April 9,1946.
21 Act No. 50 of August 4,1947.
Act No. 12 of December 20, 1950.
28 Act No. 356 of May 15,1948.
22 Act No. 428 of May 15, 1950.
28 This authority was upheld in Sierra v. Cuevas, 72 P. R. R. 167 (Feb. 13,
1951).
22 Act No. 8 of April 5, 1941 (the Minimum Wage Act), amended by Act
No. 48 of June 10, 1948, empowers the Secretary of Labor to sue, on his own
initiative or at the request of one or more laborers concerned, for any amount
of money due as wages. Act No. 428 of May 15, 1950, creating the social
security system for chauffeurs, grants him the same powers.
PUERTO RICO: LABOR LAWS AND THEIR ENFORCEMENT
under these two laws has been highly effective in
securing settlement of many claims because em
ployers prefer to pay the original claim, and thus
in most cases, avoid court litigation, rather than
to risk paying the penalty in the event of an
adverse judgment. These damages operate like
a penalty against an employer for unduly with
holding wages due to the employees 30 and may
only be waived with the Secretary of Labor’s
approval.31 The employer may not plead good
faith as a defense to escape the penalty.32
The judicial or extrajudicial settlements in these
claims cases, in order to have legal validity, must
first be approved by the Secretary of Labor, as
provided by the Hours Act. This, of course,
affords better protection for those workers whose
claims are taken to court through independent
attorneys. In no case involving a court claim
are the employees or workers made to pay at
torneys’ fees, because this obligation has been
specifically imposed on the employers by law.33
The Secretary of Labor may also appear in court
in wage-claim cases, in representation and for the
benefit of all such laborers as he may see fit. This
has been the constant practice; in 1 specific case
a total of 927 laborers were represented by him.
In this respect, the legislation of Puerto Rico does
not contain the limitation imposed on the appli30 Overnight M o to r T ransportation Co. v . M issel 316 U. S. 562. (June 8,
1949), p. 15: Tulier v. L a n d A uthority o f Puerto Rico, 70 P. R. R. 249 (July
13, 1949).
31 Section 13 of Act 379 of May 15, 1948.
32 In cases arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act, subsequent to
approval of the Portal-to-Portal Act (May 14, 1947), the defense of good
faith may be raised by an employer.
33 Act No. 402 of May 12, 1950.
3< C om missioner o f Labor v. R o m a n , 73 P . R. R. 294 (April 3, 1952); see
also p. 297.
cation of section 16 of the Fair Labor Standards
Act by section 5 of the Portal-to-Portal Act as
regards collective proceedings, which provides
that no employee shall be a party plaintiff to any
such action unless he gives his consent in writing
and his consent is filed in the court in which such
action is brought. The Supreme Court of Puerto
Rico has decided that employees in wage claim
cases need not appear personally in court if they
are represented by attorneys. Furthermore, that
court has upheld the Secretary of Labor’s action
continuing a court proceeding on behalf of a
worker who, when testifying in the inferior court,
stated that his employer owed nothing to him and
that he had never authorized the Secretary of
Labor to include him as a claimant in the case.
In disposing of this case, the Supreme Court
stated, in part, as follows:
. . . It is true that Montalvo was produced as a witness
for the defendant and testified that the employer does not
owe him anything and that he had not authorized the
Commissioner of Labor to include him as a plaintiff in
the instant case. But cases still arise, including apparently
this case, where employees are not aware of their rights.
The Commissioner was following the mandate of the
Legislature laid down in Subsection 25 of Act No. 8, as
amended, in pressing this action in favor of Montalvo to
whom the defendant owed money according to his own
records. Under these circumstances the defendant cannot
take refuge in the ignorance of Montalvo as to his rights
or his failure specifically to authorize his joinder as a
plaintiff.34
The Secretary of Labor of Puerto Rico has, with
good reason, declared that “to the workers of
Puerto Rico, the Department of Labor and its
offices in the island represent their Government in
action.”
“According to Dr. Coll y Toste ‘sugar cane was taken to Hispaniola in 1506,
whence it was brought to Porto Rico in 1915.’ In 1548 the first sugar planta
tion was established near the Bayamon River. ‘Until then nothing but
molasses was manufactured from the cane. Coffee was brought from Guade
loupe to Porto Rico in 1763. Tobacco was indigenous and much prized by
the native Indians, but the Spanish Government fought its use; two Papal
bulls excommunicated those who used it, and a Spanish royal cedula in 1608
prohibited definitely the cultivation of tobacco in Porto Rico. In 1634,
however, tobacco was again grown, and also cacao.’ ”
Bulletin of the Department of Labor, Vol. 6, 1901 (p. 383): Labor Conditions in
Porto Rico.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1367
PUERTO RICO
Wage Structure and
Minimum Wages
F rank Zorrilla
W ages in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico stand
midway between those of an underdeveloped, lowwage agricultural economy and those of a highwage, high-productivity, industrialized economy.
This wage structure places Puerto Pico in a some
what difficult position, for it cannot compete with
the underdeveloped areas on the basis of low wages
nor with the industrialized areas on the basis of
productivity.
In April 1955, workers engaged in manufac
turing averaged 57.6 cents an hour. In 1953-54,
average earnings in important industries were:
sugarcane, $3.37 per day; retail trade, 37 cents
an hour; manufacturing (production workers),
47.9 cents; and construction, 55.2 cents. The
Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Board has set mini
mum wages starting at 20 cents an hour in needle
work trades producing for the Puerto Rican market
and rising to $1.10 for a specific occupation in
construction. Minimum wages set by the U. S.
Department of Labor for workers engaged in inter
state commerce range from 22.5 cents in some
needlework and textile products to 75 cents in
various industries.
Wages by Industry
Agriculture. Agriculture, which is the center of
economic activity on the island, provides around
36 percent of the total employment. The cultiva
tion of sugarcane, with an average yearly employ
ment of 64,500 (131,000 in the peak season), is the
most important agricultural industry.
Sugarcane workers received an average of $3.37
per day in 1953-54, compared with $2.03 in 19451368
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
46 (table 1). In terms of mainland standards this
is low, but due to the lack of mechanization, a ton
of cane harvested in Puerto Rico requires 1.70
man-days; it needs only 0.38 man-day in Hawaii,
and 0.76 in Louisiana.1
Coffee ranks second to sugar in terms of em
ployment and area of cultivation. In 1945-46,
the workers in this industry received an average
daily wage of $1.05, while in 1953-54 they received
$1.69. The minimum daily wage of $1.75 paid in
the fall of 1955 is an increase of 67 percent over
1945-46. Coffee is harvested in high, sloping lands
where mechanization is hardly possible. Thus, al
most 15 man-days are needed to produce 100
pounds of coffee valued during the last 3 years at
around $54 on the farm. Moreover, an acre of
land yields an average of only 150 pounds of coffee.
The daily wage rose substantially more between
1945-46 and 1953-54 in other agricultural indus
tries than in coffee; for example, from $1.59 to
$2.39 in pineapple and citrus fruits, $1.63 to $2.47
in dairy farms, and $1.39 to $2.21 in other farms.
The percentage increase, however, was higher in
coffee.
Manufacturing. Production worker employment
in manufacturing industries has risen steadily
since 1939—from 31,000 to 60,000 in April 1955.
Their gross average hourly earnings 2 rose from
35.7 cents in April 1946 to 57.6 cents in April 1955,
a rise of 61.3 percent (table 2).
The greatest gains in hourly earnings between
April 1946 and April 1955 occurred in transpor
tation equipment; metal products, except ma
chinery; textile-mill products; and machinery
(foundries).
1 Statements of Fernando Sierra-Berdecia, then Commissioner of Labor,
and Candido Oliveras, Chairman of the Minimum Wage Board, before the
subcommittees of the Committee on Education and Labor and the Com
mittee on Ways and Means of the U. S. House of Representatives (81st
Cong., 1st sess.) on Extension of a Minimum Wage of 75 Cents Per Hour and
Social Security Bill (H. R. 6000) to Puerto Rico, appendix A (p. 77). For
data in the testimony by Mr. Oliveras, see also U. S. House of Representa
tives, Investigation of Minimum Wages and Education in Puerto Rico and
the Virgin Islands, Hearings before a Special Investigating Subcommittee
of the Committee on Education and Labor (81st Cong., 1st sess.), at San
Juan, November 21, 1949 (p. 113).
3
Gross hourly earnings are computed by dividing the total payroll of
production workers by the total man-hours worked. As the average weekly
horn's amounted to 32.9 in April 1955, it may be assumed that the gross hourly
earnings did not differ greatly from straight-time hourly earnings.
1369
PUERTO RICO: WAGE STRUCTURE AND MINIMUM WAGES
T a b l e 1.— Number and average daily wages of wage and
and salary workers in agricultural industries, Puerto
Rico, 1945-46 and 1958-54
Average
number of work
ers, 1953-54
Industry
Sugarcane.. . . ______________
___________________
Coffee
Dairy farms___ _____ _______
Pineapple and citrus fruits______
Other farms . . ______________
64,500
16,000
« 5,000
i 1,800
i 18,800
Average daily wage
1945-46
$2.03
1.05
1.63
1.59
1.39
1953-54
$3.37
1.69
2.47
2.39
2.21
1
Estimated by the Division of Research and Statistics of the Puerto Rico
Minimum basis of previous studies.
Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Annual
Reports of the State Insurance Fund of Puerto Rico, 1945-46 and 1953-54.
In retail trade the average wage in 1953 was
around 37 cents per hour, while in 1943 it was
only 21 cents.3 Effective August 1955, the
Commonwealth’s Minimum Wage Board revised
the wage decree applicable to retail trade, estab
lishing weekly minimum rates which vary accord
ing to different zones established in the decree.
Under the revised decree, wages paid in retail
trade in the fall of 1955 are expected to average
approximately 46 cents an hour, more than
double the wages in 1943.
Construction. Approximately 34,000 workers were
employed on the average in the construction
industry in 1954-55. In 1954-55, their hourly
wage averaged 57 cents, compared with 35.9
cents in 1945-46.4
The Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Board has
set minimum hourly rates for the construction
industry ranging from 32 cents to $1.10, depending
on the occupation. Whenever the work is related
to interstate commerce, the lowest minimum
permitted under the Fair Labor Standards Act is
50 cents. The Puerto Rican wage order was
being revised in September 1955. The rates in
the proposed mandatory decree range from 50
cents to $1.40 per hour.
Trade. Trade in Puerto Rico is characterized by
many small stores, a large number of them
operated by the owners and their families. Whole
sale establishments engaged in interstate com
merce, obviously the larger and more prosperous,
are subject to a minimum wage of 65 cents per
hour, set under the Fair Labor Standards Act
(table 3). The remaining establishments are
bound by a 50-cent hourly minimum wage
determined under the Puerto Rican minimum
wage act (table 4).
» Figures from the Division of Research and Statistics of Puerto Rico's
Minimum Wage Board.
* Annual Reports of the State Insurance F und of Puerto Rico, 1945-46
and 1953-54.
T a b l e 2. — Number and average gross hourly earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries, Puerto Rico, April
1946 and April 1955
April 1955
April 1946
Industry
Average gross
hourly earnings
(in cents)
Number of
workers
Number of
workers
Average gross
hourly earnings
(in cents)
Percent Increase
in earnings,
1946-55
All industries----------------- ----------------------------- -........ -.............
49,600
35.7
60,100
57.6
61.3
Food and kindred products-------------------- -------------------------Tobacco manufactures_______________________________ .
Textile-mill products---------------------------- ---------------------------Apparel and related products______________________________
Lumber and wood products (except furniture)----- ------------------Furniture and fixtures_________________ __________________
Paper and allied products_________________________________
Printing, publishing, and allied industries-----------------------------Chemical and allied products; products of petroleum and coal;
and rubber products__________________________ ______ _
Leather and leather products___________________ _ _ . .
Stone, clay, and glass products_____________________________
Metal products, except machinery__________________________
Machinery (foundries)___________________ . ----------- Electrical machinery_____________________________ _______
Transportation equipment_________________________ - - . . .
Instruments and related products________________________ ..
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries.---------------------- ------- -
21, 500
8, 900
1,500
10,200
500
1,500
200
900
40.8
30.1
29.0
26.6
33.5
29.3
47.1
43.1
17,500
5,200
3,400
16,100
272
2, 400
400
900
72.7
35.7
52.4
45.1
58.0
47.9
74.3
70.8
78.2
18.6
80.7
69.5
73.1
63.5
57.7
64.3
1,000
200
1,300
200
600
(D
100
0)
1,000
46.2
29.5
47.6
31.9
46.2
0)
38.8
0)
47.5
1,200
1,900
2,600
1,000
800
1,600
200
1,000
3,600
68.0
47.6
71.5
63.8
83.0
57.7
89.1
61.3
57.5
47.2
61.4
50.2
100.0
79.7
0)
129.6
0)
21.1
1 Data not available.
Source: Puerto Rico Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Employment, Hours, and Earnings in Manufacturing Industries in Puerto
Rico, 1955.
1370
___________________________________________________ MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T a ble 3. — Minimum wage rates in Puerto Rico under the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended
Industry and division
Alcoholic beverage and industrial alcohol:
M alt beverage division___ ________________
General division................................. .................
Artificial flower______________________________
Banking, insurance, and finance...............................
Button, buckle, and jewelry:
Button and buckle (other than pearl, leather,
or fabric) and bead division__________ ____ _
Costume jewelry general division____________
Costume jewelry hair ornament division_____
Leather and fabric button and buckle division.
Metal expansion watch band division................
Pearl button and buckle division____________
Precious jewelry division__________________
Rosary and native jewelry division....................
Cement_________________ ___________________
Chemical, petroleum, and related products indus
tries:
Fertilizer division________________________
Hormones, antibiotics, and related products
division_______ ______ ______ __________
General division__________________________
Clay and clay products:
Semivitreous and vitreous china food utensils
division_______________________________
Structural clay and miscellaneous clay prod
ucts division___________________________
Communications, utilities, and miscellaneous
transportation industries:
Airline division_________________ _________
Cable and radiotelephone division......................
Gas utility division__________________ _____
Radio broadcasting division________________
Telephone division____________ ___________
Television broadcasting division_____________
Tourist bureau and ticket agency division____
Miscellaneous division_____________________
Construction, business service, motion picture, and
miscellaneous industries:
Business service and miscellaneous industries
division________ _____ _________ ________
Construction division____________ _______ _
Motion pictures division.....................................
Corsets, brassieres, and allied garments................... .
Decorations and party favors___________________
Electrical, instrument, and related manufacturing
industries:
Lens and thermometer division___ __________
Resistance-type household appliance division...
General division___ ______________________
Food and related products:
Citron brining division____ _______________
General division__________________________
Handicraft products__________________ ________
Hooked rug:
Hand-hooked rug division____________ _____
Machine-hooked rug division_______________
Hosiery............. ................... ........... ..........................
Jewel cutting and polishing:
Gem stone division....... ......................................
Industrial jewel division_____ ______________
Leather, leather goods, and related products:
Hide curing division_______________________
Leather tanning and processing division______
Small leather goods, baseball, and softball
division______ _____ ___________________
General division_____________________ _____
Lumber and wood products:
Furniture, woodenware, and miscellaneous
wood products division___________________
Lumber and millwork division______________
Men’s and boys’ clothing and related products:
H at and cap division_________________ ____ _
Necktie division_________________ _________
Suits, coats, and jackets division____________
General division__________________________
Metal, machinery, transportation equipment, and
allied industries:
Drydock division_________________________
Fabricated wire products, steel spring, and
slide fastener division____________________
General division__________________________
Needlework and fabricated textile products:
Art linen and needlepoint division:
Hand-sewing operations.............................
Other operations_____________ _________
Blouse, dress, and neckwear division:
Hand-sewing operations____ ___________
Other operations______________________
Hourly
mini
mum
wage
rates (in
cents)
Effective
date
75
75
43
75
Oct. 6,1955
Oct. 6,1955
Nov 6,1950
July 13,1953
48
36
50
53
60
54
55
33
75
June
Jan.
Jan.
Dec.
June
Sept
June
June
July
8,1953
4,1954
4,1954
6,1954
8,1953
14,1953
8,1953
8,1953
13,1953
75
July 14,1952
75
51
July 14,1952
July 14,1952
40
June 25,1951
40
1,1951
75
75
75
65
75
75
75
75
Jan.
May
May
Oct.
Oct.
Oct.
Oct.
M ay
May
5,1952
5,1952
20,1955
20,1955
20,1955
20,1955
5,1952
5,1952
65
50
55
55
30
Aug.
Aug.
Aug.
Nov.
Aug.
60
65
70
Sept. 12,1955
Sept. 12,1955
Sept. 12,1955
40
45
26
Oct. 20,1955
Oct. 20,1955
Apr. 16,1951
33
40
50
July 21,1952
July 21,1952
May 3,1954
11,1952
11,1952
11,1952
8,1954
13,1951
50
Nov. 19,1951
42^é Jan. 28,1952
65
40
Sept. 14,1953
Sept. 14,1953
32
40
Sept. 14,1953
Sept. 14,1953
38
42
Aug. 11,1952
Aug. 11,1952
55
55
55
47
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
14,1955
14,1955
14,1955
14,1955
75
Nov. 30,1953
65
75
June 27,1955
June 27,1955
22Î4 June
40 June
35
45
6,1955
6,1955
June 6,1955
June 6,1955
Industry and division
Needlework and fabricated textile products—Con.
Children’s and dolls’ wear division:
Hand-sewing operations________________
Other operations________________ _____
Corde and bonnaz embroidery and corde hand
bag division__________ _____ ___________
Cotton underwear and infants underwear divi
sion:
Hand-sewing operations................................
Other operations_____ ____ ____________
Crochet beading, bullion embroidery, machine
embroidered lace, insignia, and chevron
division_________ ____ _____ ____________
Crocheted hats and infants’ bootee division:
Hand-sewing operations................... .............
Other operations....................... ................. .
Crocheted slipper division__________________
Dungarees, slacks, and related products divi
sion.................................................................. .
Fabric glove division:
Hand-sewing operations_______ ______ _
Machine operations and any operations
known to the industry as cutting, laying
off, sizing, banding, and boxing_________
Other operations_______________ ______
Handkerchief and square scarf division:
Hand-sewing operations____ ___________
Other operations____________ _________
H at body division_________________________
Infant’s wear division:
Hand-sewing operations_________ ______
Other operations______________________
Knit glove division________ _____ ________ _
Leather glove division:
Hand-sewing operations________________
Machine operations and any operations
known to the industry as cutting, laying
off, sizing, banding, and boxing________
Other operations______________________
Silk, rayon, and nylon underwear division:
Hand-sewing operations......... ........... ...........
Other operations______________________
Suits, coats, skirts, fur garments, and related
products division__________ ____ _________
Sweater and bathing suit division___________
Miscellaneous apparel products division.......... .
General division:
Hand-embroidery operations...... ..................
Other operations______________________
Paper, paper products, printing, publishing, and
related industries:
Daily newspaper division......................... ...........
Paper bag division.................................... ..........
Paperboard division..__________ __________
Paper box division_________________ _____ _
General division________________ _______ _
Plastic products:
Sprayer and vaporizer division____ _________
Wall tile, dinnerware, and phonograph records
division________________________________
General division__________________________
Railroad, railway express, and property motor
transport:
Railroad division_________________________
Railway express and property motor transport
division________________________________
Rubber, straw, hair, and related products:
Rubber products division__________________
Straw, hair, and related products division____
Shipping____________________________________
Shoe manufacturing and allied industries________
Stone, glass, and related products:
Concrete pipe division___________ _________
Glass and glass products division____________
Glass decorating division___________________
Hot asphaltic plant mix division..____ ______
Mica division____________________________
General division__________________________
Sugar manufacturing________________________
Textile and textile products:
Cotton ginning and compressing division_____
Hard fiber products division________________
Mattress and pillow division_______________
General division__________________________
Tobacco:
Puerto Rican cigar filler tobacco processing divi
sion___________________________________
General division__________________________
Wholesaling, warehousing, and other distribution. .
Source: U. S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour and Public Contracts Divisions.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Hourly
mini
mum
wage
rates (in
cents)
Effective
date
35
40
June 6,1955
June 6,1955
51
July 25,1955
22H June 6,1955
40
June 6,1955
47^ June
35
45
45
6,1955
June 6,1955
June 6,1955
June 6,1955
47K June
6,1955
22M June
6,1955
57H June 6,1955
40 June 6,1955
22^
40
June
June
25
40
40
June 6,1955
June 6,1955
June 6,1955
30
June
6,1955
57H June
40 June
6,1955
6,1955
26
48
Oct.
Oct.
6,1955
6,1955
55
Oct.
50 June
47^ Oct.
6,1955
6,1955
6,1955
35
45
Oct.
Oct.
6,1955
6,1955
60
45
40
55
40
Dec.
Dec.
Dec.
Dec.
Dec.
10,1951
10,1951
10,1951
10,1951
10,1951
75
July 25,1955
60
53
July 25,1955
July 25,1955
33
May 4,1953
60
May 4,1953
60
37
75
40
Oct. 13,1952
July 20,1953
Julv 24,1950
Jan. 4,1954
60
60
42
75
42
50
75
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
40
Aug. 23,1954
57 X June
6,1955
6,1955
6,1955
30,1953
30,1953
30,1953
30,1953
30,1953
30,1953
2,1953
37M Aug. 23,1954
75
Aug. 23,1954
42^ Aug. 23,1954
35
50
65
Nov. 28,1955
Oct. 20,1955
Aug. 27,1951
PUERTO RICO: WAGE STRUCTURE AND MINIMUM WAGES
T a b l e 4.— Minimum wage rates in Puerto Rico under the
Commonwealth Minimum Wage Act
Manda
tory
decree
num
ber *
1
3
4
5
6
7
g
9
U
12
13
14
15
lß
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Industry
Effective date
_____ Mar. 1943_____
Leaf tobarlo
Sugarcane grow ing_________ Apr. 1943______
Sugar manufacturing:............. . ___ do________
Raw sugar
_ _________
Refined sugar . . _______
Hospitals
___ July 1951______
Soft drinks_________________ Mar. 1944_____
Restaurants
_______ Jan. 1955______
Theaters
_ ____________ Nov. 1953_____
Aug. 1955_____
________
Rp.tail trade
Bread, bakery products, and
crackers
____________ July 1945______
Construction
_ _______ July 1946______
Transportation
_ ______ Feb. 1948______
"Laundries
June 1948 _____
Furniture and wood products.. Sept. 1948_____
Stone quarries
_______ Nov. 1948_____
Wholesale trade _ _ ____ Oct. 1949______
Pineapple:
Agriculture
Sept. 1950_____
Canning_______________ ...: .d o .......—
Dairy:
Agricultural phase
Jan. 1951______
Industrial phase_________ . ..d o .......... .
Coffee growing
Dec. 1954______
Commercial printing, newsNov. 1951...........
papers and periodicals _
N pedi ework
_________ Jan. 1953...........
Hotels
_____________ Sept. 1952_____
Feb. 1953______
Tee cream and ices
____________ Aug. 1954_____
Beer
Hourly mini
mum (or range
of minimum)
wage rates
(in cents)
25.0
* 17.5-40.6
33.0-46.3
33.0-46.3
31.0-60.0
25.0-30.0
25.0-33.0
35.0-70.0
27.1-43.4
28.0-82.5
32.0-110.0
25.0-50.0
25.0-40.0
25.0-60.0
35.0-100.0
50.0
21.0-50.0
30.0
20.0-50.0
30.0-35.0
21.9
35.0-60.0
20.0-25.0
24.0-40.0
30.0-50.0
70.0
i The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico annulled decrees numbered 2 and 10
fixing minimum wages retroactively for sugarcane and dairy industry work* Minimum when sugar is priced at $3.74 per hundred pounds. For each
cent above that price, the daily wage is increased 96 of a cent. The price of
sugar was around $6 a hundred pounds early in November 1955.
Source: Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Board.
Occupational Wages
In October 1953, production workers in manu
facturing industries had gross hourly earnings of
47.9 cents; office workers in the same industries
averaged 79.3 cents; repair and maintenance
workers averaged 84.1 cents; and those in
custodial work, 52.0 cents.5
In manufacturing, the best paid occupations,
exclusive of processing, were: electrician ($1.06);
mechanic ($0.99); secretary ($0.96); plumber
($0.85); carpenter ($0.82); typist ($0.80); store
keeper ($0.80); payroll clerk ($0.76); and clerk,
general office ($0.75). The lowest paid occupa
tions were truckdriver helper ($0.45) ; porter
($0.46); gateman ($0.59); watchman ($0.59);
and oiler ($0.60). (See table 5.)
The average for all skilled workers (e. g., elec
tricians, carpenters, and mechanics) was around
96 cents per hour, while their assistants averaged
70 cents per hour. Nonskilled workers, such as
‘Puerto Rico Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
‘See also p. 1363 of this issue.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1371
may be found in custodial work, had an average
wage rate of 52 cents per hour, 44 cents less than
the rate of the skilled workers and 18 cents less
than that received by semiskilled workers.
Interindustry Comparisons. A comparison of the
earnings in those occupations important in terms
of employment and common to all industries may
illustrate to some extent the wage interrelation
ships in manufacturing (table 5). “Utility”
workers, representing the most important non
processing occupation numerically, receive the
highest wage in the food and kindred products
industry (71 cents) and the lowest in tobacco
manufactures (34 cents). Most of the workers
in food and kindred products are found in the
production of sugar, a high-paying industry which
has a Federal minimum wage of 75 cents per hour.
Average wages for utility workers in the other
industries ranged from 36 to 60 cents per hour.
For clerical work, the next most important
nonprocessing occupation, the average earnings
were 75 cents per hour. The highest wages were
paid in the chemicals and food industries and the
lowest in the apparel and related products.
The manufacturing industries in Puerto Rico
paying the highest wages are: transportation
equipment and machinery; food and kindred
products; stone, clay, and glass; and chemicals
and allied products. Tobacco products is the
lowest paying industry. (See tables 2 and 5.)
Minimum Wage Legislation
Puerto Rico has had its own minimum-wage
law since 1941.6 The act empowers the Minimum
Wage Board to set minimum wages and other
working conditions in the different industries in
Puerto Rico. The act excludes only domestic
service and Government employment; however,
industries operated by Government agencies are
included. In 15 years, the Board has issued 22
mandatory decrees covering around 296,000 em
ployees at peak employment and increasing their
income by about $23 million.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (covering all
industries engaged in interstate commerce or in
the production of goods for interstate commerce)
was made applicable to Puerto Rico when passed,
in 1938. Originally, this law applied to Puerto
1372
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Rico the same minimum wage established for
the continental United States, but in 1940 Con
gress decided that it was not economically feasible
to set the same flat minimum wage for Puerto
Rico as for industries on the mainland. Because
of the economic difficulties under which the in
dustries of Puerto Rico operate, Congress amended
the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide for a flex
ible arrangement for Puerto Rico. The Secretary
of Labor of the United States appoints special
industry committees which periodically review
industry wage rates in Puerto Rico, looking toward
the goal of the statutory minimum applicable in
the United States.
Each industry committee is a tripartite body
representing employers, workers, and the public,
in equal numbers, and includes members from
both the mainland and the Commonwealth. The
1955 amendments to the act provide that the
committee shall recommend minimum wages for
the industries under consideration and the Secre
tary of Labor of the United States shall publish
the recommended wage orders in the Federal
Register. These rates become final and binding
on all employers in the industry within 15 days
after publication.
Seventeen special industry committees have
been convened since 1940; 33 wage orders cover
approximately 100 industrial divisions.
The minimum wage rates fixed by the Wage and
Hour Division of the U. S. Department of Labor
and by the Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Board,
for the different industries covered, are presented
in tables 4 and 5.
Both the Minimum Wage Board and the U. S.
Department of Labor set the highest minimum
wage that the industry can reasonably pay with
out creating substantial unemployment and with
out giving competitive advantages either to indus
tries in Puerto Rico or to similar ones operating
in the United States. Both the Minimum Wage
Board of Puerto Rico and the Wage and Hour
Division aim to revise their decrees and wage
orders periodically, taking into consideration the
ability of the industry to pay wages, the needs of
the workers, and the possible competition that may
exist between Puerto Rico industries and their
mainland counterparts. Annual review of wage
orders is now required of the Wage and Hour
Division by act of the 84th Congress in 1955.
Around 10 of the 22 Puerto Rican decrees have
been, or are being, revised.
T a b l e 5. — Number and straight-time average hourly wage rates of workers in selected nonprocessing occupations in manu
facturing industries, by major industry groups, Puerto Rico, October 1953
Straight-time average hourly earnings
Industry
Number of workers,...................
All industries—..........................
Pood and kindred products___
Tobacco manufactures_______
Textile-mill products________
Apparel and related products...
Lumber and furniture................
Paper and allied products; and
printing, publishing, and allied industries....................... .
Chemicals and allied products;
products of petrolem and
coal; and rubber products___
Leather and leather products...
Stone, clay, and glass products..
Fabricated metal products;
machinery; electrical ma
chinery, equipment and sup
plies; and transportation
equipm ent..............................
Instruments and related prod
ucts;
and
miscellaneous
manufacturing industries___
Utility
worker
Clerk,
general
office
2,191
$0,643
.711
.344
.421
.382
.357
817
$0.747
(1)
(11)
(7)
(8)
(10)
Mechanic
.867
.682
.572
.559
.670
627
$0. 992
(2)
(7)
(10)
(11)
(9)
1.008
.811
1.157
.903
1.205
567
(5)
(10)
(3)
(8)
(2)
.533
.314
.378
.367
.391
Truckdriver
428
$0. 461
$0. 592
(4)
(11)
(9)
(10)
(8)
.683
.404
.437
.419
.466
413
$0. 627
(2)
(10)
(8)
(9)
(5)
Assistant
mechanic
.620
.384
.518
.607
.616
376
$0. 716
(6)
(li)
(10)
(9)
(8)
Carpenter
.774
.570
.551
.447
.559
271
$0.818
(2)
(5)
(8)
(11)
(6)
Secretary
.853
.676
.830
.695
.713
247
$0. 960
(3)
(li)
(4)
(10)
(9)
Truckdriver
helper
.984
.717
.639
.808
.915
224
$0.450
(5)
(1Ò)
(11)
(9)
(8)
.449
.328
.365
.300
.374
(4)
(9)
(8)
(1Ó)
(7)'
.540 (5)
.799 (3)
1.306 (1)
.572 (2)
.552 (3)
.620 (7)
.744 (3)
.733 (8)
1.056 (2)
.650 (1)
.592 (3)
.363 (9)
.598 (2)
.901 (1)
.677 (8)
.718 (6)
.863 (9)
.950 (7)
1.059 (6)
.566 (3)
.393 (7)
.411 (6)
.538 (4)
.394 (11)
.461 (7)
.668 (3)
.708 (2)
.786 (1)
.555 (7)
. 510 (9)
.779 (1)
.778 (6)
.796 (5)
.898 (1)
.980 (6)
.972 (7)
.990 (4)
.380 (6)
.456 (6)
.791 (4)
.497 (5)
,720 (1)
.632 (5)
.487 (10)
.756 (7)
1.137 (1)
.620 (2)
.561 (4)
.784 (5)
.647 (1)
.462 (6)
.633 (4)
.609 (4)
.857 (2)
1.040 (3)
.489 (3)
.778 (11)
1.145 (4)
Source: See Rates per Hour, Hours Worked, and Weekly Wage in Inter
industrial Occupations in Manufacturing Industries, Puerto Rico, October
1953. Puerto Rico Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Watch
man
Porter
.426 (5)
N o t e —The numbers in parentheses indicate the rank of wage rates in each
industry in relation to the hourly rates paid in other industries, from the
highest to the lowest paying industry.
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ALASKA
The Economy
and the Labor Force
George W. R ogers
economy, its population, and its labor
force are all products of its geography. An Arctic
and sub-Arctic region, it is a big territory composed
of several distinct regions, relatively remote from
each other. Its economy is highly seasonal,
depending primarily upon the production of raw
and semiprocessed materials and upon Federal
spending, much of which is related to Alaska’s
strategic defense location. The population is
sparse and fluctuates sharply, as does the labor
force, in response to seasonal factors and the course
of Federal spending.
A laska ’s
Physical Characteristics
Alaska is big. This is the most obvious gen
eralization which can be made about the Terri
tory. Its total area of 586,400 square miles is
equal to nearly one-fifth the total area of the 48
States. Because of its size, Alaska cannot be
treated realistically as a single region but must
be considered as several distinctive regions, each
with differing physical, climatological, and natural
resources features. The most common geographi
cal division is six regions: Southeastern, South
Central, and Southwestern Alaska; the Yukon
Plateau (or the Interior); the Seward Peninsula;
and the Arctic Slope.
Alaska can also be characterized as a remote
and relatively isolated area. Anchorage, the
largest city, is 1,450 miles from Seattle and 2,500
miles from Minneapolis by direct airline; 2,633
miles from Great Falls, Mont., by road; and 1,800
miles from Seattle by ship and railroad. Alaska’s
various sections are remote one from another;
in its extreme extent, it approximates the eastwest, north-south spread of the continental
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United States and there are four time zones
within its boundaries. Its coastline is longer
than that of the entire continental United States.
Despite the well-deserved debunking of Alaska
as nothing more than a land of ice and snow, it
is predominantly an Arctic and sub-Arctic region.
About 80 percent of its total area is north of lati
tude 60° N. Permanently frozen ground (perma
frost) underlies about 60 percent of the total
area. The summer season, or the time between
killing frosts, is abnormally short, varying from
165 days at Ketchikan to only 17 days at Barrow,
with the season over its largest land area (the
Yukon Basin) ranging from 54 to 90 days.
Economic Characteristics
Alaska is an economically underdeveloped area,
which is important primarily as a source of raw
and semiprocessed materials and as a strategic
military outpost. The economic base is narrow,
highly seasonal, and regionally varied.
Despite the fact that it is physically a part of
the North American continent, Alaska is economi
cally an island and its trade and communica
tions with the continental United States are those
of an overseas area. Its one land transportation
link with the continental United States is the
long and difficult route to Great Falls, Mont.,
much of it through the relatively uninhabited
wildernesses of Canada. The main streams of
commerce and migration are by sea and air.
Prices. Seasonality and remoteness combine to
explain the first economic fact brought home to
any newcomer to Alaska: the costs of doing busi
ness and of living in the Territory are very high.
In recent years, there have been important reduc
tions in price levels because of population increases,
stimulation of competition, and improvement
in distribution and transportation, but Alaska
must still be characterized as a high-cost region.
Reliable data on prices are very skimpy, but for
consumer prices at least the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the United States Department of
Labor collected data and published indexes for
selected Alaskan cities for March 1945 and Febru
ary and December 1951, which document the
impressions of the traveler, businessman, and
worker in the Territory. (See table 1.)
1375
1376
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T a ble 1.— Relative differences in costs of goods, rents, and
services in selected Alaskan cities and Seattle
[Costs in Seattle=100]
City and date
All items
Foods
Apparel Housing 1 Other
M arch 1946
Juneau_____________
Anchorage_________
Fairbanks_____ _____
115
141
148
130
153
164
113
131
137
107
160
157
107
124
132
140
147
137
147
119
125
213
217
125
130
122
129
111
129
116
February 1951
Anchorage_________
Fairbanks__________
December 1951
Ketchikan__________
1 1945 figures represent average rental for 4- and 5-room dwellings meeting
certain standards, plus fuel, utilities, and housefurnishings; 1951 figures, rent
for 2- and 3-room dwellings meeting certain standards, plus fuel, utilities, and
housefurnishings.
Source: Relative Differences in the Cost of Equivalent Goods, Rents, and
Services in Three Alaska Cities and Seattle, March 1945, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, May 20, 1946. Relative Differences
in the Cost of Consumption Goods, Rents, and Services in Two Alaska
Cities and in Seattle, Wash., February 1951, U. S. Department of Labor,
April 26, 1951. Relative Differences in the Cost of Consumption Goods,
Rents, and Services in Ketchikan, Alaska, and Seattle, Wash., December
1951, U. S. Department of Labor, February 28,1952.
Trade With the United States. Its physical char
acteristics have also fostered Alaska’s economic
dependence upon the United States. The statis
tics of trade between Alaska and the continental
United States strikingly reveal Alaska as a source
of raw and semiprocessed materials and its lack of
self-sufficiency and dependence upon the outside
for its consumer and capital goods. The depend
ent relationship was marked in the imbalance of
trade from 1868 to 1940, inclusive—from Alaska
to the United States, $2.3 billion; and from the
United States to Alaska, $1.2 billion. With the
United States entry into World War II, the
“balance of trade” shifted; from 1941 through
1947 (the latest year for which data are available),
Alaska’s exports to the States, averaging $78.7
million a year, nearly matched the $80.5 million
average value of its imports.1
Nonresident Interests. Another earmark of Alas
ka’s lack of self-sufficiency is the nonresident
ownership of much of its economic activity. Ex
treme seasonality, remoteness, and high costs
favor the use of seasonally imported labor and
extractive activity over processing, while dis
couraging the accumulation of local supplies of
labor, capital, and management talent. The
Bristol Bay fisheries are an example of an industry
which is almost wholly owned and operated by
interests outside the region. Cannery and fishing
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supplies are shipped in from the Puget Sound
area. According to a recent study, “of a total of
about 6,000 men presently employed in the fishing
industry in the Bristol Bay area, 4,000 are brought
in from the United States; 1,000 are recruited
from other parts of the Territory; and only 1,000
are provided locally.” 2
The degree to which values produced and in
comes generated with Alaska are divided between
resident and nonresident interests is difficult to
document. Although the harvest of the rich furseal resources on the Pribilof Islands is probably
not a typical activity, it has been analyzed in
these terms. It is carried out under Federal
supervision and management, but the operation is
administered from the Seattle office of the Fish
and Wildlife Service rather than from the Alaska
office of the Service. The raw furs are transported
to St. Louis for final processing and sale, and the
Government’s share of the proceeds is deposited
in the United States Treasury at Washington.
During 1951, the raw-fur value of the United
States’ share of the pelts and the value of byprod
ucts came to $2,702,959 (total value, including the
share of fur processors and auctioneers in the
States, was, of course, greater). This amount
represents the value generated within the Terri
tory by the harvesting and preliminary prepara
tion of the pelts on the Pribilof Islands. The total
benefit to the Territory, in the form of wages and
salaries paid to resident workers and medical care
and educational facilities provided these workers
and their families by the Federal Government,
was estimated at only $200,000 for the year 1951.3
Thus, the region directly benefited from or re
tained only slightly more than 7 percent of the
value produced there.
Federal Spending. It is not surprising, given the
geographical position of the Territory, that mili
tary construction and other Federal spending are
the major factors in determining the level of
economic activity and the population growth in
Alaska today. For the 13 years 1940-52, Federal
i
Compiled from various issues of the M onthly Summary of Foreign Com
merce of the United States, U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the
Census.
8
Southwestern Alaska, Interior Report No. 5, Alaska District, Corps of
Engineers, U. S. Army, January 20, 1954 (p. 35).
3
John L. Buckley, Wildlife in the Economy of Alaska, University of Alaska
Press, February 1955 (p. 21).
1377
ALASKA: THE ECONOMY AND LABOR FORCE
defense construction expenditures for Alaskan
projects have averaged $114.3 million per year.4
In addition to direct military construction, there
has been substantial defense-justified Federal
civilian construction in the postwar period, par
ticularly rehabilitation of the Alaska Railroad,
expansion and improvement of road and airfield
systems, and financing community facilities. For
the fiscal years 1948-54, Federal obligations for
all purposes in Alaska averaged $413.2 million a
year, the Department of Defense accounting for
$270.4 million of the total. (See table 2.)
Beginning in 1941, Federal spending had a
number of important direct economic effects.
The “balance of trade” with the United States
shifted almost overnight from one in which the
value of imports was little more than half the
value of exports to one in which exports and
imports were roughly equal, as already indicated.
Alaska’s construction industry catapulted from a
minor economic activity to the leading industry.
The new jobs generated by military construction
and the servicing of a sizable military garrison
contributed to a spectacular rise in Alaska’s
population. (See chart 1.)
Federal spending had even more indirect
economic effects. The expansion of Alaskan
markets created by population and business
growth made possible the more efficient and eco
nomic distribution and transportation of goods.
Military necessity stimulated greater expansion
and improvements in Alaska’s communication
and transportation systems than could have been
accomplished otherwise.
Structure of the Economy. The nature and struc
ture of the Alaskan economy cannot be described
in terms of “gross Territorial product,” but only
in terms of the “basic economy”—that dynamic
portion of the economy which primarily deter
mines the level of total income and employment.
Discounting the construction industry, which is
derived largely from Federal expenditures, Alaska’s
economic base is extremely narrow, resting pri
marily upon fishing, and to a much smaller degree
upon mining; the fur trade, the forest products
industry, tourist expenditures, and agriculture
combined account for less than 10 percent of the
total. (See table 3.) All are highly seasonal
Biennial Report, 1951-53, Alaska Development Board.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table
2. — Federal obligations in
Alaska, fiscal years
1948-54
[In millions of dollars]
Fiscal year
Total
Department
of Defense
Other Federal
agencies 1
1948__________________
1949__________________
1950__________________
1951__________________
1952__________________
1953 2_________________
1954 2_________________
$200.5
251.6
137.2
607.5
414.9
679.5
600.9
$103.9
135.3
1.9
455.9
266.0
512.9
416.9
$96.6
116.3
135.3
151.7
148.9
166.6
184.0
TotaL .
__________
Annual average--....... ......
2,892.2
413.2
1,892.7
270.4
999.4
142.8
1 Excludes $86,500,000 in FHA mortgage insurance on housing develop
ments.
2 Estimated.
N ote.—Because of rounding, sums of individual items do not necessarily
equal totals.
Source: Prepared by the Federal Bureau of the Budget at the request]of
Governor’s Office, February 1954.
activities, mining and the fur trade are highly
unstable cyclically, and the last three are relatively
undeveloped.
The Alaskan economy is not an integrated one;
rather, it is a collection of far-flung and relatively
isolated centers of varied economic activity tied
together in rather tenuous fashion at the political
and public administration levels by definition
more than anything else. Therefore, data are
presented in table 3, not only for the “total” basic
economy, but for three economic regions selected
to illustrate the economic sectionalism:
1. Southeastern Alaska, separated from the rest of the
country by Canadian territory and the impenetrable bar
rier of the great Malaspina Glacier and the towering St.
Elias Range.
2. Central and Interior Alaska, roughly the area south of
the Brooks Range and east of longitude 151° W. With the
exception of Kodiak Island, the centers of development
and population are laced together with a well-developed
road system, and the economic unity of the region is
furthered by the fact that the principal defense establish
ments are located there.
3. Northern and Western Alaska, the remainder of the
Territory.
Population
Like its economy, the composition and nature
of Alaska’s population have marked sectional
differences. Moreover, the population is sparse,
predominantly urban, unstable, and highly
seasonal.
The 1950 census enumeration of a population of
128,643 in Alaska, including 20,407 military per
sonnel, represents only 0.225 person per square
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1378
tion, but by 1950 it accounted for 72 percent.
The number of males per female—one index of
the relative stability of a population—from 1920
to 1950 ranged from 1.03 to 1.08 among the native
population, and from 2.82 to 1.86 among white
inhabitants.
In discussing Alaska’s population, the month
as well as the year must be specified, so great is
the seasonal variation. The peak population
ranged from 15 to nearly 32 percent above the
low point in the years 1950-54 (table 4).
Data from the 1950 census for the three economic
regions specified previously illustrate the wide
sectional differences in the composition of Alaska’s
population (table 5). They underline the neces
sity for going beyond data for the Territory as a
whole whenever possible. Similarly, comparisons
of population figures for 1950 and 1939 indicated
marked regional differences. The total popula
tion rose by more than 77 percent; in the South-
mile of land area as compared with the United
States average of 50.7 persons per square mile.
Nearly half of the Alaskan people live in towns
and cities with populations of 1,000 or more, 26.6
percent in places with 2,500 or more.
Although the total native population has re
mained relatively stable, the total white popula
tion has been subject to drastic ebbs and flows of
migration. In 1867, there were probably 500
white persons in Alaska. According to data from
the Census of Population for Alaska, thereafter
the white population first increased rapidly to
1900 (30,493) following the gold stampedes, rose
again to 1910 (36,400), then declined to 1920
(27,883), changed little to 1929 (28,640), again
increased substantially to 1939 (39,170) following
the revival of gold mining, and rose sharply to
1950 (92,808) as a result of the military construc
tion program. In 1939, the white population
represented only 54 percent of the total popula
T a ble 3. — Alaska’s income from production and other activities, by region 1
[Annual average, 1948-53]
Economic regions
Total
Amount
(thousands
of dollars)
Central and Interior Northern and Western
Alaska
Alaska
Southeastern
Alaska
Economic activity
Percent
Amount
(thousands
of dollars)
Percent
Amount
(thousands
of dollars)
Percent
Amount
(thousands
of dollars)
Percent
Total basic economy ____________________ ________ ______
$201, 268
100.0
$55,394
100.0
100.0
$35, 887
100.0
Natural resources products....................................... ........... ...........
130, 632
65.0
46, 494
84.0
55,846
50.7
28, 292
78.9
Fish and wildlife p ro d u cts..._____ ______ _________________
102, 582
51.0
42, 284
76.4
37,178
33.7
23,120
64.5
Commercial fisheries 2__________ ______ _______________
Furs 3____ ______ ____ _____________________ . . _
_______
Other tangible wildlife values 4........... ...... .
Mineral products A_____ _____________
_______________
Forest products A _. ___ _________ ___
_________ _____
Agricultural products 7______________ __________________
Tourist expenditures 8____________ _
________________
Construction 9....................................................................................
89,857
4,675
8,050
20, 236
5, 575
2,239
6,336
64,300
44.7
2.3
4.0
40, 307
842
1,135
61
3,789
360
3,900
5,000
72.8
1.5
31,984
594
4,600
15,067
1, 761
1,840
2,341
51,800
29.0
.5
4. 2
13.7
17, 566
3,239
2,315
5,108
25
39
95
7,500
49.0
9.0
6.5
14.2
1 For definition of regions, see accompanying text (p. 1377).
2 Wholesale value, from annual statistical digests of the U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, entitled “ Alaska Fisheries and Fur Seal Industries.”
2
Raw value. “ Land furs” from Fish and Wildlife Service game and fur
district records; “ Pribilof fur seal,” net proceeds transferred to General Fund
reported in Combined Statement of Receipts, Expenditures and Balances of
the U. S. Government, U. S. Treasury Department.
4
Estimated largely from data in Wildlife in the Economy of Alaska (see
text footnote 3); also includes expenditures by nonresident sportsmen for
fiscal year 1952 and minimum food value of take by resident hunters and
native peoples, value of reindeer and ivory (computed from annual reports
of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Alaska Native Service estimates of
amount of wildlife products consumed and value of products).
6
Includes value of sand, gravel, and building stone. Total from Bureau of
Mines annual area reports entitled “ Mineral Production in Alaska” ; regional
breakdown prepared by Territorial Department of Mines.
6 Value f. o. b. mill. Estimated on basis of U. S. Forest Service reports of
physical volume of lumber produced, cited in Alaska Development Board’s
Biennial Report, 1951-53 (p. 39); Bureau of Land Management reports on
timber cut on public domain lands and average mill price of lumber (cited in
annual reports of the Governor of Alaska); free use timber valued arbitrarily
at $10 per M bd.-ft.
7 Includes estimated value of home consumption. Total and regional
values from 1950 U. S. Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1. pt. 34-1, and Alaska
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10.1
2.8
1.1
3.1
31.9
2.1
.1
6.8
.7
7.0
9.0
$109, 987
1.6
1.7
2.1
47.2
.1
.1
.2
20.9
Agricultural Experiment Station, Palmer, Alaska, and annual reports of
Governor of Alaska.
2
Estimated on basis of average annual “touristry revenue” for 1951-53 (A
Recreation program for Alaska, National Park Service, 1955, pp. 27—
29);
regional breakdown from data in Analysis of Alaska Travel W ith Special
Reference to Tourists, by W. J. Stanton, U. S. National Park Service, 1953.
9
Total from Employment Security Commission annual reports to the
Governor of Alaska; regional breakdown on basis of location and total value
of projects (from materials in Construction Contracts Awarded in Alaska,
1947-52, Seattle First National Bank, Oct. 14,1953; Value of Building Per
mits in Alaska, 1949-53, Alaska Development Board; and miscellaneous news
items). This is not a particularly satisfactory basis for the allocation of
wages, as the ratio of labor costs to total costs varies greatly by type of
construction.
N ote.—The transaction level for which valuation is shown corresponds
roughly to the amount of processing and market preparation done in the
Territory. For example, the value of raw furs is used because virtually all
processing is done outside Alaska. D ata are not shown for manufacturing
as a category because value added to raw materials is negligible except for
commercial fisheries and forest products. For construction, wages paid is
used because most equipment, supplies, and materials were purchased out
side Alaska; where Alaskan products were purchased, their value is already
counted (in forest, mineral, or agricultural products).
1379
ALASKA: THE ECONOMY AND LABOR FORCE
eastern region, the increase was less than 12 per
cent and, in the Northern and Western region,
nearly 22 percent, but the number of people in
Central and Interior Alaska more than tripled.
Labor Force and Employment
The rapid increase in the size of Alaska’s labor
force during the past 15 years has been accom
panied by drastic changes in its industrial com
position. Government and industries primarily
dependent upon Federal spending have become
Chart 1.
the principal employers, but labor-force activity
is still extremely seasonal.
Any analysis of Alaska’s labor force is hampered
by a dearth of statistical material on all but that
portion of the labor force covered by the unem
ployment insurance (UI) program. Census data
are available only decennially—October 1, 1939,
and April 1, 1950, being the dates of the two most
recent censuses. Moreover, the abnormally high
seasonality of Alaska’s economy makes these
dates unrepresentative; in fact, they are not even
comparable.
A laska's Population, Total and Military, Monthly Average, 1940-54
Sources: Bureau of the C ensus ‘Current Population Reports.'
Economic Security C om m ission of A la sk a , M a y 12, 1955.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
______________________ _________ _______________________________________________ ___________________________________
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1380
T a b l e 4. — Alaskan civilian population
Year
Low (January!)
Peak (August 1)
101,000
112,000
123,200
142,000
151, 900
123,900
140, 900
162,500
174,300
174, 400
1950_____________
1951_____________
1952_____________
1953_____________
1954_____________
Average1
111,000
123,000
141,000
155,000
159,000
112-month moving average, computed by the Bureau of the Census.
Source: Estimate of Alaska Population, Jan. 1,1950-July 1,1953. Released
cooperatively by Office of the Governor, Alaska Development Board, and
Bureau of Vital Statistics, Juneau, Aug. 1, 1954; and Estimate of Alaska
Population, July 1, 1953, to June 30, 1954, Report No. 3, released by Alaska
Resource Development Board, in cooperation with Office of the Governor,
Bureau of Vital Statistics, Alaska Department of Health, Juneau (undated).
Therefore, this article relies principally upon
statistics for the portion of the labor force
“covered” by the UI program as an index of
trends and characteristics of the total labor force.
In April 1950, covered employment represented
about 48 percent of total civilian employment
reported in the census of April 1, 1950. The
remainder was composed almost entirely of
Government and self-employed workers (including
some fishermen).
The principal group of workers not covered by
the unemployment insurance program during the
years 1940-54 were government employees.
During the peak month of 1952, there were
14,436 civilian government employees in Alaska,
11,852 being Federal civilian employees, and the
total civilian government employees’ payroll for
that month amounted to $6,257,700. For the
low month, government civilian employment
totaled 12,046 and the payroll $5,208,200.5
Covered employment in 1952, with a peak of
49,995 and a low of 19,707, averaged 32,901, and
total wages paid averaged $17,132,000 per month.6
Thus, both in terms of numbers and earnings,
government workers represent an important
segment of the total labor force.
The period 1940-54 was one of generally rising
employment and wages. Total wages paid to
workers in covered employment increased more
than 750 percent, in contrast to the 150-percent
rise in the number of workers. (See table 6.)
Thus, average annual earnings for these workers
rose by 240 percent—from about $1,850 to nearly
$6,300. This striking increase reflects not only
the fact that Alaska has been, in general, a labor
shortage area, but also such economic and physical
characteristics as the seasonality of employment,
the difficulty of inducing labor to move to a far
northern country, the high cost of living, and the
difficulties and cost of maintaining ties with
relatives in the States. (For a discussion of
average weekly earnings, see p. 1389 of this issue.)
But all Alaskans are not highly paid and well off.
Census data show that in 1949 the median income
for all persons 14 years of age and over who earned
any income was $2,072 and that, for nonwhite
Alaskans, who made up about a quarter of the
total, the median was only $784. By contrast,
5W. A. Lund, A Study cf Employment in Federal, Territorial, and
Municipal Agencies in Alaska, Calendar Year 1952, Juneau, Employment
Security Commission.
«Employment Statistics, Reports and Analysis Section, Employment
Security Commission of Alaska, May 12, 1955.
T a ble 5.— Distribution of Alaska’s population, by military status, race, and place of residence, by regions,1 1950
Economic regions
Total
Number of
persons
Total___ _____________________
Central and Interior
Alaska
Southeastern Alaska
Population category
Percent of
total
Number of
persons
Percent of
total
Number of
persons
Northern and Western
Alaska
Percent of
total
Number of
persons
128, 643
100.0
28,203
100.0
71,389
100.0
29,051
100.0
20, 407
108,236
15.9
84.1
660
27, 543
2.3
97.7
16,236
55,153
22.7
77.3
3,511
25,540
87.9
92,783
33,884
1,976
72.1
26.4
1.5
19, 655
7,929
619
69.7
28.1
64,095
6,085
1,209
89.7
8.5
1.8
9,033
19,870
148
31.1
68.4
50,910
57,326
47.0
53.0
18,130
9,413
65.8
34.2
330, 980
56.1
43.9
1,800
23, 740
7.1
92.9
M ilitary status
M ilitary........ ___ .
Civilian____ _______
______
____
Percent of
total
12.1
Race
W hite______________
Indigenous (natives)
___________
Other__________ _____ ______
Place o f residence
.6
2
Civilian population residing in:
Places of 1,000 or m o re ___ _______
Places of less than 1,000___________
1 D y definition, see text, p. 1377.
Elimination of military in places of 1,000 or more estimated in some cases.
3 Includes all places in the immediate environs of the city of Fairbanks.
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2.2
24,173
Source: U. S. Census of Population: 1950, Vol. 1, and Bureau of Census
worksheets on general characteristics of 1950 population by recording districts.
ALASKA : THE ECONOMY AND LABOR FORCE
1381
total earnings of workers covered by the UI
program averaged $4,633 in the same year.
The wide income differences were due in part
to the inclusion of military personnel in the census
data, but more significantly they reflected the
limited degree to which native Alaskans (who
make up most of the ‘‘nonwhite” category) had
been brought into the regular labor force. No
data are available on average income by region,
but the effect of the regional distribution of eco
nomic activity has been apparent in recent years.
Chart 2.
A substantial group of Alaskans were receiving
such low incomes that the President of the United
States, in the winter of both 1953 and 1954, de
clared the regions in which they resided as major
disaster areas.7 At the same time, a substantial
group of Alaskan workers employed in construc
tion, Government, and secondary industries were
i On October 30, 1953, and again on November 10, 1954, President Eisen
hower notified the Governor of Alaska that, under the authority of Public
Law 875 (81st Cong.), he had declared that a major disaster existed in those
areas of Alaska which were adversely affected by fishing failures (most of
coastal Alaska from Bristol Bay to Ketchikan).
Percentage Distribution of Average Monthly Employment in Alaska, by Industry,
Division, 1940, 1943, and 1954
Construction
1 9 4 0 ’4 3
'54
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU Of LABOR STATISTICS
1940 ’4 3 ’5 4
1940 ’4 3 ’54
Manufacturing
All Others
(S a lm o n C a n n in g ,
Lum ber a n d O ther
M a n u fa c tu rin g )
(N o t elsew here
cla ssified )
S o u r ce .
Employment
Section,
of A l a s k a .
366804-55-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1940 ’4 3 ’5 4
1940 ’4 3 '54
St atist ics, R ep ort s
Employment
May
and
A nalys
Sec ur ity C o m m is s i o n
12. 1955.
1382
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T a b l e 6.—Average number of workers and wages in covered
employment in Alaska, 1940-54
Year
1940_________________
1941____________
.
1942____________________
1943_________________
1944_______________
1945 i___________________
1946________________________
1947_____________________
1948_________________
1949______________
1950___________________
1951____________________
1952________________________
1953__________________________
1954____________________
T a b l e 7. —Seasonal variation in covered employment in
Alaska, selected years
Number of workers Total wages (thou
(monthly average) sands of dollars)
10,916
16, 566
20, 540
15,833
18,169
13,780
15,408
24,784
23,479
23,089
25,208
32,755
32,901
30, 681
27,331
$20,160
36,792
51,384
49,124
77,177
47,728
46,373
99,646
102, 964
106,990
120, 676
186,579
205,588
192, 569
171,774
Low
Year
1940____
1950____
1951
1952
1953
1954
Monthly
average
employ
ment
High
Employment
Month
10,916 January.
25, 208 ___do__
__________
32,755 _-_do___
__________
32,901
_do__
__________
30, 681 ___do___
__________
27,331 __do___
As per
Num cent of Month
ber of month
workers ly aver
age
5,870
14', 579
18,199
19, 707
20,411
19,692
Employment
As per
Num cent of
ber of month
workers ly aver
age
53.8 July
17,716
57.8 August-- 38,153
55.6 ___do___ 49, 538
59.9 July----- 49,995
66.5 ___do___ 45,302
72.1 A ugust- 38,959
162.3
151.4
151.2
152.0
147.7
142.5
1 Coverage was extended, effective July 1, 1945, from employers of 8 or more
to employers of 1 or more.
N ote.—In 1945, coverage was extended from employers of 8 or more workers
to employers of 1 or more.
Source: Employment Statistics, Reports and Analysis Section, Employ
ment Security Commission of Alaska, M ay 12,1955.
Source: Employment Statistics, Reports and Analysis Section, Employ
ment Security Commission of Alaska, M ay 12, 1955.
receiving relatively high incomes. Moreover, the
Territorial and Federal Governments for many
years have operated extensive public welfare
programs in certain areas to keep the low-income
families alive.
The seasonality of economic activity is illus
trated very clearly in data for covered employ
ment (table 7), although in recent years the varia
tion between extremes has tended to be relatively
smaller.
The industrial composition of Alaska’s labor
force has changed considerably during the past 15
years with the shift in the composition of Alaska’s
basic economy (which decreased the importance of
fishing, mining, the fur trade, and the forestry
and lumbering industries as construction and other
activities depending upon Federal Government
spending increased). The proportion of covered
employment accounted for by the construction
industry rose from about 11 percent in 1940 to
over 38 percent in 1943, at the peak of the war
effort, and was 27 percent in 1954. Mining em
ployment, on the other hand, decreased from 26
percent of covered employment in 1940 to about
6 percent in 1954, and salmon canning from ap
proximately 27 percent in 1940 to 9 percent in
1954. (See chart 2.)
Alaskan employment is still in a stage of transi
tion—possibly to greater future stability. A
recent authoritative forecast predicted that by
1962, although average employment in construc
tion will drop by about 4,400 from 1954 levels, the
anticipated establishment of 6 new forest products
facilities in southeastern Alaska will generate
almost 9,200 new jobs.8 Employment in forest
products mills is expected to rise by about 1,100;
in logging, by 2,030; and in various supporting
industries, by 6,030.
8
Projections of Economic Activity in Alaska for the Period"l954-63, Bureau
of Employment Security, Washington, D. C. Full text published infSenate
Journal, Extraordinary Session of the Twenty-second Legislature of the
Territory of Alaska, Juneau, April 4, 1955 (pp. 11-18).
“Alaska was purchased from Russia for $7,000,000 in 1867 and the first
year after purchase produced almost enough revenue from fur to pay the
original purchase price.”
Laurence Stephenson, Organizing Federal Employees on the Alaska Railroad (in
American Federationist, June 1931, pp. 718-719).
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ALASKA
The U. S. Government
As an Employer
J oseph T. F lakne
T he United States Government dominates the
employment situation in Alaska to an unusual
degree. According to a U. S. Civil Service Com
mission tabulation, there were over 15,000 Federal
employees in the Territory as of June 30, 1954;
they were estimated to constitute somewhat less
than one-quarter of the total working force.1
However, a large proportion of other workers are
dependent upon Federal expenditures for their
jobs.
The Departments of Defense, Interior, and
Commerce, in that order, are the three largest
Federal employers in the Territory. Together
they accounted for 13,751, or 91.3 percent, of all
Federal employees in Alaska in mid-1954. (See
accompanying table.) Most of the Defense De
partment’s 6,700 civilian employees worked for the
Army and Air Corps in the Anchorage and Fair
banks areas. The majority of Department of the
Interior workers were employed by the Alaska
Railroad and the Alaska Road Commission. The
1,600 employees of the Department of Commerce
performed their duties for the most part in con
nection with the work of the Civil Aeronautics
Administration.
Classified and Wage-Board Employees
Classified employees, whose hours and condi
tions of work are largely fixed by Federal statute,
numbered 6,896 on June 30, 1954. A nearly equal
number of wage-board employees, while generally
covered by Federal statutes governing sick and
annual leave, accident compensation, retirement,
and unemployment compensation, had their
wages fixed by administrative action of the agency
concerned rather than by Federal pay acts. In
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addition, about 700 employees, although exempt
from classification, were paid wages roughly cor
responding to the classified pay scale and about 600
were paid under provisions of the Postal Pay Act.
Wage-board employees generally are in “blue
collar” occupations requiring varying degrees of
mechanical and manual skill, whereas classified
employees typically work in clerical, professional,
and executive occupations. Because a much
larger number of Federal agencies in Alaska em
ploy white-collar workers than wage-board em
ployees, those agencies tend to dominate the
Federal employment picture. Since World War
II and until August 1, 1955, both groups in Alaska
were exempt from the selection procedures of the
competitive service; they could not achieve
civil-service status by reason of employment in
Alaska. Beginning in August, Government agen
cies in Alaska began a program of converting
positions to the competitive civil service, and
most Federal jobs have already been converted.
The large number of wage-board employees in
June 1954—6,829—indicates the extent to which
the Federal Government is carrying on industrialtype operations in the Territory. Defense had
nearly 3,600 wage-board employees, mostly en
gaged in the maintenance, repair, and servicing of
huge military installations. Interior employed
about 1,800 wage-board workers to run the Alaska
Railroad and used many such employees in road
building and road-maintenance occupations to
operate the Alaska Road Commission. The
Department of Commerce uses wage-board work
ers in operating and maintaining federally con
trolled airport installations and airways.
Employee Attitudes
As is the case with any large-scale employer,
“Uncle Sam,” in his role as employer in Alaska,
appears to Federal workers in many different
guises. To some, he is a good employer, offering
a high degree of job security, paying high wages,
establishing reasonable scheduled hours, and
providing generous fringe benefits. To some, he
seems to ignore the standard of equal pay for
equal work, to be perhaps too much addicted to
i The Alaska Territorial Employment Service estimated that in June 1952
there were 60,500 employed workers in the Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau,
Ketchikan, and Petersburg areas of whom 12,800 were Government workers,
including municipal employees. Private employment has decreased since
1952, but Federal employment apparently has not.
1383
1384
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Paid civilian employees in executive branch of Federal
Government in Alaska, by agency, compensation authority,
and residence, June 80, 1954
Under Classifica Under wage board
tion Act
Agency
Total_____ ___
Total
Other
Fed
Residents of eral
em
Territory
ployTotal
Total
ees
Num Per
Num Per
ber cent
ber cent
Residents of
Territory
15,057 6,896 1,500
21.8 6,829 3, 070
Defense____- ____ 6,749 3,183
68
2.1 3,566
58
Interior___________
5,393 2,108 1,043 49. 5 2,683 2, 555
Commerce____ - ._
1,609 1,123
168 15.0
486 370
Post Office_________
626
216
Agriculture ____ __
125
30 24.0
65
59
154
144
94 65.3
Justice.. _________
Treasury.- . . . . . . .
128
79
48 60.8
29
28
H ealth, Education,
and Welfare. .
79
39
Veterans Adm inis
tration.
_.
47
44
28 63.6
Housing and Home
Finance Agency. ..
16
16
15 93.8
Federal Communica
tions Commission. _.
9
9
L a b o r__ . . . . _____
8
8
2 25.0
Selective Service
8
3
3 100.0
C iv il A e ro n au tics
Board_________ .
8
8
Other_______ _
1 14.3
7
7
45.0 1,332
1. 6
95. 2
76.1
90.8
96.6
602
626
26
10
20
40
3
5
Source: Computed from data issued by U. S. Civil Service Commis
sion, November 1954.
red tape and personnel manuals, and to be in
clined to place too much emphasis on his rights
as the representative of sovereignty. To others,
he appears indifferent to the more intangible
aspects of employer-employee relationships.
Many of the problems of Alaskan Federal
workers also exist in the States. However, they
appear in Alaska in aggravated form because it is
so far away from Washington, because Alaska in
many ways is different, and because opinions in
Washington vary as to what these differences are.
Federal employee criticism of Uncle Sam’s
personnel practices in Alaska rarely extend to
fringe benefits. With the exception of medical
care, such benefits equal or exceed the standards
generally prevailing in private industry. More
over, the Alaska Railroad is one of the few
Federal operations anywhere with a comprehensive
medical care program.
Territorial Pay Inequalities
Differences in wage standards as between
classified and wage-board employees constitute one
of the Federal Government’s most difficult per
sonnel problems in Alaska, particularly in the area
northwest of the Panhandle. Classified employee
salaries are determined by adding to the base pay
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
rates set by Congress a differential to compensate
for the higher cost of living. Currently, the dif
ferential, which is determined by the Civil Service
Commission, is the maximum permitted by law—
25 percent. The differential is not used in com
puting the overtime rate or in determining re
tirement benefits. Since a 1953 ruling of the
Internal Revenue Service, the classified cost-ofliving differential may be excluded from gross
income for income tax purposes.
On the other hand, the typical method of
setting wage-board pay rates relates them to the
higher wage levels prevailing in the Territory,
although different Federal agencies use different
methods of determining such relationships.2 In
only one Federal operation, the Alaska Railroad,
are wage rates initially determined by collective
bargaining.3 In all other Federal agencies, wageboard pay rates are set by administrative action,
mostly through agency-designated wage boards.
If the price of consumer goods in Alaska were
no more than 25 percent above the price of con
sumer goods in the United States, no serious con
flicts between wage-board and classified pay
rates would arise. In the Panhandle cities and
towns from Ketchikan to Juneau, studies pub
lished in 1951 indicate that the cost of living was
no more than 25 percent greater than in the
Pacific Northwest. Decidedly higher living costs,
however, were found in the huge area of Alaska
north and west of the Panhandle which Alaskans
call the Westward.4
In February 1951, the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics of the U. S. Department of Labor found
that consumer prices were on the average 40
percent higher in Anchorage than in Seattle, and
in Fairbanks, 47 percent higher.5 There is evi
dence, however, that this percentage differential
has declined somewhat since 1951. For example,
because a surplus of housing currently exists in
Anchorage and Fairbanks compared with the
s The Alaska Railroad, for example, bases wage-board determinations on
prevailing wages in the States plus an allowance for the higher level of
consumer prices in Alaska.
3 Union organization on the Alaska Railroad is described in the article on
Alaskan industrial relations in this issue of the Monthly Labor Review,
(p. 1403).
4 From both an economic and a military standpoint, the heart of the West
ward is the rail-belt area from the southern ports of Seward and W hittier to
the northern terminus of the Alaska Railroad at Fairbanks, just a hundred
miles short of the Arctic Circle. It includes 2 of Alaska’s largest and fastest
growing cities, Anchorage and Fairbanks.
8 U. S. Department of Labor press release of April 26,1951. See also table 1,
p. 1376 of this issue.
ALASKA: THE U. S. GOVERNMENT AS AN EMPLOYER
1951 shortage, rents, although they are still very
high, have risen less in the rail-belt area since 1951
than they have in large stateside cities, and for
the least desirable units have actually decreased.
Furthermore, food prices are lower now than they
were in 1951. Largely because of the influence
of construction wage rates in Alaska, however,
stabilized or declining living costs have had little
effect upon prevailing wages.
On the Alaska Railroad, clerical as well as
blue-collar workers are wage-board employees
and their wages are not limited to rates set by
Congress plus the 25-percent differential as are
those of classified Federal employees. In rankand-file clerical occupations, railroad workers’
wages are $75 to $100 per month more than in the
classified service in Alaska.6
This disparity in wage rates inevitably produces
attempts by Federal agencies in Alaska to increase
classified service privileges of one sort or another
in an attempt to narrow the differences from
wage-board and private industry wage rates.
Charges of overgrading in the classified service
are common. Housing and subsistence are often
subsidized. Recently the General Accounting
Office has taken informal exception to the per
diem practices of Department of the Interior
agencies in the Territory on the ground that per
diem payments were being used in an attempt to
increase the remuneration of classified employees.
Various attempts to obtain congressional sanc
tion for an increase in the cost-of-living allowance
for classified employees have thus far proved
unsuccessful.7
In spite of the availability of personnel manuals
dealing with wage-board procedures, many Federal
agencies in Alaska do not operate on a basis of
common understanding of how wage-board deter
minations should be made. A study made by
the Department of the Interior in Alaska in 1953
showed that unreasonable variations in wage6 These comparisons are based on an unpublished Alaska Railroad study,
Wage Rates and Wage Policies of the Alaska Railroad, 1948-1955, by E. M.
Fitch, Paul Shelmerdine, and Harry Jones, Anchorage, 1955.
7 The Civil Service Commission, in cooperation with other Federal
agencies, began in late 1955 to conduct surveys of living costs, environmental
conditions, and prevailing salaries in United States Territories. The surveys
are designed to provide factual information for use in determing appropriate
allowances and differentials for Federal employees under the provisions of
Executive Order No. 10,000, as well as in developing policies in relation to
legislative proposals. The areas surveyed included Juneau, Fairbanks, and
Anchorage. (Source: Statistical Reporter, October 1955, U. S. Bureau of the
Budget, Division of Statistical Standards.)
8 The Army-Air Force methods of wage determination were described in the
M onthly Labor Review, March 1954 (pp. 253-254).
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1385
board pay rates for the same occupation existed
between agencies of the Department. Similar
variations can be found between departments.
For example, the Army and Air Force rates for
skilled occupations, set under a rather rigid
statistical method of determining prevailing
wages,8 are among the highest wage-board rates
in the Territory.
The Civil Service Commission is aware of these
wage-rate discrepancies—which exist not only in
Alaska, but elsewhere in the Federal service—
and is currently considering the feasibility of
legislation to eliminate them by centralizing wageboard determinations in Washington. Such cen
tralization would have the added advantage of
eliminating duplicate wage surveys by the various
agencies. Some of the objections that have been
made to this plan are that (1) it would require
all Federal agencies in Alaska and elsewhere to
use a wage formula resembling that used by the
Army-Air Force, on the assumption that it would
fit every wage-board situation; (2) it would
impede collective bargaining in the isolated
Federal agencies where it exists for wage-board
employees; (3) it would make it more difficult
to secure a prompt determination of wage-board
rates ; and (4) it would dilute agency responsibility
for wage-board pay rates and therefore reduce
the degree of agency control over total operating
costs in Federal industrial-type activity.
Undoubtedly, something should be done to
secure greater uniformity in wage-board, pay-rate
determination procedures. Possibly some of the
remedy consists in placing carefully trained persons
in charge of wage administration, and in requiring
a common philosophy of wage-rate determination
rather than completely uniform pay rates in the
same area and for the same occupation.
Working Rules
In the more intangible fields of working
conditions, such as the handling of grievances,
promotion and demotion, layoff and recall, and
disciplinary discharge, Federal employees in
Alaska as well as elsewhere fare less well than
workers in the larger establishments in private
industry.
Civil service procedures affecting grievances do
not provide for such prompt disposition of griev
ances as do those of large segments of private
1386
industry. In industry, labor agreements usually
provide for prompt consideration of individual
grievances by the first line of management and a
succession of appeals to top officials with relatively
short time limits for each appeal. In the Federal
Government, a more complicated procedure for
grievances is spelled out in personnel manuals.
Many employees fail to use it, however, either be
cause they are unaware of the rules or because of
a conviction that the prosecution of a grievance
through Government channels at times can be a
frustrating experience. Furthermore, in the case
of the numerous employees who are veterans,
Government appeal procedures permit final resort
to the centralized authority of the Civil Service
Commission.
Considering the size of the Federal Government,
a quick decision is impossible under these cir
cumstances, particularly if the case is appealed.
The illustrations which follow relate to Alaska
but are by no means unique. One Federal agency
in Alaska discharged an employee for cause, and
more than a year later was still fighting to main
tain its decision before the Civil Service Com
mission. The discharge was sustained, but the
employee was kept in a state of uncertainty for
many months. In another instance, a discharge
ruling of an Alaskan agency was eventually
reversed. However, by the time final action of
the appeal was taken, the employee had accu
mulated a bill for retroactive pay for more than
$5,000. If the Government, under existing stat
utes, could select and follow the most expeditious
grievance procedures of private industry, Federal
procedures might be tremendously improved.
The Alaska Railroad is the only Federal agency
in Alaska that has spelled out grievance procedure,
discharge machinery, and seniority, promotion,
layoff, and recall rules in agreements signed with
union representatives of employees. These rules
follow the practices of unionized private industry.
They have been found so desirable that Alaska
Railroad employees, with the concurrence of
officials, have strongly opposed proposals to
convert the Railroad’s personnel operations to
conventional civil service procedures.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Problems of Recruiting
Alaskan labor shortages during World War II
and immediately thereafter necessitated an un
usual amount of attention to problems of recruit
ing. Postwar military construction would have
been impossible without the use of thousands of
construction workers brought up from the States
for the May-October season. In the first part of
the postwar period, private employers customarily
provided transportation to and from Alaska.
Similarly, Federal agencies filled permanent posi
tions in Alaska with stateside recruits under con
tract for limited periods, with transportation paid
to Alaska and a guarantee of return transportation
upon satisfactory completion of contract.
During the last 10 years, the labor market
situation in Alaska has undergone a revolutionary
change. In some areas, particularly that served
by the Alaska Railroad, the labor pool has become
so large that some private employers and some
Federal agencies now do almost all of their recruit
ing in the Territory. Even seasonal “outside”
workers generally pay their own transportation to
and from Alaska and get their jobs in Alaska
rather than in the States. With the immigration
of workers in the spring, unemployment rather
than a labor shortage has been characteristic of
Alaska in the past 2 or 3 years, just as it was, on
a smaller scale, prior to World War II. As of the
end of April 1955, two-thirds of the 3,000 unem
ployed persons in Anchorage and approximately
three-quarters of the 1,875 unemployed in Fair
banks were men. In the early months of 1955, the
Territory’s unemployment compensation fund
became practically insolvent.9
Neither private industry nor Government em
ploying agencies have completely adjusted them
selves to this change in the Alaskan labor market.
While it is true that the great majority of new
Federal employees in Alaska are now recruited in
the Territory, notions of labor shortage have per
sisted in the Washington headquarters of some
Federal agencies in spite of the substantial
Alaskan labor pool. It is also true, of course, that
» For discussion, see p. 1397 of this issue.
ALASKA: THE U. S. GOVERNMENT AS AN EMPLOYER
shortages of particular types of workers, e. g.,
engineers, do prevail in certain areas.
To the extent that this situation has em
phasized stateside recruiting to a greater degree
than necessary, it has aggravated problems of
discrimination between local and stateside workers.
A Federal employee recruited stateside can ac
cumulate 45 days of annual leave but, if recruited
locally, can accumulate only 30 days. A state
side recruit can return to the States every 2 years
for a vacation, with travel time not counted
against annual leave. A local recruit in Federal
employment has no such privilege.10 Legislation
is pending in Congress which will add to the
privileges of stateside recruits but not to those of
local hires by providing that the stateside recruit
who takes his vacation every 2 years may be
paid by the Government for his cost of transpor
tation.11 In spite of such dual treatment, it
should be emphasized that thousands of Federal
employees in Alaska regard themselves not as
temporary dwellers in an alien land but as per
manent residents of one of the most vigorous,
interesting, and beautiful areas of the Nation.
i° Annual and Sick Leave Act of 1951, as amended (65 Stat. 679-683).
11 H. R. 3820 (84th Cong.), introduced February 8, 1955; referred to the
House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service.
“ On July 15, 1897, the steamer Excelsior entered her dock at San Francisco
with a party of miners returning home from the Yukon River. The dis
patches which went to the country through the press that evening and the
following morning announced that a large amount of gold dust, variously
stated at from $500,000 to $750,000, had been brought down on the Excelsior,
and gave the details of the discovery and partial development the previous
fall and winter of rich placer gold diggings on tributaries of the Klondike,
a small river flowing into the Yukon from the eastward at a point in North
west Territory not far from the boundary line between American and British
territory. The news created some excitement among the miners of the West,
but attracted no great attention in the East. On July 17, the steamer
Portland landed at Seattle with some 60 miners from the Klondike and bringing
gold dust to the value of $800,000. This news was so skillfully handled by
enterprising newspapers that within a week thousands of men, many of whom
had never taken hold of pick or shovel with serious intentions in their lives,
were making preparations to go to the new gold fields, and by August 1 the
most dramatic, if not the most extensive, exodus since that of 1849 was well
under way. . . . While it was evident that the mass of matter on the subject
appearing in the daily press contained much that was exaggerated and untrue,
yet it was recognized that truth also pervaded the stories that were told, for
the amount of gold brought by the miners from the Yukon indicated beyond
doubt that a strike of extraordinary character had been made.”
Bulletin of the U. S. Department of Labor, No. 16, May 1898 (pp. 298-299): The
Alaskan Gold Fields and the Opportunities They Offer for Capital and Labor.
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1387
ALASKA
Wages and
Working Conditions
H. L. Clark
W hile wages and working conditions in Alaska
have received wide publicity, they are not regarded
as unusual by longtime residents of the Territory.
After all, most of Alaska’s labor force was attracted
to the Territory by the higher wages, and ex
pected, in most instances, to find working condi
tions more severe than in the fairly stable econ
omies in which they formerly worked.
History of Wage Developments
Because of the early prominence of mining in
Alaska, wage scales were established and working
conditions were improved early in the history of
that industry. What was perhaps the first miner’s
wage scale was established during the height of the
1898 gold rush. Based on the seasonality of the
work and the working conditions, it was admittedly
an arbitrary one—“$5 a day, the food is fine, and
the gold is coarse.” 1 Because of an extreme man
power shortage at the time, this rate did not hold
for long.
The salmon canning industry—which had its
beginning at Klawock in 1879, almost 20 years
before the major gold rush—had its own “rule-ofthumb” wage rates even before the mining in
dustry. Cannery wages were, and still are, basic
ally the same as in the Pacific Northwest of the
States. With the growth of the industry and fish
ing fleets, federally imposed fishing restrictions for
conservation purposes shortened the “workyear”
for both the cannery workers and the fishermen.
The more concentrated cannery season and longer
and harder workdays, however, have not changed
the total pay for the season very much. Cannery
operators, in order to assure themselves of a stable
labor force, have continued to transport the nu1388
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
cleus of their crew to and from the States, sporad
ically hiring local help as needed. Dissatisfaction
of the local workers with this arrangement led in
time to a “seasonal guaranty” for them—in es
sence, a guaranteed minimum seasonal wage.
Typical wage guaranties in 1955 were, in the
southeastern section, $394 for women and $561
for men for 2 months’ work.
Wages in the fishing industry in Alaska always
have been characterized by an entrepreneur status
of the individual fisherman. In the early days,
fishing seasons were long, the number of fishermen
and fishing boats few, and, most important of all,
there seemed to be an inexhaustible supply of fish.
However, since 1936 the salmon catch has almost
continuously dropped. This decrease, coupled
with an increase in the number of boats and
fishermen, has meant a decline in the individual
fisherman’s share of the overall profits made on
his boat.
Construction wages in Alaska originally paral
leled those in the States. After an attempt to
follow prevailing Alaskan wage standards, princi
pally in the mining industry, they became trans
lations of stateside rates in light of the higher
living cost in Alaska. (Yet the construction trade
was the first to recognize the “prevailing” wage
when an act was passed in 1931 requiring con
tractors on public projects to pay the prevailing
rate as determined by the Board of Road Com
missioners.) Wage rates paid by seasonal em
ployers and those paid by employers who maintain
steady crews throughout the year have differed
widely. The difference is most noticeable in wages
paid by Government agencies which hire on a
wage-board basis and those paid by private con
tractors. Until 1952, many Federal agencies based
construction wage rates on wages paid by private
contractors on defense projects; since then, their
rates have been closer to the lower level of wages
paid by permanent industries in Alaska. Conse
quently, the differential between Federal rates and
the private construction industry’s rates has sub
stantially increased. This has aggravated a
dilemma which is inherent to the situation where
both seasonal and year-round workers are involved
in wage-board hiring. As stateside recruiting has
tapered off in the construction industry, because
i The reference to gold being “ coarse” meant that it was nugget size and a
little pilferage was not unexpected.
1389
ALASKA: WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS
of the growing permanent labor force in Alaska
and the reduced demand for labor as a result of
the completion of most major defense installations,
wage scales have been determined more in the
light of the Territory’s higher living costs and to
a great extent by the working conditions.
The lumber industry in the Territory has only
recently attained prominence. In the past, wage
scales in that industry, like those in most other
Alaskan industries, were gaged by the “prevailing”
rate, influenced by the mining industry in the early
days, and recently by the seasonal construction
rates. Starting with military and defense con
struction in Alaska, the demand for forest products
brought into existence many more wood manufac
turing plants. Employment in this industry has
become less and less seasonal in nature and wage
rates nearly parallel those of the lumber industry
in the Pacific Northwest.
Wage rates in longshoring have risen during the
boom periods created by the gold rush, later by
World War II, and more recently by the buildup
of defense installations, all of which caused serious
shortages of workers for this industry. Currently,
their wage rates are among the highest in the
Territory.
Wages in other industries show a varied pattern.
The differences result from the slow growth of
manufacturing, compared with the rapid growth
of trade due to the influx of myriads of workers
during the construction boom period.
Wages in Government employment, which has
remained high in relation to the total labor force,
are determined differently for Federal and Terri
torial workers in Alaska. Federal employees in
the classified service are hired at the standard civil
service rates prevailing in the States, plus a 25
percent cost-of-living allowance, which is now
exempt from Federal income tax. On the other
hand, Territorial employees work under various
standards and wage rates are not as uniform as in
Federal employment. All Territorial agencies par
ticipating in Federal grants-in-aid operate under
a standard merit system plan under which wage
rates are patterned somewhat after those of the
Federal Government. In some areas, a cost-ofliving differential is paid but is not exempt from
Federal income tax. For those reasons, a very
considerable disparity between Federal and Terri
torial take-home wages for similar work exists.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1.— Average weekly earnings in employment covered
by the Employment Security Act of Alaska, selected in
dustries, 1940 and 1954
T able
1940
Industry classification
1954
Average Industry Average Industry
weekly
weekly
rank
rank
earnings
earnings
All covered industries- ____ _
$35.51
Agriculture, forestry, fishing___
Mining___
_ . . _______
Contract construction_________
Building contractors____ ..
General contractors____ . . .
Special-trade contractors____
Manufacturing. _________ _
Salmon canning__ ______
L u m b e r . _ ______ . .
Other manufacturing______
Transportation, communication,
and other u tilitie s___ ______
Wholesale and retail trade_____
Finance, insurance, and real
estate____ ________ ______
Service.. _______________ . ..
29.45
34.38
45.04
39.35
48.90
38.02
29.59
28.93
31.26
29.59
$120.94
8
5
8
5
3
1
4
__
9
6
7
103.87
126. 78
170.60
161.14
182.19
176. 29
105.23
94.75
117. 88
126.97
3
1
2
__
11
6
4
17.31
23.84
12
11
103.10
96.93
9
10
48.02
26.22
2
10
104.91
86.67
7
12
Source: Employment Statistics, Table B, compiled by the Reports and
Analysis Section, Alaska Employment Security Commission, Juneau, May
12, 1955.
Industry Wage Levels
The average weekly wage of workers covered
by the Alaska Employment Security A ct2 in
creased threefold between 1940 and 1954. How
ever, while the general average was just over $35
in 1940, individual industry averages ranged from
only $17.31 a week in transportation, communi
cations, and utilities to $48.90 per week in general
construction. (See table 1.) By 1954, the aver
age had risen to nearly $121, and, among indus
tries, earnings ranged from $86.67 in the service
group to $182.19 in general construction. Thus,
the construction trades ranked at the top in both
years. The agriculture, forestry, and fishing
and the mining groups, and the lumber industry
also maintained their relative positions. The
most outstanding change in ranking occurred in
finance, insurance, and real estate, which dropped
from 2d to 7th place.
Underlying Factors
Stateside wage standards are the greatest influ
ence on Alaskan wage rates. These standards,
built up over the years in the various occupation
and industry groups, have been established in
many instances by stateside union wage contracts,
which are the prototypes for Alaska. Moreover,
2
For extent of covered employment, see p. 1382 of this issue.
1390
most Alaskan employers and their workers came
from the States. Recognition of higher living
costs in Alaska as compared with the States also
has been an important factor in the determination
of wage rates. Transportation cost, costs result
ing from spoilage of food and other materials, and
shortages of housing and living facilities, supplies,
and equipment have been reflected in Alaskan
wage rates. The payment of two-way transpor
tation in the fishing, mining, construction, and
Government groups has influenced greatly the
wage rates in those industries. Furthermore, the
high seasonality of work in such industries as
fishing, salmon canning and processing, construc
tion, lighterage, and whaling always has been a
strong influence.
The Territory’s labor shortages during World
War II, even for the most unskilled workers, were
another factor which pushed wages upward sub
stantially. High construction wage rates, occa
sioned by a “cost-plus” military construction
boom, have made wages in construction and its
supporting industries so attractive that the perma
nent labor force in Alaska has grown faster than
in almost any other area. The rate of growth in
the Territory’s labor pool has created severe unem
ployment problems for Alaska during the winter
months.
Regional differences among particular occupa
tions and industry groups have meant lower scales
in Southeast Alaska than in the Westward (the
area north and west of the Panhandle). They are
brought about by the lower cost of living in the
southeastern section and the absence of the boom
atmosphere still prevailing in the Westward
section.
The seasonality of many activities also has an
important effect on wages in Alaska. For ex
ample, scales for year-round road maintenance
jobs are lower than those for highly seasonal
construction work, and maintenance forces have
increased as roads have been completed. Im
proved engineering techniques in construction
now permit more year-round work in that industry.
The effect of Territorial labor laws on wages and
hours 3 cannot be overlooked. The 8-hour day,
established in public works and in underground
mines in 1913, in reality was a combination healthsafety provision, but at the same time it resulted
in a wage differential for the mining industry. The
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1931 Legislature passed a law requiring con
tractors on public works to pay the “prevailing”
wage rate as determined by the Board of Road
Commissioners. The first wage and hour law,
passed in 1939, also had some effect on Alaska’s
wage rates. This law applied only to women and
set a minimum of $18 for a 48-hour week and a 45cent minimum hourly rate for part-time work.
The wage and hour law now in effect in the Terri
tory was passed in 1955 and applies to both men
and women. With some exceptions, it sets a mini
mum hourly rate of $1.25.
Typical Wage Scales
Alaskan wage rates for a given occupation vary
greatly from industry to industry and from area to
area. Within a particular area, wage rates for an
occupation are uniform only when workers em
ployed in different industries are members of the
same union. The rates for different occupations
within an industry in each area also encompass a
wide range. (See table 2.) Such factors as
geographic location and the nature of the work
also affect the level of wages in particular industries.
As in the case of average earnings, construction
wage rates universally set the pace. For example,
in the Ketchikan area in the southeast, mechanics
receive $3.72 an hour in construction; from $2.50
to $3 in trade and services; from $2.30 to $2.70 in
Government; and $2.75 in lumbering and logging.
In Anchorage, on the other hand, where cement
finishers in private industry all belong to the same
union, they receive a minimum of $3.67 in both
construction and the trade and service groups.
However, it is not the basic hourly rates that
attract stateside workers to the construction in
dustry in Alaska so much as the overtime and
holiday rates. Time-and-one-half and double
time rates are often the usual rates, because of the
long days and 7-day weeks necessitated by the
concentrated work seasons. Heavy-duty-truck
drivers on construction jobs in the Anchorage area,
for example, have an hourly rate of $3.59, but they
typically earn a “normal” year’s wages in a few
months. The earnings of these and other highly
unionized skilled workers are usually above the
average.
3
For a more comprehensive description of the provisions of these laws, see
p. 1395 of this issue.
1391
ALASKA: WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS
Mining is an example of the wage variation
among occupations within an industry. In the
Fairbanks area, among professional and clerical
workers, for instance, salaries range from $335
a month for clerk-typists to $550 for mining
engineers. Rates for other mining employees be-
The construction industry also provides illustra
tions of the variation in wage rates among areas.
The earnings of construction engineers in Anchor
age and Fairbanks—where most of them work—
range from $800 to $1,000 and from $700 to $900 a
month, respectively.
T a b l e 2. — Wane and salary scales for selected occupations, by industry category, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Ketchikan, May
1955
[In dollars]
Occupation
Construc Government
tion
Ketchikan
Fairbanks
Anchorage
Con
struc
tion
Trade and
service
Trade
Placer
and Construc Fisher Govern Lumber
and
Government min Trade
tion
ies
ment products service
service
ing
basis unless otherwise indicated]
750-900
450-600
350-400
.597 722
£56-480
205
500-750
250-500
200-250
Engineer—------------------- 800-1, 000
Salesclerk:
Clothing-----------------
527 722
660-900
Acco untant. - -- -- - —------Bookkeeper-----------------Clerk-typist. —
............
400-750___
335 315-500___
335 315 375___
1.66 hr_____
1.50hr.
1.50hr.
550
2.34 hr
9 46-9 80 hr
400-500
400-450
400-450
355-438
307
437________
527-645____
9 46 9 80 hr
Grocery-----------------Secretary--------------------Stenographer or clerkstenographer.
Teacher, primary and
secondary school.
Technician,
laboratory
700-800
425-500
300-400
3.00hr_
700-900
250
250-450
,295-400
4, 550-6,185
yr.
5,430-7, 200
yr.
350-450
207-350
[Wage scales on an hourly \
1.75
335 325 450 .
5, 550-6,200
yr.
330
4nn
1.75
300______
r unless otherwise indicated]
Service
23.00 shift-2 00
9 70
2 70
Baker............................ . . .
Butcher_______________
2.95
2. 70
Cook, camp-----------------Dishwasher-----------------Janitor and/or bull cook...
Kitchen helper-------------Waiter and/or waitress----
2.95 2. 58-2.84___ 23.00 sh ift.- 2. 75. __
14.00 sh ift.. . 2 lb
2.15
400-500 m o .. 1.80
2.15 9 72
2.15
12.00 sh ift.. . 2 25
2.25 1 40
4.39 9 Q5
3.74
3.69 2.84
3.67-3.92
Chokersetters- _
Crane-shovel operator----- 4.09-4.39 9 Q5
4.35 3.02
E 1ppt riei on
4.035
Ironworkers, structural. . .
Machinist.. . . . ------------Me^hanie
3.79
Mechanic, heavy duty---Mechanic, maintenance-—
—
3.73
P ainter—_______------- ----PlnmhAr
4.25
I 1LilliUC1———------——--Sheet metal worker------ —
4.10
3.39
Truck ririver light3.59
Trucksriyer heavy
W elder _____---- —------- — 3. 79-3.84
3.255-3.29
Eahorer
4.39
2 54 2 74
3.00-3. 69_— 13.69... 2.84_______
2 67
3.60... 2. 78
4 OQ-4 29
4.35
3 14
3 50
3
3
2
2
2
3. 39-3. 79___
500-600 mn
3. 00-3. 73---4. 25
4 10
2. 75- 3. 22...
2.98-3.52 ...
3.79-3.84.—
3.25-3.29___
0?
09
78
95
02
2.66
3 02
2. 22
1 1954 rates<
2 Bate for cannery laborers is $1.72 an hour.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1.65 1.50-1.75
2.025
[Wage scales on an hourly basis unless otherwise indicated]
Trades and labor
Brickmason—------------—
Bulldozer operator--------Carpenter
1.92 27.50 shift .
450-500
mo.
1.92
1.58 14.00 shift.
1.58 2.00 _____
1.58 17.00 shift .
1.58 12.00 shift.
4.25... 3.02_______
2.54 3.69 1____
3.60_____
3.525
2. 54 4. 25_____
4.20
3.11
2.75
3. 72
2.30-2. 70
2.35-2.75
3. 50
3.00-3.50
4.20
3 .8 4 ____
3 84
3. 79. . .
3.525
2. 96-3.15
3.095
3 14
3.83— 2.78_______
4.35... 2. 95_______
4.10. - 3.02
3.93— 3.02_______
2.75 2.50-3.00
2.54
3. 525
2.86
3.525
3.50
3.11
3.75
3.95
3.11
3. 95
2.45
2.15-2. 70 2. 50-2. 75
}3.245-3.43
3.06
3.06
3.72
2.54 3.00_____
2.00-2. 50
3.095 2 2.475 1.85-2. 45
3.83_____
2. 54 4.35_____
4.10_____
Source: Data compiled by the Alaska Employment Security Commission,
1955.
1392
gin at $1.58 an hour for such workers as kitchen
helpers and janitors and reach $2.54 an hour for
skilled workers.
Lumbering and logging is mainly concentrated
in southeastern Alaska, and the wage rates reflect
the somewhat lower cost of living that prevails
there, as compared with Westward Alaska. The
longer work season, steadier employment, etc., also
affect the rates in this industry.
In longshoring, although the hourly rates are
high to compensate for the sporadic nature of the
work, earnings on a weekly, monthly, or annual
basis compare with the lower classifications in the
other industries. The longshore union agreements
provide different wage scales for various types of
work. The straight-time rate for the Juneau dock,
for instance, is $3.14 an hour for handling non
penalty cargo and $3.24 for handling penalty
cargo.4 The straight-time rate is in force only
between 8 a. m. and 5 p. m., Monday to Friday,
and then for only the first 6 hours of work each
day. Because most cargo is handled at times
other than those stipulated, the overtime rates of
$4.70 an hour for nonpenalty cargo and $4.85 for
hazardous cargo are most typical.
Women in Alaska, in general, receive the same
pay as men when they perform identical duties.
The pay differs between sexes in some occupations
because the work is not equal—owing to extra
requirements (heavy work, extreme working con
ditions, odd hours, etc.). A typical difference is
for retail clerks in the Ketchikan area, where men
receive $1.95 to $2.10 an hour and women from
$1.35 to $1.70, because men are expected to do
heavier lifting and the more tiring storage tasks.
Alaska-Stateside Wage Differentials
There are pronounced differences between
Alaskan and stateside wage rates for both skilled
and unskilled workers. Construction carpenters,
for instance, got from $3.52% to $3.69 an hour in
Alaska in May 1955 (table 2), compared with the
average union wage scale in the United States of
$3.01 on July 1, 1955, and a range from $2.18 to
$3.55 among the 85 cities surveyed by the U. S.
Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.5
Even greater differences are found in the wage
scales for construction laborers, who earned $3.09
in Ketchikan and $3.29 in Anchorage, compared
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
with the United States average union scale of
$2.04. The differences in wage scales between
Alaska and principal cities in the States are some
what smaller for office occupations, especially
those with labor shortages, such as stenographers.
For example, general stenographers in San Francisco-Oakland averaged $65 a week in January
1955—the highest average among 17 labormarket areas surveyed by the BLS.6 In Anchor
age, where stenographers’ monthly rates are about
as high as any place in the Territory, the range is
from around $300 to $450; the average of $325 is
toward the lower side of the range, because stenog
raphers, in general, do not remain more than a
year or so with an employer and consequently do
not receive large wage increments.
Wage differentials between Alaska and the
States are largest in occupations in defense and
heavy construction. They are attributable to the
urgency of the work in Alaska, the shorter work
season, the more difficult working conditions, the
higher cost of living, and the fact that many con
struction workers maintain 2 residences, 1 for their
family in the States and 1 for themselves in Alaska.
The differentials are smallest in some of the skilled
crafts, in trade and the service industries, and in
office occupations that are not so much affected by
the defense construction activity.
Hours of Work
The chance to double income, by working long
hours, was a greater attraction for the thousands
of workers who came during the various booms
than was the actual base wage. The working of
long hours in construction has virtually mocked
the concept of the 40-hour week. During World
War II and postwar years, the very nature of con
struction work in Alaska necessitated long over
time hours in the short working season, as already
indicated. The decline in average hours worked
in construction, caused in part by the growth in
the labor supply in the last 2 years and the virtual
elimination of emergency completion deadlines,
has been due also in part to the increasing competi4 Penalty cargo includes cold-storage products such as meat and produce,
cement, and materials such as creosote, the handling of which involves extra
hazards.
5 See press release USDL-1225, July 27, 1955.
• See Monthly Labor Review, October 1955 (p. 1119).
ALASKA: WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS
tion among contractors and the desires of unions
to spread the work among all of their qualified
members.
In 1955, the Legislature passed a wage and hour
act requiring time and one-half pay after 8 hours
in 1 day and 40 in 1 week. Since construction and
other seasonal industries already were adhering
pretty much to this pattern, its influence will be
mostly felt in the services, trade, and other
supporting industries.
In the light of earnings of workers (table 1),
the number of hours worked must have been
greater than the typical 40 for stateside industries.
In the metal mining industries in the States, hours
average slightly over 40 a week. In Alaska, they
range from a low of about 27 during the winter
to a maximum of about 52 during the summer.
The U. S. Department of Labor’s figures for private
building construction do not show a seasonal range
for average hours worked, but the average of 36.2
for 1954 falls far short of the 40 to 59 hours
weekly—an average of 51.2—for Alaska. It is
quite common during the summer construction
season in Alaska for the week to be made up of
six 9-hour days and in some instances, as high as
seven 12- or 16-hour days.
The United States average for workers in the
lumber and wood products (excluding furniture)
industry was 40.6 hours in 1954. This compares
with a range of 36.2 to 42.1 in Alaska, with an
average of about the same as for the States as a
whole. The production of lumber and wood prod
ucts in Alaska is, of course, very much like that
in the States and is not subject to the violent sea
sonal peaks and pressures that characterize the
defense construction industry. Most of the trade
and service industries and the Government agencies
work steadily, with overtime only at particular
times of the year. Workers in these categories
average around 40 hours weekly, the same as their
counterparts in the States.
Working Conditions
Climate, an influencing factor in Alaskan wage
rates, also affects working conditions in the Terri
tory. While the winters in the Westward and
interior parts of the country are severe enough to
close down much outdoor activity, the southeastern
section is not hampered by frigid weather as much
as are the States of New York, Montana, Illinois,
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1398
the Dakotas, and others. Unfortunately, most
important construction work has been in the
Westward section of Alaska. In the outlying
areas where major advance attack-warning net
works have been constructed, the severity of the
winter climate cannot be overemphasized as a
major factor in both obtaining workers and setting
wage scales.
Tied somewhat to climatic conditions in Alaska
is another factor that strongly affects wage rates
and working conditions, the seasonality of the
work, which results in a high rate of offseason
unemployment. A large part of the Alaskan work
force is made up of people in industries subject to
closedowns during the winter months. In addi
tion, employment in the important fishing and
fish processing industries is seasonal because the
fishing runs have fallen off steadily in recent years,
bringing curtailment of the season, as already
indicated. Over the years, the unemployment
compensation law has operated to the advantage
of these industries by providing the workers with
unemployment benefits that are, in a way, an
“offseason” wage. However, the average weekly
benefit never has offset enough of the earnings loss
to sustain the worker and his family at a reasonable
level. For example, the maximum benefit is
currently $45 a week for the worker plus $5 for
each dependent child (up to 5 children), whereas
the average earnings in covered employment were
nearly $121 a week in 1954.
Because of the heavy drains on the unemploy
ment compensation fund caused by seasonal un
employment, workers with only a short attach
ment to the Alaska labor force are not now eligible
for unemployment benefits.7
One of the mining industry’s largest selling
points to attract workers has been the camps
provided by the major mining operations. By
providing the best in food and adequate shelter, at
low cost, the mining industry has added substan
tially to the take-home earnings of its workers.
For somewhat the same reason, work on a yearround basis on the military installations frequently
attracts workers. The on-the-base housing facilii At the present time, about $650,000 of the Alaska unemployment trust
fund is frozen pending a decision, in connection with The Fidalgo Isla n d
Packing Co. v. P h illip s et al., as to whether seasonal cannery claimants will
receive benefits based on claims filed outside the seasonal dates established
by a former director of the Alaska Employment Security Commission. Effec
tive July 1955, the Alaska Employment Security Law no longer provides for
seasonal regulations, but changes in the provisions dealing with base-year
wages will make many seasonal workers ineligible for benefits.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1394
ties provided for the worker (and sometimes for
his family) plus the advantage of purchasing at
base post exchanges, make the lower wage rates
seem more attractive.
The fringe benefits available to many Alaskan
workers are similar to those granted in the States.
For example, most union wage agreements in
Alaska carry provisions for paid vacations of from
1 to 2 weeks, depending on length of service.
Annual and sick leave provisions apply for most
Government workers, and Federal workers re
cruited in the States receive more liberal annual
leave than those who work in the States.
A substantial majority of Alaskan workers are
covered by the unemployment compensation law.8
Currently, benefits up to $45 a week are provided;
if the worker has 5 dependent children, he may
receive as much as $70, as indicated previously.
These benefits are the highest available to un
employed workers in any State.
Compensation for wage loss by injured workers
has proved to be a fringe benefit in Alaska, where
working conditions are hazardous. The 10,000
to 12,000 commercial fishermen in Alaska con
stitute a large segment of the working force, and
although they are subject to exceptional occu
pational hazards, they are not covered by work
men’s compensation. Provision has been made
to take care of disabled fishermen, however,
through a special fund financed by the allocation
of 30 percent of the commercial fishing license fees.
Other fringe benefits in the form of welfare
funds, company-sponsored pooled-buying arrange
ments, credit unions, etc., are provided by both
private and Government employing units. Paid
transportation to and from Alaska, while not
correctly classified as a fringe benefit, is none
theless considered as such by the workers in
volved; nonresident employees in Government
and private industries are often granted such
benefits.
8 Prior to the extension of coverage to Federal employees in January 1955,
about half of Alaska’s'employed. workers were covered.
Entry for August 24, 1897, from diary of government agent investigating
conditions during Alaskan gold rush: “. . . Applied at half a dozen . . .
tents for a cup of coffee, but was refused, although . . . payment was ten
dered. A man with a pile of grub 6 feet high . . . declined to part with
enough of it, even for pay, to enable a fellow-traveler to reach his own outfit
a few miles farther on. . . . Reached the foot of Long Lake, 3 miles from
Lindeman . . . Quite a number of tents here. Applied at 1 for a cup of
coffee, and received a hearty invitation from the 3 occupants . . . to join
them in the meal they were preparing. An attempted apology for the intru
sion met the the unanimous assurance . . . that none was necessary, as they
had themselves but 10 minutes before taken possession of the tent, which
they had found unoccupied. After a sumptuous dinner of baking-powder
biscuits, bacon, beans, and coffee, a letter was written to the owner of the
tent, thanking him for his hospitality . . . Arrived at Lake Lindeman at
7 o’clock. The camp . . . contains about 50 tents and a temporary popu
lation of 200. . . . Situation somewhat discouraging; no blankets, no food—
nothing but wet clothes and a bad cold. Made the acquaintance of two
brothers from Juneau, and on statement of circumstances was invited to
share their tent, given a change of clothing and half a teacupful of Hudson
Bay rum, and put to bed. Opinion of the people on the trail improving.”
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Bulletin of the U. S. Department of Labor, No. 16, May 1898 (pp. 305-306): The
Alaskan Gold Fields and the Opportunities They Offer for Capital and Labor.
ALASKA
Equal Rights and Child Labor
Labor Law and
Its Administration
L. E. E vans
A laska’s L egislature first met on March 3,
1913, the day before the United States Department
of Labor achieved Cabinet status. The 1913
session was made lip largely of men who had en
tered the Territory during the gold-rush days of
1898 and 1899. They were miners experienced in
establishing ad hoc governments as they set up
camps on the heels of each new gold strike.
The laws enacted by these pioneer legislators
compared favorably with labor legislation existing
in the States at the time. The first territorial
Legislature extended the voting franchise to
women; established the 8-hour day on public
works and in underground mines; prohibited em
ployers from requiring their employees to patron
ize company stores or boardinghouses; declared
employment in underground mines hazardous and
created the position of mine inspector (variously
titled since then) with broad authority to enforce
safety rules; passed a miners’ lien law; prohibited
the use of deception, misrepresentation, false ad
vertising, false pretenses, and unlawful force in
recruitment of employees; passed an employers’
liability act, the forerunner of workmen’s com
pensation, and a measure for the mediation and
arbitration of labor disputes.
The chairmen of the labor committees of Alaska’s
first Legislature were Senator Henry Roden of
Fairbanks and Representative Tom Gaffney of
Nome. They deserve full credit for the labor laws
passed at the first session. To date, 22 regular
and 3 extraordinary sessions of Alaska’s Legisla
ture have met; the topical discussion of Alaskan
labor laws and their administration which follows
is based on the actions of those sessions.
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Equal Rights. The first enactment of the 1913
Legislature gave Alaska’s women the right to
vote. Equal rights for women received further
impetus as a result of a 1922 referendum in which
women were asked whether they wanted to serve
on juries; the 1923 Legislature established eligi
bility for jury duty regardless of sex; 10 years
later, Alaskan women were given the right to hold
public office.
An equal-pay law for Alaskan women was
passed in 1949. Administered by the Commis
sioner of Labor, this law allowed the affected em
ployee or the Commissioner to sue for back wages;
the Commissioner was authorized to refer cases to
the Attorney General for prosecution.
The first antidiscrimination law of the Territory
was passed in 1945 and applied only to restau
rants, theaters, hotels, and other such public
places.
A Fair Employment Practices Act was passed
in Alaska in 1953. Administered by the Terri
torial Department of Labor, this law declared that
the opportunity to obtain employment without
discrimination because of race, religion, color, or
national origin was a civil right. It prohibited
discrimination not only by employers but also by
employees, labor organizations, and employment
agencies.
Child Labor. In four different sessions of the
Territorial Legislature, child-labor laws have been
enacted or amended. The 1915 Legislature pro
hibited the employment of boys less than 16 years
of age underground in mines and prohibited any
person under age 18 from being employed as a
hoisting engineer. In 1939, the employment of
girls under 16 was prohibited.
The 1949 Legislature passed a general childlabor law with a minimum age of 16 in most oc
cupations, 18 in hazardous occupations, and 21 in
the business of serving or selling liquor. Parttime work during the school year was restricted
to a maximum of 23 hours a week, and the hours
of work for minors under 18 years of age were
limited to 8 in 1 day and 40 in 1 week. This law
was amended in 1951 to permit children over 16
to work more hours under certain conditions.
1395
1396
Wages and Hours
The enactments of the first Territorial Legisla
ture indicated its awareness of the need for regula
tions as to wages and hours. However, its legisla
tion in that field and that of succeeding sessions
was restricted, until 1955, to laws applicable only
to an industry, an age group, or a sex.
Minimum Wage and Overtime. Alaska’s first
wage-and-hour law was passed in 1939 and applied
only to women. It set: A minimum age of 16
for employment; a minimum wage for women over
18 years of age of $18 for a 48-hour workweek or,
for part-time work, of 45 cents an hour; and maxi
mum penalties of a $250 fine or 6 months’ imprison
ment for violation. Discrimination against a com
plaining employee was prohibited. The Attorney
General was charged with enforcement of the act,
but in 1941, enforcement was transferred to the
newly created Alaska Department of Labor.
The Legislature passed a wage-and-hour bill
applying to both men and women in 1955. The
minimum wage was set at $1.25 an hour. Time
and a half was required for work performed after
8 hours in 1 day and 40 in 1 week. There were
numerous exemptions from the overtime require
ments and a more limited number of exemptions
from the minimum-wage provisions.
Public Works and the 8-Hour Day. An 8-hour day
in mining and public works was established in the
Territory as early as 1913. Yet, despite pressures
for a general 8-hour-day law in 1915 and a 1916
referendum 1 favoring the passage of such a law,
workers generally did not receive such protections
until the wage-and-hour law just described was
passed in 1955.
The rights of workers in public works received
further protection in 1931 by the passage of an
act which required contractors to pay prevailing
wage rates as determined by the Board of Hoad
Commissioners. Contractors were required to sub
mit monthly reports to the Board showing the
number of men employed and the wages paid. The
Attorney General was authorized to enforce the
act when so instructed by the Board of Road Com
missioners. In 1953, the Legislature required con
tractors engaged in public works for the Territory
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
of Alaska to furnish performance and payment
bonds. Provision was made for persons furnishing
labor or material to sue on the payment bond; suits
were to be brought by the Territory in the name
of the claimant.
Liens. Lien laws to protect laborers, mechanics,
and suppliers of material were about the only labor
laws to predate the enactment of a lien law to pro
tect miners by the first legislature. Almost every
session since has amended or expanded this type of
legislation. In 1933, an omnibus bill to amend,
supplement, and codify all the lien laws of the
Territory was found necessary. Now architects,
engineers, and workers in the service industries are
covered by lien laws.
Wage Collection. Although Alaska had a con
stantly expanding system of lien laws, failure or
refusal to pay wages was not recognized as a public
offense until 1923, when an act was passed requir
ing that (1) wages be paid at least once a month,
not more than 15 days after the last day of the
month in which they were earned; (2) an employee
be paid “without delay,” upon completing his
services or being discharged; and (3) employers
establish regular paydays and post notices to that
effect. The employee who was forced to sue for
his wages could be awarded the full amount due
and an attorney’s fee of not less than $10 nor
more than $50, as well as $25 as damages.
Wage collection laws have been amended from
time to time. In 1945, the Alaskan Commissioner
of Labor was authorized to sue for back wages
without cost to the employee in meritorious cases.
Succeeding Legislatures have broadened the Com
missioner’s authority and closed loopholes in wagecollection laws.
Worker Security
Unemployment Insurance. A special session of
Alaska’s Legislature was called in 1937 to enable
the Territory to participate in the Federal Social
Security Act, which had been enacted in 1935. A
1 The vote favored the proposal by 6 to 1 and, as a result, a general 8-hour
law was passed in 1917. It prohibited overtime work and declared violation
of the act a misdemeanor. This law was subsequently declared unconstitu
tional.
ALASKA: LABOR LAW AND ITS ADMINISTRATION
1397
Territorial Unemployment Compensation Act was
passed, a 3-man commission was set up to adminis
ter its provisions, contributions from employers
of 8 or more workers in covered industries were
provided, and benefit payments were to start
on January 1, 1939. The maximum benefit was
$15 a week; there was a 2-week waiting period.
The original act also defined a seasonal industry
and seasonal employees, for purposes of determin
ing eligibility for benefits.
Alaska’s unemployment compensation law was
amended at every succeeding session of the Legis
lature; even its name was changed (in 1949)—to
the Employment Security Law. Benefits were
increased, their duration was extended, and
numerous technical changes were made. In 1945,
coverage was extended to employers of 1 or more
workers. In 1947, a system of experience-rating
credits for employers was enacted. Dependents’
allowances were inaugurated in 1949,
The seasonality and experience-rating provisions
of Alaska’s employment security laws have
caused more controversy than all its other labor
legislation combined.
By 1955, a crisis had been reached in Alaska’s
employment security program. Two lawsuits had
taken or tied up over $ 1}2 million of the funds
originally intended for benefits.2 Experience
rating credits earned over the years resulted in
employers’ paying into the fund approximately
$5)2 million less than they would have if there had
been no experience-rating provision. A heavy
unemployment load in 1954 had drained another
$5 million. The employment security fund was
exhausted while the 1955 legislature was in session
and benefit payments were suspended.
The Legislature met this fiscal emergency by (1)
increasing the taxable wage from $3,000 to $3,600
a year, effective January 1, 1955; (2) assessing a
tax on employees of one-half of 1 percent on wages
earned up to $3,600 during the calendar years
1955 and 1956; and (3) authorizing a loan of
$2 million from the Territory’s general fund for
the purpose of paying unemployment insurance
benefits, pending the passage of Federal legislation
which would permit Alaska to borrow money from
the Federal unemployment trust fund.3
5
The decision in The N e w E ngland Fish Co. v. Vaara, et al., required the
Commission to change the basis for its computation to determine whether
there was a surplus in the trust fund. On the changed basis, there was a
surplus and the Commission had to distribute experience-rating credits to
employers. In connection with The Fidalgo Island Packing Co. v. P hilips,
et al., about $650,COOof the fund were frozen pending a decision as to whether
certain seasonal employees were eligible for benefits.
3
Following the approval of Public Law 56 (84th Cong.) on June 1, 1955,
$3 million from the Federal fund was advanced to Alaska.
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Workmen’s Compensation. The 1913 Legislature
passed an employer’s liability act. This law was
followed in 1917 by a Workmen’s Compensation
Act for mine employees, which established n
schedule of benefits but permitted either the
employer or the employee to waive coverage.
Benefits for temporary disability were set at 50
percent of wages. In 1923, Alaska’s workmen’s
compensation was expanded to cover all private
employers of five or more workers and the benefit
schedule was increased; and, in 1946, Territorial
Government employees were covered.
Improvements have been made from time to
time. Responsibility for carrying out provisions
of the act rested with the employer and the
injured workman with recourse to the courts until
1946, when the Alaska Industrial Board was
created. This Board was composed of the Com
missioner of Labor as Chairman and Executive
Officer, the Insurance Commissioner, and the
Attorney General. Its duties as the administrative
arm of the Territorial Department of Labor in
workmen’s compensation matters were spelled out.
Disabled Fishermen. The problem of care for the
self-employed person who receives an occupational
injury is closely related to workmen’s compensa
tion. Alaska’s self-employed commercial fisher
men constitute a large body of working people
subject to numerous occupational hazards. Be
cause they cannot fall back on workmen’s compen
sation when disaster strikes, the disabled fisher
men’s fund was established to meet this need in
1951. Its moneys are obtained from 30 percent
of the receipts from commercial fishermen’s
licenses. The fund is administered by a board
composed of the Commissioner of Labor as Chair
man and Executive Officer, the Commissioner of
Health, the Commissioner of Taxation, and four
people from the fishing industry who are appointed
by the Governor with the approval of the Legis
lature.
1398
Territorial Employees
One test of the attitude of any State toward its
labor laws may be found in the treatment of its
own employees. A review of Alaska legislation
relating to employment by the Territory and its
political subdivisions shows that Alaska’s Legisla
ture follows the custom of the times, is sensitive
to changes in economic conditions, and makes a
sincere effort to treat its approximately 1,200
employees fairly.
Territorial offices are now on a 5-day week.
Annual leave is provided at 30 days a year and
may be accumulated up to 60 days, Sick leave is
authorized at 1 / days per month, cumulative to
a maximum of 30 days.
The depression in the 1930’s affected Alaska
government employees. The salaries of all Terri
torial officials and employees were reduced by 10
percent in 1933. In 1935, an employee was pro
hibited from accepting outside employment if he
earned $200 a month or more. No person could
be hired by the Territory or a political subdivision
if his or her spouse earned $200 a month or more.
By 1943, the manpower shortage was acute, and
the antinepotism laws of 1935 were repealed. As
a result of the rising cost of living and increasing
competition for labor, the first of a long series of
salary increases started in 1945.
An example of how the Territory treats its
employees may be found in the teaching profession.
In 1929, the minimum salary for teachers in the
First Division (Juneau area) was $1,800; in the
Third Division (Anchorage area), $1,980; and in
the Second and Fourth Divisions (Nome and
Fairbanks, respectively), $2,100. Differentials es
tablished to account for cost-of-living variations
in different geographical areas of the Territory,
still continues as shown by the 1953 scale for
teachers: First Division, $4,200 to $5,600; third
Division, $4,540 to $5,940; and Second and Fourth
Divisions, $4,800 to $6,200. Furthermore, the
Territory has had a teachers’ retirement system
since 1929, which is still in effect; and, in 1935, the
Legislature passed an act providing that teachers
cannot be required to state political or religious
affiliations.
Two major protections were extended to Terri
torial employees in the postwar period. In 1946,
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Territorial employees were covered under the
Workmen’s Compensation Act, as already indi
cated. The 1949 Legislature passed a public
employees retirement act. Although this was
repealed in 1951, provision was made for continu
ing payments to those already retired. To re
place the retirement act, arrangements were made
for covering all Territorial employees under the
old age and survivors insurance provisions of the
Social Security Act.
Development of Alaska Department of Labor
Most labor laws in Alaska initially applied to
the mining industry and then were broadened to
cover employees in other fields. The general
practice of Alaska Legislatures was to give the
responsibility for handling problems involving the
health and safety of employees in any industry
to one official, titled at different times as Mine
Inspector, and later as Commissioner of Mines,
ex officio Commissioner of Labor, and ex officio
Commissioner of Transportation. The Legisla
ture customarily left problems involving payment
of wages, including workmen’s compensation
benefits, to private negotiations between employer
and employee and to the courts. In some cases,
wage problems were referred to the Attorney
General for action.
The 1913 Legislature established the position
of Mine Inspector to provide for the health and
safety of mineworkers. It gave him broad author
ity to require the correction of unsafe or unsani
tary conditions; to close down an unsafe mine
until corrections had been made; and to prosecute
employers who refused to make corrections. Fur
thermore, he was given strict instructions to
investigate the cause of each fatal and serious
accident immediately upon receiving notice of it.
For many years, the Territorial Mine Inspector
was the labor law administrator of Alaska. His
duties were constantly expanded. In 1919, the
Legislature recognized the dual nature of his job
and gave him the added title of ex officio Labor
Commissioner. Since his duties in connection
with mine employees related primarily to health
and safety, his added job of Labor Commissioner
gave him the same responsibilities over all the
industries of Alaska. Although he was given the
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ALASKA: LABOR LAW AND ITS ADMINISTRATION
extra work, he was not given any increase in
salary, appropriation, or personnel to take care
of the new duties. This arrangement continued
until 1941.
The 1923 Legislature appropriated $4,000 to
enable the ex officio Labor Commissioner to com
pile statistics on all industries in Alaska, showing
the nature and severity of all industrial accidents
in Alaska, the wage loss to employees and to em
ployers, the amounts of compensation paid, and
the cost of industrial insurance. The 1927 Legis
lature made sweeping changes in the Territory’s
workmen’s compensation laws on the basis of this
report.
An integrated Department of Labor was finally
established in Alaska in 1941. The first Com
missioner was appointed by the Governor and
confirmed by the Legislature to serve until Jan
uary 1, 1943. A Commissioner of Labor was to
be elected at the general election in 1942 and
every 4 years thereafter. The purpose of the
office was to further, promote, and develop the
welfare of the wage earners of the Territory of
Alaska, to improve their working conditions, and
to advance their opportunities for profitable
employment.
In addition to the duties usually imposed upon
the Department of Labor, the Legislature ordered
that: “It shall be the duty of the Commissioner
of Labor to aid and assist resident workers in
Alaska to obtain, safeguard, and protect their
rightful preference to be employed in industries
in this Territory.”
At present, the Territorial Department of Labor
is charged with administration of the laws on
wage collection, wages and hours, child labor,
safety measures, equal pay, and fair employment
practices, and the regulation of private employ
ment agencies. The Commissioner of Labor, as
indicated, is Chairman and Executive Officer of
both the Alaska Industrial Board which ad
ministers workmen’s compensation and the board
which administers benefits for sick and disabled
fishermen under the Disabled Fishermen’s Fund.
The Commissioner is also charged with the re
sponsibility of mediation of labor disputes.
4For discussion, see p. 1404 of this issue.
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Federal Labor Laws
Most Federal labor laws apply in Alaska in the
same manner and to the same extent that they
do in the States. Occasionally, agency policy
or the fact of Alaska’s great distances and small
population have lead to a difference in the method
of administration.
Labor-Management Relations. The National
Labor Relations Act confers upon the National
Labor Relations Board jurisdiction over all in
dustries in Alaska, but the NLRB recently an
nounced that the same jurisdictional standards
would apply in the Territories as in the States.4
None of the agency’s personnel have been stationed
in the Territory, but agents have been sent in as
necessary to conduct representation elections and
hearings on unfair labor practice charges.
The arbitration and mediation machinery set
up under Federal law similarly has operated in
Alaska with stateside personnel in most cases.
During World War II, the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service stationed one person in the
Territory during the summer months when labor
disputes were most likely to occur and to have
the greatest economic impact. This practice has
been discontinued. Now, mediators from the
Federal Service stationed in the States are avail
able on request of the parties. Similarly, under
the Railway Labor Act, representatives of the
National Mediation Board have come in from
the States on those rare occasions when they were
needed to help resolve labor-management dis
putes of the White Pass and Yukon Railroad,
Alaska’s one privately owned rail common carrier.
Representatives of the U. S. Department of
Labor’s Bureau of Apprenticeship and Veterans
Employment Service are currently stationed in
the Territory to administer the Federal law under
their respective jurisdictions; the representative
of the Bureau of Veterans Reemployment Rights
handles its Alaskan functions from Seattle.
The Deputy Commissioner of Compensation in
Seattle handles workmen’s compensation cases
under the Longshoremen and Harbor Workers’
Act and the Defense Base Compensation Act
and cases involving Federal employees are admin
istered from Washington, D. C.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Wages and Hours. Although the Fair Labor
Standards Act passed in 1938 applies in Alaska
the same as it does in the States, no compliance
investigations were made in the Territory prior
to 1941, and the Territorial Commissioner of
Mines, ex officio Commissioner of Labor, served
as a source of information and distributed litera
ture concerning the act. In that year, a group
of investigators from the Wage and Hour and
Public Contracts Divisions of the U. S. Depart
ment of Labor, came to Alaska in the summer,
made as many investigations as possible, and
returned to the States in the fall. In 1943, the
first paid representative of the U. S. Department
of Labor in Alaska was appointed to represent
the entire Department; his staff consisted of a
secretary and an investigator until December
1946, when the Department of Labor’s representa
tion in the Territory was reduced to the Terri
torial Representative, who resigned in October
1947. By that time a Veterans Employment
Representative had been employed; he remained
the only representative of the Department until
May of 1948. At the present time, two resident
investigators of the Wage and Hour and Public
Contracts Divisions work full time.
In Government construction, the prevailing
wage law (Davis-Bacon Act), the Anti-Kickback
Act (Copeland Act), and the 8-hour laws apply
in Alaska as they do in the States. The contract
ing agency is initially responsible for the en
forcement of these laws. In the last few years,
several investigations have been made at the re
quest of contracting agencies by U. S. Department
of Labor personnel under the supervision of the
Office of the Solicitor of Labor.
“On the evening of March 29, 1867, [Edward D.l Stoeckl [the Russian
minister to the United States] called at [Secretary] Seward’s home with the
welcome news that the Czar had given his consent to the transaction [the sale
of Alaska to the United States], and suggested that the treaty be concluded
the next day. The eager Seward pushed away the whist table:
“ ‘Why wait till tomorrow, Mr. Stoeckl? Let us make the treaty tonight!’
‘But your Department is closed. You have no clerks, and my secretaries
are scattered about the town.’
“ ‘Never mind that,’ responded Seward. ‘If you can muster your legation
together, before midnight you will find me awaiting you at the Department,
which will be open and ready for business.’
“So, at 4 o’clock on the morning of March 30, 1867, the treaty was put into
final form and signed.” . . .
Thomas A. Bailey, A Diplomatic History of the American People, 3d ed., New York; F. S. Crofts & Co., 1947
(pp. 398-399).
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ALASKA
The Character of
Industrial Relations
E dwin M. F itch
I n d u s t r i a l r e l a t i o n s in Alaska have developed
under the divergent influences of both private and
Government employment. In private industry,
aside from some service industries, trade unionism
is the rule rather than the exception and generally
has followed the basic pattern observed in the
States. Working conditions, working rules, and
pay rates are usually determined by collective
bargaining, and unions have used strike threats
as a means of supporting their demands.
In contrast, Government employees, in Alaska
as in the States, are predominantly nonunion.
The Alaska Railroad is the only exception to this
generalization among Federal agencies in the Ter
ritory. (An attempt to organize the wage-hoard
employees of the Alaska Road Commission was
unsuccessful.) Government trade unions have for
the most part limited their activity to lobbying
for favorable employee legislation.1
Private Industry
The principal Alaskan industries from the view
point of industrial relations are: (1) construction
(predominately for Federal agencies); (2) fishing
and fish products, of which salmon is by far the
most important; (3) lumbering (sawmills and log
ging) ; (4) service trades; (5) mining; (6) pulp;
and (7) transportation. In spite of the importance
of Federal agencies in Alaska, private employment
is 4 to 5 times as large as Government employ
ment.
Construction. In terms of payroll, most of the
construction in recent years in Alaska has been
for the military. The amount of such construc
tion is still substantial, although it has passed its
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peak. The centers of defense construction are
Anchorage and Fairbanks, the 2 major cities in
Alaska and the 2 largest cities along the line of
the Alaska Railroad.
Prime contractors have formed the Alaska
Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of
America. In addition, subcontractors covering
plumbing, electrical work, painting, etc., who are
not included among the AGC employers, have
sometimes organized their own trade groups.
The construction trades generally are among
the most strongly organized in Alaska.
The Alaska Chapter of the AGC conducts nego
tiations on wages and working rules with two
principal groups of unions in the construction
trades:
1. The basic trades (except carpenters) which include
the operating engineers, teamsters, laborers, cement ma
sons, ironworkers, lathers, plasterers, and bricklayers.
The American Federation of Labor unions representing
these crafts usually band together in their dealings with
the general contractors.
2. The carpenters, who are represented by an associa
tion of local AFL unions called the Carpenters District
Council of Alaska. An estimated one-half of the construc
tion workers in the Territory are carpenters. In recent
years, they have preferred not to form a “united front”
with the other construction crafts but have conducted
separate negotiations with AGC representatives.
Employees who work for subcontractors are
organized in a group of unions which do not deal
with the general contractors but directly with
their immediate employers. These unions include
the electrical workers, plumbers and steamfitters,
painters, sheet-metal workers, asbestos workers,
and related crafts.
Negotiations between general contractors and
the basic trades are usually conducted in Seattle,
Wash., although occasionally they have been
transferred to Anchorage. Because the Alaska
locals are perhaps too young to have developed
strong local leaders, they are usually content to
allow national and international union officials to
conduct their negotiations for them.
The carpenters, on the other hand, have tended
to break away from Seattle control and are a more
militant and less disciplined group. Generally,
the carpenter negotiations have tended to be more
difficult than those with other basic crafts, partly
i
According to the 1955 Directory of National and International Unions
(BLS Bull. 1185), 43 international unions reoprted a combined membership
of 16,000 in Alaska.
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1402
because local leaders are less experienced and
partly because Alaska carpenter union officials ap
parently prefer to run the risk of less expert local
negotiations rather than accept control from
Seattle.
Unions representing the subtrades, usually con
duct their negotiations with local subcontractors
but have on occasion negotiated with employer
associations such as the Association of Electrical
Contractors. Although the subcontractors employ a
much smaller number of construction workers than
the prime contractors, completed negotiations be
tween subcontractors and their employees’ unions
frequently have set the pace for subsequent primecontractor negotiations. Attempts by contractor
employers to secure a united front in labor nego
tiations have thus far been no more successful than
attempts to institute a united front on the part of
the basic trades and capenters local unions.
Except for an unorganized strike by some of the
carpenter locals in 1953, no major construction
strikes have occurred since 1950. In 1951, the
Department of the Interior took the lead in the
attempt to overcome the acrimony that had de
veloped through disputes and strikes in prior
years. While the Department had no operating
responsibilities in the field of labor except for its
own employees, it sponsored, in cooperation with
the Department of Labor, the Federal Mediation
and Conciliation Service, the Department of De
fense, and other interested Federal agencies, a
series of meetings between union and contractor
representatives in Anchorage designed to estab
lish a more peaceful basis for settling disputes.
While the influence of this somewhat dramatic
gesture can hardly be appraised, relations in the
Territory’s construction industry have been more
peaceful since that time. The usual run of juris
dictional disputes have been settled for the most
part without resort to strikes. The Alaskan
construction industry in this respect has a better
record in recent years than do many defense in
stallations in the States.
Fishing and Fish Products. In dollar value, the
salmon industry is by far the most important of the
Alaskan fisheries. It extends from Bristol Bay
through the Aleutian Islands, Cook Inlet, and
down into southeastern Alaska. The salmon in
dustry each year signs nearly 30 different con
tracts with 17 unions. The principal union
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groups with which the industry deals are the
Alaska Fishermen’s Union and the nonresident
Cannery Workers Union, representing resident
workers; both of these are affiliated with the Con
gress of Industrial Organizations. It also deals on
a nonresident basis with the AFL Machinists.
Problems resulting from Seattle control have
had even more important effects on cannery
workers than on construction workers. The sal
mon industry is, in fact, the only large industry in
Alaska which, in spite of the rapid growth of the
Territory’s labor pool, regularly transports hun
dreds of workers from Pacific coast ports to can
nery sites in the Territory.
Practically all of the negotiations with unions
representing the nonresident workers take place
in Seattle. Collective bargaining with resident
workers is usually conducted within the area where
they are employed. While serious disputes have
arisen in the industry, no major work stoppage
has occurred since the Bristol Bay strike of 1951.
Another industry closely related to the salmon
industry and other fishing operations is the cold
storage industry in southeastern Alaska which
processes fish of all kinds for freezing and oper
ates cold storage warehouses in the Panhandle
fishery ports. The cold storage workers are mainly
represented by the independent International
Longshoremen’s union. Serious disputes in this
industry usually have been settled with relatively
minor work stoppages.
Lumbering. Small logging and lumbering opera
tions are found in the forestry areas of both
western and southeastern Alaska. The only
large operations are in the southeast, principally
in the vicinity of Juneau and Ketchikan. Sawmill
employees are represented by the Lumber and
Sawmill Workers, a branch of the AFL Carpen
ters, and the loggers by the International Wood
workers of America (CIO).
Service Trades. In the service trades unions are
strong among the culinary crafts and retail clerks
in Alaska’s three largest cities, Fairbanks, An
chorage, and Juneau. In spite of organizing
drives no serious work stoppages have occurred
in recent years among Alaska service trade em
ployees, except one which lasted for several weeks
in Juneau in the fall of 1954.
ALASKA: THE CHARACTER OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Mining. In value of output, the most important
mining areas in Alaska are the Fairbanks gold
mining region and the Healy River and Matanuska coal mines along the Alaska Railroad. The
major gold-mining operator in the Fairbanks
region is the United States Smelting, Refining
& Mining Co., which, about 30 years ago, bought
up most of the gold claims around Fairbanks.
The only gold operations in the Territory that
have become unionized are those of the company
in the Fairbanks area. The Alaska Juneau hardrock mine operated under union agreements prior
to its closing in 1942.
The employees of this company organized
under the auspices of the International Union of
Mine, Mill & Smelter Workers (a CIO affiliate
prior to 1950 when it was expelled on charges of
Communist domination), in 1940, but in 1947
severed relations because some officers of the
international failed to file non-Communist affi
davits under the Taft-Hartley Act. In 1949, the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
(AFL) granted the company’s mine employees an
industrial charter under which they are now
operating.
Pulp. The building of a $50-million pulp mill in
Ketchikan marked the first large-scale utilization
of Alaska’s enormous pulp resources. Although
employed in an infant industry, the loggers have
been organized by the International Woodworkers
of America (CIO). Employees in the pulp mill
itself are represented by the AFL Pulp and Sul
phite Workers. This industrial union local is now
being challenged by AFL craft unions in represen
tation election petitions filed under the provisions
of the Taft-Hartley Act.
Transportation. The largest transportation opera
tion in the Territory is the Alaska Railroad which
is not operated by private industry; its industrial
relations program is discussed later in this article.
In privately owned transportation, the extent of
unionization varies. Employees of the White
Pass and Yukon Railway are generally represented
by the railroad brotherhoods.
Over-the-road
trucking in Alaska is strongly unionized, with
drivers and mechanics represented by the AFL
8Policy Memorandum Covering General Labor Relations Policy for
Ungraded Employees of the Department of the Interior, January 16, 1948
(Office of the Secretary of the Interior).
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1403
Teamsters. Several not very successful attempts
have been made to organize employees of the
local transit industry in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
The employees of the certificated air carriers are
well organized; the same union arrangements
that exist in both domestic and foreign airline
operations have been transferred to Alaska.
Federal Government
The Alaska Railroad, which is operated by the
U. S. Department of the Interior, has made a
unique contribution to the history of labor rela
tions in the Territory by operating under labor
agreements negotiated with trade unions repre
senting its employees. This history of collective
bargaining began in the 1920’s, when the railroad
signed an agreement with one of the railroad
operating brotherhoods covering the hours, wages,
and working conditions of its train- and engineservice employees. Since that time, the practice
of collective bargaining has grown until, at the
present time, labor agreements signed by the
representatives of nine trade unions cover wages
and working rules for almost all the employees
below the intermediate supervisory and official
ranks. These are the standard railroad labor
organizations, with the exception of the American
Federation of Government Employees, which
represents clerks, maintenance-of-way workers,
and bridge and building employees.
Agencies of the Department of the Interior are
not required under statute to bargain collectively
with representatives of their employees. The
Secretary of the Interior, however, in 1948, issued
a statement of labor policy for the Department’s
ungraded employees which permits the manage
ment of Interior agencies to negotiate agreements
with union representatives of their ungraded em
ployees, but with the condition that labor agree
ments must have the Secretary’s approval before
they become effective.2
The Alaska Railroad in 1947 had already issued
a statement of labor policy setting forth labor
relations standards subsequently adopted by the
Secretary for all Interior agencies. As trade union
relationships for the railroad had begun in the
1920’s, these statements in fact only formalized
methods of dealing with employees which the
management of the railroad had been following
substantially for a great many years.
1404
The Alaska Railroad has had the usual run of
labor disputes involving changes in wage rates
and working rules as well as grievances arising out
of the interpretation of working rules. For such
grievances, adjustment board procedure has been
set up for train- and engine-service employees.
Under the procedure an award is made by a neutral
party, and is binding unless it is disapproved by
the Secretary.
Disputes arising out of changes in wage rates
or agreements are referred to the Secretary of the
Interior if they cannot be resolved on the property.
Submission of a dispute to the Secretary is, in fact,
a pressure tactic which represents a kind of sub
stitute for the right to strike—not granted to
Federal employees, of course. In form, this situ
ation is not entirely fair to the unions, as the
Secretary is ultimately responsible for the manage
ment of the railroad. In substance, it has some
times been true in the past that trade union de
mands have been more effective when presented
to the Secretary than when presented to the
general manager of the railroad. The unions also
have resorted to congressional lobbying on issues
which they have been unable to resolve in col
lective bargaining.
The provisions in the labor agreements of the
Alaska Railroad have been taken largely from
those in effect on private stateside carriers, which
has often resulted in conflict with those Federal
personnel rules which are authorized but not re
quired by statute. The railroad has fought a
slowly retreating battle in matters of this sort,
but thus far has managed to avoid conforming to
many personnel management conventions in vogue
in most other Federal agencies.
The Taft-Hartley Act
Since the Taft-Hartley Act applies to the Ter
ritory of Alaska, it has produced the usual run of
cases concerning representation, and charges of
unfair employer and union practices. An un
usually large number of the unfair practice cases
have alleged violation of the Taft-Hartley pro
hibition of the closed shop.
NLRB Jurisdiction. Under the Taft-Hartley Act,
the National Labor Relations Board has plenary
jurisdiction over enterprises in United States
Territories. However, in recent years, the Board
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
has tended not to exercise jurisdiction over certain
Territorial enterprises which are engaged in inter
state commerce, on the basis of the small volume
of their operations. Currently, the NLRB is
following the policy, laid down in a 1955 case in
volving a Puerto Rico concern,3 that the same
standards of jurisdiction apply in the Territories
as in the several States.
Representation Cases. The number of representa
tion cases in Alaska during recent years has not
been large. More than half have involved initial
organizing efforts rather than competing unions.
In a few cases, a contesting union has won repre
sentation rights over an existing union and, in a
few others, the majority of employees voted
against union representation. The NLRB held
that Alaskan fishermen were independent con
tractors, whether company fishermen or not, and
therefore not considered employees under the
Taft-Hartley Act.4
Unfair Practices. Employer actions which the
unions have attacked through the unfair labor
practice provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act include
refusal to bargain, discouraging or interfering with
union membership, and the circulation of anti
union petitions. Employers have used the pro
cedures of the Taft-Hartley Act against the
secondary boycott, union attempts to compel
discrimination against an employee, and picketing.
Many unfair practice cases in Alaska have in
volved attempts by unions or by unions and
employers jointly to enforce the closed shop.
Most of the unions involved were in the con
struction field. Where the evidence has sup
ported the charges, the National Labor Relations
Board has consistently enforced the act’s pro
hibitions against restricting the hiring to union
members. In several instances, employers have
been ordered to hire and give back pay to workers
who were refused jobs because they were not union
members; in some cases, either the union alone or
the union and the company jointly have been
ordered to make good this back pay. In some
closed-shop cases, the NLRB has ordered the
exclusion of the illegal closed-shop clause from
future agreements.
s Conrado Forestier, d. b. a. Cantera Providencia (111 N LRB 141, Mar. 4,
1 955).
* A la sk a S alm on In d u stry, In c. (110 NLRB 145, Nov. 17, 1954).
ALASKA : THE CHARACTER OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Territorial Problems
Labor relations problems in Alaska have in
many respects resembled those in the States.
Some labor problems have arisen, however, out of
the somewhat unique economic situation of the
Territory. Foremost among these has been the
problem of determining what constitutes a fair and
reasonable wage. While Alaska has made striking
economic progress in the past 10 years, it still
exhibits the kinds of economic instability charac
teristic of a pioneer area. The economics of
prices and wages is in many respects related to the
newness of the country and its distance from
stateside markets.
Construction Wage Levels. The size of the con
struction industry has, of course, had a tremen
dous influence on economic conditions in the
Territory. Wage rates have been agreed to at
levels exceeding construction wages in the Pacific
Northwest by $1 to $1.25 and more per hour.
High contractor wage rates, in conjunction with
what has amounted to a guarantee of premium
overtime for the relatively short construction
season, have produced earnings which have made
it difficult for year-round employers to negotiate
wages which they regarded as reasonably related
to Alaskan price levels and Alaskan productivity.
Undoubtedly construction wages have played an
important part in increasing the spread between
stateside and Alaskan wages.
A subsidiary wage problem has resulted from
union attempts, successful in many instances, to
require contractors in southeastern Alaska to pay
the wage rates in effect in the Anchorage-Fairbanks area. Yet, the cost of living in Anchorage
and Fairbanks is from 10 to 15 percent higher than
it is in most Panhandle cities.
The construction industry has avoided coming
to grips with the twin problems of high wage rates
and excessive overtime largely because the Federal
Government has been its principal customer. As
long as Uncle Sam pays the bill, and wage rates
and overtime standards are reasonably uniform,
contractors have a minimum of financial incentive
to resist union pressures.
This situation is changing with the growth of a
labor pool in Alaska and a decline in military con
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1405
struction which has made bidding for Alaskan
contracts more sharply competitive. The Terri
tory is ceasing to be regarded as an overseas base
to which workers must be lured by the promise of
extravagant take-home pay. While the wage
practices of more wasteful days have continued,
there is at least a possibility that both unions and
management will interpret the economic situation
in a more reasonable light as the amount of
military construction continues to decline. The
transition to more normal wage-price relation
ships, in comparison with stateside enterprise, will
obviously be difficult, but there is some indication
that employers may get a more sympathetic atti
tude toward the problems of this transition than
they now expect.
Seattle Control of Trade Unions. Alaskan trade
unions, particularly in the construction industry,
follow the policy of absentee control. The influ
ence of Seattle in union matters has been justified
on the ground of the desirability of relying upon
the greater skill and experience of Seattle union
officials. Furthermore, it seems to be true that
labor relations have been more disturbed and dis
agreements more prolonged in the case of the
carpenters, who have tried more than other con
struction workers to throw off Seattle control.
Nevertheless, the desire for a more democratic
control of Alaskan union activities is increasing
and growing pains accompanying any shift from
Seattle to local responsibility are inevitable.
With some unions such as the International Long
shoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union (Ind.),
the desire for local control has led locals to openly
defy their national officers.
Seattle control of union affairs in the construc
tion industry has been substantially weakened
over the years. At one time, an Alaskan resident
had to go to Seattle in order to be hired as a con
struction employee to work in the Territory.
With the development of a large labor market
within Alaska, the necessity for paying transpor
tation for large groups of workers to and from the
Territory has largely disappeared. With this
growing labor market, the trend toward local
autonomy will inevitably continue. Outside the
construction industry, local union autonomy may
sometimes be even greater in Alaska than in the
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
States merely by reason of the greater distances
in space and time to national and regional union
headquarters.
Other Problems. The tradition of excessive over
time, already referred to briefly, has created an in
dustrial relations problem in Alaska. The short
Alaska season and labor shortages in past years
have produced a long-hours habit of thought which
has been hard to break. For example, it was freely
predicted that the 40-hour workweek experiment
of the Alaska Railroad in 1949 would not work.
Today, it would hardly occur to anyone in the
rail-belt area that the pre-1949 hours’ schedules
should be resumed.
Moreover, Alaskan contractors are vulnerable
to additional wage demands occasioned by theninsistence on regular work schedules in excess of
40 hours per week for which they must pay pre
mium overtime. The Alaska Road Commission
pointed the way to a solution in 1953 by reducing
work schedules for those it regards as constructiontype workers. In the face of competitive neces
sities, the construction industry is slowly adopting
shorter hours. Yet, strikes have been called in
Alaska over proposed reductions in hours of work.
Also, some contractors still insist on the necessity
of long hours in the face of heavy unemployment
which has bankrupted Alaska’s unemployment
compensation fund.5 Part of this unemployment
has actually been caused by high wage rates and
excessive overtime which have induced more
workers to come to Alaska at their own expense
than the economy of the Territory could absorb.
The battle over unemployment compensation
is itself a peculiar industrial relations problem,
because it involves legislation rather than collec
tive bargaining. In the 1955 session of the Terri
torial Legislature, unions and some contractor
employers lined up against Alaskan employers
generally in a successful attempt to keep un
employment benefits for seasonal construction
employees, many of whom spend their winters in
the States. A compromise resulted in reducing
construction unemployment benefits somewhat but
still allowing a disproportionate share of un
employment benefits to go to nonresident seasonal
workers.
5
For discussion, see p. 1397 of this issue.
“Fundamentally, the American people appear to have accepted [eventually]
Seward’s treaty because it was demonstrated to them [through Seward’s
campaign of ‘education’] that Alaska was worth the money. Yankee love
for a bargain and a highly developed speculative instinct were not to be
denied. Bret Harte caught the spirit:
‘T’aint so very mean a trade
When the land is all surveyed.
There’s a right smart chance for fur-chase
All along this recent purchase,
And, unless the stories fail,
Every fish from cod to whale;
Rocks too; mebbe quartz; let’s see,—
Seems I have heered such stories told:
Eh!—why, bless us,—yes, it’s gold!’
“Harte was right. There are few today who, on economic grounds at least,
will accuse Seward of folly in having bought this princely domain for one and
nineteen-twentieth cents an acre. . . . ”
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Thomas A. Bailey, A Diplomatic History of the American People, 3d ed. New
York; F. S. Crofts & Co., 1947 (p. 404).
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HAWAII
Determining Factors in the Economy
Economic Forces and
Growth Prospects
J ames H. Shoemaker
No island community has moved from a primitive
to a modern status in so short a period as has
Hawaii.1 Primarily, this growth has centered
around one basic change—the transformation of
an isolated, self-sufficient economy to a massproduction, highly specialized agricultural econ
omy closely tied to the rise in Hawaii’s trade with
the United States. With the continued expansion
of air and surface transportation, these develop
ments will accelerate. The Islands now generate
$300 million in “internal income” annually, in
addition to approximately $700 million of income
derived each year from business with the main
land (chart 1). Thus, Hawaii is a billion-dollar-ayear economy. Significantly, over nine-tenths of
the growth in production (principally in pine
apples and sugar), employment, and income dur
ing the 177 years of Hawaii’s history has occurred
within the last 83 years. In this period since 1872,
the labor force also grew rapidly, stimulated by
the burgeoning Island economy and sharply
increasing population through immigration and a
favorable birth-death ratio.
Previously, from an estimated 300,000 in 1778
(when the Islands were discovered), population
had declined continuously to an alltime low of
56,000 in 1872, including over 2,000 part-Hawaiians and 49,000 native Hawaiians. Thus the
non-Hawaiian population numbered less than
6,000, with nearly half of this group being Oriental.
By contrast, the racial composition of the half a
million population in Hawaii in 1955 is estimated
to be as follows: Japanese, 37.6percent; Caucasian,
20.2 percent; Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian, 19.1
percent; Filipino, 12.4 percent; Chinese, 6.5
percent; and all others, 4.1 percent.
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It is virtually a truism that a community’s
economy mirrors the conditions under which it
develops. In Hawaii, too, before the beginning of
World War II, the economy had successfully
adapted to the framework of conditions which have
determined its character—resources, location, pop
ulation, and political and economic ties to the
United States.
Resources. Because Hawaii lacks industrial min
erals and fuels, its productive activities have been
limited mainly to agricultural products. Sharp
variations in topography, soil, and rainfall restrict
intensive cultivation to less than one-tenth of the
total land area. The cultivated area is enor
mously productive, however, because of a large
supply of ground water for irrigation and yearround summer weather.
With such resource limitations, production in
Hawaii has centered in the mass production of
sugar and pineapples, the most profitable crops
that have been developed. Sugar was the pri
mary factor in creating the close trade relations
with the United States that resulted in the annexa
tion of Hawaii by the United States in 1900. It
has continued to be Hawaii’s largest commodity
export (chart 2). The growth of the pineapple
industry to a mass production level occurred later.
The key to its expansion was the Ginaca machine,
invented in 1913, to peel and core the fruit.
Since then, Hawaii has continued to produce more
canned pineapple than all other areas in the world
combined.
Location. Hawaii’s central position in the Pacific
makes it an outpost of national defense, a tourist
center, and a center for shipping and airlines.
These activities provide a substantial part of the
Islands’ total income.
Defense activities did not become an important
income source until the 1930’s. Thereafter, they
increased sharply until 1941, when they became
the principal stimulus to Hawaii’s economy. In
the past 3 years, these activities have provided a
1 For a comprehensive account of the historical development and char
acteristics of the island economy, see The Economy of Hawaii in 1947 (with
special reference to wages, working conditions, and industrial relations),
BLS Bull. 926, 1948.
1409
1410
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Chart 1.
How Hawaii Earns a Living, Sources of Income, 1954
*($43,000,000 locally produced food for local consumption, $3,000,000 con
struction and other materials, and $25,000,000 “value added by manufac
ture”—i. e., by the processing of imported raw materials.)
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Sources: Sugar E xports —Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association. P inea p p le
E xports —Department of Business Research, Bank of Hawaii. Visitor
E xpenditures— Research Committee, Hawaii Visitors Bureau. R em a in in g
Ite m s (including Federal Expenditures, Other, Services, and Goods)—
Department of Business Research, Bank of Hawaii.
HAWAII: ECONOMIC FORCES AND GROWTH PROSPECTS
Chart 2.
1411
Long-Term Trends in H aw aii’s Economy
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Sources: Sugar E xports— Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association. P ineapple
E xports— 11) 1905-1945, U. S. Department of Commerce; (2) 1955, Depart
ment of Business Research, Bank of Hawaii. C om m odity E xports and
Im p o rts— (1) 1875-1895, Hawaiian Customs records; (2) 1905-1945, U, S.
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Department of Commerce; (3) 1955, Department of Business Research.
Bank of Hawaii. Visitors’ E xpenditures— Research Committee, Hawaii
Visitors Bureau.
1412
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
predominant share—over a quarter of a billion
dollars—of the area’s total annual income.
Tourist trade rose gradually throughout the
1920’s and 1930’s, was abruptly suspended during
World War II, and expanded sharply after the war
ended. Tourist expenditures in Hawaii, which
amounted to only $6 million in 1946, will probably
exceed $55 million in 1955, and are increasing. In
addition, shipping and airlines presently account
for approximately $25 million of revenue annually
in the Territory.
Population. No other area of the United States
contains such a widely variant population of
Oriental and Occidental racial groups working
together to earn a living. The racial diversity,
however, complicates the problem of achieving
Chart 3.
Political and Economic Ties. The substantial
contribution made by the United States to the
growth and development of the Hawaiian econ
omy—both as a market for Hawaiian products
Civilian and Military Payrolls and Armed Forces Expenditures/ Hawaii, 1939—54
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU Of LABOR STATISTICS
Including purchases
and contracts
U f^D epartm ent*of Commerce,
g ®
mimeographed supplement to Income of Hawaii, op. cit., issued in August
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effective economic policies in government, of
formulating workable relations between labor and
management, and of developing cooperation
throughout the business community. Despite
the picturing of Hawaii as an island paradise,
racial tensions and antagonisms are clearly
evident. Nevertheless, these racial groups bring
to the Hawaiian economy a broad range of in
herent abilities and contacts with other parts of
the world, thus providing the basis for creating
a rich and unique culture based on interracial
cooperation.
Bank o X w a T "
^ » ^ « - D e p a r t m e n t of Business Research,
HAWAII: ECONOMIC FORCES AND GROWTH PROSPECTS
and as a source of supply for Hawaiian industry—
has made it possible for the Islands to achieve
high per capita productivity and modern living
standards. This integration is reflected in the
following developments: the expansion of main
land markets for Island products; the growth of
Island branches of mainland firms and the
general expansion of mainland business activity
in Hawaiian markets; the increasing mobility
of labor and capital between Hawaii and the
mainland; the rising level of mainland visitors to
Hawaii; and the growth of the political importance
of Hawaii and of working relations between the
Territorial and Federal Governments.
Underlying Instabilities
Hawaii’s economic position is vulnerable because
of two underlying instabilities. Most important
is its dependence on defense activity as a major
income source. Although it seems certain that
Hawaii will continue as a major outpost of national
defense, fluctuations in the volume of defense
activity affecting the Islands will require local
economic, readjustments. However, a sizable cut
back in military expenditures, perhaps ranging
from $50 million to $100 million in 1 year, would
create a major economic problem. Two develop
ments that affected defense activities in Hawaii
in recent years illustrate the impact on the Island
economy of major changes in military programs
(chart 3).
From 1948 through 1950, as a result of continued
cutbacks in defense employment and expenditures,
Hawaii experienced the most severe period of
unemployment in its history. By contrast, the
decision in October 1954 to transfer the 25th
Division from the Orient to Hawaii resulted in a
sudden increase of $36 million in annual defense
expenditures in Hawaii.
An effective plan for mitigating the effects of
substantial declines in defense activities would be
readily available through a “standby program”
providing for water conservation and irrigation
projects. A comprehensive program of this type
would create direct employment to counteract a
sharp cutback in defense outlays and, when the
projects were completed, would provide a per
manently higher level of resources, production,
and employment in agriculture.
3 6 6 8 0 4 — 5 3 --------6
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1413
The second unstable element in the Hawaiian
economy grows out of the Islands’ extreme
dependence on shipping. Repeated interruptions
to shipping, primarily due to labor-management
disputes in Hawaii or on the mainland’s West
Coast, have had temporary but substantial dis
ruptive effects on the economic life of the Terri
tory. Continuity of shipping, assured by govern
mental or other action, is necessary to avoid a
retarding effect on economic development.
Postwar Growth
These problems have not kept Hawaii from
achieving a remarkable record of postwar economic
expansion, more than proportionate to that for
the United States as a whole. This record is
reflected in an unprecedented rise in the number
of modern, well-equipped homes, and the rapid
spread in the ownership of motorcars—from 1 car
for every 7 persons in the population to a ratio of
1 to 3. Comparable growth has occurred in the
per capita use of telephones and electric appliances,
and in the construction of schools, highways,
docks, and airports. These advances have con
tributed to Hawaii’s rising standard of living which
today compares favorably with that in the
United States.
The long-range economic outlook in Hawaii is
expected to resume its upward trend which was
interrupted by a mild recession during July 1953
to July 1954 from the peak business levels in the
spring of 1953.
In 1954, there was a mild decline of $6 million
in the value of the export of sugar and pineapples;
a sharp decline in the expenditures of the Armed
Forces (from $271 million to $237 million); and
a rise in the volume of tourist trade to $49 million.
Estimates of economic activities in 1955, however,
indicate that they will equal or exceed 1953 levels.
Armed Forces’ expenditures in Hawaii have again
increased substantially. Also, sugar and pine
apple harvests are running at somewhat higher
levels than in 1954 and tourist trade for 1955 is
estimated at over $55 million, an alltime high.
Paralleling the expansion of the business activi
ties that are geared to “mainland dollars,” there
has been a growth of community facilities and
production to serve local needs. Communication,
surface and air transportation, electric power,
1414
wholesale and retail distribution, and other serv
ices for Island residents have been modernized as
rapidly as resources permit. Food crops and a
limited amount of construction materials also
have been produced for local use.
Possibilities for Long-Range Growth
Tourist trade is the most rapidly growing seg
ment of the Hawaiian economy today. Should
this expansion continue at its present rate, it is
estimated that the income from tourist trade will
exceed that for the sugar industry by 1965. In
recognition of its expanding economic status, re
search studies have been undertaken to analyze
the economic factors affecting the tourist trade
and to propose methods for maintaining it at a
high level.
New agricultural exports in the form of flowers
and foliage (made possible by air freight), papaya,
tropical fruit juice concentrates, coffee, and fresh
pineapple are contributing to the growth in the
dollar volume of minor exports of Hawaii. To
effect this expansion, it is essential that new water
conservation and irrigation projects be carried for
ward. This is being accomplished by the “Hawaii
Irrigation Authority,, established in 1953. In ad
dition, byproducts from the wastes of the sugar
and pineapple industries already have been devel
oped and new ones are being studied.
Other developments on the Islands also augur
well for an expanding economy. The processing
of imported raw materials (to replace more costly
finished imports) is a growing industry. The
Standard Oil Co. of California is planning the
construction of a $30-million refinery. And ex
pansion of farm products for sale in the Honolulu
market provides still another opportunity for
growth. (Hawaii still imports two-thirds of the
dollar value of the food consumed locally.)
Absorption of the Growing Labor Force
The long-run expansion in Hawaii’s population
and labor force raises the significant question
whether the rate of economic growth in the Is
lands is sufficient to meet the increasing pressures
for jobs.
Hawaii’s birthrate in 1954 was 33.7 per thou
sand (16,200 live births), or about 8 percent higher
than the birthrate for the United States.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Currently 6,000 students graduate from high
school each year. Present enrollment in the lower
grades indicates that this figure will rise to well
over 9,000 by 1965 (allowing for the normal
number of “dropouts”).
Only about 40 percent of the high school grad
uates become part of Hawaii’s labor force upon
graduation. Half of them go on for further train
ing and education and the remaining tenth enter
military service. Most of these latter two groups,
however, enter the labor force after completing
their training, or upon return from military service.
In addition, a high percentage of married and un
married women in Hawaii are employed; they
account for nearly a third of total employment in
the Islands.
Hawaii has an extraordinarily youthful popula
tion. The census of 1950 showed that half of the
people in Hawaii were less than 25 years of age;
today this figure is even lower. For the Nation
as a whole, the average age is slightly over 30.
Based on these data it is estimated the Islands’
labor force will increase approximately 50 percent
by 1970. Whether the economy can absorb this
growth depends principally on the future level of
defense activity in Hawaii. Assuming no signif
icant change from the present level, the possi
bilities for economic growth previously described
provide an assurance that production, income, and
employment can be increased to make room for
the growing labor force. But this growth will
require broad and aggressive community support
to formulate and direct programs for the develop
ment of the Island economy.
Summary of Underlying Trends
«V
Several primary trends are evident in the ex
panding integration of Hawaii into the mainland
markets. These are: (1) urbanization, which in
creasingly centers the economic activity of each
Island in its principal cities; (2) a gradual unifica
tion of all Islands into a metropolitan area based
on interisland air service centering in Honolulu;
(3) a continued growth of Hawaii as the central
Pacific port for surface and air transportation;
(4) a rise in the relative importance of tourist
trade, stimulated by air transportation; (5) the
increasing application of scientific methods and of
mechanization, spreading from the basic planta
tion industries into all phases of production in the
HAWAII: ECONOMIC FORCES AND GROWTH PROSPECTS
Territory; (6) increasing per capita productivity,
a rising level of wages and salaries, and a resultant
rise in living standards, accompanied by a change
from Oriental to American modes of living; (7) a
marked increase in Island government employment
and services, resulting in a rising level of taxation;
(8) an expanding flow of high school and university
graduates into business life, creating an increas
ingly urgent employment problem; and (9) a
growing awareness of the necessity for programs
designed to create new forms of production,
employment, and income.
Despite this expansion, the growth of employ
ment in Hawaii’s basic industries has been out
stripped by the growth in Hawaii’s work force.
If the Islands are to provide stability of employ
ment for the labor force of the Territory, com
munity support for programs of economic expan
sion are essential. This would create still another
trend—a gradual widening of the economic base
by the diversification of productive effort into the
following activities: a continued expansion in
tourist trade; the manufacturing of more goods
and the provision of more services for local use;
the development of new exports; the development
of byproducts in the sugar and pineapple indus
tries; and the processing of imported raw mater
ials to take the place of costly finished products.
“The Territory of Hawaii has four counties: Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai,
and Maui. Hawaii County is coextensive with the Island of Hawaii.
Honolulu County—the legal designation of which is ‘City and County of
Honolulu’—consists of the Island of Oahu (as well as a number of very small,
unpopulated islands). Kauai County includes the Islands of Kauai and
Niihau. Maui County comprises the Islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai,
and Kahoolawe, which is uninhabited. (Also included with Maui County
is the peninsular area of Molokai officially designated as ‘Kalawao County,’
which consists only of the Kalaupapa Leper Settlement.) . . .
“Populous Honolulu County, with less than 10 percent of the land area,
receives over three-fourths of the Territory’s total income. By contrast,
Hawaii County—the ‘Big Island’—has three-fifths of the land area of
the Territory and accounts for 10 percent of total income. While the distri
bution of population is the main factor, contributing appreciably to Honolulu
County’s high share of the total income is a per capita income ranging from
one-third to one-half above that of the other three counties. The latter are
predominantly rural, with plantation farming by far the principal source of
employment.”
Charles F. Schwartz, Assistant Chief, National Income Division, Office of Business
Economics: Income of Hawaii, A Supplement to the Survey of Current Busi
ness, United States Department of Commerce, Office of Business Economics,
Washington, 1953.
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1415
HAWAII
The labor force has also grown rapidly, almost
doubling from 1920 to 1950. The rate of laborforce growth has been declining sharply, how
ever; concomitantly a noticeable shift in the sex
composition of the labor force has taken place
(table 1).
Characteristics of
the Labor Force
Age and Sex Composition
E dwin C. P endleton
R a p i d g r o w t h has marked Hawaii’s population
and labor force during the past several decades.
The expansion in the labor force is not likely to
be reversed in the near future because of the in
creasing annual rate of entrants to the labor mar
ket, and, compared with the United States, the
younger than average age composition of both the
population and the labor force.
The labor-force growth has been character
ized by the relative and absolute increase of
women workers and the continued fairly high
participation rates, particularly for women and
for lower age groups. Moreover, there has been
a rapid occupational and industrial shift away
from agriculture, offset by increased employ
ment in government, services, and trade. Since
civilian employment in private industry exhibits
long-time stability, the influence of Federal Gov
ernment activity on employment and income is
outstanding.
For the half century 1900 to 1950, the total
population of Hawaii increased about three and
a quarter times. Population declined only in the
postwar years 1948 to 1952, mainly because of the
outmigration of warworkers.
1.— Population and labor force, and labor-force
distribution by sex, Territory of Hawaii, -percent
changes, 1910-50
T a ble
Percent change
from 10 years earlier
Year
Popula
tion
1920_______________
1930______________
1940_____________
1950_________ _____
1 Not available.
1416
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33.4
43.9
14.9
18.1
Labor
force
Percentage distribution of
the labor force
Total
(•)
38.1
22.2
10.5
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Men
87.3
88.5
80.6
75.5
Women
12.7
11.5
19.4
24.5
Source: Bureau of the Census.
The median age of the total population was 24.9
years in 1950 compared with 30.7 years for the
United States. Furthermore, for the same census
year, one-half of the population was under the
age of 25 compared to 41.9 percent for the United
States. An age distribution of the Hawaiian
labor force points up the youthful character of the
population (table 2).
T a b l e 2. — Percentage distribution of the labor force, by age
and sex, Territory of Hawaii, 19J+0 a n d 1950
1940
1950
Age group
All ages__________ _
14-24 years_______
25-34 years___ _______
35-44 years. . . ___ . . .
45-54 years___________
55-64 years___________
65 years and over_____
Total
Men
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
29.7
30.0
19.8
11.9
6.4
2.1
28.0
31.2
19.7
11.7
6.9
2.4
37.2
25.1
19.9
12.5
4.4
.9
23.1
29.8
23.6
14.7
6.8
1.8
20.9
29.6
24.8
15.3
7.4
2.1
30.5
30.3
19.9
13.0
5.2
1.0
Women Total
Men
Women
N ote. Because of rounding, sums of individual items do not necessarily
J
ini»i inn
Source: Bureau of the Census.
For age groups through 44 years, the percent
ages of participation for the total labor force as
well as for men and women generally are higher for
Hawaii than for the United States. For example,
in 1950, 50.5 percent of all men and 60.8 percent
of all women in the Island labor force were in the
14 through 34 age group, while the corresponding
percentages for the United States were 41.0 and
47.4.
The important implication to be drawn from the
data on the youthful composition of the population
and labor force is that as the large number of
workers in younger age groups move into the
middle-age groups, the younger age groups will not
decrease significantly. This influence is based on
the present school population; the number of
school separations will more than double in the
next 10 years. Approximately 37 percent of those
graduated from high schools enter immediately
into the labor force and, within 18 months,
45 percent of the graduates are in the labor force.
1417
HAWAII : CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LABOR FORCE
For this reason, pressure for jobs will continue, if
not increase. Furthermore, the absolute and
relative numbers of women in the labor force are
not expected to decline. This conclusion is predi
cated on several factors, including the traditional
seasonal employment of large numbers of women
in the pineapple industry and the fact that many
women seek employment to improve their eco
nomic status.
Racial Composition
The Territory’s racially heterogeneous popula
tion is reflected in the composition of the labor
force (table 3). However, because clear-cut defini
tions of ‘‘racial” classifications are not feasible
(many people in Hawaii have two or more “racial”
strains), analysis of labor force and population
problems in terms of racial composition would be
misleading and confusing. Also, the data pre
sented below do not carry any implications as to
the character of employment and unemployment
as far as “race” is concerned.
T a b l e 3. — Racial composition of the population and labor
force, and labor-force participation rates, by race, Terri
tory of Hawaii, 1940 and 1950
Percentage distribution
Population,
14 years and
over
Race
Labor force,
14 years and
over
Labor-force par
ticipation rate
Employment-Unemployment Trends
1940
1950
1940
1950
1940
_____
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Hawaiian L ,
Caucasian__ . . . __
Chinese, ____ . ___
Filipino_____ ______
Japanese___ ____ ____
O th er2__________
12.3
28.3
7.0
13. 2
35.8
3.5
13.6
25.3
6.7
12.7
37.6
4.1
9.5
30.9
6.0
17. 5
33.2
2.9
11.1
27.3
6.3
15.4
36.2
3.7
48.1
68.1
53.9
2 82. 6
58.0
51.8
48. 5
63.9
56.0
71. 7
56.9
52.3
All races ___
In 1950, the labor-force participation rate for
the United States was 53.4 percent compared with
59.2 for Hawaii. Since 1920, however, the rate
for Hawaii has declined more rapidly than that
for the United States; for Hawaii, the decline for
men was 11.6 percentage points. By 1950, this
rate for men was only 0.5 percentage points higher
for Hawaii than for the United States. After
1930, the women’s participation rate for Hawaii
increased and in 1950 was 4.1 percentage points
higher than that for the United States.
An analysis of labor-force participation rates by
age groups (at 10-year age intervals) shows that,
for groups up to 45 years, the rates for women in
Hawaii are above corresponding age-group rates
for the United States as a whole. There is no
indication that this relationship is likely to be
reversed.
With respect to employment and unemploy
ment trends, the implication to be drawn from
these data on Hawaiian labor force participation
rates is that the Island economy must have, or
create, proportionately more jobs than the main
land. This is an additional reason why the rate
of economic growth in Hawaii is an important
problem, particularly for the private sector of
the economy.
1950
1Includes part-Hawaiians.
2 This rate is high because most of the Filipinos were previously imported
male plantation labor. In the 1940 population, 14 years old and older, there
were 6 Filipino males for every Filipino female.
2 Korean, Negro, Puerto Rican, and other Polynesian.
N ote. Because of rounding, sums of individual items do not necessarily
equal 100.
Source: Bureau of the Census.
As a result of the impact of World War II,
the proportions of the total Hawaiian labor force
unemployed from 1940 through 1947 were sub
stantially below those for the United States. For
T a b l e 4. — Percentage distribution of the population by labor-
force status and sex, Territory of Hawaii and the United
States, 1920-50
Hawaii
United States
Labor-force status and sex
1920 1930 1940 1950 1920 1930 1940 1950
Both sexes
Labor-Force Participation Rates
For purposes of viewing the actual and potential
labor force in terms of job opportunities, a useful
trend measure is the labor-force participation rate,
or the percent of the total population in the labor
force. It is significant that the labor-force partic
ipation rate for Hawaii historically has been con
siderably higher than that for the United States
(table 4).
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Population, 14 years and over. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
In labor force___________ 66.0 63.7 62.4 59.2 55.6 54.5 52.2 53.4
Not in labor force_______ 34.0 36.3 37.6 40.8 44.4 45.5 47.8 46.6
M a le
Population, 14 years and over. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
In labor force___________ 91.0 86.1 82.7 79.4 86.4 84.1 79.0 78.9
Not in labor force_______ 9.0 13.9 17.3 20.6 13.6 15.9 21.0 21.1
Fem ale
Population, 14 years and over. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
In labor force___________ 22.8 21.2 30.9 33. 1 23.3 24.3 25.4 29.0
Not in labor force............... 77.2 78.8 69.1 66.9 76.7 75.7 74.6 71.0
Source: Bureau of the Census.
1418
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T a ble 5. — Civilian labor force: Average number of persons
employed and unemployed, Territory of Hawaii, 191+5-51+
[In thousands]
Year
Total labor
force
1945........ ............
1946___ _____
1947............ ..........
1948__________
1949_____ _____
1950_______
1951___________
1952___________
1953__________
1954___________
230.8
195.0
196.3
196.4
199.0
188.3
192.5
195.2
196.0
197.3
Employed
labor force
229.3
192.9
193.3
186.9
177.6
170.6
184.2
186.8
186.4
185.5
Unemployed
Unemployed as percent of
labor force
total labor
force
1.5
2.1
3.0
9.5
21.4
17.7
8.3
8.4
9.5
11.8
0.65
1.09
1.50
4.81
10.77
9.40
4.31
4.31
4.87
5. 96
Source: Financing Unemployment Insurance in Hawaii, 1954, prepared
for the Bureau of Employment Security, Territory of Hawaii, Department
of Labor and Industrial Relations (unpublished manuscript).
Hawaii, they ranged from 0.65 to 4.45 percent
compared with 1.2 to 14.6 percent for the United
States. From 1948 through 1954, however, the
unemployment rates for Hawaii were consistently
above those for the United States and in recent
years showed some tendency to stabilize between
4 and 6 percent (table 5). This trend poses a
significant problem for Hawaii despite the sub
stantial rise in the level of economic activity
since prewar years.1
The unfavorable unemployment situation arises
from fundamental conditions peculiar to Hawaii.
These are: (1) The inability of the economy to
absorb the increasing numbers of youthful en
trants into the labor force in addition to a general
rise in the labor force; (2) significant industry
changes—primarily the impact of mechanization
in the sugar, pineapple, and construction indus
tries, which has resulted in a substantial reduction
in the labor force in those industries since 1939 ;
(3) the erratic and unpredictable level of Federal
Government employment, which has been a
dynamic influence in Hawaii’s economy; (4) some
tendency toward a decline in emigration; and (5)
the marked stability of the total civilian labor
force in private industry.
The long-run implication of Hawaii’s stable
civilian labor force is that private industry has
not been absorbing, and may not absorb its share
of the expanding labor force. This development
imposes a greater burden on the erratic Federal
Government employment sector to which the
Hawaiian economy became geared during World
War II. (See chart.) However, recent increases in
1
Income of Hawaii, U. S. Department of Commerce, Office of Business
Economics, 1953 (p. 9).
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Government expenditures, arising from continued
international tensions, and expansion of the
tourist industries and service trades are expected
to help meet the employment demands of the
growing labor force.
Seasonal Factors
Seasonal variation in employment is not now a
significant problem in Hawaii. Its industrialized
agriculture is considerably more stabilized than
agriculture elsewhere in the Pacific area. Planta
tion operations have been so organized as to lessen
considerably the seasonal labor-force variation
that usually marks crop production. Seasonal
requirements in pineapple canning are easily met
because the canning season occurs during the
summer months when students are available for
temporary jobs. Because of drought and lack of
anticipated market expansion, the pineapple
industry was not able to employ the usual number
of summer workers in 1954. These statements
concerning the tendency toward seasonal laborforce stability are valid despite the considerable
fluctuation in monthly employment figures for
pineapple canning and pineapple plantations.
The seasonal labor demands are not met by large
supplies of migratory seasonal labor as in many
mainland areas, but by local workers who are not
part of the regular labor force.
T a b l e 6. — Occupational distribution of the employed labor
force, Territory of Hawaii, 191+0 and 1950
Percentage distribution
Item
1940
1950
Class of worker
Employed__________________ _________ _
Private wage and salary workers___________
Government workers_____________ _____ .
Self-emploved workers___________ ________ .
Unpaid family workers_________ ____________
100.0
100. 0
73.8
12.1
10.4
3.7
66.2
20.5
11.5
1.8
100.0
100.0
7.3
2.3
7.3
6.5
5.2
10.5
12.1
5.2
6.6
1.8
24.2
10.4
9.8
2.6
8.3
12.4
6.5
15.5
15.0
2.0
9.8
1.0
9.0
7.5
Major occupation group
Employed_____
________________ . . . . .
Professional, technical and kindred workers_____
Farmers and farm managers__________________
Managers, officials, and proprietors, except farm ...
Clerical and kindred workers__________________
Sales workers________________ _______________
Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred workers_______
Operatives and kindred workers_______________
Private household workers___________ _______
Service workers, except private household_______
Farm laborers (unpaid family workers)_____ . . .
Farm laborers, except unpaid, and farm foremen..
Laborers, except farm and mine__ _____ _______
Occupation not reported_________ ______ _ . . .
Source: Bureau of the Census.
.6
.6
1419
HAWAII : CHARACTER! STIC S OF THE LABOR FORCE
The construction industry, often quite seasonal
on the mainland because of climatic conditions,
fluctuates over longer than annual periods in
Hawaii, and reflects private and Federal Govern
ment construction requirements.
Occupational and Industrial Distribution
The major occupational and industrial shifts in
Island employment are evident in census data for
1940 and 1950. (See tables 6 and 7.) These data
show the following relative changes: (1) A decline
in private wage and salary workers and a rise in
Government workers; (2) a very large drop in
agricultural employment; and (3) a rise in employ
ment in service industries and occupations.
Employment in manufacturing, which accounts
for a small proportion of Hawaii’s total employ
ment, is relatively stable. For example, in 1954,
this industry group employed only about 2,000
more workers than it did in 1939.2 In agricul
ture, employment dropped nearly 50 percent in
2 Income of Hawaii, op. cit., see source reference to chart.
Total Employment, and Civilian Private and Federal Government Employment, Hawaii, 1939-541
t All figures expressed as average number of full-time equivalent employees.
Full-time equivalent employment measures man-years of full-time employm ent of wage and salary earners and its equivalent in work performed by
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part-time workers. Full-time employment is defined simply in terms of the
number at hours which is customary at a particular time and place,
1420
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T a b l e 7.—Industrial distribution of the employed labor
Federal employment
as percent of total em
ployment, Island o
Oahu 1 (range for It
force, Territory of Hawaii, 1940 and 1950
m onths)
Percentage distribution
Major industry group
1940
1950
Total employed labor force____________________
100.0
100.0
Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries____________ _
Mining_______ ____________ ______________
Construction______ _________________________
Manufacturing______________________________
Durable goods__________ _______________
Nondurable goods______ _______ _____ . . .
Transportation, communication, and other public
utilities____
_______________________
Wholesale and retail trade____________________
Wholesale trade....... ..................... ............. ........
Retail trade_____________________________
Finance, insurance, and real estate_______ ____
Business and repair services_____________ _____
Personal services____ _______________________
Private households___________ ____ ______
Personal services except private households...
Entertainment ahd recreation_________________
Professional and related services_______________
Public administration____________ _____
Postal service____________ ______ ________
Federal public administration___________ _
Territorial and local public administration___
Industry not reported________ _______ _____
35.5
.2
7.0
10.0
1.6
8.4
19.0
.1
7.0
12.7
3.4
9.3
5.5
14.2
1.7
12.5
1.4
1.9
10.0
6.0
4.0
1.0
7.4
5.0
.2
3.1
1.7
.9
7.9
18.9
3.3
15.6
2.4
2.5
6.5
2.6
3.9
1.6
10.0
11.0
.4
7.3
3.3
.6
N ote. Because of rouuding, sums of individual items do not necessarily
equal 100.
Source: Bureau of the Census.
this period; those displaced from jobs in agricul
ture generally moved to urban areas to seek em
ployment. Significantly, combined employment
in trade, finance, transportation, utilities, and
services increased 56 percent for the period from
1939 through 1954, which offset the displacement
from agriculture.
From 1939 to 1954, the total civilian employ
ment increase, for industry groups where employ
ment increased, was nearly 52,000. Two industry
segments accounted for approximately 61 percent
of the total employment increase. Federal and
local governments had the largest increase—
slightly more than 22,000, and employment in
retail trades and automobile services increased by
about 9,700.
Federal Government employment has also
accounted for a substantial proportion of total
employment in Hawaii. For the years 1948
through 1954, the proportions ranged from 14.1
percent to 22.4 percent, although they tended to
decline in recent years.
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1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.7
15.1
14.1
18.2
18.1
16.2
15.4
to 22.4
to 21.7
to 16.8
to 20.1
to 19.4
to 18.7
to 16.6
1
The data are shown for Oahu, because 98 percent of all Federal employ
ment in Hawaii is on this island. For the Territory as a whole, Federal
employment as a proportion of the total employed labor force has ranged
from 11.3 to 12.3 percent monthly from September 1953 through May 1955,
according to employment estimates of the Territorial Bureau of Employ
ment Security.
Source: Bureau of Employment Security, Territory of Hawaii, Depart
ment of Labor and Industrial Relations.
These percentages applicable to Federal employ
ment in Hawaii considerably exceed the United
States figures for total Government employment
(including local, State, and Federal workers) as a
percent of the total employed civilian labor force.
From 1948 to 1953, Government employment as
a percent of the total employed civilian labor
force in the United States ranged from 9.5 to 10.8.
When State and local governments are excluded,
the percentages for Government employment in
the United States range from 3.1 to 3.9; thus, the
T a ble 8. — Government employment, total and Federal, as a
percent of total employed civilian labor force, United States
and Territory of Hawaii, 1948-54
Year
Total government
employment
(percent)
United
States 1
1948___________
1949___________
1950___________
1951___________
1952.................. .
1953___________
1954.................... .
9.5
9.9
10.0
10.4
10.8
10.7
11.0
Federal Government
employment
(percent)
H aw aii2
27.0
25.6
24.0
26.7
26 6
26.0
25.6
United
States 1
3.1
3.2
3.2
3.7
3.9
3.7
3.6
H aw aii2
3 18.3
15.8
13.4
16.6
16.5
15.8
15.0
1 Calculated from labor-force estimates, U. S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census, Bull. P-57; and government employment statistics,
U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2 Calculated from data in Income of Hawaii, and supplemental data, op.
cit., chart, source reference. Employment figures used are in average
full-time equivalents. For an explanation of this measure, see chart,
footnote 1.
3 These percentages are lower than those given above, which are based on
monthly employment estimates for Oahu prepared by the Bureau of Em
ployment Security, Territorial Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
HAWAII: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LABOR FORCE
incidence of Federal employment in Hawaii since
1948 has been at least 4 times higher than in the
United States (table 8).
According to the 1950 census, only 8 States
showed Federal civilian employment as a percent
of the employed civilian labor force exceeding
5 percent or more.3
The most volatile aspect of Federal employment
in Hawaii concerns military construction and
services which depend on the number of service
1421
personnel stationed in Hawaii. Since the Federal
Government in 1952 accounted for 31 percent of
the total Territorial income and 36.3 percent of
its total wage and salary disbursements, it is clear
that the Federal Government’s expenditures are
crucial in problems of labor-force size and employ
ment and unemployment potentials.
3
Arizona, 5.4 percent; California, 5.4 percent; Colorado, 5.1 percent;
Nevada, 7.3 percent; New Mexico, 5.6 percent; Utah, 10.0 percent; Vir
ginia, 5.7 percent; and Washington, 6.8 percent.
“That Hawaii should have been discovered at all by men whose only means
of water transportation was the outrigger canoe and whose only device for
reckoning a course was by observation of the naked eye on the sun and stars
is a mystery which is likely to remain forever sealed. Whether they were
driven from their native lands . . . by warfare or by violent storms or
whether they sought new lands for an expanding population, the fact remains
that they did discover Hawaii at a fairly early time [about 500 A. D.]. To
judge by the meager data from legendary sources, the earliest settlers of
Hawaii remained completely isolated for perhaps a thousand years—at least
30 generations. During the 11th and 12th centuries, Hawaii is believed to
have come again within the range of Polynesian travel, and as a result of
several important invasions from the south a new and aggressive people imposed
their rule as well as much of their culture upon the indigenes. Several
important additions to the floral and faunal resources of the region, including
the breadfruit, were made during this period. In the course of the next 500
years, during which the Islands were again cut off from contact, the indigenous
culture was gradually evolved.
“Not until Captain Cook’s voyage in 1778 were the Islands really discovered
in any sense which fundamentally affected their relations to the larger world
around the Pacific. Following the publication of Cook’s Voyages in 1784,
the Islands for the first time secured a position on the charts and maps of
explorers and navigators and within a few years Hawaii began to fulfill the
very important function which Captain Cook had anticipated—serving as a
supply and refreshment base for ships crossing the Pacific. . . . Hawaii was
so located as to be among the last of the Pacific island groups to be discovered,
but so strategic was its position that its settlement has been accomplished
more rapidly than in the other oceanic islands.”
Andrew W. Lind, An Island Community: Ecological Succession in Hawaii, Chicago,
University of Chicago Press, 1938 (pp. 6-7).
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HAWAII
Working Conditions
and Workers’ Wages
T homas H. I ge
I mproved wages and working conditions in Hawaii
today clearly reflect the great strides made in the
Territory’s economy, especially since 1941. From
an isolated, underdeveloped economy paying a
prevailing wage of “one dollar a day” for 10 hours’
work, present-day Hawaii can match its labor
standards with those of the continental United
States.
World War II with its concentrated impact on
Hawaii accentuated the economic transformation
that had been taking place. By the end of the
war, the Territory had become a highly unionized
area; 10 years before, unions were unknown in the
Islands outside of limited areas in Honolulu. In
the transition, the basic agricultural industries
were highly mechanized and industry generally
was modernized. With existing international
tensions in the Pacific area, the impact of Federal
expenditures remains substantial and continues
to reshape the Hawaiian economy today.
Per capita personal income in Hawaii increased
from $525 in 1939 to $1,704 in 1954. Correspond
ing figures for the United States were $556 and
$1,770. After allowance for increases in prices,
taxes, and population, the real per capita dis
posable income in Hawaii in 1954 rose by twothirds since 1939. Relatively, these gains were
greater than for the United States in the same
period.1
The rise in income has been accompanied by
marked shifts in the industrial structure of Hawaii.
These changes are evident in the accompanying
tabulation which shows average annual earnings
per full-time civilian employee as a percent of all
wages and salaries paid in Hawaii, by major
industry category, in 1939 and 1954.
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The Federal Government replaced agriculture
as the leading source of wages and salaries paid in
Hawaii. The decrease of 12.8 percentage points
in the portion of the total payroll accounted for by
agriculture was almost matched by the increase
of 9.9 points for the Federal Government. How
ever, agricultural workers made the largest relative
gain in average annual earnings in this period.
(See chart.)
Average hourly earnings in Hawaiian industry
(excluding trade, construction, and services) in
creased almost 39 percent in the first half of 1954.2
Similarly, average weekly earnings went up by
30 percent and average hours worked per week
decreased by 6% percent.
Percent of all wages
and salaries paid
1939
All civilian industries 1_________________
Agriculture___________________________
Contract construction__________________
Manufacturing________________________
Wholesale and retail trade______________
Finance, insurance, and real estate______
Transportation________________________
Communication and public utilities_____
Services_______________________________
Federal Government___________________
Local government_____________________
1954
100. 0 100. 0
26.
4.
12.
15.
2.
5.
3.
9.
9.
12.
4
1
0
8
8
0
2
4
2
2
13. 6
6. 0
11. 6
16. 9
2. 8
5. 1
3. 2
9. 5
19. 1
12. 1
1
Data are not shown for mining, which had only 250 employees in 1939
and 210 in 1954.
N ote.—Because of rounding, sums of individual items do not necessarily
equal 100.
Source: Income in Hawaii, U. S. Department of Commerce, Office of
Business Economics, 1953, table 3 (p. 19), and supplemental estimates for
1954 issued by the OBE in September 1955.
The general upward movement in the Islands’
earnings and income varied by specific industry
as a result of several factors, including the marked
shift in the Hawaiian economic structure, as well
as the extent of unionization and mechanization,
and the nature of competition among industries.
Sugar Industry
An industrywide job classification system in the
sugar industry was first established in November
1946 under a contract with Local 142 of the
International Longshoremen’s and Warehouse1
Income figures for Hawaii were taken from a comprehensive study, In
come in Hawaii, U. S. Department of Commerce, Office of Business
Economics, 1953. For the years 1953 and 1954, the per capita income for
Hawaii was $1,740"and $1,704, respectively.
* Earnings and Hours in Hawaiian Industry, Hawaii Employers Council,
March 1954.
1422
HAWAII: WORKING CONDITIONS AND WORKERS’ WAGES
1423
Average Annual Earnings Per Full-Time Civilian Employee, by M ajor Industry Group or Division,
Hawaii, 1939 and 1954
Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate
Contract Construction
Wholesale and Retail Trade
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
Services
Source: Income in Hawaii. U. S. Department of Commerce. Office of Business Economics. 1953;
U N IT E D S T A T E S D E P A R T M E N T O F L A B O R
BUREAU O f LABOR STATISTICS
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and supplemental estimates for 1954 issued by the O B E in September 1955
1424
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
men’s Union. With few exceptions, this basic
wage structure eliminated wage differentials for
comparable jobs among plantations on the various
Islands. It also incorporated housing perquisites
into base wage rates for the first time. The
hourly rates agreed to in 1946, and corresponding
rates for 1954, are listed below:
Labor grade
H o u rly base rate i
1946
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
0. 705
.7 4
.7 8 5
.8 3
.8 9
.9 6
1. 045
1. 14
1954
1. 06
1. 095
1. 145
1. 20
1. 26
1. 32
1. 40
1. 495
9 __________________________________
1. 25
1. 605
10 ______________________________________
1. 38
1. 735
1Premium base rates are paid on 3 big plantations with the highest (on
Waialua) being 8.5 cents more for labor grade 1. These premium rates taper
off for higher labor grades with no differential at the top level. Four planta
tions on the Island of Hawaii pay 7.5 cents per hour less than the industry
wide base rates, but provide a wage escalator tied to the price of raw sugar
in the New York market.
Straight-time average hourly earnings in the
sugar industry in 1954 were $1.28 per hour;
monthly data ranged from $1.22 to $1.35 per hour.
In 1953, the corresponding range was $1.23 to
$1.30.
Unlike agricultural employment on the main
land, the sugar industry in Hawaii has been deseasonalized and employment, by and large, is
on a year-round basis. Census data show that of
all those who worked in the sugar industry in the
sample year of 1949, about 83 percent worked from
50 to 52 weeks as compared with 73 percent in
wholesale and retail trades; only 3.6 percent
worked less than 26 weeks. The marked increase
in basic wage rates (as shown in the tabulation),
therefore, is reflected in annual earnings. Average
annual earnings per full-time employee of sugar
companies (both field and mill) rose from $1,657
in 1946 to $2,868 in 1952.
Twelve plantations out of a total of 26 are
presently on a year-round, 40-hour workweek, with
overtime after 8 hours per day and 40 hours per
week. The others, with 2 exceptions, have a
40-hour workweek for 38 weeks; 1 plantation pays
overtime after 40 hours for 32 weeks and the other
for 26 weeks. Premium pay of 5 cents per hour
is provided on all these plantations for work be
tween 7 p. m. and 12 midnight, and 10 cents per
hour for work between 12 midnight and 5 a. m.
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Supplementary benefits are standardized under
the industrywide agreement. Six paid holidays
are provided and, in addition, time-and-one-half
rates are paid for work on these holidays. The
standard vacation provision is 1 week after 1
year’s service and 2 weeks after 2 years with
accumulation of 1 week permitted. Sick leave
is provided at two-thirds pay for 12 days after 1
year’s service and for 36 days after 5 or more
years. A 3-day waiting period is stipulated before
sick benefits begin. Benefits are also paid for the
first 5 days in industrial accidents to offset the
waiting period required under the Territorial
workmen’s compensation law. The 1955 Legis
lature cut the waiting period to 2 days.
Contributory medical and pension plans, also
industrywide, under the agreement with the
ILWU, provide liberal benefits. The medical
plan calls for benefits for medical services, surgery,
and all medicine given or prescribed by the com
pany doctor, and includes consultants’ or special
ists’ services if necessary. Minimum benefits
under the pension plan are $2 a month for each
year of service with the company after the first
year, with a maximum payment of $75 per month
exclusive of social security benefits.
With the rapid rise in labor costs, the sugar
industry has intensified its mechanization program
in order to maintain its competitive position. In
addition, marginal land areas have been abandoned
in favor of more intensive cultivation of the re
maining arable areas. Although the number of
full-time workers on sugar plantations decreased
from 44,430 in 1939 to 21,415 in 1952, the physical
volume of production has remained substantially
unchanged. Thus, total wages and salaries paid
in this period to workers in the industry more than
doubled—from $30 million to over $61 million—
and substantial improvement in working condi
tions were made.
The sugar industry has been almost completely
unionized by the ILWU in the last decade. Union
ization, however, has had a more pervasive effect
on both the sugar and pineapple plantations than
that indicated by the terms of the collective
bargaining contracts in these industries. The
pendulum has swung away from company pater
nalism that characterized these industries for the
past 50 years and is beginning to swing from the
middle ground toward one of union paternalism.
Welfare benefits, provided in these contracts, are
1425
HAWAII : WORKING CONDITIONS AND WORKERS’ WAGES
administered largely by the union. Elaborate
athletic programs previously conducted by the
companies are now under union direction. In the
1955 ILWU Territorial convention, funds for
setting up union centers for both business and
social activities on all the major islands were
approved; ventures into retail credit and discount
buying for members are also under consideration.
Pineapple Industry
The 8 pineapple companies in Hawaii, with 11
plantations and 9 canneries, employed about 6,000
regular employees in 1954 and 22,000 during the
peak of the harvest. Converted into its full-time
equivalent, this employment amounted to over
11,000 workers. The number of regular employees
has declined slightly since 1946.
Under an industrywide contract with ILWU
Local 142, hourly base rates in this industry start
at $1.20 per hour for the lowest labor grade both
in the plantations and in the canneries and range
up to $2.05. A 10-cent hourly differential (lower) is
provided, however, for women workers in each labor
grade. On the plantations, both the regular and
seasonal work forces are about 95 percent men.
Operations at the canneries, however, are more
seasonal, and thus the large part-time work force is
predominantly women. The regular work force,
about 2,000, is composed primarily of men in the
semiskilled and skilled groups. Thus, average
hourly earnings for regularly employed men
workers in the canneries are much higher than on
the plantations which employ mainly unskilled
labor.
During the last 10 years, the wage differentials
that have existed among pineapple plantations on
the Islands have been virtually eliminated and the
differentials between earnings of cannery workers,
who are mostly city residents, and the rural planta
tion workers, have been narrowed. In 1954, aver
age hourly earnings of $1.48 on the pineapple
plantations compared with the $1.28 average on
the sugar plantations.
Supplementary wage practices in the pineapple
industry are substantially similar to those previ
ously described for the sugar industry. The fact
that the ILWU Local 142 bargains for employees
in both industries tends to standardize their work
conditions. Because of the highly seasonal work
requirements in the pineapple industry, however,
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the regular 40-hour workweek is not applied
during 14 weeks of the peak season. During this
period, overtime is paid after 44 hours per week.
Premium pay of 5 and 10 cents per hour is provided
for second and third shifts, respectively, during
the busy season.
Building and Construction
The construction industry, with approximately
9,000 workers and over 800 employing units, is
almost completely nonunionized in Hawaii. The
213 members of the General Contractors Associa
tion who employ the bulk of these workers set the
pattern of basic wage rates. These rates generally
coincide with the minimums required under the
Davis-Bacon Act as applied to thousands of
workers on Federal projects in the Islands (table
1). For jobs or trades that cut across industry
lines, however, the rates spread substantially.
1.— Hourly job rates established under Davis-Bacon
Act and by General Contractors Association and median
rates for all industries, Territory of Hawaii
T able
Selected job classifications
Carpenters_________ _
Electricians_______ ___ _ _ _ _ __
M achinists__________________________
Painters, brush_______ . . . . . . . ___ _ _
Plumbers . . . ______ . .
Sheet-metal workers _________________ _
Truckdrivers (5-10 tons)_______________
Welders_______________ ___________
Highlift operators_____________________
Labor, common____________________ .
Job rates
All industries »
(median rates)
$2.10
2. 45
2. IS
1.85
2. 45
2.40
1.73
2.18
1.68
1.35
$1.76
1.82
1.82
1.71
1.71
1.925
1. 45
1. 71
1 38
1.15
1 Pay Kates in Hawaii, Hawaii Employers Council, January 1955.
Longshore Industry
Hourly wage rates in the longshoring industry,
one of the earliest to be organized in Hawaii, have
advanced more than in other industries. The
straight-time hourly rate of 70 cents in 1941
increased to $1.30 by the end of 1946 and reached
$2.16 in June 1955. In 1941, the longshore hourly
rate obtained by ILWU locals on the mainland’s
West Coast exceeded that in Hawaii by 30 cents
an hour. The differential was reduced to 22 cents
by the end of 1946 and to 11 cents in 1955. The
differential has narrowed from about 40 percent in
1941 to 5 percent in 1955. Thus, the ILWU’s
long-sought-after wage equality with the West
Coast longshore industry appears to have been
almost achieved. The skill differentials for long
shoremen, winch drivers, hatch tenders, leadermen,
1426
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
gang foreman, and other jobs likewise closely
approximate West Coast longshore standards.
Supplementary wage practices in the Hawaiian
longshore industry, including penalty cargo differ
entials, call-in pay, overtime payments, shift
differentials, and vacations with pay also have
been keyed to practices prevailing in the ports of
San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Pat
terned after longshore industry practices through
out the United States, health, welfare, and
pension plans have also been strongly emphasized
in Hawaii in recent years. A comprehensive
medical plan was established in 1952 on a contrib
utory basis and subsequently underwritten by the
New York Life Insurance Co. A noncontributory
pension plan was also negotiated in the same year.
The plan provides, among other things, a minimum
monthly pension of $75 (exclusive of social
security benefits) at 65 after 25 years of credited
service.
Clerical Workers
Compensation for clerical workers varies greatly
from industry to industry and even within firms
in the same industry. The dispersion around the
median monthly salary for these workers is
considerable for each job classification listed in
table 2. The great bulk of these jobs are located
within the city limits of Honolulu; unionization
among white-collar workers is virtually non
existent.
A 5-day workweek for ofhceworkers is the
prevalent practice in Hawaii. Only 12 out of 118
firms in a recent survey 3 had a regular workweek
for ofhceworkers exceeding 40 hours. Overtime is
generally paid after 40 hours of work. Paid holi
day provisions appear to be more liberal for office
workers in Hawaii than on the mainland, with 10,
11, and 12 holidays with pay frequently provided.
T a b l e 2. — Salaries of selected clerical jobs in the Territory
of Hawaii, 1954
Job classification
Senior account clerk___________________
Account clerk_____________________ . .
Order clerk._____ ____________________
Stock clerk____ ______________________
Cashier_______________ _ _______ _
Bookkeeping-machine operator_________
Switchboard operator_________________
Secretary__________ _________________
Stenographer______________ ________ _
Senior typist_________________________
Senior clerk......... ...................................... .
Median
monthly
salary
Middle 50
percent ol
range
$370
250
237
258
222
254
265
322
268
240
325
Source: Pay Rates in Hawaii, Hawaii Employers Council, January 1955.
Pension and medical plans cover most of the
Territory’s ofhceworkers.
Summary
Wages and working conditions in Hawaii today
compare favorably with those in the United States.
Although sugar and pineapple are the primary
export industries in Hawaii, Federal Government
employment is becoming increasingly important.
Improved labor standards have led generally to
increased labor costs and have spurred rapid
mechanization in basic industries. Advancing
technology has caused a shift of workers to dis
tributive and service industries was well as to
Government employment. The continued high
level of Federal expenditures in the Islands has
cushioned the impact of the employment transfers.
Workers retained in the highly mechanized sugar
and pineapple industries have shared in the in
creased productivity and made substantially
greater gains proportionately than other workers
in recent years. With closer economic ties to the
continental United States, wages and working
conditions in Hawaii will increasingly be pat
terned after prevailing practices on the mainland.
3
Pay Rates in Hawaii, Hawaii Employers Council, January 1955.
“A little over 20 years ago, in 1900, a young Harvard graduate interested
in agriculture came to Hawaii. His name was James D. Dole, son of a well
known Unitarian minister near Boston. He had the vision to see the possi
bilities in canning pineapple and organized a modest little company capi
talized at $20,000, with 12 acres of pineapple plantation. The first year’s
output was 1,893 cases.”
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$315-$438
210- 305
188- 284
215- 294
175- 265
215- 298
234- 265
285- 365
240- 300
203- 278
272- 375
Albert W. Palmer, The HumamSide of Hawaii— Race Problems in the Mid-Pacific,
Boston and Chicago, Pilgrim Press, 1924 (pp. 100-101).
HAWAII
Labor Legislation
and Enforcement
R obert S roat
and
R uth W. Loomis
labor laws generally have been pat
terned after labor legislation in the continental
United States. For example, the Hawaii wage
and hour and child labor laws generally parallel
the Fair Labor Standards Act; the Federal DavisBacon Act and 8-hour law provided the pattern
for a combined “little Davis-Bacon Act.” The
Hawaiian laws were enacted only a few years
later than their Federal counterparts despite the
many factors which retarded their development.
Situated over 2,000 miles from the mainland,
workers in the Islands were not affected signifi
cantly by the notable growth of union organiza
tion in the United States during the early 1900’s.
For the most part, the Island labor force was
engaged in agriculture and related activities. It
was composed of a heterogeneous mixture of races,
principally Oriental, who had come from coun
tries in which working conditions were primitive,
hours were long, and wages were low. By con
trast, working conditions in Hawaii were com
paratively advanced, thus lessening the pressures
for social legislation.
With the growth of communication and trans
portation facilities, however, Hawaii gradually
was transformed from an isolated insular com
munity to an integral part of the larger and more
complex economy of the United States. Advertis
ing Hawaii as a vacation resort brought not only
the tourist trade but mainland unions. Addi
tionally, a new labor force emerged; it was com
prised of children of the immigrant workers, who
were Americanized and citizens. Educated in
American schools, the new workers became
conscious of rights and equality. Various labor
laws enacted by Congress were made applicable
tojHawaii. Finally, agriculture became indus
H aw aii ’s
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trialized and its workers were unionized. All’hf
these developments provided the impetus to the
enactment of a body of laws beneficial to labor
by recent Territorial Legislatures. These laws
are surveyed briefly in this article.
Wage and Hour Law
The wage-hour law sets a maximum 48-hour
week for purposes of overtime compensation as
well as a 75-cent hourly minimum wage for the
island of Oahu and a 65-cent minimum for the
other islands in the Hawaiian chain. When hours
over 48 are worked in 1 week, compensation of one
and one-half times the regular rate is required.
Also, all split shifts must fall within 14 consecutive
hours, except in an extraordinary emergency.
Specific exemptions exclude from the law’s
coverage employees having a guaranteed salary
of $350 or more per month; employers in agri
culture with less than 20 workers in any 1 work
week;1 or domestic employees in and about a
private home. The law further excludes indi
viduals emploj^ed by certain members of their
family; those who are in bona fide executive,
administrative, supervisory, or professional ca
pacity; outside salesmen and outside collectors;
and those employed in the fishing industry except
in the canning of fish. It also exempts employees
already subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act
and such groups of workers as seamen, taxicab
drivers, golf caddies, and students employed by
a nonprofit school. All other employees, both
men and women, minors or adults, are benefited
equally under this law.
The original wage-and-hour law, which became
effective April 1, 1942, provided a 5-cent hourly
differential between the minimum rates applicable
to Oahu and to the other Hawaiian Islands—25
cents and 20 cents, respectively. In 1945, a
uniform minimum rate of 40 cents was established
for all the Islands. Legislative action in 1953,
however, reestablished an hourly differential—65
cents for Oahu and 55 cents for the other Islands.
This differential was maintained when the 1955
Legislature increased the rates in these areas to
75 cents and 65 cents, respectively. Changes in
1 Employers in industrialized agriculture (those employing 20 or more
workers) were excluded until July 1, 1945, when they were made subject
to the statute. At that time an estimated 28,000 island agricultural workers
were covered under the law.
1427
1428
the minimum rates can only be made by the
Legislature; the statute does not provide for
increasing the minimum rates through adminis
trative wage orders or wage board procedures.
The law is administered by the Wage and Hour
Division within the Bureau of Labor Law Enforce
ment of the Department of Labor and Industrial
Relations. In addition to the main staff of field
inspectors located in the central office on Oahu, 1
inspector is located in each of the branch offices
located on the 3 major islands—Hawaii, Maui,
and Kauai. From the Maui office, itinerant
services are provided to the islands of Molokai
and Lanai.
Enforcement features of this law are of 3 types:
(1) criminal penalties for willful violations (max
imum $500 fine or 90 days’ imprisonment, or
both); (2) injunction proceedings brought by the
Director of Labor and Industrial Relations; and
(3) suits for the recovery of unpaid wages and
overtime pay which may be brought by the
interested employees or by the Director in their
behalf; in the latter instances, attorneys’ fees oi
court costs are supplied to the employees without
charge.
In the 13 years of enforcement of this law, from
April 1, 1942, to April 1, 1955, $534,900 in back
wages were recovered by the Wage and Hour
Division for distribution among 6,471 male and
6,634 female employees. Minimum-wage viola
tions accounted for $245,000 and overtime viola
tions for $289,900 of the amount recovered.
During the early years of enforcement some type
of violation was found in more than 40 percent of
the inspected establishments with covered em
ployees. However, violations have declined
steadily since; only 10 percent were in violation
during the last fiscal year.
Child Labor Law
The child labor law bars work for minors under
age 16 if they are legally required to attend school,
and under 14 whether or not school is in session,
with a few exceptions. It requires all employers
of minors under 18 years of age to secure an
employment certificate issued by the Department
of Labor and Industrial Relations, to retain the
certificate during such employment, and to
return it upon termination of employment.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
The Department may refuse certification, or
may revoke a previously issued certificate, if the
work is deemed hazardous to life and health,
contributes to delinquency, or if the certificate
was improperly issued originally. No minor
under 16 may work with power-driven machinery,
after 6 o’clock in the evening, or in any occupation
deemed hazardous. No specific hazardous
occupation orders have been promulgated, and
this aspect of the law is left to the discretion of
the issuing officer.
Three types of employment are specifically
exempted from the restricting provisions of the
law: work in domestic service in a private home;
work in connection with the sale and distribution
of newspapers; and work done solely for a parent
or guardian by a minor, if it is performed when
the minor is not legally required to attend school.
Any willful violation of the law is a mis
demeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed
$1,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 6
months, or both.
The law permits children under 14 to be
employed in the entertainment field under regula
tions prescribed by the Commission of Labor and
Industrial Relations.2 Thus, the Commission
has adopted a theatrical employment regulation
which governs the employment of all minors in
gainful occupations such as dancers, singers,
musicians, entertainers, or motion picture or
theatrical performers. This regulation sets the
hours for employment of minors under 16 in these
activities, but forbids such employment on
premises where liquor is served or sold.
Administrative policies prohibit the employment
of minors under 16 in bowling alleys, and boys
under 16 and girls under 18 in penny arcades and
similar places of amusement.
The Department has issued a total of 156,903
child labor certificates from January 1, 1940, the
effective date of the law, to June 30, 1954. In
the fiscal year 1939-40, 3,951 certificates were
issued. The number rose to a peak of 20,929 in
fiscal 1945-46 under the impact of the war
manpower shortage in the Territory, but declined
to 5,746 in fiscal 1953-54. In the last 5 fiscal
years, certificates have averaged 6,270 annually.
2 A 5-man group within the Department of Labor and Industrial Rela
tions. I t sets major policies, formulates rules and regulations, and appoints
the Director of the Department.
1429
HAWAII: LABOR LEGISLATION AND ENFORCEMENT
The Department has been designated by the
U. S. Department of Labor as issuing authority
for child-labor certificates for all industries in the
Territory covered under the Fair Labor Standards
Act. Most of the employed minors are in the
canning industry, which is covered under the
Federal law. No violations of this act have been
reported in the Territory. Primarily, this record
has been the result of good voluntary compliance
but in the early period following the act’s passage,
rigid enforcement was an important element.
Wage Claim Law
The wage claim statute, effective January 1,
1940, authorized the Director of the Department of
Labor and Industrial Relations to accept wage
claims by employees in the amount of $200 or less
and to effect then* settlement. A series of statutory
amendments has raised this limitation to claims of
$500 or less, as of July 1, 1955.
Enforcement is accomplished largely through
conference between the parties concerned, with a
Department representative acting as mediator.
If necessary, use is made of the legal staff of the
Department and the courts. The Department
has also invoked the mechanic’s lien law in per
tinent cases. A new law,3 not yet tested, is
expected to prevent employers who are financially
irresponsible or dishonest from being chronic vio
lators of the wage claim law. It calls for the
securing of judgment on unpaid claims and, if
payment is not made within the following 30 days,
the enjoinder of the employer from further busi
ness activity until the judgment is satisfied.
From the inception of the law on January 1,
1940, to July 1, 1954, the Department has ac
cepted 3,624 claims amounting to about $287,400
and has secured settlement in the amount of
$228,300, or 79.4 percent.
From 1941 to 1954, both the number and
amount of claims accepted by the Department
increased steadily. In fiscal 1940-41, 133 claims
amounting to $4,376 were accepted, compared
with 372 claims totaling $34,334 in fiscal 1953-54.
Commercial Employment Agency Law
Aside from licensing provisions, the principal
feature of the act regulating commercial employ
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ment agencies is the restriction of maximum fees.
When the law went into effect on January 1, 1940,
it limited the maximum fee to 10 percent of the
first month’s wages. However, an amendment
to the law, effective May 20, 1955, specifies that if
the first month’s wages are $100 or less, the
maximum fee permitted is 10 percent; if the
monthly wages are $100.01 to $150, the maximum
is 15 percent; and if they exceed $150, the maxi
mum is 20 percent.
At present, five private commercial employ
ment agencies are in operation, usually as an
adjunct to another business, since the hitherto low
maximum fee and the free placement services
available at the Territorial employment agency
dictated marginal operation of these private
agencies. What effect the new scale of maximum
fees will have is not known, but it is believed that
the majority of the job placements will be in the
$150 or more monthly wage category.
Emigrant Agent Act
In 1950, an agent recruited workers to work on
the lettuce farms in Salinas, Calif. On some of
the farms, the workers found that wages and
working conditions differed greatly from those
promised by the agent. This incident centered
attention on the need to protect local workers from
similar exploitation and, in 1951, the Emigrant
Agent Act was enacted.
The statute defines an emigrant agent as any
person “engaged in soliciting, inducing, procuring,
or hiring workers to go beyond the limits of the
Territory, for the purpose of seeking or accepting
employment.” Each agent is required to obtain
a license which is issued only after he complies
with detailed regulations intended to insure that
each recruited worker is informed of the exact
terms and conditions of the employment offered
to him. To effectuate these regulations, each
agent is required to file with the Director of the
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations a
bond of $5,000 which stipulates that the agent
will comply fully with the act’s provisions and
regulations. The bonding requirement is waived
when the agent is recruiting workers only for
employment in the performance of a contract with
the United States or its States or Territories.
* Act 26, effective July 1,1965.
1430
Minors are further protected by a provision in the
law that requires guaranteed return transporta
tion to the point of hire.
Nine licenses are presently outstanding, and
compliance, by and large, has been good. The
Department has been called upon infrequently to
intercede against the agents.
Public Works Act
Act 133, a “little Davis-Bacon Act,” became
effective on August 14, 1955. Like its Federal
counterpart, it sets prevailing rates, to be deter
mined by the Director of the Department of
Labor and Industrial Relations, for laborers and
mechanics at the job site on all public construc
tion contracts to which the Territory of Hawaii,
the City and County of Honolulu, or any other
county is a contracting agency. It also provides
overtime compensation at one and one-half times
the employee's basic hourly rate after 8 hours
daily or after 40 hours weekly.
Enforcement of the act is the joint responsi
bility of the governmental contracting agency
and the Department. Either agency may require
payment of wages or overtime compensation
found due to laborers or mechanics on contracts
to which the law is applicable. To date, the
Department has had no enforcement experience
under the statute. Moreover, it has not yet
fully determined the scope of the problem its
enforcement will encompass.
Workmen’s Compensation Act
Enacted in 1915, this law provides compulsory
coverage for all employees engaged in gainful
business or agriculture, regardless of the nature of
their work. Compensation payment for indus
trial injuries is secured by policies obtained from
private insurance carriers for 8,693 subject em
ployers; an additional 80 employers subject to the
law are authorized as self-insurers. Government
workers are covered on the same basis as private
employees. Since its constitutionality was up
held by the Hawaii Supreme Court 2% years
after its enactment,4 the law has been subject to
numerous amendments, but its basic provisions
have remained unchanged.
As a result of amendments effective July 1,
1955, benefits are among the most liberal in the
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Nation. Weekly compensation is set at twothirds of the employee’s average weekly wages
up to a maximum of $50, with total compensation
limited to $20,000. Medical treatment is un
limited as to time and amount. A 2-day waiting
period is required before compensation is paid
for temporary-total disability, but if the disability
continues for more than 7 days, compensation is
paid from the first day. Should permanent-total
disability continue after a worker has received
the full $20,000, he receives half of the weekly
compensation from a special compensation fund
maintained with payments of $2,000 by the em
ployer for each death case in which there are no
dependents. Other expenditures from this fund
are made for second injury payments, attendants’
allowances for totally disabled workers, purchase
of accident-prevention equipment and educational
material for the teaching of safety, and rehabili
tation of injured workers to the extent of $1,000
for any one person.
Interpretations of the act by the Supreme Court
have ranged widely over almost all its provisions.5
The latest decision of the Supreme Court on the
subject of workmen’s compensation deals with
causal connection between conditions under which
work is performed and a cerebral hemorrhage.6
Until 1940, administration of workmen’s com
pensation was the responsibility of Industrial
Accident Boards appointed by the Governor for
each county. In that year, the Bureau of Work
men’s Compensation was established within the
newly created Department of Labor and Indus
trial Relations with responsibility for the adminis
tration of the law. The Industrial Accident
Boards were given the sole function of reviewing
awards on appeal.
4
Anderson v. Hawaiian Dredging Co., 24 Haw. 97.
“arising out of” employment: Honda v. Higa, 33 Haw. 576;
Asaeda v. Haraguchi, 37 Haw. 556.
Contracting out: In re Gonzales, 31 Haw. 672.
Damages: Reinhardt v. County of M aui, 23 Haw. 524.
Death benefits: Morita v. Hawaiian Fertilizer Co., 27 Haw. 431.
Dependents: In re Pioneer M ill Co., 31 Haw. 814; Zarate v . Allen dk
Robinson, 32 Haw. 118; In re Lee Y it K yau Pang, 32 Haw. 699.
Furnishing of medical care as evidence of notice to employer: Abdul v.
American Factors, 32 Haw. 503.
Independent contractor: Tomondong v. Ikezaki, 32 Haw. 373.
Wages: In re M artin, 33 Haw. 412; Forrest v. Théo. H . Davies & Co., 37
8Accidents
Haw. 517.
8Recognizing that some jurisdictions follow a rule that unusual strain or
exertion must be established in such cases, the Hawaii court, although fail
ing to find a causal connection in the matter before it, adopted the view
that to constitute an “accident” within the meaning of the act, a claimant
need only establish that either the cause of the injury was accidental in
character or that the effect suffered by him was the unforeseen result of
performance of his routine duties.
HAWAII
Labor Relations:
Pattern and Outlook
H arold S. R oberts
T he early history of labor organization in the
Territory of Hawaii is similar to that of any
community where the imported foreign worker
sought the haven of a new country to improve
the conditions under which he and his family
lived. In Hawaii, the imported workers, who were
recruited under the prevailing contract labor
system, were predominantly of Oriental origin.
The three major racial groups that came to
Hawaii to work on the sugar plantations and help
build the community were Chinese, Japanese,
and Filipino. Although the definitive book on
the historical development of the labor movement
in Hawaii has yet to be written, comprehensive
examinations of the development of labor organi
zation are available. 1
Development of the Labor Movement
With the first reported commercial export of
sugar from Hawaii in 1837 and the first strike at
Koloa on the Island of Kauai in 1841 for a 25cent-per-day wage, the impact of labor upon the
Territory’s economy was established. The passage
of the Master and Servants Act of 1850 instituted
the system of contract labor. The act permitted
the sugar planters to import Oriental labor, thus
assuring them a cheap, continuous labor supply.
At about the same time, an employers’ organiza
tion, the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society,
was formed. It was reorganized about 1895, as
the Hawaii Sugar Planters’ Association, which
was concerned primarily with the varied needs of
the industry, and only incidentally with the
problems of labor supply.
Following the annexation of Hawaii by the
United States in 1898 and the adoption of the
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Organic Act of 1900 which established the Terri
torial form of government, contract labor was
prohibited and employers were no longer able to
enforce such contracts. As a result, many Japa
nese laborers in Hawaii moved to the West Coast
of the United States. Approximately 6,000
relocated in 1904 and 10,000 in 1905 and, by 1907,
about 40,000 had left Hawaii. Immigration of
Japanese to the United States and to Hawaii was
curtailed, however, following negotiation of the
“Gentlemen’s Agreement” and enactment of the
Immigration Act of 1907.
Although the reports by the United States
Commissioner of Labor in the early 1900’s show
organization of boilermakers, plumbers, black
smiths, carpenters, and bricklayers in Hawaii,
union membership was relatively small and largely
ineffective. These early unions restricted their
membership to “white” workers, i. e., Caucasians,
and excluded the local “Oriental,” i. e., Chinese
and Japanese. Some early organizational progress
was made in 1903 with the formation of the
“Federation of Allied Trades” which attempted to
protect job security against Oriental competition.
In 1905, the “Japanese Reform Association” was
established with the aim of preventing discrimina
tion against the Japanese immigrants.
The first major efforts directed to eliminating
some of the wage inequities claimed by the workers
were made in 1908. In that year, the “Higher
Wage Association” was formed. Later, it called
a strike (under the slogan of “equal pay for equal
work”) to obtain higher wages to offset rising
prices and eliminate wage differentials between
Caucasian and Oriental workers.
World War I prosperity and the high bonuses
paid to workers to offset the inflated price of sugar
kept labor demands to a minimum. With the
end of the war, however, labor sought to reduce
hours of work, increase basic wages, obtain over
time pay, and incorporate the wartime bonuses
i
Edward Johannessen, The Labor Movement in Hawaii, M. S. thesis,
Stanford University, 1950; Richard A. Liebes, A Study of the Efforts of
Labor to Obtain Security Through Organization, M. A. thesis, University
of Hawaii, 1938; C. J. Henderson, Labor: An Undercurrent of Hawaiian
Social History (in Proceedings of the Sociology Club, University of Hawaii,
Vol. 13, 1951); Mark Perlman and John B. Ferguson, Labor, Trade Union
ism, and the Competitive Menace in Hawaii, University of Hawaii, Indus
trial Relations Center, 1952; James H. Shoemaker, Labor in the Territory
of Hawaii, 1939, and The Economy of Hawaii in 1947, U. S. Department
of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulls. 687, 1940 and 926, 1948); and
Arnold L. Wills, History of Labor Relations in Hawaii (in Labor-Manage
ment Relations in Hawaii, University of Hawaii, Industrial Relations
Center, 1955, bibliography, pp. 61-62).
1431
1432
into the basic wage structure. Two organizations
were formed in 1919-20—the Filipino Laborers’
Association, under Pablo Manlapit, and the Japa
nese Federation of Labor. The Filipino group
struck first, on January 19, 1920, but returned to
work by February 10 after eviction from company
houses. The strike called on February 8, 1920,
by the Japanese Federation and involving ap
proximately 7,000 workers, ended unsuccessfully
on July 1 because of the failure of the 2 labor
organizations to work together, the flu epidemic,
the eviction from company houses, and the effec
tive opposition of the employers.
In 1924, Manlapit’s organization lost a strike
for the 8-hour day, a $2-per-day wage, and the
incorporation of wartime bonuses into base rates.
Reasons for the failure were apparent in the exist
ing economic and labor environment. The 1920’s
on the mainland were characterized by the spread
of the open shop and welfare unionism. Sim
ilarly, under Hawaii’s plantation system, housing
facilities, medical services, recreational needs, and
similar benefits were provided by the employers,
thus permitting them to exercise substantial
community control. As on the mainland, the
unions fought this “paternalism” on the basis
that it was inimical to the independence of
employees.
The stranding of substantial numbers of union
ized seamen in Hawaii following strikes in 1934
and 1936 on the mainland’s West Coast created
favorable conditions for the organization of
workers in the Territory. Approximately 1,200
seamen were stranded after the 1936 strike, which
lasted 98 days.
Concomitantly, the National Labor Relations
(Wagner) Act, passed in 1935 to protect the rights
of employees to organize and bargain collectively
with their employers, helped to provide a founda
tion for later organizational efforts in Hawaii.
The first National Labor Relations Board consent
election under the act was held on October 10,
1940, at the McBryde Sugar Plantation and in
volved Local 76 of the CIO Cannery Workers.
This election resulted in the first collective
bargaining agreement, signed August 6, 1941, in
the sugar industry. The first waterfront agree
ment was signed with the International Long
shoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union on June
12, 1941.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
The establishment of military controls following
the outbreak of World War II led to Federal
Government restrictions on the mobility of the
labor force and to wage controls; both actions
helped to create resentment among the workers.
After the controls were lifted in 1944, union organ
izing efforts were highly successful. Almost
overnight the labor community found itself
organized by the ILWU.2
In 1945 alone, 75 elections involving 14,000
workers were held in Hawaii. Eleven thousand
of these votes were for representation, and only
752 were against. By 1946, the ILWU felt
strong enough to call a strike in the sugar industry.
The work stoppage began September 1, lasted for
79 days, and involved approximately 21,000
workers. Although the union did not achieve all
of its demands, it obtained a substantial wage
settlement—primarily through conversion of
worker perquisites into the basic wage. The
ILWU which had considered the perquisite system
to be one of the major factors tying the worker
to the plantation, hailed the strike as a victory
and a sign of its growing strength. It claimed that
its members had cast 15,400 votes favoring the
strike, and that only 100 were opposed.
The union’s strength was also tested in strikes
which occurred in the stevedore industry in 1949
and in the pineapple industry in 1947 and 1951.
The 1949 strike involving waterfront workers at
tempted to establish the principle of new contract
term arbitration and to achieve wage parity with
waterfront workers on the mainland’s West Coast.
The 1947 strike against 8 pineapple companies
also involved the wage issue. The 1951 strike
was directed against the Hawaiian Pineapple Co.
over the issues of industrywide bargaining and
union security.
Thereafter, relationships between the ILWU
and the major employers in Hawaii were ostensibly
quiescent until a dispute flared in the summer of
1955 at the Onomea Sugar Co. Some observers
explained the lack of overt conflict on the basis
that the union needed to stabilize its position in
Hawaii in order to meet the competitive pressures
from the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific (AFL) and
the Teamster Union (AFL), both on the West
Coast.
2 The ILW U (Ind.) was expelled from the Congress of Industrial Organi
zations (CIO) on August 29, 1950, on charges that it was Communist dom
inated.
HAWAII: LABOR RELATIONS—PATTERN AND OUTLOOK
Labor Relations in the Sugar Industry
The 1955 dispute which occurred when the Onomea Sugar Co. laid off 35 hand weeders reflected
the basic shortcomings of an “armed truce” col
lective bargaining arrangement. On May 30, 530
employees of the company walked off the job
protesting the layoff action. In the background
of the dispute was the rejection by employers in
the industry of the ILWU’s demand to negotiate
an adequate industrywide “severance pay” pro
vision on the ground that the current industrywide
contract was not due to expire until January 31,
1956. Allan S. Davis, president of the Hawaiian
Sugar Planters’ Association, accused the union of
“flagrant” violations of its contract. “The union”
he said, “gave . . . assurance [against strikes] in
a written contract in return for substantial benefits
granted by the companies to the employees and
the union. The union has since seen fit to dis
regard its pledge, not once but a number of times,
and has flagrantly violated the contract agree
ments dealing with layoffs due to job elimination
and the handling of grievances.” 3
Davis continued: “. . . if contracts can be
broken by the ILWU with impunity at times and
places of the union’s own choosing—such as at
Onomea—then no segment of the industry is safe
from these unwarranted and destructive tactics.”
In a similar vein, the 1954 Annual Report of the
Hawaii Employers Council previously had pointed
out that although the number of man-days idle
due to strikes was the lowest since 1945, 16 strikes
had occurred in the Territory in 1954. Eleven of
these had been initiated by the ILWU, according
to the report, and “. . . 10 of these were in
violation of no-strike clauses in the contracts.”
Jack Hall, ILWU Regional Director for Hawaii,
in a Labor Day address, replied to the accusation
by Davis. He said:
An examination of each of the so-called 11 “illegal”
strikes in the sugar industry since March 1954 shows that
with two exceptions—the lockout at Naalehu and the
walkout at Onomea—all were minor and of an incon
sequential nature . . . The 11 walkouts were spontaneous
ones. In practically every case the men were disciplined
for the claimed violation of the agreement, as provided in
the agreement, usually by suspension from work . . . they
[industry] talk about these very minor disturbances as if
they rocked the financial foundations of the industry. . . ,4
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1433
Leading representatives in the sugar industry
subsequently commented on labor-management
relations in the sugar industry, noting some im
provements and the existence of good relations in
certain plantations but also that these instances
were exceptional. R. G. Bell, vice president and
general manager of Alexander & Baldwin, Ltd.,
stated that—
. . . the isolation and interdependence of the average
plantation community has created some social problems
which, under the union’s [ILWU] leadership, have been
brought into the economic area for the purpose, I believe,
to make it more difficult for them to be solved. Why
should this be so? Apparently to create sources of poten
tial conflict which can be brought to light as needed to
create grievances which in turn help to create militancy
and dependency on the union.5
J. E. Russell, president, T. H. Davies & Co.,
Ltd., pointed out that “in some areas of their
jurisdiction, relations with the ILWU have im
proved,” and that there was “real hope of achiev
ing compatibility in the future.” However, he
questioned the union’s basic attitude toward
employers:
The major stumbling block is uncertainty as to the policy
of the [ILWU] . . . which represents employees in the
sugar industry.
In 1948, Mr. Harry Bridges made the following state
ment before a committee of the United States Congress:
“It is our . . . policy . . . that they (union members)
can’t trust an employer, that if they depend upon an
employer for any type of security [and] fair treatment,
they’ll get stung and that is what we tell them.”
He also told that committee that the interests of the
workers and those of the employers are always adverse and
antagonistic; that there was, therefore, no common meeting
ground, no basis for any permanent mutually satisfactory
agreement.
That does not sound as though the ILWU was interested
in any sort of compatibility at that time. Remember, he
wasn’t talking about any particular employer. He was
talking about all employers . . .
I think that . . . this kind of attitude is a serious
obstacle, not only to our sugar industry, but to the entire
future progress of Hawaii.®
Sugar industry spokesmen also discussed the
industry’s economic position in the light of pend
ing wage negotiations. A. G. Budge, president
* Statement in the (Honolulu) Advertiser, June 25, 1955.
4 ILW U broadcast over station KHON, Honolulu, September 9, 1955.
* Speech delivered to West Honolulu Rotary Club, September 2,1955 (p. 8).
* Speech delivered to Main Kiwanis Club, September 1, 1955 (pp. 8-9).
1434
of Castle & Cooke and second vice president of
the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, said:
“The industry is in no position to pay more either
directly or indirectly to labor without hazarding
its future. This is unfortunate, but true.” 7
G. W. Sumner, president of American Factors
and first vice president of the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters’ Association, did not quite rule out
any wage adjustment, but noted that “. . . we
cannot make concessions beyond what prudent
business judgment dictates. If we have to say
‘No’, we will mean it.” 8
At the recent ILWU convention in Hilo, in
September 1955, Louis Goldblatt, the union’s
international secretary-treasurer, responded to the
employers’ arguments indicating that the union
would be fair in the forthcoming contract negotia
tions but that the employers would have to sup
port their claims of inability to pay wage increases.
The union was entitled to all the facts, he stated,
and, if wages were to be held at present levels,
“the burden of proof must fall on the employer in
view of national wage hikes, enormous increases
in productivity by sugar workers, and their
declining share of the revenue dollar.”
Trade Union Membership
Complete and accurate membership figures are
extremely difficult to obtain. Even if all union
locals supplied such data, varied definitions used
by unions to report membership would pose the
problem of comparability. Concepts and prac
tices used by unions to measure membership
differ widely and, in addition, the records of local
unions are frequently incomplete.9 Hawaiian
trade union membership data are rough approx
imations, based on fragmentary data available
from union convention reports, the Territorial
Department of Labor, and the Hawaii Employers
Council. These data are intended merely to
provide some basis for trend comparisons.10 (See
chart.)
Membership growth was slow following the
enactment of the NLRA in 1935 and the occur
rence of major West Coast strikes. Immediately
prior to World War II, a substantial upsurge oc
curred. Membership declined during the mili
tary occupation but by the end of 1944 it had
almost regained the prewar level. Major in-
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Trade Union Mem bership1 in Hawaii, 1935-53
THO USAN D S
u n it e d s t a t e s d e p a r t m e n t o f l a b o r
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Source. Based on Union Convention
Reports. Hawaii Department of Labor.
a n d |_|a%va{j E m p lo y e r s C o u n c il-
1 Does not include employees in the Hawaii Education Association and
the Hawaii Government Employees Association. Total membership in
these 2 organizations is about 13,000.
creases occurred in 1945, due to the removal of
military controls in 1944, spiraling prices, and re
newed organizing activity which was facilitated by
a willingness on the part of major employers to
agree to NLRB representation elections requested
by unions.
The ILWU is the largest single union in the
Territory, with extensive bargaining rights in the
sugar, pineapple, and longshore industries. Duespaying membership claimed by the union in 1955
is 22,502, compared with 23,571 in 1954, and is
distributed, by industry, as follows: Sugar, 14,812 ;
7Speech delivered to Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Hawaii, August
26, 1955 (p. 4).
8Speech delivered to Hilo Kiwanis Club, August 26, 1955 (p. 8).
8Even on the mainland, where unions submit comprehensive reports of
trade union membership to the TJ. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, problems of comparability of membership data have not
been completely resolved.
10 Thirty-two international unions claiming membership in Hawaii re
ported to the U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, a com
bined Hawaiian membership of 33,000 in 1954. See Directory of National
and International Labor Unions in the United States, 1955 (BLS Bull. 1185).
This total represented approximately a sixth of the estimated Hawaiian
civilian labor force.
HAWAII: LABOR RELATIONS—PATTERN AND OUTLOOK
pineapple, 5,131; longshore, 1,790; and miscella
neous, 769. The decline in ILWU membership
is largely attributable to employment declines in
the sugar and pineapple industries, arising out of
mechanization and other factors.11
Unity House, which includes the Teamsters,
Hotel & Restaurant Employees, and other unions,
claims membership of approximately 3,500. These
unions have members in the major hotels, dairies,
milk products industries, local transit, and other
industries. Membership in these unions has been
increasing.
NLRB Representation Proceedings
A review of the representation petitions before
the National Labor Relations Board illustrates
graphically the growth of the trade union move
ment in Hawaii. Relatively few companies have
agreed to recognize employee organizations with
out prior certification by the NLRB that the
union represented a majority of the employees
in the appropriate bargaining unit. Data con
cerning the number of representation elections in
which the unions won certification from 1938
through 1947 point up the fact that the major
drive for union recognition following the lifting of
wartime military restrictions was highly successful
(table 1).
In 1944, 1945, and 1946 alone, the NLRB certi
fied 190 unions as bargaining agents. In addition,
the Hawaii Employment Relations (Little Wagner)
Act, enacted in 1945, provided for representation
election machinery for employees not covered by
the National Labor Relations Act. The elections
held in 1945 and 1946 under the Hawaiian statute
also resulted in substantial union victories. The
net result was the organization of the bulk of the
sugar and pineapple industry with a potential em
ployee membership in excess of 20,000.
11 The ILW U, however, has blamed Arthur A. Rutledge, local president
and business manager of the AFL Teamsters, for its failure to increase its
membership. A statement from an ILW U report is quoted in the (Hono
lulu) Advertiser of Sept. 23, 1955, as follows: “Whenever the ILW U organ
ized a new group of workers, Rutledge . . . in collaboration with certain
employers, conducted an anti-ILW U smear campaign.” The union passed
a resolution on “labor unity” which read in part, “The Rutledge-led Team
sters are now engaged in open warfare against our union. . . . We will
continue our fight for labor unity with all working people even though it
m ay require bypassing certain ‘misleaders’ of labor.” Rutledge replied:
“ The only thing that stands between the domination of the economy and
the political situation and the business community by the ILW U, is the
Teamsters Union, and they know it.”
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1435
T a b l e 1.— Number of National Labor Relations Board
representation elections held, and number in which unions
were certified, Hawaii, 1988-54
Elections
held
Year
1938_________
1939_________
1940_________
1941_________
1942_________
1943_________
1944_______
1945_________
1946_________
Unions
certified
1
6
3
7
4
4
0
6
34
66
105
4
4
0
6
34
61
95
Elections Unions
held
certified
Year •
1947 .
1948.
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954.
25
IS
7
10
10
12
0
9
9
18
34
24
17
26
42
37
1 Figures are on a fiscal year basis starting in 1948.
Source: N LRB regional office, Honolulu, T. H.
The aggressive organizing efforts in recent years
and particularly in the past 3 years are reflected
in the voting record in representation elections
since 1947. Nevertheless, recruiting efforts have
not been easy. The record of NLRB elections
indicate that during 1948-54 about 30 percent of
the total valid votes cast were for “no union” ; in
1954, over 40 percent voted “no union” (table 2).
Other Indicators of Union Growth
In addition to the union gains indicated in
NLRB representation proceedings, the increased
number of contracts in force and strike activity
were also measures of advances in unionization in
Hawaii (table 3).
Labor-management agreements generally fol
lowed the mainland pattern, particularly with
respect to provisions for longer term contracts
which sought to achieve industrial stability. A
large majority of the agreements concluded in
1954 and 1955 were made effective for longer
than the usual 1-year term. The stevedoring
T a b l e 2. — Results of representation elections conducted by
the National Labor Relations Board in Hawaii, 1948-54
Valid votes cast
Fiscal
year
1954....... .
1953............
1952........ .
1951______
1950______
1949______
1948______
Employ Total
valid
ees
eligible
votes
to vote
cast
1,068
2,083
1,245
979
1,323
316
903
1,021
1,821
1,123
828
1,188
284
725
AFL
affili
ates
443
881
611
215
543
49
134
CIO
affili
ates
Unaffil No
iated
unions union
0
0
0
47
0
0
0
i No figures available.
Source: NLRB regional office, Honolulu, T . H.
149
462
34
325
354
37
473
429
478
478
241
291
198
118
Employ
ees in
units
choosing
represen
tation
690
1,761
933
614
1,056
0)
(0
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1436
T a b l e 3. — Number of contracts in force and strike activity,
Hawaii, 1940-54
Year
1940--1941__
1942—,
1943—
1944—
1945—
1946—
1947.—
N um
ber of Num
Num
con ber of ber of mantracts strikes days idle
in force
(>)
(>)
(>)
12
14
76
167
176
7
11
2
4
1
9
19
22
33, 200
34,000
67
716
60
8,875
1, 909,779
91,116
Year
1948— 1949—
1950__
1951 —
1952—
1953—
1954—
N um
ber of Num
Num
con
ber of ber of mantracts strikes days idle
in force
156
141
121
129
132
132
132
11
6
53
17
30
21
16
121,194
244,624
51,052
150, 625
81, 256
91, 631
39, 764
1 Data not available.
Source: Territorial Commission of Labor and Industrial Relations and
Annual Reports of the Hawaii Employers Council.
companies signed a contract which expires June
15, 1956; the 7 major pineapple companies signed
a contract which runs to February 1, 1956; and
the sugar companies extended their agreements
to January 31, 1956. In addition, the Honolulu
Rapid Transit Co. agreed to a July 16, 1957, con
tract termination date and the Hawaiian Tele
phone Co. negotiated a contract extension to De
cember 31, 1957. Late in 1955, the Matson Navi
gation Co. reached an agreement which covers its
employees in four Waikiki hotels and runs until
May 31, 1957.
Issues Affecting Industrial Stability
The status of union-management relations in
Hawaii is pointed up in disagreements over crucial
issues involving union security and collective
bargaining rights. These conflicts represent a
departure from the general practice in which col
lective bargaining developments in Hawaii are
patterned after those on the mainland.
In the background of this variance from main
land accomplishments in union-employer accom
modation was the Territory’s significant lag in
unionization compared with that on the mainland,
particularly in the 1930’s. In addition, adapta
tions of mainland labor developments were neces
sary to meet local needs. Because of Hawaii’s
unique position—its highly integrated economy,
dependence on water transportation, and vulner
ability in case of a major dispute, as well as the
dominance by the ILWU of the Islands’ major
industries-—employers have sought to incorporate
safeguards in agreement provisions. Unfortu
nately mutual “good faith” cannot be inscribed
in agreements; nor can contracts be shielded from
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the impact of disputes and settlements on the
West Coast. Employers in Hawaii have made
efforts, however, to limit the unions’ contractual
strength and to prevent “restrictive union con
trols” in the collective bargaining agreements.
Union Security. In discussing the issue of union
security in its 10th anniversary report (1953), the
Hawaii Employers Council pointed out its con
tinuing opposition to the union shop because of
its “encroachments on the rights and freedoms”
of employees. The status of union-shop agree
ments in Hawaii is illustrated in a report prepared
by the council in June 1950. The study compares
the collective bargaining provisions of 400 main
land agreements collected by the Bureau of Na
tional Affairs, Inc., with 150 Hawaii agreements
representing a majority of the contracts then
in effect in the Territory. Although the council’s
study covers all major contract provisions, the
comparison presented is limited to union-security
provisions.
Percent of agreements
having union-security
provisions in —
United
Closed shop_____________________________
Union shop___________
Maintenance of membership______________
Revocable checkoff of dues_______________
Irrevocable checkoff_____________________
Renewal irrevocable_____________________
Initiation fees deducted__________________
States
Hawaii
5
50
15
5
45
15
30
1
27
0
2
72
38
67
1 Less than 1.
s Mainly includes firms which are nonmembers of the Hawaii Employers
Council.
Further evidence of the employers’ imple
mentation of their opposition to the union shop
is available in a later analysis of 143 agreements
made by the council in May 1953. The study
showed no union-shop provisions in 26 sugar,
20 pineapple, 9 longshore, and 26 trade contracts.
However, union-shop agreements were found in
the following industries: 7 in food processing
and manufacturing, 2 in utilities and transporta
tion, 4 in construction, and 4 in all other indus
tries. The ILWU had no union-shop agreements,
and all other independent unions had only 1.
The Teamsters had 7; the Machinists, 2; the
Electrical Workers, 1; and other AFL unions, 6.
Most of the contracts with union-shop clauses
were between unions and employers who were not
members of the council.
HAWAII : LABOR RELATIONS—PATTERN AND OUTLOOK
Contracts recently negotiated, however, have
incorporated so-called “security language.” The
strongest provision short of a union-shop clause
thus far negotiated reads:
The company acknowledges its belief in a strong and
responsible union. The company also recognizes that a
strong and responsible union is possible only to the extent
that the employees take part in the union and its activities.
The company declares that it will not make any state
ment nor commit any act to discourage any employee
with respect to membership in the union.—Agreement
between the Hawaiian Electric Supply Co. and the Inter
national Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1260
(AFL).
The “Three Clauses.” Perhaps no issue has created
as much controversy between employers and nonILWU unions as the continuing insistence by the
employers on the inclusion in their contracts of
the “three clauses,” namely: (1) no-strike, no
lockout clause; (2) no-discrimination clause; and
(3) discharge clause.12 The unions have con
tended that the Hawaii Employers Council, as
the organized spokesman for the major companies
in Hawaii, has utilized these clauses to restrain
and impede the exercise by the employees of their
rights to engage in normal union activity, includ
ing the refusal to cross a bona fide picket line.
12
For a detailed discussion of the 3 clauses, see the National Labor Rela
tions Board’s decision in Shell Oil et al., 23-C-40, 43, 44, June 22, 1948, 77
NLRB 1306. See also Paul F. Brissenden, The “ Three Clauses” in Hawai
ian labor agreements {in Political Science Quarterly, Mar. 1953, pp. 89-108)
and William Nakaue, The Three Clauses in Labor Relations in Hawaii
(research manuscript), University of Hawaii library, 1955. The three
clauses at issue in the Oil cases are reproduced as follows:
“The parties hereto agree that during the term of this agreement any
past, existing, or future custom or practice of the employer or the union
to the contrary notwithstanding, there shall be no lockout by the employer,
nor any strike, sitdown, refusal to work, stoppage of work, slowdown, re
tardation of production, or picketing of the employer on the part of the
union or its representatives or on the part of any employee covered by the
terms of this agreement.
“ The employer will not discriminate against any employee because of
his membership in the union or for legitimate union activities: Provided,
however, That such activity shall not interfere with employer’s operations,
and must not be conducted during working hours unless expressly pro
vided for in this agreement. The union agrees for itself and its members
th at neither it, its representatives or members will attem pt to intimidate
or coerce any employee of the employer for the purpose of compelling such
employee to join the union.
“ Employees shall be subject to discharge by employer for insubordination,
pilferage, drunkenness, incompetence or failure to perform the work as re
quired, or for failure to observe safety rules and regulations and employer’s
house rules, which shall be conspicuously posted. Any discharged em
ployee shall, upon request, be furnished the reason for his discharge in
writing. Probationary and temporary employees may be summarily
discharged.”
u i American Labor Arbitration Awards (p. 67,824, par. 67,359). Hono
lulu Construction & Draying Co. Decided October 10,1945.
366804— 55------7
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1437
Interpreting the discharge clause in a case in
volving the Honolulu Construction & Draying Co.
and AFL Teamsters Local 996, an arbitration
board held that refusal to cross a picket line was a
violation of the section of the contract which
required, among other things, that the employees
“perform work as required.” 13
In the Shell Oil case (see footnote 12), Teamsters’
Local 904 had contended that the oil companies
and the Hawaii Employers Council violated the
provisions of the National Labor Relations Act by
stipulating the “three clauses” as a condition
precedent to collective bargaining and insisting
that the employees give up rights protected under
the act before the employer would grant any
collective bargaining concessions. The trial ex
aminer upheld the complaint but was reversed by
the National Labor Relations Board after the
Labor Management Relations (Taft-Hartley) Act
was passed. The Board held that:
. . . the evidence is insufficient to establish that the
council used unlawful means in persuading the oil com
panies to insist on the inclusion of the three clauses.
Union objections to the three clauses were based
not only on the ground that the employers were
seeking to undermine their strength but also that
they could not negotiate effectively with em
ployers because of the insistence of the council on
a certain “policy” position. On March 29, 1947,
the Teamsters and the ILWU advised the council
as follows:
Because your council has given to its members the im
pression that unions have agreed by signing certain clauses
to give up their statutory rights and because this is not
true, the undersigned hereby inform you that we are in
complete agreement on the question of crossing bona fide
picket lines at the direction of employers.
While we may have our differences—
1. We will not cross bona fide picket lines at the direc
tion of your council or your members.
2. We will not conspire with your council or your mem
bers to do away with workers’ rights guaranteed by the
National Labor Relations Act.
3. We will not permit Hawaii’s monopolists to play one
group of workers against another and thus destroy all
unions in these Islands.
The council, on the other hand, as the employers’
representative in collective bargaining matters,
argued that their unified position was intended to
avoid alleged “whipsawing” of individual em
ployers by the unions. Other unions have con
tended, however, that the ILWU was able to
1438
avoid these restrictive clauses in its contracts, or
relied on its economic strength to prevent em
ployers from insisting on strict application of
these provisions.
Arnold Wills, formerly NLRB officer-in-charge
in Honolulu, in a speech to the Honolulu Rotary
Club, on September 12, 1950, said:
I can truthfully state that I know of no single item
which in the last few years has caused so much bitterness
and hostility and frustration among labor leaders and
among unionized employees in general as employer insist
ence that these three clauses go into every contract. I
believe such insistence to be detrimental to our commu
nity since they penalize those unions which believe con
tracts are sacred and honestly strive to negotiate contracts
they can live with and honor. They mean nothing to
people who believe a contract is a scrap of paper— a
truce in a class war . . .
Lastly, they just don’t work. Employer Council figures
indicate that there have been approximately 40 contract
violations in the form of strikes, walkouts, or quickies . . .
since January 1, 1950 . . . Aside from the attitude that
a contract is only a truce in a class war, there will always
be men who will refuse to cross a picket line when their
best manly instincts tell them it is dishonorable and dis
reputable to help break a worthy strike.14
Outlook for Labor-Management Relations
That labor-management peace is vital in
Hawaii is unquestioned. The recent testimony
by Randolph Sevier, president of Matson Naviga
tion Co., before the House Committee on Mer
chant Marine and Fisheries, indicates the high
priority he places on reasonable stability in labormanagement relations in the light of his company’s
plans for greater expansion of trade in the Pacific
area. Mr. Sevier is quoted as saying:
I feel the weight of the testimony you’ve received in these
hearings focuses on one urgent immediate problem: The
need for stability of labor relations in the maritime indus
try and emergence of true collective bargaining between
labor and management. . . . The problems inherent in
Matson’s offshore service to Hawaii must be solved because
the isolation of the Islands demands the maintenance of this
vital transportation link by oceangoing vessels.15
The road to greater industrial stability in
Hawaii is similar to that which must be taken on
the mainland. However, Hawaii’s need for indus
trial peace is greater than on the mainland, be
cause a major labor dispute in the Territory has
wider and deeper repercussions. The geographic
isolation of the Islands, although favorable in
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
terms of tourist appeal, makes the Territory’s
economy vulnerable in case of a major work stop
page—particularly on the waterfront, and in the
basic sugar and pineapple industries.
Among the factors which militate against a
high degree of industrial peace in the immediate
future are the exceedingly rapid unionization of
the Islands and the distrust between employers
and labor that was bred by the character of
labor-management relations in the past. Work
ers have supported ILWU claims, convinced that
the gains in wages and working conditions have
been obtained only because of the union’s militant
efforts.
Thus, the highly integrated Hawaiian economy
was particularly susceptible to union organization.
The ILWU, first as an affiliate of the Congress of
Industrial Organizations and later as an independ
ent union following its ouster from the CIO in
mid-1950 because of its Communist-oriented pol
icy, has acted as an effective and admittedly
“militant” union, with interests beyond basic
bread and butter union goals. The failure of
AFL and CIO affiliates to obtain a foothold in the
Territory has resulted in the dominance of the
ILWU in the sugar, pineapple, and ocean trans
portation industries—a sizable segment of the
industrial operations in the Island community.
A number of disturbing situations, several con
cerning developments on the mainland’s West
Coast, may effect a change in the pattern of labormanagement relations in the Territory. These
developments include renewed efforts to deport
Harry Bridges and other officers of the ILWU 16
and continued jurisdictional disputes between the
ILWU and the SUP (AFL) and the Teamsters
(AFL).
Locally, several current developments will sig
nificantly affect union-management relations.
The ILWU is presently planning its demands for
negotiations in sugar, pineapple, and stevedoring
industries which are scheduled for 1956. The
sugar agreement, which expires January 31, 1956,
is first on the union’s bargaining agenda. The
14Arnold L. Wills, op. eit. (pp. 22-23).
15(Honolulu) Advertiser, June 29,1955.
18The fifth effort to deport Bridges failed when Federal Judge Louis E.
Goodman dismissed the Government complaint stating: “ M y conclusion
is that the Government has failed to prove the allegations of this complaint
as to the respondent’s alleged membership in the Communist P arty by
clear and convincing evidence.”—Honolulu Star Bulletin, September 29,
1955.
HAWAII : LABOR RELATIONS—PATTERN AND OUTLOOK
issue of severance pay may complicate the nego
tiating picture in this industry. Increased or
ganizational efforts by the ILWU have already
created some competition with AFL affiliates and
other independent unions. In addition, a num
ber of AFL international unions have indicated
an interest in a membership drive particularly in
the building trades. By contrast, the recent
Matson Navigation Co. agreements with the
AFL Teamsters covering the firm’s hotel employ
ees have avoided some major contract problems.
The economic situation, on the whole, is prom
ising and may help to minimize labor-manage
ment problems. Favorable developments in the
hotel and tourist industry, increased military
expenditures, and a growing interest of mainland
capital in Territorial business ventures may pro
vide enough “organizing elbow room” for all.
Heavy construction outlays planned by major
companies suggest a favorable business environ
ment in the next few years.
The dispute over the “three clauses” seems to
be in abeyance, although the picket-line issue
still disturbs many AFL officials. The union-
security issue, however, is still very controversial.
The unions continue to oppose the Hawaii
Employers Council on the union-shop issue and
its participation at the bargaining table.
The problem of the ideological character of
ILWU leadership remains without any indication
of action by the membership to modify or resolve
it. The Smith Act trial and conviction of Jack
Hall, ILWU regional director, as part of the Com
munist conspiracy, is being appealed. Radio and
press reports frequently criticize the union’s
leadership, but apparently exert relatively little
influence on the membership. Splinter efforts of
so-called “rightwing” union groups, such as Bert
Nakano’s, by and large have been ineffective.
The feeling seems to be prevalent that any changes
in basic philosophy will have to come from within
the ILWU.
The AFL-CIO merger will have little effect on
unionization in the Territory. To date, appar
ently, the total potential membership has not
offered sufficient incentive for a major organizingdrive by an individual international union or
group of unions.
“ . . . The story of Hawaii’s industry [until the mid-twenties] . . . has
been the story of a tree, an animal, and a plant. The tree was sandalwood—
the great article of export which was shipped to China in great quantities in
the early days. So feverishly did the chiefs compel the people to cut sandal
wood that by 1825 it was becoming extinct and it is now commercially unob
tainable in the Islands. Then came the period when prosperity depended on
an animal—-the whale which, it may be noted incidentally, is a mammal and
not a fish. From 1820 onward great fleets of whaling ships, mostly American,
brought prosperity to the Islands by their purchases of supplies. But the
Civil War, and a later disaster in the Arctic Ocean, wrought havoc with the
whaling fleet and the kerosene lamp made whale oil almost a curiosity, so that
by 1870 the whaling fleet had ceased to be an economic resource and the
Islands were left without an occupation or a market; for the plant, the sugar
cane, upon which Hawaii’s third era of economic prosperity depends, did not
become the dominant industrial factor until the reciprocity treaty of 1876
opened the American market to Hawaiian sugar free of duty.”
Albert W. Palmer, The Human Side of Hawaii— Race Problems in the Mid-Pacific,
Boston and Chicago, Pilgrim Press, 1924 (p. 42).
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1440
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Bibliography on Labor Conditions,
Labor Problems, Labor Economics
M argarete M cB ride
N o t e .—Asterisk indicates 'publications not avail
able for examination by compiler of bibliography.
General Notes
Territorial statistics are included in general
publications of the U. S. Department of Com
merce, Bureau of the Census, such as the Statistical
Abstract of the United States and the 1950 Census
reports on population, agriculture, and housing.
Labor legislation applicable to the Territories
appears in the—
Annual Digest of State and Federal Labor Legis
lation, July 1, 1953-September 30, 1954.
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Standards, 1955. (Bull.
178.)
Useful guides to references on labor problems
and conditions include such periodical indexes as
the Leaders’ Guide to Periodical Literature, In
ternational Index to Periodicals, Industrial Arts
Index, and Public Affairs Information Service
Bulletin. Here, too, should be noted the Monthly
Catalog of U. S. Government Publications.
Bibliographies and book lists devoted specifi
cally to matters of labor interest appear in the
Monthly Labor Review of the U. S. Department of
Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; the Library
Journal; and publications of the International
Labor Office.
For Puerto Kico, two useful area publications
are available:
Anuario Bibliográfico Puertorriqueño: Indice A l
fabético de Libros, Folletos, Revistas y Periódicos
Publicados en Puerto Rico. Río Piedras,
Biblioteca de la Universidad de Puerto Rico.
Available to 1952.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Current Caribbean Bibliography: A Cumulative
List of Publications Issued in the Caribbean
Countries of France, Great Britain, the Nether
lands and the United States, 1950-1953. Portof-Spain, Trinidad, Caribbean Commission,
1955. (Vol. 3, Nos. 3-4.)
The Commission states that the next issue will
be an annual number for 1954, to be published as
Vol. 4; hereafter the bibliography is to be produced
once a year rather than semiannually.
Another valuable aid is the Report on Surveys,
Research Projects, Investigations and Other Or
ganized Fact-Gathering Activities of the Government
of Puerto Rico, listed herein under “Puerto Rico—
Official Publications.”
For Hawaii, Abstracts: Agricultural, Industrial
and Economic Research, Territory of Hawaii,
1930-1952, listed herein under “Hawaii—Official
Publications,” performs a service similar to that
of the Puerto Rican Report on Surveys . . ., noted
above. Its coverage, however, is broader, em
bracing nonofficial as well as governmental
projects.
For all three areas here considered, bibliog
raphies appended to published works dealing
with regional labor problems (some of which may
be located through the Bibliographic Index, H. W.
Wilson Co., New York) lead to additional perti
nent material.
Puerto Rico
OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
Agriculture of Puerto Rico. By C. Y. Shephard. (In
Monthly Information Bulletin, Caribbean Commis
sion, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 7:10, May 1954, pp.
228-231, 233-234.)
Amending the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Hearings
Before Subcommittee on Labor, Committee on Labor
and Public Welfare, United States Senate, 84th Cong.,
1st sess., on S. 18, S. 57, etc. Washington, 1955.
Part 3 and Statistical Appendix contains considerable
information on employment and wages in Puerto Rico.
Annual Report of Puerto Rico Department of Labor.
Juan.
San
* Apuntes Sobre el Movimiento Obrero en Puerto Rico. By
Juan S. Bravo. San Juan, Departamento del Tra
bajo, Oficina de Servicios, División de Imprenta, 1952.
24 pp. 2d ed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON LABOR CONDITIONS, PROBLEMS, AND ECONOMICS
The Caribbean (formerly the Monthly Information Bulletin),
a publication of the Caribbean Commission. Port-ofSpain, Trinidad. Monthly.
Each issue contains some information on phases of Puerto
Rican development, closely related to labor conditions and
problems of that Commonwealth. “Social and Economic
News of Caribbean Interest” is a regular feature. Major
articles of the past 3 years which treat aspects of the
Puerto Rican labor scene are individually listed in this
bibliography.
Census of Manufactures. San Juan, Office of the Governor,
Puerto Rico Planning Board, Bureau of Economics and
Statistics.
Supplement to Statistical Yearbook. Includes statistics
on number of employees and total wages paid. Latest
available edition, 1952.
A Comprehensive Agricultural Program for Puerto Rico. By
Nathan Koenig. Washington, U. S. Department of
Agriculture (in cooperation with the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico), 1953. xii, 299 pp., bibliography,
maps, illus.
Analyzes condition of agricultural laborers in Puerto
Rico.
The Concept and Measurement of Underemployment. By
Fernando Sierra Berdecia and A. J. Jaffe. (In
Monthly Labor Review, U. S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, 78:3, March
1955, pp. 283-287.)
Consumers’ Price Index for Wage Earners’ Families in
Puerto Rico and Retail Food Prices. San Juan, De
partment of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Monthly. English text; tables in English and
Spanish.
Economic Development of Puerto Rico, 1940-1950, 19511960. San Juan, Office of the Governor, Puerto Rico
Planning Board, Economic Division, 1951. 179 pp.
Economic Prospects of Migration. By Roberto de Jesus.
{In Monthly Information Bulletin, Caribbean Com
mission, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 6:12, July 1953,
pp. 269-270. Reprinted from Fomento de Puerto
Rico.)
Economic Report to the Governor, 1954■ San Juan, Office of
the Governor, Puerto Rico Planning Board, Bureau of
Economics and Statistics, [1955?]. 55, 27 pp. Eng
lish text; appendixes in English and Spanish.
Effect of Labor Costs and Migration on the Puerto Rican
Economy. {In Monthly Labor Review, U. S. Depart
ment of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washing
ton, 78: 6, June 1953, pp. 625-627.)
Summary of articles by Rottenberg and Senior in Annals
of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
January 1953.
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1441
Employment, Hours and Earnings in Manufacturing Indus
tries in Puerto Rico, October 1952 to August 1954■ San
Juan, Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statis
tics, 1954. 18 pp.
* [Estudios Estadísticos.] San Juan, Minimum Wage
Board, Division of Research and Statistics.
Statistical studies of specific businesses or industries in
Puerto Rico.
Fomento de Puerto Rico: Revista Trimestral Dedicada a las
Actividades Económicas del Estado Libre Asociado de
Puerto Rico. San Juan, Administración de Fomento
Económico.
Frente del Trabajo: Hombres y Mujeres que Laboran y
Producen. By Fernando Sierra Berdecía. San Juan,
Departamento de Hacienda, Oficina de Servicios,
División de Imprenta, 1952. 49 pp.
Revision (to February 1951) of an article originally
published in Colección Américas, Vol. X, Puerto Rico,
Barranquilla, Colombia, 1949.
Incomes and Expenditures of Wage Earners in Puerto Rico.
By Alice C. Hanson and Manuel A. Perez. San Juan,
Department of Labor, 1947.
152 pp., diagrams.
(Bull. 1.)
Prepared in cooperation with the U. S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
Industrial Development Company of Puerto Rico [a case
study].
{In Economic Development of Under
developed Countries; Evolution and Functioning of
Development Corporations: Working Paper by
Secretary-General [of United Nations], pp. 13-35.
New York, 1955. U. N. Document E/2690, 19th
sess., item 5.)
Information on Puerto Rico for the Fiscal Year Ending
June SO, 1952. Transmitted by United States to
Secretary-General of United Nations pursuant to
Article 73 (e) of the Charter. Prepared by Govern
ment of Puerto Rico. 176 pp. and appendix.
Final report; cessation of reporting noted in Monthly
Information Bulletin of Caribbean Commission, February
1953, p. 166.
Informe Anual. San Juan, Departamento de Instrucción
Pública.
Includes reports of Divisions of Vocational Education
and Vocational Rehabilitation.
Ingreso Monetario de la Familia Puertorriqueña, Año
Natural 1950 {Análisis Preliminar).
San Juan,
Departamento del Trabajo, Negociado de Estadísticas,
Sección de Análisis de Salarios y Estudios Especiales.
[San Juan, 1953.] 6 pp.
1442
Legislación del Trabajo Vigente en Puerto Rico. Revisada
en Julio de 1953. San Juan, Departamento del Tra
bajo, [1953]. Various pagings.
Puerto Rican laws in Spanish; United States laws in
English.
Movimiento Económico del Mes.
San Juan, Junta de
Planificación, Negociado de Economía y Estadísticas.
Monthly. Spanish and English text.
Current business statistics.
Noticias del Trabajo. Organo Oficial del Departamento
del Trabajo, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico.
San Juan. Monthly.
Population and Immigration. By Rafael de J. Cordero.
(In Monthly Information Bulletin, Caribbean Com
mission, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 6: 12, July 1953,
pp. 268, 270-271. Reprinted from Fomento de Puerto
Rico.)
[Publicaciones de la Sección de Análisis . . . ] San Juan,
Departamento del Trabajo, Negociado de Estadísticas,
Sección de Análisis de Salarios y Estudios Especiales,
Unidad de Investigaciones Ocupacionales.
Descripciones Ocupacionales (series); Patrones Ocupa
cionales (series).
Puerto Rican Migration: Spontaneous and Organized. (In
Monthly Information Bulletin, Caribbean Commis
sion, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 7: 4, November 1953,
pp. 73-75, 80.)
Puerto Ricans Join Hands: Returning to the Island after
a Four-Year Absence, a Social-Work Professor Finds
Many Changes. By Caroline F. Ware. (In Américas,
Pan American Union, Washington, 5: 6, June 1953,
pp. 10-12, 41-42, illus.)
Puerto Rico— Economic Background to Educational Prob
lems. (In Monthly Information Bulletin, Caribbean
Commission, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 8: 4, NovemberDecember 1954, pp. 72-75, 96.)
Puerto Rico— Its Educational System.
(In Monthly
Information Bulletin, Caribbean Commission, Portof-Spain, Trinidad, 8:1, August 1954, pp. 5-6, 9.)
Condensed from report of Puerto Rico Department of
Education.
Puerto Rico— Two Decades of Vocational Training. By
García Hernández. (In Monthly Information Bul
letin, Caribbean Commission, Port-of-Spain, Trini
dad, 7:12, July 1954, pp. 261-262, 268.)
Puerto Rico’s Technical Cooperation Program. By Rafael
Pico. (In Monthly Information Bulletin, Caribbean
Commission, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 6: 8, March
1953, pp. 169-173.)
Discussion by chairman of Puerto Rico Planning Board
of conditions in Puerto Rico which make it a good “labo
ratory” for technical cooperation.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Quarterly Report on the Labor Force: Employment and Un
employment in Puerto Rico. San Juan, Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1952-,
Report on Surveys, Research Projects, Investigations and
Other Organized Fact-Gathering Activities of the Govern
ment of Puerto Rico, Conducted During Fiscal Year
1952—53. San Juan, Office of the Governor, Bureau
of the Budget, Division of Statistics, 1954. iii, 89 pp.
[3d ed.]
Most recent available list of Puerto Rican Government
projects. Also useful as a guide to publications and other
sources of information in fields of labor interest.
[Reports on Economic Conditions in Puerto Rican Industries.]
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Wage and
Hour and Public Contracts Divisions.
These reports are prepared in connection with the
administration in Puerto Rico of the minimum wage pro
visions of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The
reports cover employment, weekly earnings, and working
hours, in addition to various industry data.
Special Reports on the Labor Force. San Juan, Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
These reports cover characteristics of the labor force,
status of women and children, employment, unemploy
ment, weekly earnings, etc.
Statistical Yearbook. San Juan, Puerto Rico Planning
Board, Bureau of Economics and Statistics. Annual.
Vocational Training in the Caribbean. By Mrs. V. O.
Alcala. (In Monthly Information Bulletin, Caribbean
Commission, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad: I, Trade and
Industrial Education, 6: 4, November 1952, pp. 81-83;
II, Guidance Services, 6: 5, December 1952, pp. 101102; III, Apprenticeship and On-the-Job Training,
6: 7, February 1953, pp. 151-152, 154; IV, Agricul
tural Training, 6: 8, March 1953, pp. 176-178; V,
Home Economics Education in the Caribbean 6: 9,
April 1953, pp. 199-201; VI, Business Education, 6:
10, May 1953, pp. 223-224, 230.)
NONOFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
El Arbitraje Obrero-Patronal en Puerto Rico. By Hiram
R. Cancio. Rio Piedras, Universidad de Puerto Rico,
Instituto de Relaciones del Trabajo, Colegio de
Ciencias Sociales, 1953. 117 pp., bibliographical
footnotes.
Growing Pains Beset Puerto Rico. By William H. Nicholas.
(In National Geographic Magazine, Washington,
99: 4, April 1951, pp. 419-460, illus.)
Labor Cost in the Puerto Rican Economy. By Simon Rottenberg. Río Piedras, University of Puerto Rico, Labor
Relations Institute, College of Social Sciences, 1951.
66 pp.
Reprinted from Revista Jurídica of the University of
Puerto Rico, Vol. XX, No. 2, November-December 1950
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON LABOR CONDITIONS, PROBLEMS, AND ECONOMICS
Noticias [News]. Organo Oficial de la Cámara de Comercio
de Puerto Rico. San Juan. Monthly.
Spanish text, with occasional articles in English. "Sobre
Seguro Social,” a regular feature.
Observations on Public Welfare in Puerto Rico. By
Elizabeth Wickenden. (In Public Administration
Review, Chicago, 13: 3, Summer 1953, pp. 177-183.)
“Operation Bootstrap”: A Great Industrialization Program
in Puerto Rico Aimed at Giving 2,200,000 Traditionally
Impoverished Americans the Chance to Live Decently
in the Future. By Howard Cohn. (In Collier's, New
York, 129: 13, March 29, 1952, pp. 20-23.)
“Operation Bootstrap” in Puerto Rico—Report of Progress,
1951. By Stuart Chase. Washington, National
Planning Association, 1951. vii, 72 pp. (Planning
Pamphlet 75.)
Patterns of Living in Puerto Rican Families. By Lydia J.
Roberts and Rosa Luisa Stefani. Río Piedras, Uni
versity of Puerto Rico, Department of Home Eco
nomics, 1949. xxiii, 411 pp., diagrams, illus.
The findings reported are for the latter part of 1946.
Population and Progress in Puerto Rico. By Kingsley
Davis. (In Foreign Affairs, New York, 29: 4, July
1951, pp. 625-636.)
Puerto Rico— A Study in Democratic Development. Edited
by Millard Hansen and Henry Wells. (In Annals of
the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
Philadelphia, 285, January 1953, pp. vii-viii, 1-166.)
* Puerto Rico— Edición Especial Dedicada a Puerto Rico.
(In Mañana, México, D. F., 61: 616, June 18, 1955,
pp. 19-150.)
Puerto Rico: Land of Paradox; Thousands Leave for Lack of
Opportunities, Yet It Is Potentially an Island of Hope.
By Gertrude Samuels. (In New York Times Maga
zine, October 30, 1955, pp. 18, 62, 64, 67.)
Puerto Rico’s Economic Future— A Study in Planned
Development. By Harvey S. Perloff. Chicago, Uni
versity of Chicago Press, 1950. xviii, 435 pp.,
bibliography, maps, illus.
Description of general economic and social conditions
(1950) and analysis of labor conditions, problems, and
prospects.
Puerto Rico’s Industrial Revolution. (In Business Week,
New York, No. 1121, November 15, 1952, pp. 78,
80, et seq.)
Puerto Rico’s “Operation Bootstrap” is Beginning to Pay—
Both Island and Industry. (In Modern Industry,
New York, 21: 3, March 15, 1951, pp. 74-75, illus.)
Report on Puerto Rico. By Lewis Hines. (In American
Federationist, Washington, 57: 6, June 1950, pp.
28-29.)
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1443
* Las Reuniones de las Uniones Obreras. Rio Piedras,
University of Puerto Rico, College of Social Sciences,
Institute of Labor Relations, [1952J. 14 pp.
* This Is Puerto Rico. By T. Swann Harding. (In
Antioch Review, Yellow Springs, Ohio, 14: 1, Spring
1954, pp. 43-54.)
Transformation: The Story of Modern Puerto Rico. By
Earl Parker Hanson. New York, Simon & Schuster,
1955. xxiii, 416 pp., maps.
General work containing much specific information on
the labor situation.
Alaska
OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
Alaska Fishery and Fur-Seal Industries, 1953. By Seton
Hayes Thompson. Washington, U. S. Department of
the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 1955. iv, 80
pp., illus. (Statistical Digest 35.)
Includes statistical information on persons engaged and
wages paid.
Alaska Unemployment Fund Loans. Hearing before Sub
committee on Territories and Insular Affairs, Com
mittee on Interior and Insular Affairs, United States
Senate, 84th Cong., 1st sess., on S. 1650, a bill to
authorize the Territory of Alaska to obtain advances
from the Federal Unemployment Act, and for other
purposes, April 26, 1955. Washington, 1955. iii,
42 pp.
Contains current information on unemployment in
Alaska.
Alaska’s Vanishing Frontier: A Progress Report. Pre
pared by William H. Hackett [for] Subcommittee on
Territories and Insular Possessions, Committee on
Interior and Insular Affairs, United States House of
Representatives. Washington, 1951. v, 88 pp., maps.
(Committee Print.)
General information. Note especially Section II,
Wages and Cost of Living.
Annual Report of Governor of Alaska to Secretary of the
Interior, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1951^. Wash
ington, 1955. iv, 106 pp.
General information. Note especially sections dealing
with fisheries, labor, Alaska Native Service, social welfare.
Employment Possibilities in the Alaskan Fishing Industry.
By Fred W. Hipkins. Washington, U. S. Department
of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 1955. 4 pp.
(Fishery Leaflet 298.)
Information on the Territory of Alaska. Transmitted by
United States to Secretary-General of United Nations
pursuant to Article 73 (e) of the Charter. Prepared in
Office of the Governor, Juneau. Annual.
1444
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
List of Fishermen’s and Fish Shoreworkers’ Unions in the
United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Washington, U. S.
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service,
September 1955. 7 pp. (Fishery Leaflet 293.)
Directory of Labor Organizations in the Territory of Hawaii,
March 1955. Honolulu, Department of Labor and
Industrial Relations, Bureau of Research and Sta
tistics, 1955. 27 pp. (No. 27.)
Mid-Century Alaska. Washington, U. S. Department of
the Interior, Office of Territories, 1952. xi, 170 pp.,
map, illus.
General information. Note especially sections dealing
with social welfare and employment opportunities.
The Economy of Hawaii in 1947, With Special Reference to
Wages, Working Conditions, and Industrial Relations.
By James H. Shoemaker. Washington, U. S. Depart
ment of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1948. xii,
214 pp. (Bull. 926.)
Wage and Salary Problems of the Alaska Road Commission.
By Edwin M. Fitch. Washington, U. S. Department
of the Interior, Office of Territories, 1953. vii, 75 pp.
*Employment and Payrolls in Hawaii, 1954• Honolulu,
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations,
Bureau of Employment Security, 1955. 32 pp.
Data for industries covered by Hawaii employment
security law.
NONOFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
Alaska, Land of Opportunity—Limited. By Wilford J.
Eiteman and Alice Boardman Smuts. (In Economic
Geography, Worcester, Mass., 27: 1, January 1951,
pp. 33-42.)
Alaska Now. By Herbert H. Hilscher. Boston, Little,
Brown & Co., 1950. x, 309 pp., illus. Rev. ed.
Deals with the economic, social, and political scene in
Alaska, 1950; background to labor situation.
Alaska: Progress and Problems. By Ernest Gruening. {In
Scientific Monthly, Washington, 77: 1, July 1953,
pp. 3-12.)
The Financial Threshold of Alaska. By Elmer E. Rasmuson. (In Scientific Monthly, Washington, 77: 1,
July 1953, pp. 19-23.)
New Era for an Old Race: With Alaska Native Service
Guidance, Eskimos Are Bridging the Gap to Modern
Civilization. (In Alaskan Reporter, Spenard, Alaska,
2: 7, July 1953, pp. 12-15, 27-29.)
Populating Alaska: The United States Phase. By Kirk H*
Stone. (In Geographical Review, New York, 42: 3,
July 1952, pp. 384D404.)
The State of Alaska. By Ernest Henry Gruening. New
York, Random House, [1954], 606 pp., maps, biblio
graphical footnotes.
Includes discussion of “Alaska’s pending problems.”
Hawaii
OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
Abstracts: Agricultural, Industrial and Economic Research,
Territory of Hawaii, 1930-1952. Honolulu, Industrial
Research Advisory Council, [1953]. xxiv, 893 pp.
Section IX deals with labor.
Annual Report of Department of Labor and Industrial Re
lations. Honolulu.
Annual Report of Governor of Hawaii to Secretary of the
Interior. Washington.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Hawaiian Labor Situation. Hearing before Committee
on Labor and Public Welfare, United States Senate,
81st Cong., 1st sess., on S. 2216, a bill to authorize the
President of the United States, under certain condi
tions, to appoint boards of inquiry with power to make
binding recommendations with respect to labor dis
putes in trade between the continental United States
and the Territory of Hawaii, and for other purposes,
July 12, 1949. Washington, 1949. iii, 219 pp.
Income of Hawaii. By Charles F. Schwartz. Wash
ington, U. S. Department of Commerce, Office of
Business Economics, 1953. v, 73 pp., maps, dia
grams. (Supplement to Survey of Current Business.)
Information on the Territory of Hawaii. Transmitted by
United States to Secretary-General of United Nations
pursuant to Article 73 (e) of the Charter. Prepared
by Governor of Hawaii in cooperation with Depart
ment of the Interior. Washington. Annual.
List of Fishermen’s and Fish Shoreworkers’ Unions in the
United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Washington, U. S.
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service,
September 1955. 7 pp. (Fishery Leaflet 293.)
Prevailing Wages and Hours of Employees in the Baking
Industry, Eating and Drinking Establishments, and
Power Laundries and Dry Cleaning Establishments,
Honolulu, Hawaii, April 1954- Honolulu, Depart
ment of Labor and Industrial Relations, Bureau of
Research and Statistics. (Bulls. 35, 36, 37.)
Similar reports for other types of establishments have
been published for earlier dates.
* Survey of Wages Paid, by Industry, Territory of Hawaii,
December 1954■ [Honolulu], Commission of Labor
and Industrial Relations, [1955?]. 8 pp.
NONOFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
* Billion-Dollar Rainbow. By F. J. Taylor. (In Reader’s
Digest, Pleasantville, N. Y., 65, December 1954, pp.
115-118.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON LABOR CONDITIONS, PROBLEMS, AND ECONOMICS
1445
* A Digest of Proposals for Combatting Unemployment in
Hawaii. By Robert M. Kamins. Honolulu, Univer
sity of Hawaii, Legislative Reference Bureau, 1955.
52 pp., bibliography. (Report 1, 1955.)
* Multiple Industry Unionism in Hawaii. By Philip
Brooks. New York, Eagle Enterprises, 1952. (Doc
toral dissertation, Graduate School of Business,
Columbia University.)
* Government Salaries in Hawaii. By Daniel W. Tuttle,
Jr. Honolulu, University of Hawaii, Legislative
Reference Bureau, 1952. 60 pp., charts. (Report
3, 1952.)
Gives comparative data for Hawaii and the mainland
on salaries and fringe benefits of public employees.
* Organized Labor in Hawaii. By Mark Perlman. (In
Labor Law Journal, Chicago, 3: 4, April 1952, pp.
263-275.)
Governmental Employment in Hawaii. By Robert M.
Kamins, aided by Enid Beaumont. Honolulu,
University of Hawaii, Legislative Reference Bureau,
1954. 25 pp. (Report 3, 1954.)
* The Great Hawaiian Dock Strike. By Paul F. Brissenden.
(In Labor Law Journal, Chicago* 4: 4, April 1953,
pp. 231-279, illus.)
Hawaii Builds an Economy on Sugar, Pineapples—and
Uncle Sam. (In Business Week, New York, No.
1264, November 21, 1953, pp. 90-94, 96, 98.)
Hawaii—Growing Islands: Management, Labor and Govern
ment Working Together in Hawaii. [Honolulu], Bank
of Hawaii, Department of Business Research, 1955.
54 pp.
Honolulu, Mid-Ocean Capital: Oriental and Western Ways
Blend Harmoniously in Hawaii’s Metropolis, Center of
Industry, Bastion of Defense, and Tropic Playground.
By Frederick Simpich, Jr. (In National Geographic
Magazine, Washington, 105: 5, May 1954, pp. 577624.)
Labor-Management Relations in Hawaii. By Arnold L.
Wills. Honolulu, University of Hawaii, Industrial
Relations Center, 1955. 62 pp., bibliography.
* Labor, Trade Unionism, and the Competitive Menace in
Hawaii. By Mark Perlman and John B. Ferguson.
Honolulu, University of Hawaii, Industrial Relations
Center, 1952.
* Medical Care in the Territory of Hawaii: Report of a
Survey of Medical Services in the Sugar, Pineapple,
Longshore, and Miscellaneous Industries. By E.
Richard Weinerman, M.D. Honolulu, International
Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, Regional
Office, 1952. 183 pp., bibliography, maps.
366804— 55------8
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[Reports on the Economy of Hawaii.] [Honolulu], Bank of
Hawaii, Department of Business Research.
[No. 1], The Economy of Hawaii Today: A Preliminary
Study of our Present Economic Position with Esti
mates of Income and Expenditure and a Brief Review
of Measures Necessary to Achieve Postwar Read
justment. By James H. Shoemaker. 1950. 25 pp.
[No. 2], Opportunities for Hawaii to Produce More and
Live Better: A Report on the Possibilities of Economic
Expansion to Balance Mainland Trade and Create
More Employment. By James H. Shoemaker.
1950. 40 pp.
[No. 3], Earning, Spending, Saving in Hawaii: Building
a Balanced Economy for Dependable Income, a Stable
Community, a Strong Nation. [1951?] 12 pp.,
charts.
[No. 4], Men, Land and Jobs in Hawaii: Gearing
Island Resources to Increased Production, Full
Employment, Dependable Income. [1952.] 12 pp.,
charts.
[No. 5], Working Dollars in Hawaii: A Mid-Year Re
port on Wealth, Income and Growth in Hawaii.
[1953.] 31 pp.
[No. 6], Islands at Work: The Economy of Hawaii in
Action. 1954. 56 pp., charts, illus.
* Social Process in Hawaii. Honolulu, University of
Hawaii, Sociology Club, 1951. (Vol. 15.)
Includes the following papers of labor interest: Hawaii’s
Industrial Revolution, by Bernhard L. Hormann; The
ILWU as a Force for Interracial Unity in Hawaii, by David
E. Thompson; Labor— An Undercurrent of Hawaiian Social
History, by C. J. Henderson.
* Special Publications.
Honolulu, Hawaii Employers
Council, Research Department.
Studies of unemployment insurance, wages, compensa
tion of office workers, etc., in Hawaii.
The “ Three Clauses” in Hawaiian Labor Agreements. By
P. F. Brissenden. (In Political Science Quarterly,
New York, 68: 1, March 1953, pp. 89—108.)
The Labor Month
in Review
T he historic first constitutional convention of the
American I ederation of Labor and Congress of
Industrial Organizations opened on December 5
and the 20-year schism in labor’s ranks was closed.
The 1,400 delegates, who represent 16 million
members, elected George Meany and William F.
Schnitzler, president and secretary-treasurer of
the old AFL, to the same positions in the com
bined organization. Former CIO president Walter
P. Reuther was elected President of the Industrial
Union Department and to one of 27 vice-presi
dencies of the AFL-CIO.
Principal speakers at the convention were Presi
dent Eisenhower, Secretary of Labor James P.
Mitchell, Governor Averell Harriman, New York,
and presidential candidate Adlai E. Stevenson.
All four termed the merger a salutary force for
the Nation’s welfare.
AFL-CIO president George Meany sought to
reassure a meeting sponsored by the National
Association of Manufacturers that the new fed
eration was not a monopoly, did not have, or
desire, centralized control over its affiliates, and
wanted only a fair share of the national product.
Charles R. Sligh, NAM board chairman, was
critical of the federation’s political activity. Mr.
Meany replied: “If the NAM philosophy to dis
enfranchise unions is to prevail . . . If we can’t
act as unions to defend our rights, then there is no
answer but to start a labor party.”
Subsequently, Mr. Meany also made some
ti enchant observations in the field of foreign affairs
as he and Mr. Reuther accepted 1955 social
justice awards of the National Religion and Labor
Foundation. Sharply attacking “liberals” for
softness in fighting communism, he charged that
those who claimed to be neutral in the struggle
between communism and democracy, were “aides
and allies of communism in fact and in effect . .
1446
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Integration of the two federations had been over
whelmingly approved on December 1 and 2 by
concurrent farewell conventions—the AFL’s 74th
and the CIO’s 17th. Dissent to the CIO Con
vention’s otherwise unanimous approval of merger
was entered by Michael J. Quill, president of the
Transport Workers Union, and two local indus
trial union councils. Later, however, the TWU’s
executive council and executive board voted for
affiliation, subject to a membership referendum.
Meeting its first internal problem, the new
federation’s 29-member Executive Council re
fused to allow the 1.4 million member Teamsters
to affiliate more than its industrially organized
membership (400,000) with the Industrial Union
Department. Admission of the Teamsters was
followed, surprisingly, by the affiliation of 34
other former AFL unions on the same basis.
Total membership in the IUD, including members
of 31 CIO affiliates, was about 7 million, with CIO
members predominating by nearly 2 to 1. Other
problems were posed by separate mutual assistance
pacts negotiated in late November and early
December between the Teamsters’ Regional Con
ferences and two union outcasts—the International
Longshoremen’s Association (ousted from the AFL
because of racketeering) and the Mine, Mill and
Smelter Workers (expelled from the CIO on
charges of Communist-domination). The Ma
chinists had previously rebuffed affiliation over
tures by the United Electrical Workers, also
expelled from the CIO for following Communist
policies.
Early fruit of labor’s consolidation was the
unification agreement reached by the rival Meat
Cutters’ and Packinghouse Workers’ unions, sub
ject to their respective convention approvals.
Also, conflicts between the Meat Cutters and the
Retail Clerks, former AFL affiliates, ended with
an accord delineating their jurisdiction in the
handling of meat in retail trade.
T he unique problems of merger tended to obscure
other important labor developments. The nation
wide strike over wage and time study issues at
the Westinghouse Electric Corp., called in midOctober, was unresolved by early December.
Strike aid for the Electrical Workers (formerly
CIO) came in the form of contributions from the
Steelworkers ($500,000) and the Auto Workers
($100,000), and newspaper advertisements paid
for by the AFL in November.
Another example of labor unity predating the
AFL-CIO merger was the joint walkout of two
competing unions early in November at plants of
the International Shoe Co. and the Brown Shoe
Co. The wage strike by the United Shoe Workers
and the Boot and Shoe Workers, then CIO and
AFL affiliates, respectively, followed joint wage
negotiations with each company. Settlement of
the dispute, affecting about 29,000 employees, was
reached on December 2.
At the November convention of the United
Automobile Workers (then AFL), union officers
narrowly defeated an attempt by pro-merger
forces to affiliate with its much larger rival of the
same name.
A package increase of 16 % cents an hour for
750,000 nonoperating railroad employees was
recommended by a Presidential Emergency Board
to permit them to “catch-up” with increases re
ceived by operating employees in the period since
1948. Of the total, 14% cents represents higher
wage rates and 2 cents the carriers’ cost of assum
ing the full expense of the existing health and
welfare plan, now shared.
New Jersey joined five other States in ruling
that supplemental unemployment benefits paid to
workers under contracts with Ford and General
Motors would not invalidate simultaneous pay
ment of State unemployment compensation. The
action came close to fulfilling the requirement of
the two contracts that States with two-thirds of
the companies’ employees sanction concurrent
payment of both types of benefits. With the
latest ruling, about 65 percent of the employees at
both companies are covered. Another obstacle to
effectuation of the plans was overcome when both
companies received rulings from the Treasury
Department that payments into trust funds for
layoff benefit plans will be deductible business
expenses in computing income taxes.
The National Association of Manufacturers en
dorsed a layoff wage plan similar to those in effect
between the Glass Workers and two major plate
glass companies. These provide an employer-paid
savings account for each employee, to be drawn on
in periods of layoff or prolonged illness, and to
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
belong to him if his employment is discontinued
for any reason.
S everal important legal cases were handled on
the appellate court level. In a 2 to 1 decision up
holding the Secretary of Labor’s authority to fix
minimum wages on a nationwide basis in indus
tries working on Federal contracts, the U. S. Court
of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed
a lower court ruling which had limited that au
thority in the textile industry to a locality basis
only.
Communist-oriented unions lost and won court
cases involving questions of their right to use
the National Labor Relations Board’s services.
In a decision of possible broad impact on other
unions, the Court of Appeals in Chicago denied
use of the Board’s machinery to the United Elec
trical Workers on the ground that all of the union’s
officers had not filed non-Communist oaths. The
court found that certain UE officials (12 secre
taries of UE district councils and 3 international
union trustees) were in fact union officers.
Echoing its decision involving the Fur and
Leather Workers Union, the U. S. Court of Ap
peals for the District of Columbia ruled that the
Board could not deny its services to the Mine,
Mill and Smelter Workers because the union’s
secretary, Maurice E. Travis, had filed a false nonCommunist oath. The court cited the earlier
ruling which declared that “Congress explicitly
provided a criminal penalty for false non-Com
munist affidavits . . . if these sanctions have
proved insufficient, it is for Congress, not the
courts, to provide new ones.”
t h e f ir s t t im e , the United States Supreme
Court agreed to hear a test of a State right-towork law, specifically Nebraska’s, one of 18 simi
lar State statutes in effect.
Martin P. Durkin, president of the Plumbers
and Pipefitters since 1942, except for brief service
as Secretary of Labor, died on November 13;
Daniel J. Tobin, president-emeritus of the Team
sters, succumbed a day later.
Boyd Leedom, recently appointed as an NLRB
member was named Board chairman to succeed
Guy Farmer, whose term expired in August.
Stephen S. Bean was nominated to Board mem
bership for a 5-year term.
F or
1447
Summaries of Studies and Reports
New BLS Economic Sector Indexes
of Wholesale Prices
A new series of monthly economic sector indexes 1
prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics de
scribes changes in commodity prices at various
levels of production and in various sectors of the
economy. Thus, it permits more effective analy
sis of the underlying and divergent movements of
commodity prices during periods of economic re
adjustment.
The economic sector indexes supplement but
do not replace the Bureau’s wholesale price index.2
Whereas the wholesale price index measures price
movements for individual commodities and groups
of commodities, the economic sector index com
bines wholesale prices in accordance with selected
economic criteria 3 to facilitate analysis of price
behavior and the interpretation of widely used
indicators of the Nation’s output, income, and
spending.
The new indexes divide commodities among
three categories: (1) raw or crude materials; (2) in
termediate materials for further processing, com
ponents, and supplies; and (3) finished goods.4
Each of these is further subdivided in accordance
with end-use and durability. Thus, in the fin
ished goods category, consumer goods are sub
divided into (1) foods, (2) other nondurable goods,
and (3) durable goods. The weights used for the
commodities in the new series are the same as
those used in the WPI (table 1).
The economic sector indexes illustrate a number
of familiar generalizations about commodity prices.
First, the prices of raw materials, especially those
traded on organized exchanges or sold in highly
competitive markets, are always more volatile
than prices of semifinished or finished goods.
They are especially affected by wars and other
exceptional changes in demand. They move up
rapidly and down rapidly. Second, prices of goods
1448
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
which involve a greater degree of fabrication and
are sold upon more conventional, fixed terms move
upward much less rapidly in periods of political
crisis or of great changes in demand. Once up,
however, they do not readily decline because of
the more elaborate cost structure upon which
they are based. Third, postwar periods have been
characterized by a new and higher price level for
virtually all commodities than prevailed before
the war. Fundamentally, this high price level is
based upon the wartime inflation of credit. As
the years go by in a period of postwar readjust
ment, and production reaches a peacetime footing,
first one and then another segment of the economy
adjusts its prices and costs to this new and higher
price level. This process of ‘‘catching-up,” with
its realinement of prices and values, has charac
terized the years since World War II.
1947-55 Price Movements
The differential movements of prices during the
readjustment period following World War II are
indicated by the new economic sector index series.
During that period, a number of noneconomic
factors have greatly affected the commodity
markets and their effects are evident in all the
1 For complete data and technical description, see Economic Sector Indexes,
January 1947-July 1955, Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 1955.
2 The new series will be made available as a part of the regular monthly
report on the Wholesale Price Index. See BLS Bull. 1168, eh. 10, for a
description of background and uses, concepts and scope, and survey methods
of the Wholesale Price Index.
3 The assignment of these commodities to the various sectors is based
primarily on the amount of processing, manufacturing, or assembly to which
the commodities are subjected at various stages before they reach the ultimate
consumer. The specific assignment of each commodity is shown in the table
of relative importances.
4 Tho new economic grouping, “finished goods,” is generally comparable
with the former series, “manufactured products,” the principal difference
arising from the inclusion in finished goods of many commodities not formerly
priced. Especially important in this category are all types of machinery
except automotive equipment and farm machinery. The classification of
“intermediate materials and components for manufacturing” is roughly
comparable with the former grouping of “semimanufactured articles,” and
“crude materials for further processing” is approximately the same as the
former “raw materials” series.
BLS ECONOMIC SECTOR INDEXES OF WHOLESALE PRICES
1449
T a ble 1.— Relative importances of the economic sector index as of December 1954
[1947-49=100]
Commodity
All commodities.
Percent
of all
com
modities
100.00
Crude materials for further processing__
12.48
Crude foodstuffs and feedstuff's........ ........
Fresh and dried fruits and vegetables . .
Grains___________________________
Livestock and live poultry__________
Fluid m ilk ................... _................... .
Eggs....... ........ ........... ................... ..........
Hay and oilseeds___________________
Green coffee, tea, and cocoa beans____
Unprocessed fin fish________________
Crude nonfood materials, except fuel___
Crude nonfood materials, except fuel, for
manufacturing___________________
Plant and animal fibers_____________
Oilseeds_____________________ _____
Leaf tobacco______________________
Hides and skins___ ________________
Coal, bituminous__________________
Crude petroleum and natural gasoline..
Inorganic chemicals......... ......................
Fertilizer materials_________________
Natural rubber and reclaimed ru b b er..
Wastepaper_______________________
Iron ore and iron and steel scrap_____
Nonferrous metals scrap____________
Crude nonfood materials, except fuel, for
construction_____________________
Concrete ingredients________________
Crude fuel__________________________
Crude fuel for manufacturing__________
Coal, Pennsylvania anthracite and
bituminous_______ _______ ______
Gas______________________________
Crude fuel for nonmanufacturing in
dustry_________ _____ ___________
Coal, Pennsylvania anthracite and
bituminous______ _____ _________
Gas................... .......................................
7.22
.26
1.55
3.13
Intermediate materials, supplies, and
components_____________________
Intermediate materials and components
for manufacturing________________
Intermediate materials for food manufac
turing __________________________
Flour and milled rice_______________
Meats and processed poultry________
Dairy products and ice cream________
Frozen fruits and ju ices..___________
Sugar and confectionery_____________
Fats and oils, edible___ ____ ________
Other processed foods_______________
Organic chemicals and essential oils___
Intermediate materials for nondurable
manufacturing___________________
Yams, broad woven goods, narrow fab
rics, and thread, cotton____________
Tops, yarns, broadwoven and knit
outerwear fabrics, wool____________
Synthetic textiles__________________
Silk products______________________
Other textile products (excluding bur
lap)—
Leather__________________________
Cut soles, leather__________________
Gasoline and lubricating oils_________
Industrial chemicals________________
Paint materials_____________ _____
Drag and pharmaceutical materials___
Fats and oils, inedible______________
Nitrogenates and phosphates________
Soaps and synthetic detergents_______
Synthetic rubber, crude_____________
Heels and soles, rubber_____________
Woodpulp_________________ ______
Paper____________________________
Container board and folding boxboard..
Miscellaneous fabricated nonstructural
metal products___________________
Building lime_____________________
Notions and accessories________ _____
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1.00
.06
.41
.77
.04
4. 62
3.93
1.23
.18
.43
.08
.16
.78
.07
.04
.20
.05
.44
.27
.69
.69
.64
.39
.24
.15
.25
.15
.10
42.71
25.30
2.47
.29
.19
.42
.02
.81
.46
.19
.09
8. 95
1.46
.80
1.10
.04
.02
.27
.09
.17
2.05
.19
.17
.18
.19
.05
.20
.04
.55
.84
.24
.20
.01
.09
Commodity
Intermediate materials for durable manu
facturing_______________________
Prepared paint____________________
Plastic materials___________________
Lumber__________________________
Plywood______________________ _
Iron and steel, except iron ore and scrap,
Nonferrous metals except scrap and
wire and cable_______ ___________
Bolts, nuts, screws, and rivets_______
Soft surface floor covering____ _____
Flat glass_______ _____ ___________
Gypsum products..____ ___________
Insulation materials________________
Components for manufacturing______
Tires and tubes____________________
Wire and cable_____ _______________
Hardware not elsewhere classified.........
Fabricated structural metal products...
Miscellaneous fabricated nonstructural
metal products__________________
Tractors for other than farm use............
Metal working machine tools________
General purpose machinery and equip
ment_____________ _____________
Internal combustion engines, except
automotive and aircraft___________
Electrical machinery and equipment...
Metal and wood household furniture...
Hard surface floor covering__________
Metal household containers_________
Materials and components for construc
tion____________________________
Prepared paint____________________
Lumber_________________________
Millwork_________________________
Softwood plywood_________________
Building board____________________
Finished steel and foundry and forge
shop products___________________
Mill shapes and wire and cable_______
Hardware, not elsewhere classified____
Plumbing equipment_______________
Heating equipment________________
Fabricated structural metal products...
Miscellaneous fabricated metal prod
ucts____________________________
Valves and fittings_________________
Metal and wood household furniture...
Hard surface floor covering__________
Plate and window glass_____________
Concrete products_________________
Structural clay products____________
Gypsum products_________________
Prepared asphalt roofing____________
Other structural nonmetallic minerals..
Processed fuels and lubricants_________
Processed fuels and lubricants for manu
facturing______________________
Coke___________________________
Gas____________________________
Electricity________ ______________
Gasoline, kerosene, residual fuel oils,
and lubricating oils........ ..................
Processed fuels and lubricants for non
manufacturing industry_________
Gas_____________ _______________
Electricity______________________
Gasoline, kerosene, residual fuel oils,
and lubricating oils_____________
Containers, nonreturnable____________
Burlap............ .................. ......................
Setup boxboard____ _______________
Converted paper and paperboard prod
ucts________________ _____ _____
Metal containers___________________
Glass containers___________________
Supplies__________ ________________
Supplies for manufacturing__________
Flour_____ _____________________
Other textile products (excluding
burlap)________ _____ _________
Industrial leather________ ________
Percent
of all
com
modities
9.34
.21
.90
.70
.12
4.89
1.79
.47
.03
.19
.01
.03
4.54
.24
.44
.17
.27
.27
.04
.08
.79
.30
1.84
.04
.01
.05
6.39
.29
1.19
.36
.10
.07
.51
.42
.06
.20
.36
.89
.47
.36
.09
.03
.04
.34
.16
.10
.19
.16
3.51
2.21
.10
. 19
1.07
.85
1.30
.05
.47
.78
1.72
.09
.05
.77
.50
.31
5.79
2.08
.16
.02
.03
Commodity
Supplies—Continued
Supplies for manufacturing—Continued
Soaps and synthetic detergents . . .
Belts and belting and other products,
rubber______________________
L u m b e r.__ _____________
Paper, excluding newsprint _______
Office supplies and accessories, paper..
Small cutting tools for machine tools
and metalworking machinery____
Abrasive products and buffing and
polishing wheels . _
Arc welding machines and equipment
and incandescent lamps _______
Cutlery, householdFire clay brick___ .
_ ... ... _
Brushes________________ __ _
Supplies for nonmanufacturing industry.
Manufactured animal feeds______ ..
Other supplies_____________ ____
Grains __ ___________________
Hayseeds and o ilse e d s...____
Other textile products (excluding
burlap)______ _____ _ . . . _
Cut soles, leather . . . ________ .
Organic chemicals_____
____
.....
Mixed fertilizer____
Other chemicals and allied products.
Tires and tubes .
_____ _
Heels and soles, rubber. _ __ ______
Paper, excluding newsprint _____
Converted paper and" paper prod
ucts_____________
___
Miscellaneous fabricated metal
products _ _________ . . .
Incandescent lamps___________
Safety glass___ _ . ________
Small arms and ammunition_____
B r u s h e s ...____ _ . . . ___
Finished goods (goods to users, including
raw foods and fuels)___ _ ______
Consumer finished goods__ . . . _____
Consumer foods .
_____
Consumer crude foods. . . .
Fresh and dried fruits and vege
tables . ..
_____
Milk for fluid use ________ . .
Eggs___ _
______
Unprocessed fin fish______ ______
Consumer processed foods. . ___
Cereal and bakery products ______
Meats, poultry, and fish ____
Dairy products and ice cream. . __
Canned and frozen fruits and vege
tables. .. . .. . _______ . . . .
Sugar and confectionery. ___ _
Packaged beverage materials___
Fats and oils, edible___________ _
Other processed foods
_______
Miscellaneous feed stuffs_________
Consumer nondurable goods_______
Broadwoven goods, thread and
housefumishings, cotton. _ . _
Blankets, broadwoven and knit
outerwear fabrics, wool.
. .
Broadwoven goods, synthetic_____
Apparel___. . .
______
Footwear ______________ .
Gloves_____ ______ . . .
Coal, Pennsylvania anthracite and
bituminous_____________
Gas _________ _ ____ _
Electricity_____________ _____
Gasoline, kerosene, and distillate
fuel oils__ _
. . . . .
Organic chemicals______ . . . .
Prepared paint____ . . . ____ _
Pharmaceutical preparations_____
Mixed fertilizer____ _______
Other chemicals and allied products.
Tires and tubes_____________
Footwear and other products, rub
b er.________________________
Percent
of all
com
modities
0.03
.46
.16
.03
.03
.54
.18
.26
.01
.16
.01
3.71
1.20
2.51
.15
.09
.02
.01
.15
.26
.26
.2 1
.02
.07
.86
.33
.05
.01
.01
.01
44.81
35.02
12. 84
1.63
.71
.46
.41
.05
11.21
2.28
3.29
2.40
.98
.54
.79
.42
.41
.10
14.60
.63
.07
.11
3.95
.80
.02
.19
.49
.83
2.25
.08
.03
.57
.01
.71
.24
.14
1450
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T able 1.—Relative importances of the economic sector index as of December 1954— Continued
Commodity
Consumer finished goods—Continued
Consumer nondurable goods—Con.
Converted paper and paperboard
products_____________________
Incandescent lamps and batteries.-.
Cutlery, household--------------------Cigarettes.................................. ........
Cigars................................................
Other tobacco products--------------Alcoholic beverages................. .........
Nonalcoholic beverages__________
Toys and small arms and ammuni
tion_________________________
Notions and accessories---------------Pens and pencils________________
Matches and brushes-----------------Consumer durable goods------------------Leather and small leather goods------Millwork-----------------------------------Hardware..............................................
Brass plumbing fixtures............ ........
Miscellaneous fabricated nonstructural metal products— ...................
Farm and garden tractors and agricul
tural machinery_______________
Metalworking machine tools for home
workshop and power-driven handtools....................................................
Percent
of all
com
modities
0.18
.53
.03
.63
.13
.05
1.13
.45
.18
.02
.07
.08
7.58
.10
.02
.08
.02
.07
.06
.03
Consumer finished goods—Continued
Consumer durable goods—Con.
Passenger cars___________________
Household furniture______________
Floor covering___________________
Household appliances_____________
Television and radio receivers______
Other household durables__________
Toys, sporting and athletic goods, and
small arms_________ __________
Jewelry, watches, and photographic
equipment_____________________
Other miscellaneous products_______
Producer finished goods______________
Producer goods for manufacturing in
dustries______________ _______
Handtools_________ _____________
Boilers, tanks and sheet-metal prod
ucts__________________________
Construction machinery and equip
ment and tractors for other than
farm use______________________
Metalworking machinery and equip
m ent_________________________
General purpose machinery and
equipment____________________
Miscellaneous machinery__________
Electrical machinery and equipment.
economic sectors. The first of these was the re
moval of wartime controls of prices and discon
tinuance of commodity allocations. The termina
tion of controls, at a time when supplies of certain
kinds of goods were limited in relation to huge
pent-up wartime demands, stimulated the extraor
dinary price rise which culminated in 1948.
Then, following a period of price decline and
readjustment in 1949, a slow rise began early in
1950.
In mid-1950, the outbreak of hostilities in Korea
brought a wave of speculative buying of com
modities such as always accompanies a war, with
its vast potential new demands for goods and
services. By early 1951, prices at wholesale had
soared to exceptional peaks for the postwar
period. Once this initial rise was over, and it
became clear that the Korean conflict would be
less extensive than many had feared, commodity
prices began to decline. The years since 1951
have represented another period of price readjust
ment, spurred by the very high level of economic
activity both in the United States and abroad,
and made possible by the abundant supplies of
all kinds of goods available to meet domestic
demands.
Since early 1953, the general level of prices of
commodities as a whole has been remarkably
stable, varying by less than 2 percent, as shown
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Percent
of all
com
modities
Commodity
3.18
.74
.27
1.11
.58
.46
.30
.40
.16
9.79
4.69
.16
.22
.23
1.05
.86
.09
.74
Commodity
Producer finished goods—Continued
Producer goods for manufacturing in
dustries—Con.
Passenger cars and motortrucks____
Wood and metal commercial fur
niture__________ _____ ________
Fire extinguishers________________
Producer goods for nonmanufacturing
industries_______________________
Handtools_________________________
Agricultural machinery and equip
m ent__________________________
Construction machinery and equip
m ent__________________________
Elevators and escalators and indus
trial scales___________ __________
Miscellaneous machinery__________
Electrical machinery and equipment..
Motor vehicles___________________
Household furniture______________
Commercial fu rn itu re.........................
Soft surface floor covering__________
Other household durable products__
Sporting and athletic goods________
Photographic equipment__________
Musical instruments and fire extin
guishers_____ _________________
Percent
of all
com
modities
1.26
.07
.01
5.10
.05
.86
.31
.01
.84
1.29
1.30
.06
.22
.01
.02
.05
.06
.02
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Wholesale
Price Index. Underlying this general stability,
there have been two divergent trends—the decline
of prices of farm products and of certain other
raw materials to about their early 1950 preKorean levels, and the slow, sustained rise of
prices of industrial and other finished goods,
which had lagged behind the more volatile prices
of agricultural raw materials throughout World
War II and the Korean hostilities.
Major Economic Groups
The new economic sector indexes illustrate
these developments by showing relative price
movements of crude materials, intermediate ma
terials, and finished goods. (See chart 1 and table
2.) After the lifting of price controls in mid1946, prices rose rapidly. Prices of intermediate
and finished goods moved together, but by 1948
when the peak was reached, prices of crude ma
terials had advanced about 25 percent above their
levels of January 1947, while intermediate and
finished materials had risen by about 15 percent.
As all types of goods became more plentiful, prices
declined. By the end of 1949, crude materials
were again at their 1947 levels, while intermediate
products and finished goods lost only about onehalf of the initial price advance. The Korean
BLS ECONOMIC SECTOR INDEXES OF WHOLESALE PRICES
boom again forced all prices to new peaks, with
crude materials again advancing more than inter
mediate and finished goods, and reestablishing
the relationship which had existed in the early
postwar readjustment period. As the flush of the
boom ebbed, the decline in prices for immediate
and finished goods was relatively minor, with
their prices on more or less of a plateau, while
prices of crude materials once more dropped to a
point almost equal to their January 1947 levels.
From the end of 1951 to the autumn of 1955,
prices for intermediate and finished goods have
been comparatively steady, in contrast to the sharp
downward trend for prices of raw materials.
Finished goods, taken as a whole, followed the
general course of wholesale prices already de
scribed, but with a more moderate fluctuation,
varying by less than about 20 percent over the
entire period. (See chart 2 and table 2.) They
rose rapidly to a peak in the latter part of 1948,
Chart 1.
1451
and then declined until early 1950—but never to
as low a level as in early 1947. They then began
to recover in the spring of 1950, before the Korean
crisis. The hostilities in Korea brought a rise of
almost 13 percent, which was followed by a mod
erate decline—less than 5 percent. Prices of fin
ished goods in the postwar period, reflect in addi
tion to rising costs of raw materials, higher costs
of various other kinds—for wage rates, transporta
tion, fuel, power, and supplies, as well as added
overhead based upon higher costs of machinery,
equipment, and new construction. Hence, it is
only to be expected that prices of finished goods
will be more stable and more “sticky” than raw
materials per se, which involve less fabrication.
Among finished goods, consumer goods are,
dollarwise, more important than producer goods,
and they therefore have dominated the movement
of this index. Among these finished goods are, of
course, foods and textile products, which were
Wholesale Price Economic Sector Indexes, Major Groups, January 1947-October 1955
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1452
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Chart 2.
Wholesale Price Economic Sector Indexes, Finished Goods,
January 1947-October 1955
subject to wide price surges and which have
recently been declining in price. Prices of pro
ducer finished goods, which include machinery,
tools, instruments, and various other types of
equipment, began the postwar period at low levels
compared with consumer goods, having risen com
paratively little during "World War II. From
early 1947 to the autumn of 1955, these prices
have gone up by about 43 percent as compared to
13 percent for consumer finished goods. The first
rise came immediately after the renewal of price
controls, and continued into 1949, after other
prices had declined. In that brief business reces
sion, prices of producer goods declined very little.
The onset of Korean hostilities brought the second
spurt in prices, and since 1951, while other prices
of many consumer goods have declined, producer
finished goods have risen. In this rise, higher
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
costs of production for these highly fabricated
goods have been a very important factor, com
bined with strong demand. Historical data are
not adequate to indicate whether the current
level of producer goods prices, relative to prewar—•
that is, to 1939—is, in general, higher or lower in
1955 than that for consumer goods. For those
few products, such as farm machinery and stand
ard machine tools, for which price records are
available, it appears that prices of producer goods
are still not as high relative to 1939 as prices of
many consumer goods.
In addition to the importance of costs of manu
facturing, the durability of the products is another
element contributing to the stability of prices. It
can be observed by comparing the movements of
groups within consumer finished goods (table 2).
In general, prices for products which can be stored
1453
BLS ECONOMIC SECTOR INDEXES OF WHOLESALE PRICES
T a ble 2. — Annual averages, 1947-54, and October 1955 average of commodities in the economic sector index
[1947-49=100]
Groups and subgroups
Crude materials for further processing—...........-........ - .............
Crude foodstuffs and feedstuffs----------------------------------Crude nonfood materials except fuel2---------------- — -----Crude nonfood materials, except fuel, for manufacturCrude nonfood materials, except fuel, for constructionCrude fuel________________________________________
Crude fuel for manufacturing-........................................
Crude fuel for other-------------------------------------------Intermediate materials, supplies, and components— ......... —Intermediate materials and components for manufacturing.
Intermediate materials for food manufacturing......--..........
Intermediate materials for nondurable manufacturing----Intermediate materials for durable manufacturing---------Intermediate components for manufacturing.............. ........
Materials and components for construction—......................
Processed fuels and lubricants............— ...............7.............
Processed fuels and lubricants for manufacturing-----Processed fuels and lubricants for other than manufacturing.........................................- — - — 7 .........................
Containers, nonreturnable, for manufacturing--------------Supplies..............-...................................................................
Supplies for manufacturing..........----------- --------------Supplies for other than m anufacturing........................
Manufactured animal feeds---------------- -----------Other supplies — ..................... ........... ................
Finished goods-------------------- ------- ------------------------------Consumer finished goods---------------------- ------ -------------Consumer foods------------------------------------------------Consumer crude foods------ ----------------------------Consumer processed foods------------------------------Consumer other nondurable------------ ------------------- Consumer durable goods-------------------------------------Producer goods................................... ....................................
Producer goods for manufacturing industries----------------Producer goods for other than manufacturing industries—
i Preliminary.
1947
1949
1948
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
October
1955 i
96.4
98.6
100.7
96.0
104.4
108.0
108.8
106.8
99.2
93.4
90.5
97.2
103.1
101.8
97.0
111.0
114.8
116.9
112.3
128.1
111.6
107.4
105.7
110.9
110.1
99.2
94.6
106.2
110.3
98.3
94.7
104.2
111.5
93.0
82.7
111.4
96.1
93.0
89.4
89.3
89.5
96.2
96.4
102.8
99.2
91.2
94.4
93.3
94.8
95.8
107.0
101.9
105.6
105.7
105.5
104.0
104.0
106.0
105.0
103.0
101.9
103.2
107.4
106.9
96.9
105.2
105.0
105.0
105.0
99.9
99.6
91.2
95.8
105.8
103.8
103.5
97.8
97.3
111.2
106.8
104.6
104.5
104.7
104.3
104.5
94.9
100.5
111.9
107.6
108.9
99.7
98.9
128.6
113.0
106.5
106.2
106.9
116.9
118.4
105.7
116.5
124.3
122.2
119.1
104.2
103.5
110.8
113.0
107.2
106.9
107.8
113.5
113.4
101.5
104.8
124.6
122.5
118.3
102.8
102.3
105.8
117.4
111.0
110.5
111.8
114.1
115.2
101.8
104.0
130.1
124.7
120.2
103.6
102.5
103.6
121.0
106.0
105.5
106.7
114.8
115.4
100.9
102.3
133.1
125.3
120.9
103.5
102.5
111.0
125.6
106.8
106.5
107.3
119.1
120.5
95.6
103.4
144.2
135.7
128.9
104.1
102.4
93.1
97.0
99.0
96.6
100.1
104.1
97.9
95.9
96.8
97.0
96.9
97.0
97.4
94.8
92.8
92.8
92.8
108.2
101.3
103.5
102.0
104.2
105.9
103.2
103.5
104.1
105.8
104.4
106.1
103.5
101.3
101.1
101.1
101.0
98.6
101.7
97.5
101.4
95.8
90.0
93.9
100.6
99.2
97.2
98.8
96.9
99.2
104.0
106.1
106.1
106.2
101.1
104.4
100.8
108.3
97.5
90.0
101.7
102.4
100.9
99.2
89.9
100.9
100.8
105.0
108.7
109.0
108.4
105.4
122.7
113.5
120.7
110.4
100.2
116.0
112.1
110.3
111.3
103.2
112.8
108.5
112.1
119.3
120.3
118.5
103.7
116.0
113.5
117.6
111.8
108.7
113.4
111.5
109.0
110.4
109.9
110.5
105.9
113.0
121.3
122.7
120.2
105.5
116.2
107.8
118.3
103.2
88.9
111.1
110.4
107.1
104.6
102.6
105.0
106.9
113.8
123.1
124.7
121.9
105.3
118.2
110.2
120.0
105.9
96.3
111.2
110.7
107.1
103.8
92.3
106.0
107.2
114.7
124.7
126.4
123.4
106.9
122.6
109.8
130.9
100.3
75.1
114.8
111.3
106.2
99.9
95.8
100.8
108.0
116.9
131.5
133.7
129.6
2July index revised to 110.6.
for only a limited time and must be used quickly
fluctuate much more widely than those which last
longer and can be stored by either buyer or seller
in order to smooth out short-term fluctuation in
supply and demand. The classic example, of
course, is perishable foods, but clothing with its
element of fashion—also has some of the same
market characteristics in that goods are rarely
held over from season to season. It is generally
true also that the durable goods are manufactured
goods, the supply of which can be quickly reduced
if demand diminishes, and for which it is tradi
tional for prices not to change rapidly, either up or
down, because costs also do not change rapidly.
Earnings in Cigar
with 22 percent earning less than $1. South
eastern workers (largely in Florida) averaged $1.04,
and nearly half earned less than $1 an hour.
Among the occupational groups studied sep
arately, lowest national averages were recorded for
floormen, janitors, and tobacco strippers, all
Manufacturing, April 1955
i g a r w o r k e r s averaged $1.13 an hour, exclusive
of premium pay, in April 1955, according to a sur
vey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.1
A third of the 34,000 production workers covered
by the study earned less than $1 an hour and 70
percent less than $1.25. Workers in the Middle
Atlantic region, accounting for half of the indus
try’s total employment, averaged $1.19 an hour,
C
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
i See Wage Structure: Cigar Manufacturing, BLS Report 97, 1955.
The study included establishments employing 8 or more workers pri
marily engaged in the manufacture of cigars. The regions represented in this
study include: N e w E n g la n d —Connecticut, Muine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; M id d le A tla n tic— N e w Jersey,
New York, and Pennsylvania; Border States— Delaware, District of Colum
bia, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia; Southeast— Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Tennessee.
1454
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T a b l e 1.
Number and average straight-time hourly earnings 1 of production workers in cigar manufacturing establishments
by setected characteristics, United States, selected regions and areas, April 1955
Selected regions
Selected areas
United States2
New England
Middle
Atlantic
Border States
Southeast
Item
Philadelphia,
Pa.3
York County,
Pa.
Tampa, Fla.4
Num- AverNum Aver
Num Aver
Num Aver
Num Aver
Num Aver
age
Num Aver
age
Num Aver
age
age
age
ber of hourly
age
ber of
ber of
age
ber of
age
ber of
ber of hourly
ber of hourly
ber of hourly
work- earn- work hourly work hourly work hourly work hourly work
earn
earn
earn
earn
ers
earn work earn work earn
ers
ers
ers
ers
ers
mgs
ers
ings
ings
ers
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
All establishments, to tal...
M en____ __________
Women_____________
Method of manufacture:5
H and______________
Machine____________
Establishment size:
8-100 workers............. .
101-500 workers______
501 or more workers___
Community size:
Under 100,000________
100,000 or more_______
Labor-management
contract coverage:
Union establishments..
N o nunion estab lish
m ents_____________
34, 019
5,987
28, 032
$1.13
1.20
1.11
647
183
464
$1.04 16,676
1.07 2,540
1.03 14,136
$1.19
1.24
1.18
1,882
302
1,580
$1.15 11,175
1.26 2,310
1.12 8,865
$1.04
1.17
1.01
5, 595
775
4,820
$1.23
1.31
1.22
2,022
273
1, 749
$1.04
1.17
1.02
4, 811
1,541
3,270
$1.12
1.18
1.09
2,559
31,460
1.07
1.13
599
633
1.05 16, 043
1.34
1.19
1,843
942
1.15 10, 233
1.00
1.05
5, 575
1.23
1,930
1.05
4,187
1.13
2,206
11,951
19, 862
1.02
1.09
1.16
198
1.14
1,116
6, 483
9,077
1.00
1.16
1.24
358
2, 309
8,508
1.03
.90
1.08
1,029
4, 521
1.13
1.26
601
1,421
.94
1.09
238
792
3,781
.95
.97
10, 267
23, 752
1.09
1.14
449
4, 533
1.07 12,143
1.15
1.21
1,310
1.15
3, 707
7, 468
.99
1.07
5, 595
1.23
2, 022
1.04
4, 811
1.12
17, 480
1.15
647
1.04
5,616
1.25
1,833
1.15
7,742
1.08
1,720
1.21
16, 539
1.10
11,060
1.16
3,433
.96
3, 875
1.24 J
.
U V OJ.
a i i u . 1 U I W U I K u n W B Ü K C I1 U S , noiiaavs,
and late shifts.
2 Includes data for regions in addition to those shown separately.
^ 3 Includes Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, Pa., and Camden County,
4 Includes Hillsborough County, Fla.
5 Establishments were classified as hand-method or machine-method plants
slightly below $1 an hour. Men employed as
maintenance machinists and machine adjusters
were the highest paid, averaging $1.82 and $1.64,
respectively. Women cigarmaking machine op
erators accounted for nearly two-fifths of the pro
duction workers in the industry. Operators of
4-position machines averaged $1.27, compared
with $1.02 an hour for operators of 2-position
machines.
A majority of the workers were employed in
establishments providing paid vacations and hol
idays. Insurance benefits were also common.
Industry Characteristics
Cigar manufacturing in the United States began
in colonial times, and for many years cigars were
the principal tobacco product. Although employ
ment in cigar manufacturing has declined con
siderably from the peak reached during the years
immediately after World War I, average employ
ment in 1954 in the cigar industry amounted to
nearly 40,000—about 8,000 more than in the cig
arette industry. Establishments within the scope
of this study employed 34,000 of the 36,000 pro
duction workers estimated to be employed by the
industry in April 1955.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
3, 015
1.17
1. 03
on the basis of primary operations measured by value of product. Of the 34,019
workers within the scope of the study, 7,088 (mostly in the Southeast) were
employed m establishments using both methods of production. With very
few exceptions, these workers were in establishments classified as machinemethod plants for purposes of this tabulation.
N
ote.
Dashes indicate no data or insufficient data to justify presentation.
Geographically, the greatest part of the industry
is concentrated in the Middle Atlantic and South
east regions, respectively, accounting for roughly
one-half and one-third of the production workers.
Philadelphia, York County, Pa., and Tampa,
Fla., are the three centers of industry concentra
tion.
Severe competition and industrial changes be
ginning in the 1920’s have had important effects
on the cigar industry. One such factor has been
the notable shift toward cigarette smoking, which
has contributed to a sharp curtailment in the per
capita consumption of cigars. Cigar production
declined from 8 billion in 1920 to less than 6 billion
in 1954. During the same period the number of
cigarettes produced increased from 47 billion to
more than 400 billion.2
The introduction and widespread use of auto
matic cigarmaking machines has also had a
pronounced effect on the industry. In 1924, it
has been estimated that less than a third of the
cigars produced were manufactured by machine.3
Today, more than nine-tenths of the cigars are
2 See annual reports of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Internal
Revenue Service, U. S. Treasury Department.
3 Willis N. Baer, The Economic Development of the Cigar Industry in the
United States, Lancaster, Pa., The Art Publishing Co.. 1933.
1455
CIGAR MANUFACTURING EARNINGS
machine made. Of the 100 plants studied in
April 1955, only 17 employed hand methods of
production exclusively; 25 of 26 plants using both
methods manufactured a minor proportion of their
total output by hand; and all remaining plants
produced only machine-made cigars. The hand
method of manufacture is now generally limited to
three situations: (1) Small establishments unable
for financial or other reasons to convert to machine
methods; (2) establishments specializing in the
production of higher priced cigars—often of dis
tinctive sizes and shapes not suitable to machine
methods; and (3) a desire to retain older employees
who are unable to make the transition from hand
operations to mechanical means. With respect to
the latter, the survey disclosed some hand cigarmakers reportedly working to supplement social
security pension benefits.
Increasing mechanization coupled with declining
production has caused a steady decrease in em
ployment. The industry employed 112,000
workers in 1921, 84,000 in 1929, 51,000 in 1940,
and 36,000 in April 1955. Mechanization has
also resulted in an increase in the concentration
of production in larger plants. The number of
plants with an annual output of 40 million cigars
increased from 11 in 1921 to 40 by 1951.4
Before the introduction of cigarmaking ma
chines, cigar workers were generally men, whereas
more than 80 percent of the current labor force
are women. Operators of cigarmaking machines
and tobacco-stripping machines in April 1955
accounted for almost half of the industry’s pro
duction workers. All but a small proportion of
these workers were women.
Establishments operating under labor-manage
ment agreements covering a majority of their
workers employed half of the production workers
in the industry in April 1955. This represents
an increase since 1940, when the corresponding
proportion was only about a fourth. The Cigar
Makers’ International Union of America (AFL)
is the oldest and largest labor organization in the
industry.
Wage studies conducted by the Bureau in the
1930’s and since, indicate a substantial upward
movement of wages in the industry. Cigar
workers averaged 37 cents an hour in 1937, 42
< See footnote 2.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
cents in 1940, 73 cents in 1946, and $1.13 in April
1955.
Earnings of three-fourths of the factory workers
were based on a piecework system. Among the
occupations studied, piecework rates applied to
virtually all hand cigarmakers, cigarmaking-ma
chine operators, and packers, and to a large
majority of the banding- and cellophaning-machine operators and strippers. Group piece-rate
plans were generally reported for cigarmakingmachine operators employed as a team; otherwise,
individual piece rates were applicable. Machine
adjusters, machinists, maintenance men, doormen,
janitors, and inspectors were paid on a time rate.
Average Hourly Earnings
The 34,000 production workers covered by the
study averaged $1.13 an hour in April 1955 (table
1). A third of these earned less than $1 an hour
and 70 percent earned less than $1.25 (table 2),
as indicated earlier. More than 500, or 1.6 percent
of the workers earned less than 75 cents an hour—
the Federal minimum wage at that time. Most
of these were handicapped workers and learners
granted certificates under the Fair Labor Stand
ards Act; others were employed in establishments
engaged in intrastate commerce and thus not
subject to the act.
Workers in the Middle Atlantic region averaged
$1.19, with 22 percent earning less than $1 an hour.
Southeastern workers (largely in Florida) averaged
$1.04, with nearly half earning less than $1. The
significance of the differences in regional wage
levels is obscured by variations in occupational
composition accompanying different manufactur
ing methods. Less than 3 percent of the workers
in the Middle Atlantic region were engaged in the
lower paying “hand” occupations (whole work,
bunchmaking, or rolling), while 20 percent of the
workers in the Southeast were so employed. Re
gional averages for New England and the Border
States were $1.04 and $1.15, respectively.
Philadelphia and Tampa led all other cities in
cigar manufacturing; workers in these areas
averaged $1.23 and $1.12, respectively. Cigar
workers in York County, Pa., the next largest
industry concentration, averaged $1.04. Among
these centers, Tampa was the only area producing
1456
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
significant numbers of handmade cigars, and even
there, the overwhelming majority were made by
machine.
The wage data were also classified according to
size of community, size of establishment (as
measured by total employment), and the extent
to which the work force was covered by labormanagement contracts. These comparisons, how
ever, do not fully isolate the influence of each
factor as a determinant of wages. Many of the
larger plants, for example, were located in large
cities. As suggested by the following comparisons
of production-worker averages, wages tended to
be highest in the larger communities, larger estab
lishments, and establishments operating under
union contracts.
Cigar workers in communities with less than
100,000 population averaged $1.09 as compared
with an average of $1.14 recorded in larger com
munities. Averages for these community group
ings were $1.15 and $1.21 in the Middle Atlantic
region and 99 cents and $1.07 in the Southeast.
On an industrywide basis, workers in establish
ments employing 100 or fewer workers averaged
T able 2.
$1.02; those in plants having from 101 to 500
workers, $1.09; and those in plants of 501 or more
averaged $1.16 an hour. Wage relationships with
in regions were less consistent (table 1).
Plants having collective bargaining agreements
with labor unions employed nearly 70 percent of
the workers in the Southeast region. Workers in
these plants averaged $1.08 an hour, 12 cents more
than workers in plants not covered by agreements.
Only a third of the workers in the Middle Atlantic
region were employed under the provisions of
labor-management contracts; they averaged $1.25,
compared with $1.16 for workers in nonunion
plants. Nationwide averages for union and non
union plants were $1.15 and $1.10, respectively.
Women accounted for 28,000 or four-fifths of the
total industry work force, and averaged $1.11 an
hour compared with $1.20 for men. Although men
had higher average earnings in some of the occupa
tions in which both men and women were em
ployed, the 9-cent difference in general pay levels
is partly attributed to the fact that higher paid
work, such as maintenance and machine adjusting,
was performed by men.
Percentage distribution of production workers by average straight-time hourly earnings 1 in cigar manufacturing
establishments, United States, selected regions and areas, April 1955
United States 2
Average hourly earnings 1
(in cents)
Under 75________ _
75 and under 80. ___
80 and under 85. . .
85 and under 90__ __
90 and under 95. . . . .
95 and under 100
100 and under 105____
105 and under 110______
110 and under 115-. _________
115 and under 120. ___
120 and under 125- .........
125 and under 130_ ____
130 and under 135. ____
135 and under 140- _ .
140 and under 145___________
145 and under 150- . __
150 and under 155_____
155 and under 1 6 0 -___
160 and under 165
165 and under 170___
170 and under 175- . __
175 and under 180- ___
180 and under 185 ___
185 and under 190 .
190 and under 195- ..
__
195 and under 200
200 and over____
Total__________
Number of workers..
Average hourly earnings 1
All
workers
1.6
7.2
4.9
5.1
66
7.0
7.9
7.5
6.3
7.0
88
10.5
4.3
46
2.6
1.0
2.3
.7
7
4
.3
4
6
4
.3
.2
8
Men
workers
0.8
5.4
3.6
4.9
5.7
8.7
9.0
10.1
6.7
6.9
6.3
3.7
3.3
2.3
2.2
1.6
1.9
1.9
2.1
1.2
1. 3
1.3
2.5
1.8
1. 3
.7
2.9
100.0
100.0
34,019
$1.13
5,987
$1.20
Selected regions
Women
workers
New
England
1.8
7.6
5.2
5.2
6.9
6.6
7.6
6.9
6.2
7.0
9.3
11.9
4.5
5.1
2.7
.9
2.4
.5
.4
.3
.1
.1
(3)
(3)
28,032
$1.11
Border
States
York
County,
Pa.
Southeast
Philadel
phia, Pa.
0.4
2.7
1.3
2.4
3.6
6.8
10.9
12.0
12.0
14.0
12.9
9.3
2.0
2.8
1.3
.7
.7
.5
.6
1.0
3.6
12.8
7.7
5. 9
8. 6
10. 3
9.0
8.6
6.9
4. 9
4.8
3.8
2. 7
1.5
1.7
.6
.9
1.0
1. 0
.3
0.1
2.3
2.1
3. 2
4. 7
4. 7
5.0
8. 2
5.8
5.3
9.0
13. 7
8. 6
4. 6
6.5
2. 4
9. 6
.5
.2
.4
.3
.6
.1
.5
.9
.2
.9
.2
.1
.9
.3
.2
.2
.4
.3
1. 4
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
647
$1.04
16, 676
$1.19
1,882
$1.15
11,175
$1.04
5,595
$1.23
2,022
$1.04
4,811
$1.12
13.4
5.4
8.8
8.0
5.1
10.5
11.6
8.8
7.6
3.1
1.5
3.6
.2
1.2
2.2
.2
.5
0.4
3. 7
3.5
3.9
5.2
5.3
6.4
6.6
4.8
6.5
11.6
14.8
6.1
7.8
3.7
1.4
3.7
.6
1.5
1.1
.4
.1
i Excludes premium pay for work on weekends, holidays, and late shifts.
Includes data for regions in addition to those shown separately.
3 Less than 0.05 percent.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Middle
Atlantic
Selected areas
1.7
6.6
9.1
6.9
8.3
11.4
13.3
8.3
6.0
5.4
13.7
2.5
1.0
1.2
.5
.7
.6
.1
.2
.3
(?)
(3)
(3)
(3)
.3
.9
.6
Tampa,
Fla.
1.1
9.4
4.9
6.6
10.0
8.7
7.9
6.6
7.9
5.8
7.5
2.6
3.0
2.5
3.3
1.1
1.8
1.9
2.0
.7
.5
1.0
.4
.3
.2
.2
2.0
N o t e .— Due to rounding, sums of individual items do not necessarily
equal 100.
1457
CIGAR MANUFACTURING EARNINGS
T a b l e 3. — Average straight-time hourly earnings 1 of men and women in selected ■production occupations in cigar manufac
turing establishments, United States, selected regions and areas, April 1955
Selected areas
Selected region
United
States2
Sex and occupation
Num
ber
of
work
ers
New
England
Aver Num
age
hour ber
of
ly
earn work
ings ers
Middle
Atlantic
Aver Num
age
hour ber
of
ly
earn work
ers
ings
Border
States
Aver Num
age
hour ber
of
ly
earn work
ers
ings
Southeast
Aver Num
age
hour ber
of
ly
earn work
ers
ings
Philadel
phia, Pa.*
Aver Num
age
hour ber
of
ly
earn work
ers
ings
York Coun
ty, Pa.
Aver Num
age
hour ber
of
ly
earn work
ers
ings
Tampa,
Fla.4
Aver Num
age
hour ber
of
ly
earn work
ers
ings
Aver
age
hour
ly
earn
ings
M en
______ _ 558 $1.64
Adjusters, machine* Total 5
_
Rending and ccllnphaning machine
98 1. 62
373 1.69
Cigarmaking machine
- __Stripping machine
69 1.45
C1igarmalters Viand' Totel
1 112 1.25
’ 375 1. 27
Whole \vnrk
Thin eh malter
529 1 . 3 3
Rollers
208 1 . 0 2
FI norm en
940
.9 9
Inspectors (dgars (examiners)
44 1.15
109
.98
Janitors
ATaphim'sts m ain ton an ce
108 1.82
ATa in ten an ep mpn ppnpral utility
95 1. 53
Paolters, cigars
210 1 . 3 9
265 $1.76
47 1.73
175 1.83
29 1.52
182 1.42
179 1.43
55 $0. 95
55
.95
12
403
21
43
63
38
24
.97
1.22
1.01
1.91
1. 48
1.05
480
254
30
86
6,363
L 143
181
424
219
205
64
1, 364
2,059
102
1,957
1.14
1.39
1.05
.92
1.30
1.04
1.01
1.17
1.18
1.16
.98
1.21
1.03
1.17
1.03
1.50
42 $1.68
27
1. 71
173 $1.48
30 1.45
121 1.51
21 1.38
735 1.24
522
202
422
1.33
1.02
.98
38
31
24
168
.93
1.66
1.65
1.43
376
1, 409
123
1,098
1.02
1.04
1. 24
1.05
3,000
151
1.17
67
1.15
18
1.19
20
.99
667
1.11
1.08 1,339
200
1,139
82 $1.91
16 1. 77
57 2.00
28 $1.62
65
11
47
6
735
$1.26
1.19
1.31
1.00
1.24
522
202
216
1.33
1.02
1.00
11
.88
168
1.43
1.00
1.07
1.24
1.05
1.46
1.08
182
443
154
289
1.67
.91
.79
.97
157
20
1.01
1.22
19
22
1.98
1.41
21
2.06
17
1.05
158
22
1.19
.93
108
64
1.00
.93
1.14
2, 316
300
80
115
1.33
1.05
1.02
1.26
614
233
1.00
153
.87 1,223
123
1,098
221
1.01
710
1.01
1.04
.92
1.25
.89
.82
.90
24
448
812
.97
1.33
1.03
222
335
1.13
.98
812
1.03
335
.98
W om en
Banding- and eellophaning-maehine operators
Oi gar makers, hand' Total 5
Thin eh makers
Rollers
f ] igarmaking-maohine operators 4 positions
Oigarmakin ^-machine operators, 2 positions
Floor women
Inspectors cigars (pYpminers) • Total
Tioose cigars
Racked cigars
Janitors
Packers, cigars ____ - - - - - - - --- -------- _
Strippers: Total_____________________________
Hand
Machine
1,006
1. 962
204
1,396
8 403
4! 658
409
646
379
267
106
2, 459
4, 216
439
3, 777
1.08
1.98
1.17
1.03
1. 27
100
1.14
10
1.19
18
83
1.43
.86
83
.86
1 .0 2
.98
1 15
1 16
1. 14
.97
1.21
.98
.93
.99
48
1.11
566
1.17
61
36
25
10
158
290
1 Excludes premium pay for overtime and for work on weekends, holidays,
and late shifts.
2 Includes data for regions in addition to those shown separately.
3 Includes Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, Pa., and Camden County,
N. J.
4 Includes Hillsborough County, Fla.
5 Includes data for workers not shown separately.
N ote.—D ashes indicate no data or insufficient data to warrant presenta
tion.
Occupational Earnings
were widely used in the Middle Atlantic States,
whereas all of the operators in the plants studied
in the Southeast were employed on 2-position
machines.
Nearly two-thirds of the 3,000 workers engaged
in manufacturing cigars by hand methods were
employed in the Tampa area. Only a very small
proportion of these workers made a complete
cigar. Most were either employed as bunchmakers or rollers under the “teamwork” system
of manufacture. In this last remaining center of
hand cigar production, 735 men on the hand
method averaged $1.24 an hour, compared with
$1.07 for the 1,223 women in similar work.
Plants using the hand method of manufacture
exclusively accounted for less than two-fifths of
the hand cigarmakers, the remaining being em
ployed in establishments that were primarily
producers of machine-made cigars.
The occupational categories for which average
straight-time hourly earnings are presented in
table 3 account for four-fifths of the production
workers in the industry. Nationwide averages for
these occupations ranged from 93 cents for women
employed as hand tobacco strippers to $1.82 for
men working as maintenance machinists.
Operators of cigarmaking machines were virtu
ally all women, accounting for nearly half the total
number of women in the industry. Those as
signed to 4-position machines,5 used in the manu
facture of long-filler cigars, averaged $1.27 an
hour, nationally, as compared with $1.02 for
operators of 2-position machines, used in making
short-filler cigars. Regionally, 4-position machines
5
The various operators of a 4-position machine include: (1) Filler tender,
(2) binder layer, (3) wrapper layer, and (4) inspector.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1458
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T a ble 4. — Percent of production workers employed in cigar manufacturing establishments with formal provisions for selected
supplementary wage benefits,1 United States, selected regions and areas, April 1955
Percent of production workers in—
Selected regions
Selected benefits 1
United
States2
Paid vacations:8
After 1 year’s service 4_. ___ . . . . . . . . . . .
___
1 week
_ . . .
1-2 weeks__ _____
. .
2 weeks . _
. _____..........
After 5 years’ service___ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ____
1 week
_ __ _ _
1-2 weeks . __
2 w eek s... . . . . . . ___ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
Paid holidays:4 6_ ________ ___
1 or 2 days.. _ __________ ___________
5 days___________________________ ___ _
6 days. ___________ _ ___ ____ _ ___
7 days_____ . . . . ____
Insurance and pension plans:7
Life insurance_______ ___________ . . . .
Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
Sickness and accident insurance_________ . . _
Hospitalization insurance____ _____ _ . __ .
Surgical insurance.____________ _
___
Medical insurance_________ _ _
. . . __
Retirement pension. ____ _ __________ _
New
England
81
69
9
3
81
13
9
59
69
9
(5)
43
13
55
10
19
55
39
3
15
Middle
Atlantic
96
96
Selected areas
Border
States
95
91
98
64
3
95
10
34
98
3
69
93
84
88
86
31
62
4
56
26
96
27
31
31
31
31
(5)
(5)
73
10
21
56
34
16
86
89
3
34
39
12
3
61
York
County,
Pa.
Southeast
Philadel
phia, Pa.
53
26
27
99
99
67
67
92
29
63
99
67
47
92
29
63
99
20
63
63
53
15
27
40
30
10
(5)
(5)
34
29
11
5
51
41
52
6
13
46
34
10
12
Tampa,
Fla.
20
52
52
52
24
24
52
1 If formal provisions for supplementary benefits were applicable to half
or more of the workers in an establishment, the benefit was considered appli
cable to all workers. Because of length-of-service and other eligibility
requirements, the proportion cf workers currently receiving the benefits may
be smaller than estimated.
2 Includes data for regions in addition to those shown separately.
3 Vacation payments, such as percent of annual earnings and flat-sum
amounts, are converted to an equivalent time basis.
4 Includes provisions in addition to those shown separately.
5 Less than 2.5 percent.
6 Limited to full-day holidays provided annually.
7 Includes only these plans for which at least a part of the cost is borne by
the employer and excludes legally required plans such as workmen’s com
pensation and social security. In addition to the plans listed separately,
data were collected on sick-leave provisions and catastrophe insurance,
Tobacco stripping (removal of stems from
tobacco leaves) was accomplished by machine in
nearly all but the smaller plants. The nearly
3,800 women thus employed averaged 99 cents an
hour, nationally, with averages of 90 cents and
$1.03 recorded for the Southeast and Middle
Atlantic regions, respectively. Fewer than 450
women were employed to strip tobacco leaves by
hand; they averaged 82 cents an hour in the
Southeast and $1.17 in the Middle Atlantic region.
Cigar packers averaged $1.21 an hour on an
industrywide basis, with workers in Tampa re
ceiving the highest average wage ($1.67). This
comparatively high rate reflects the importance of
the job which involves the selection of cigars
according to color and shade, considerations of
greatest importance in packing higher priced
cigars, generally made by hand.
region reporting minimum entrance rates below 75
cents an hour. Nearly two-fifths of the workers
in this region were employed by plants having an
established minimum of 65 cents for inexperienced
workers. All of these plants were reported as
engaged in intrastate commerce.
Several plants had different minimums for
newly hired or inexperienced workers and workers
having acquired some experience on the job.
Differences between the 2 minimum rates were
generally 5 cents an hour. More frequently, how
ever, the minimum rate of pay for inexperienced
and experienced workers were the same. Notable
exceptions were those Southeastern plants report
ing a minimum entrance rate of 65 cents, which at
the same time maintained a 75-cent minimum job
rate for workers with specified service.
Work schedules of 40 hours a week applied to
more than 70 percent of the workers covered by
the study. A weekly work schedule of 32 hours
was reported by some plants, mainly in the Middle
Atlantic region; an eighth of the Southeastern
Establishment Practices
Data on minimum rates of pay 6 were also col
lected in the study. The 75-cent Federal hourly
minimum wage served as the lowest hiring-in rate
for plants employing three-fourths of the workers
in the industry. The Southeast was the only
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
6
Minimum entrance and minimum job rates, for purposes of this study,
are defined as the lowest established rate for inexperienced and experienced
workers in unskilled occupations (except watchmen), apprentices, and
handicapped and superannuated workers.
OFFICE-BUILDING AND CONTRACT-CLEANING SERVICES EARNINGS
1459
workers had weekly schedules of 48 hours. Extra
shift operations were not common, accounting for
only 5 percent of the industry’s work force.
Workers assigned to late shifts usually received
the same pay rate as day-shift workers.
Paid vacations were provided to four-fifths of
the workers in the industry, to 95 percent of the
workers in the Middle Atlantic region, and to half
the workers in the Southeast meeting minimum
service requirements (table 4). Most Middle
Atlantic workers received 1 week’s vacation after
a year of service and 2 weeks after 5 years. South
eastern workers receiving vacation pay were com
monly allowed 3 percent of their annual earnings
if in the service of the company for 1 year.
Paid holidays were provided to seven-tenths of
the cigar workers. Over half of the workers in
the Middle Atlantic region received 6 days an
nually and another fourth received 7 days. In
the Southeast, two-fifths of the workers were
employed by plants providing paid holidays—
usually 1 day a year (Labor Day).
Life insurance and hospitalization insurance,
financed wholly or in part by the employer, were
available to slightly more than half of the workers
in the industry, and were most prevalent among
the various types of health and insurance benefits
studied.
Pensions—providing regular payments upon
retirement for the remainder of the worker’s life—
were reported in establishments employing 15
percent of the workers in the industry. This
benefit was in addition to those provided under
the Federal OASI program.
Earnings in Office-Building and
Office-Building Service
Contract-Cleaning Services, 1955
Women cleaners in office buildings had average
hourly earnings ranging from 56 cents to $1.57
among the 24 large cities in which the Bureau
of Labor Statistics conducted studies during the
summer of 1955. Engaged in such light cleaning
tasks as sweeping and dusting, these workers
averaged less than $1 an hour in 8 cities (mostly
in the South), between $1 and $1.30 in 13 cities,
$1.37 in Seattle, $1.47 in Chicago, and $1.57 in
San Francisco (table 1). Women operators of
passenger elevators, whose citywide averages
ranged from 66 cents to $1.64, earned slightly
more than women lightwork cleaners in 16 of the
21 cities in which comparisons were possible.
Among the men’s jobs studied, stationary engi
neers were the highest paid, with citywide averages
ranging from $1.45 in New Orleans to $2.83 in
Chicago and exceeding $2 an hour in 6 of the 16
cities for which sufficient data were available to
permit publication of averages. Three-fourths of
the men employed as office-building cleaners were
assigned to the heavier cleaning tasks, such as
wet-mopping, washing walls and ceilings, and
operating heavy cleaning equipment; the remain-
E arnings and related wage practices in the office-
building service industry and the contract-cleaning
services industry were surveyed 1 by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics in the summer of 1955. The
study of the office-building service industry
covered operators and managers of office buildings;
in case of owner-occupied office buildings they
were included only if some space was rented.
The contract-cleaning services industry included
establishments primarily engaged in cleaning
windows and furnishing janitorial services to
dwellings and other buildings, including office
buildings.
1 Establishments employing fewer than 8 workers were excluded from each
study. Earnings data relate to straight-time hourly earnings and exclude
premium pay for overtime and for work on weekends and holidays. Pre
mium pay for late-shift work is included; however, such payments were rarely
reported and do not appreciably affect the averages presented.
Approximately 71,000 office-building service workers were covered in the
study of that industry, which was conducted in 24 large cities; New York and
Chicago, the largest areas of concentration, accounted for 30,600 and 9,400
workers, respectively. More than 18,600 contract-cleaning-service workers
were covered in the study of that industry which was conducted in 9 cities;
New York accounted for half of these workers.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
—L. E arl L ewis
Division of Wages and Industrial Relations
1460
T able
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1.— Average straight-time hourly earnings 1 of men and women in selected occupations in the office-building service and
contract-cleaning services industries, selected cities, summer 1955
Men
Industry and city
Payroll
period
1955
Elevator
Cleaners 2 operators,
passenger
Engineers,
stationary
boiler
Women
Firemen,
stationary Watchmen
boiler
Window
washers
Cleaners,
lightwork
Elevator
operators,
passenger
Average hourly earnings
Office-building service
C?4 cities)
Atlanta,......... .......
Baltimore_______
Boston......... ........
Chicago________
Cincinnati______
Dallas__________
Denver_________
Detroit_________
H ouston..,....... .
Indianapolis_____
Kansas City, Mo.
Los Angeles_____
Milwaukee______
Minneapolis____
Newark________
New Orleans____
New York City 3_.
Philadelphia.........
Pittsburgh______
Portland, Oreg__
St. Louis_______
San Francisco___
Seattle_________
Washington, D. C
M a y ..
M a y ..
M ay ..
Ju ly ...
Ju n e ..
M ay ..
Ju n e ..
Ju n e ..
Ju n e ..
July—
Ju n e ..
Ju n e ..
April..
June—
Ju n e ..
Ju n e ..
April..
M ay ..
Ju n e ..
M ay ..
Ju ly ...
Ju n e ..
June—
March
$0.75
.93
1.20
1.94
1.07
.89
1.16
1.21
.89
1.12
1.26
1.27
1.29
1.55
1.27
.78
1.66
1.35
1.49
1.32
1.15
1.65
1.44
.86
May...
July—
Ju n e ..
June —
April—
Ju n e ..
June—
July—
March
1.23
1.73
2.02
1.39
1.37
1.20
1.05
1.71
1.10
$0.83
.90
1.17
1.97
.98
.97
1.14
1.06
1.05
1.46
1.24
1.25
1.55
1.37
.85
1.69
1.40
1.54
1.32
1.13
1.64
1.37
.81
$1.56
1.63
1.91
2.83
1.80
1.62
1.89
2.17
1.84
2. 21
1.45
2.06
1.95
2.22
$0.91
.78
1.19
1.49
1.02
.89
1.06
1.12
.85
1.07
1.19
1.21
$0.82
2.00
1.85
1.59
1.55
1.16
.71
1.67
1.43
1.57
1.31
1.27
1.65
1.01
.82
$2.42
1.38
1.41
1.43
2.08
1.86
2.28
1.36
1.49
.88
1.68
2.38
1.77
.97
$0.56
.81
1.17
1.47
.91
.77
1.13
1.06
.86
.89
1.07
1.18
1.06
1.28
1.07
.70
1.27
1.06
1.23
1.25
.04
1.57
1.37
.78
$0.66
.90
1.14
.87
1.15
.99
.85
1.04
1.20
1.10
1.39
1.12
.74
1.35
1.37
1.36
1.30
1.06
1.64
1.37
.88
Contract-cleaning services
(9 cities)
Boston.________ _____________
Chicago________ ______________
Detroit_______________________
Los Angeles___________________
New York C ity 3. ___ _____ ____
Philadelphia__________________
Pittsburgh____________________
San Francisco_________________
Washington, D. C _____________
1.69
2.32
2. 54
2.18
2.18
1.86
1.79
2.45
1.28
1.14
1.44
1.29
1.23
1.22
1.03
.82
1 Excludes premium pay for overtime and for work on weekends and holi
days. Premium pay for late-shift work is included; however, such payments
were rarely reported and do not appreciably affect the averages presented.
2 Includes lightwork and heavy-work cleaners.
3 Survey limited to Borough of M anhattan.
N ote.—Dashes indicate no data or insufficient data to warrant presenta
tion.
der were engaged in work similar to that indicated
for women. Men’s wage rates were generally
similar for the two types of work. Averages for
men cleaners as a group ranged from 75 cents an
hour in Atlanta to $1.94 in Chicago; the next
highest levels were in San Francisco ($1.65) and
New York City ($1.66).
Chicago, New York, and San Francisco had the
highest level of pay for office-building service
workers as a group. Ranking next in most occu
pations were Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland
(Oreg.), and Seattle. The lowest level of earnings
was in the South.
Not only the level of wages but also the degree
of dispersion of individual earnings differed
among cities. For example, individual earnings
of a great majority of the women cleaners in
Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland (Oreg.), San
Francisco, and Seattle were grouped in a very
narrow range; much wider variations in earnings
were recorded in most other cities (table 2). In
each of the cities having a high degree of concen
tration of earnings, all or a great majority of the
workers were employed in establishments having
written agreements with labor unions.
Office buildings in which a majority of workers
were covered under terms of labor-management
agreements employed 75 percent or more of the
workers in: Chicago, Kansas City (Mo.), Minne
apolis, Pittsburgh, Portland (Oreg.), San Fran
cisco, and Seattle; 50 to 75 percent of the workers
in Milwaukee, Newark, New York, Philadelphia,
and St. Louis; between 25 and 50 percent in
Boston, Denver, and Washington; and fewer than
25 percent in all other cities. Where service
employees of buildings were covered by union
agreements, two or more international unions
were usually involved. Cleaners and elevator
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1461
OFFICE-BUILDING AND CONTRACT-CLEANING SERVICES EARNINGS
as window washers; nearly half of these were
employed in Chicago.
Scheduled hours of work were largely determined
on an occupational basis. The great majority of
the elevator operators in all cities worked at least
40 hours a week, with a noticeable tendency for
men to work a greater number of hours than
women. Women cleaners, usually employed at
night, frequently were scheduled to work fewer
than 40 hours a week. Work schedules of 30
hours a week were prevalent for these workers
in Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Milwaukee, New
York, and Philadelphia. The only cities in which
a majority of the women cleaners were scheduled
to work as many as 40 hours a week were Atlanta,
Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New
Orleans, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.
Paid vacations for office-building service workers
were reported by virtually all of the establish
ments studied (table 3). A majority of the
workers in 13 cities were employed by establish
ments providing a week’s vacation after a year of
service, while 2 weeks for a similar period of
service was common in 9 cities; vacations of
more than 1 but less than 2 weeks were provided
by establishments employing a fifth of the
workers in Newark and more than half in New
York. After 3 years of service, a majority of the
operators were generally covered by the Building
Service Employees’ International Union (AFL),
while stationary engineers and firemen belonged
to the International Union of Operating Engineers
(AFL).
More than half of the 71,000 office-building
service employees within the scope of the Bureau’s
study were cleaners; nearly 2 of every 3 of these
were women. Operators of passenger elevators
accounted for another 20 percent of the total
employment. Men elevator operators outnum
bered women by more than 3 to 1 in this work
category for all cities combined, but proportions
varied greatly by city. Men accounted for nearly
all of the elevator operators in Chicago, Cincin
nati, Indianapolis, and New York, and were pre
dominant in the job in 8 other cities, but women
clearly outnumbered men in the job in 10 cities.
The relative importance of stationary engineers
and firemen differed substantially by city, pri
marily because of differences in heating require
ments and methods; thus, heating by purchased
steam reduced the need for such workers in many
cities. Window washers were not commonly
found in the industry since, in many cities, the
custom was to contract this work to establish
ments specializing in such services. Among the
24 cities, fewer than 350 workers were classified
T a b l e 2. — Distribution of women cleaners (lightwork) in office buildings, by straight-time hourly earnings,1 selected cities,
summer 1955
Number of workers receiving straight-time hourly earnings of City
Total
number
of work
ers
A tlanta___________
Baltimore-------------Boston____________
Chicago___________
Cincinnati------------Dallas____________
Denver___________
Detroit_______ ____
Houston__________
Indianapolis----------Kansas City, M o---Los Angeles-----------Milwaukee________
Minneapolis----------Newark___________
New York City 3----New Orleans_______
Philadelphia----------Pittsburgh------------Portland, Oreg-------St. Louis__________
San Francisco______
Seattle-----------------Washington, D. C ...
441
342
975
3, 646
485
481
183
969
573
239
342
700
349
487
224
10,137
218
1,272
695
265
693
198
828
661
i See footnote 1, table 1.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Average
hourly
earnings 1 Under
$0.50
$0. 56
.81
1.17
1.47
.91
.77
1.13
1.06
.86
.89
1.07
1.18
1.06
1.28
1.07
1.27
.70
1.06
1.23
1.25
1.04
1.57
1.37
.78
$0.50
and
under
$0.60
103
2
$0.60
and
under
$0.70
$0.70
and
under
$0.80
$0.80
and
under
$0.90
$0.90
and
under
$1.00
$1.00
and
under
$1.10
102
106
72
42
16
83
30
58
64
364
31
24
7
94
6
56
8
56
188
20
198
15
15
195
65
51
2
16
231
137
34
63
20
38
6
14
290
10
54
30
65
343
24
21
259
72
272
6
88
1,270
$1.10
and
under
$1.20
$1.20
and
under
$1.30
337
3
43
34
158
238
54
3
17
257
39
489
20
SI .30
and
under
$1.40
71
270
263
34
3,189
412
$1.60
and
over
3
7
54
225
67
550
458
35
3, 359
1, 094
3
163
213
15
474
254
434
51
19
$1.50
and
under
$1.60
2
10
17
4,258
328
3
$1.40
and
under
$1.50
1
2 Survey limited to Borough of Manhattan.
206
200
50
178
20
1462
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
workers in all cities except Atlanta were employed
in establishments that granted a 2-week vacation.
Three-week vacations after 15 years of service
were provided by building managements employ
ing more than half of the workers in 9 cities.
Paid holidays were granted to almost all
workers. Six days a year were granted to a
majority of the workers in 14 cities. Five days
were the most common practice in Atlanta and
Dallas, while a majority of the workers in 5 other
cities received 7 days a year. The most liberal
provisions were reported in Boston where nearly
four-fifths of the workers received 11 paid holidays
a year, reflecting the fairly widespread industrial
practice in that area. Half of the workers in
New York received 9 days and two-fifths received
11 days a year. Two-thirds of the workers in
Washington received eight holidays with pay.
Health, insurance, or retirement-pension bene
fits, financed wholly or in part by the employer,
were available in some form to a majority of the
1 a b l e 3.
workers in all except four of the cities. Among
the several benefits studied, hospitalization insur
ance and surgical insurance plans were most
common; buildings employing a majority of the
workers in more than half of the cities reported
such plans. Boston, Milwaukee, and St. Louis
were the only cities in which a majority of the
workers received sick-leave benefits; catastrophe
insurance (extended medical coverage) was vir
tually nonexistent. Types of benefits frequently
reported are presented in table 3.
Contract-Cleaning Services
Men cleaners employed by contract-cleaning
establishments in 9 large cities had average
hourly earnings ranging from $1.05 in Pittsburgh
to $2.02 in Detroit. Averages for these workers
in New York City and Los Angeles were $1.37
and $1.39, respectively, at the time of the Bu
reau’s study. The large majority of these work-
Percent of 'production workers employed in office-building service and contract-cleaning services establishments with
format provisions for selected supplementary wage benefits,1 selected cities, summer 1955
Paid vacations 2
Industry and city
Paid holidays3
After 1 year’s service After 3 years’ service
Total *
Total
1 week
2 weeks
1 week
2 weeks
65
67
5
100
72
31
83
71
55
82
83
53
37
13
33
95
46
36
33
64
100
100
57
100
79
77
58
67
91
88
90
100
87
58
92
100
100
Under 6
days
6 days
7 days
Over 7
days
Office-building service
(2 4 cities)
Atlanta______ _________________
Baltimore_______________I” ” . I” !
Boston___ _________________
Chicago____________________
Cincinnati___________________ "
Dallas_____________________ " I ; “
Denver__________________ I.III” !
Detroit____ ______________ 1.1.HI!
Houston____ ________________1.1
Indianapolis___________________ I.
Kansas City, Mo________________
Los Angeles____________________ I.
Milwaukee-___ ______________ I_
Minneapolis-...................... M ” ” II!
Newark____________________ 1.1.1!
New Orleans___________________ I.
New York City 9_________________
Philadelphia_________________’ I
Pittsburgh...___ _____ III.IIIIIIH
Portland, Oreg______________I. I
St. Louis_______________ M l ” ” ’!
San Francisco________________ ’
Seattle________________________ I.
Washington, D. C_____________M !
86
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
96
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
42
46
7 17
80
74
55
28
69
17
29
45
18
17
47
63
100
36
50
17
20
100
100
21
97
100
41
38
21
23
38
33
9
12
10
9
38
13
81
29
70
10
19
21
12
14
73
76
79
86
85
100
15
100
42
74
100
100
100
100
100
100
84
100
100
100
100
91
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Contract-cleaning services
(9 cities)
Boston__________________________
Chicago__________________ 1M M ”
Detroit__________________ I HI
Los Angeles__________________ "I"
New York City 6______________ M ”
Philadelphia_______________ I.H
Pittsburgh___________________ H ill
San Francisco________________ II I”
Washington, D. C _____________H ill!
See fo o tn o tes a t end of table.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
83
100
91
98
99
100
86
100
85
34
100
91
98
3 43
100
57
85
49
100
9 14
43
100
100
48
88
99
100
86
100
90
74
76
5
100
82
23
94
84
75
(5)
100
92
62
91
92
15
62
8
31
(3)
100
100
84
12
100
100
20
7
1463
OFFICE-BUILDING AND CONTRACT-CLEANING SERVICES EARNINGS
T able 3. Percent of ■production workers employed in office-building service and contract-cleaning services establishments
with formal provisions for selected supplementary wage benefitsselected cities, summer 1955 Continued
Insurance and pension plans 1
Industry and city
Accidental
death ana
dismember
ment insur
ance
Life in
surance
Sickness
and
accident
insurance
Hospitali
zation
insurance
Without
health
insurance
or pension
plans
Medical
insurance
Surgical
insurance
Office-building service (#b cities)
A tlanta............................................... ...............
Baltimore--------- ---------- ------- ---------------Boston....... . . .............. ............. .......................
Chicago------- ------------ --------------------------Cincinnati_________________ _______ ___
Dallas____________- ......... -............-.............
Denver.............................................................
D etroit...............................................- .............
Houston------------------------------------- --------Indianapolis.......- ------- ----------- --------------Kansas City, M o.------ ----------- --------------Los Angeles------------- ---------------- ------ ----Milwaukee..... ................................. - ........ ......
Minneapolis................................ ........ - ...........
N ew ark..---------------- ---------------------------New Orleans__________________________
New York City 6----------------------- ------ ----Philadelphia................ ......... - -----------------P ittsb u rg h ............ ............. .................. -........
Portland, Oreg---------------------- --------------St. Louis___________ ____________ _____San Francisco........................ ............. -............
Seattle...................... ........................................
Washington, D. C ........ ........... .......................
24
37
36
3
34
44
93
38
63
26
43
38
27
47
45
95
92
40
15
9
15
27
14
30
15
75
34
17
26
15
15
31
97
14
100
85
96
4
91
22
"u
11
43
100
100
28
8
100
100
5
22
18
36
23
97
41
65
91
54
94
51
21
51
68
97
53
40
99
79
91
100
21
100
~m
10
100
29
71
52
7
6
36
6
25
19
97
4
55
91
49
94
51
16
46
62
97
53
40
99
22
91
100
21
100
100
29
31
36
80
13
100
10
100
100
20
40
86
79
75
68
100
49
100
75
36
100
49
100
97
47
23
7
37
3
49
42
40
9
3
31
55
50
86
17
25
12
16
33
62
97
4
40
54
Contract-cleaning services (9 cities)
Boston.............. .
Chicago..................
Detroit............... .
Los Angeles..........
New York City
Philadelphia____
Pittsburgh.............
San Francisco___
Washington, D. C
12
27
25
72
44
40
26
79
” 72'
5
9Ï
100
86
100
100
40
100
100
24
100
40
86
79
75
80
100
71
100
60
14
21
25
9
100
1 Supplementary wage benefits were treated on the basis that if formal
provisions in an establishment were applicable to half or more of the workers
the benefit was considered applicable to all workers. Because of length of
service and other eligibility requirements, the proportion of workers currently
receiving the benefits may be smaller than estimated.
2 Vacation payments such as percent of annual earnings and flat-sum
amounts are converted to an equivalent time basis.
2 Limited to full-day holidays provided annually.
4 Includes provisions in addition to those shown separately.
s Less than 2.5 percent.
6 Survey limited to Borough of M anhattan.
7 57 percent of
over 1 and under
8 56 percent of
over 1 and under
8 42 percent of
ers were employed during the evening hours, and
for the most part, received the same pay rate as
day-shift workers. Women lightwork cleaners
earned substantially less than men cleaners in
each of the cities permitting comparison. Gen
erally, the heavier cleaning duties were assigned
to men, whereas women usually performed lighter
tasks.
Men window washers averaged considerably
more than men cleaners in each city. The wage
differential amounted to approximately 80 cents
an hour in Los Angeles and New York.
Establishments were classified as union estab
lishments if more than half of the service workers
were employed under the terms of labor-manage
ment agreements. On this basis, virtually all of
the contract-cleaning service workers within the
scope of the study in Philadelphia and San Fran
cisco were employed in union establishments;
70 to 80 percent in Chicago, Los Angeles, and
New York; 50 to 60 percent in Boston and Detroit;
and less than half of the workers in Pittsburgh
and Washington, D. C. With only a few excep
tions, labor-management agreements were nego
tiated with the Building Service Employees’
International Union (AFL).
Three-fourths of the 19,000 workers covered
by the study were employed as cleaners; threefifths of these were men. Window washers ac
counted for a tenth of the total work force and were
nearly all men.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
the workers were employed in establishments providing
2 weeks.
A
„ ... __
the workers were employed m establishments providing
2 weeks.
, ... .
_„
the workers were employed m establishments providmg
A U U lU U tffc UIJLiy L liU D C p i i v
'
----.------*
V
—
,
,
borne by the employer and excludes legally required plans such as work
men’s compensation and social security.
N ote —Due to rounding, sums of individual items do not necessarily
equal totals.
1464
Short workweeks were characteristic of the
industry in nearly all of the cities. The majority
of the women cleaners in Boston, Detroit, New
York, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh normally
worked 25 to 30 hours a week; in Chicago, a 35hour week was typical; and in San Francisco, all
women cleaners worked 40 hours. A majority
of the men cleaners in Chicago, New York,
State Labor Legislation
in 1955
S u b s t a n t i a l p r o g r e s s was made in several areas
of labor legislation when the legislatures of 45
States and the 3 Territories convened in 1955.
As in former years, the greatest activity was in
workmen’s compensation and unemployment in
surance legislation.1 Minimum-wage laws were
adopted for the first time in 3 States and existing
laws were strengthened in 5 other jurisdictions.
In fact, more progress was made this year in
State minimum-wage legislation than in any
year since 1937. Also, equal-pay laws were
passed for the first time in 3 States, and manda
tory fah employment practice acts in 3 States.
Occupational safety programs were strengthened
in seven jurisdictions. Five States took steps to
improve the conditions of migratory agricultural
workers. Assistance to older workers in finding
jobs will result from laws in four States—Michigan,
New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Wages
Minimum-wage legislation was passed this year
in 6 States and 2 Territories. Idaho, New Mexico,
and Wyoming passed minimum-wage laws for the
first time; these laws apply to men as well as
women and set a statutory 75-cent-an-hour
minimum-wage rate. Nevada, New Hampshire,
and Massachusetts, as well as Alaska and Hawaii,
made major improvements in their laws. These
laws apply regardless of sex except the Nevada
statute, which applies to women and minor girls
only.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh worked 40 hours a
week, but shorter workweeks were prevalent in
Boston, Detroit, and Los Angeles.
Paid vacations, paid holidays, and various types
of health, insurance, and pension plans were avail
able to a majority of the workers. (See table 3.)
— A lexander
M oros
Division of Wages and Industrial Relations
Alaska replaced its former law, which applied
to women only, with a new law applying to men,
women, and minors. It sets a minimum-wage
rate of $1.25 an hour, and requires time and onehalf after 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.
Statutory hourly minimum rates were increased
in Hawaii from 65 to 75 cents for Honolulu City
and County, and from 55 to 65 cents elsewhere
in the Islands; and in New Hampshire from 65
cents to 75 cents. In Massachusetts, effective
April 1, 1956, the general statutory minimumwage rate will be 90 cents and the minimum
which may be set under wage orders will be 55
cents for service industries and 75 cents for other
occupations. At present, these rates are 75, 50,
and 65 cents, respectively. The Nevada act
was amended to increase the minimum from 75
cents to 87% cents for women 18 years of age and
over, but the 75-cent-an-hour minimum for girls
under 18 was retained.
Twenty-nine States, the District of Columbia,
and the three Territories now have minimumwage laws. In 8 States and the 3 Territories, the
laws apply to men as well as women. (See table.)
Three States—Arkansas, Colorado, and Oreg°n passed equal-pay laws, whereby men and
women employed on the same or equivalent jobs
by an employer shall receive the same wage or
salary rate. Seventeen jurisdictions now have
such laws.2
Wage-payment laws, requiring workers to be
paid at regular intervals, were improved in three
1 See Monthly Labor Review, November 1955 (p. 1245) for article on work
men s compensation legislation enacted in 1955. An article on new unemploy
ment insurance legislation is scheduled for the January 1956 issue.
2Alaska, A rkansas, California, Colorado, C onnecticut, Illinois, M aine,
M assachusetts, M ichigan, M ontana, N ew H am pshire, N ew Jersey, New
Y ork, Oregon, Pennsylvania, R hode Island, and W ashington.
STATE LABOR LEGISLATION IN 1955
1465
States and Territories having minimum-wage laws applying to both men and women 1
State or Territory
Alaska______
Connecticut - _
Hawaii______
Idaho_______
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Mexico.
New York__
Puerto Rico.
Rhode Island
Wyoming___
Statutory minimum rate
$1.25 an hour__________________________________________
75 cents an hour_______________________________________
75 cents an hour in city and county of Honolulu, 65 cents
elsewhere.
75 cents an hour_______________________________________
90 cents an hour; except that under wage orders minimum
rates of 55 cents an hour for service occupations and 75
cents for other occupations may be set.
75 cents an hour; except 70 cents for laundry employees,
nurses’ aides, or practical nurses, and 65 cents for theater
ushers and pinboys in bowling alleys.
75 cents an hour, except 50 cents for “service” employees as
defined.
No statutory minimum_________________________________
____ do________________________________________________
____ do________________________________________________
75 cents an hour_______________________________________
Authorization for setting rates
under wage-board procedure
Not authorized.
Authorized.
Not authorized.
Do.
Authorized.
Authorized for women and minors,
but not for men.
Not authorized.
Authorized.
Do.
Do.
Not authorized.
1 Minimum-wage laws in the following jurisdictions apply only to women
and minors or to women and minor girls: Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota,
Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsyl
vania, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of
Columbia.
States. A new Oklahoma law extended coverage
considerably, bringing in retail stores for the first
time. The act also required an employer to pay
an employee all wages due him at the time he is
discharged, or 5 days after demand if he resigns.
The Missouri law requiring semimonthly paydays
was extended to all employees of corporations and
railroads'—except for executive and professional
employees, as well as sales persons and others em
ployed on a commission basis, who may be paid
monthly. In New York, an amendment required
that salesmen on commission receive regular
monthly payments.
certain discriminatory practices, and create State
fair employment practices commissions to ad
minister the provisions.
In Iowa, the Legislature adopted a resolution
directing the Governor to appoint a commission
to study the problem of discrimination in the
State and to recommend remedies.
With adoption of the Michigan, Minnesota, and
Pennsylvania acts, 12 jurisdictions3 now have
mandatory acts of this type, and 4 other States 4
have antidiscrimination acts that depend primarily
upon educational means to accomplish results.
Occupational Health and Safety
Discrimination in Employment
Three new fair employment practices acts were
passed this year—in Michigan, Minnesota, and
Pennsylvania. Such acts are designed to prevent
discrimination in employment because of race,
creed, color, or national origin. The new acts
were all mandatory, covering private employers
of 8 or more in Michigan and Minnesota and of 12
or more in Pennsylvania. These statutes prohibit
3
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington,
and Alaska.
< Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, and Wisconsin.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
New occupational safety legislation will
strengthen the accident prevention programs in
six States and Hawaii. Three States established
new safety divisions. Maryland created a Divi
sion of Industrial Safety within the Department
of Labor and Industry to carry on safety activities
previously divided between the Department and
the Industrial Accident Commission. A tripartite
Occupational Safety Advisory Board was also
created, to formulate and propose to the Com
missioner of Labor rules and regulations for acci
dent prevention and reporting. Maine created a
1466
Board of Safety Rules and Regulations to adopt
safety codes, after public hearing, for the con
struction industry. The act also gave the Labor
Commissioner the right of entry to the site of con
struction activities for safety inspections and rules
enforcement. Nevada established a special De
partment of Industrial Safety, within the In
dustrial Commission, to administer that agency’s
industrial safety functions, including the authority
to issue rules and regulations to protect the life
and safety of employees. The act specified, for
the first time, that hearings must precede adoption
of such rules. It also specifically authorized the
Commission to employ safety inspectors.
Hawaii also authorized the employment of
safety personnel, specifying that at least 2 in
dustrial safety engineers and 5 industrial inspectors
shall be hired. In addition, the amendment pro
vided that places of employment, as well as ma
chines or equipment, may be tagged as unsafe and
their use prohibited until made safe. A Minnesota
act prohibited the lending or leasing of any ma
chine or mechanism on which points of danger are
not guarded, as well as the manufacture or sale of
such unguarded machines.
Two States amended their laws relating to safety
and sanitation by extending their application to
additional establishments. The Massachusetts
law authorizing the Labor Commissioner to adopt
sanitary regulations for certain establishments was
made applicable also to garages, building or con
struction projects, and premises used by express,
trucking, or transportation companies. In New
Hampshire, “commercial establishments,” as well
as manufacturing or mercantile establishments,
must now keep first-aid chests available for use,
maintain sanitary conditions, and provide safe
guards for machines.
Migratory Labor
Several State legislatures gave attention to
improving the conditions of migratory agricultural
workers. A comprehensive act was passed in
Washington regulating farm-labor contractors.
These contractors must obtain a license from the
Department of Labor and Industries, and, when
applying for the license, provide facts both about
their character and their proposed method of oper
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
ation. The Director may revoke a license or
refuse to renew it if a contractor violates any
State law regulating employment in agriculture,
payment of wages, or conditions affecting farm
workers’ health and safety. Contractors are pro
hibited from making false representations, trans
porting workers to places where a strike or lockout
exists, or engaging in certain other practices.
Three States—Michigan, New York, and
Texas—provided for study commissions to under
take or continue the exploration of problems of
migratory agricultural workers.
Improved schooling opportunities for children
of migratory workers in New York should result
from an amendment to the State school code, per
mitting district boards of education to transfer
funds to adjoining school districts in which children
from migrant-labor camps are provided educa
tional facilities.
Child Labor
While no comprehensive child-labor acts were
passed in 1955, amendments were made to childlabor and school-attendance laws in about a third
of the States.
Ten States improved standards relating to
hours of work, hazardous employment, or required
school attendance.
The maximum workweek for minors under 16
years of age was reduced from 44 to 40 hours in
New York; 12 States and 3 Territories now set a
maximum 40-hour week for children under the
age of 16. In Massachusetts, boys were pro
hibited from working in street trades between 8
p. m. and 6. a. m., instead of between 9 p. m. and
5 a. m. In Delaware, children under 16 may no
longer work until midnight in bowling alleys; the
7 p. m. nightwork regulation applicable for most
other employment was reinstated for such work.
In Ohio, various provisions which have been in
effect the last few years on a temporary basis were
made permanent. These include a minimum age
of 18 for a considerable number of hazardous oc
cupations, such as the operation of power-driven
woodworking machines, logging and sawmilling
occupations, and occupations involving exposure
to radioactive substances. Nebraska prohibited
the sale of liquor in a public place by any minor,
STATE LABOR LEGISLATION IN 1955
and Tennessee added work in canneries to the
hazardous occupations prohibited for minors
under 18 years old. Maine set 16 as the minimum
age for all employment in theaters except as actors.
In Montana, the minimum age for employment
during school hours was raised from 14 to 16,
through an amendment to the school-attendance
law. South Dakota deleted from its schoolattendance law the former provision permitting
children under age 16 who had completed the
sixth grade to be excused from school for not more
than 40 days between April 1 and November 1,
if needed at home. Illinois increased its minimum
school term from 8 to 9 months.
Child-labor and school-attendance standards
were substantially lowered in Utah and South
Carolina. In Utah, an amendment to the childlabor law reduced to 14 years its long-standing 16year minimum age for work in factories at any
time and for most employment during school
hours. It also reduced from 14 to 10 years the
minimum age for work outside school hours in
agriculture, and from 12 to 10 the minimum age
for employment as caddies or newsboys. Children
of 14 or 15 may now operate power-driven farm
machinery either for, or with the consent of, thenparents. In South Carolina the entire schoolattendance law was repealed.
Certain child-labor standards were lowered in a
few other States. In Delaware, boys between 12
and 16 and girls between 14 and 16 may now work
in street trades until 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday,
and during vacations instead of until 7 p. m. In
Oklahoma, an exemption was enacted to its pro
hibition of work after 6 p. m. by boys under 16
and girls under 18. Now, boys of 15 and girls 15
to 18 may work as cashiers, ushers, or in concession
stands in theaters until 11 p. m. Puerto Rico
lowered from 14 to 12 its minimum age for work as
newsboys, while in Wisconsin boys of 12, rather
than 14, may now be employed as caddies, if they
use caddy carts.
A number of States amended their laws regu
lating hours of work for women. Most of these
laws apply also to girls aged 16 and over, or in
some cases to minors of 16 and 17, as well as
women.
8 Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Ohio,
and Vermont.
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1467
Hours and Related Standards for Women
Eight States amended their women’s hours
laws.5 Maine extended coverage of its 9-hourday, 54-hour-week provision to commercial amuse
ment places.
Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Arkansas pro
vided for exemption from the meal-period require
ment in certain establishments where continuous
operations are necessary. The Vermont provision
permitting women and minors of 16 and 17 to
work 10 hours a day and 60 hours a week for 10
weeks a year was amended to eliminate the re
quirement that the 10 weeks be consecutive. In
Ohio, the maximum 8-hour day for women aged
18 and over was amended to permit officeworkers
to be employed 10 hours on 1 day each week, if
such time is within 12 consecutive hours, while
the 10-hour span for women employed in restaur
ants was increased to 12 hours. The weekly
maximum for manufacturing establishments was
increased from 45 to 48 hours.
In New York, the nightwork prohibition for
women 16 years of age and over was amended to
reinstate the exemption for certain employees,
including writers and reporters in newspaper
offices. The Delaware nightwork prohibition ap
plying to women aged 16 and over was repealed.
Ohio modified its prohibition against women taxi
cab drivers to make the prohibition apply only to
nightwork. Ohio laws regulating women’s em
ployment in delivery service or handling heavy
materials were also modified. Suitable seats for
female employees must now be provided in com
mercial establishments in New Hampshire, as
well as in other specified establishments, as a
result of a 1955 amendment to the occupational
health and safety law.
Emergency Relaxations
Acts authorizing temporary relaxations of
certain laws during emergencies were extended for
1 or 2 years in 4 States. The Massachusetts act,
permitting relaxations for minors 16 years of age
and over, and for women, was extended for 1 year,
as was the New York act that authorizes dis
pensations for persons of both sexes aged 16 and
over. The California act authorizing the Gover-
1468
nor to issue permits relaxing the maximum hoursof-work standards for women was extended for
2 years. In addition, the North Carolina act
authorizing the Governor to suspend or modify
its labor laws during a war period was made
applicable also during a period of threatened war,
and its operation extended for 2 more years.
Industrial Relations
Although efforts were made in over a fourth of
the States to enact so-called “right to work” laws,
these efforts were defeated in all the States but
Utah. Eighteen States now have such laws.6
The Kansas Legislature passed a “right to work”
act, but it was vetoed by the Governor. However,
that State’s labor-management relations act was
amended to include a prohibition against closedshop agreements. Union shops are permitted, as
formerly, upon majority vote of the employees.
Other amendments to the Kansas labor relations
act included the listing of additional unfair labor
practices both for employers and for employees.
Employers were prohibited from employing labor
spies, and from making the checkoff without an
individually signed order from each employee.
Employees were prohibited from participating in
a strike until a strike vote was held. The Min
nesota labor relations act was amended to elimi
nate its provisions relating to strike notices and to
provide instead a procedure under which the State
labor conciliator is petitioned to take jurisdiction
10 days before a proposed strike or lockout be
comes effective. In Texas, unions not represent
ing a majority of the employees were prohibited
from striking or picketing; the law further author
ized the trial judge, if in doubt, to hold an election
to determine if the union in any particular case
actually represents a majority of the employees.
New Hampshire prohibited unions, along with
other associations and corporations, from making
contributions to political campaigns. Wisconsin,
which already prohibited associations and cor
porations from contributing to political campaigns,
extended this prohibition specifically to unions.
Indiana and Pennsylvania have similar laws,
while Texas prohibits contributions only from
unions. In Ohio, a resolution was passed directing
the Legislative Service Commission to appoint a
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
committee to investigate union contributions to
political campaigns.
In Maine, an amendment to the act which set up
the State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation
stated specifically that the Board was responsible
for furthering harmonious labor-management re
lations in the State, and authorized it to serve as a
board of conciliation, a board of arbitration, or a
board of inquiry.
Unions may now sue in their own names in
Rhode Island on behalf of individual members in
actions arising out of employer violation of a
collective bargaining contract. Rhode Island also
made it clear that employers advertising for
workers while a strike or lockout is in existence
must state this fact in type as large as the largest
print in the advertisement. Connecticut specified
the size of type for such statements.
Michigan, Ohio, and Texas each provided for a
study of the problems arising in labor-management
relations.
Older Workers
Legislation aimed toward improvement of em
ployment opportunities for older workers was en
acted in Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsyl
vania. Michigan authorized the establishment of
a division in each employment service office whose
sole function shall be to secure suitable employ
ment for persons over 65 years of age. New York
appropriated $50,000 to its labor department to be
used solely for employing job counselors and inter
viewers for persons over 45 years of age. A
resolution adopted in Ohio requested the Legisla
tive Service Commission to survey the employment
of older workers in that State and devise methods
of increasing their employment opportunities.
In passing a fair employment practices act this
year, Pennsylvania added a ban on discrimination
against persons between the ages of 40 and 62.
Other Significant Legislation
Several States passed new laws or amendments
this year dealing with time off to vote. Alaska
and Hawaii enacted laws allowing workers time off
• Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Missis
sippi, Nebraska, Nevada, N orth Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina.
South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
STATE LABOR LEGISLATION IN 1955
from work to vote with no loss of pay. These two
laws, and amendments to the laws of Iowa,
Nevada, and South Dakota, followed the recent
trend toward allowing such time off only if there is
insufficient time to vote outside working hours.
The Colorado law applies to both municipal and
general elections, and the Wyoming law to general
elections as well as to primaries. Nevada added a
provision specifying that there should be no loss of
pay for time taken to vote, whereas Wyoming
repealed such a provision.
A new Washington law prohibited common car
riers by rail from requiring any employee or
applicant for employment to pay the cost of a
366804— 55-
9
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1469
medical examination or the cost of furnishing any
records required by the employer as a condition of
employment.
The Massachusetts industrial homework law
was amended to eliminate any reference to in
dependent contractors and to prohibit homework
unless the employer maintains a plant or factory
in the State. It also required a record of the hours
worked by the employees and increased the
schedule of fees for the renewal of employers’
permits.
— B e a t r ic e M cC o n n e l l
B ureau of Labor Standards
Foreign Labor Briefs*
Co-determination for Government
Workers in W est Germany
T he extent of “co-determination” in West
Germany was broadened by the personnel rep
resentation law for Government workers, which
became effective September 5, 1955. Co-determi
nation denotes a system of worker-management
cooperation, unique to West Germany, providing
for employee participation in administrative de
cisions. This concept of labor-management rela
tions had its first application in 1951 with the
enactment of a law providing representation for
workers in the iron, steel, and coal industries.
Workers in all other private industries were cov
ered by the general co-determination law enacted
in 1952.1 The new law covers 900,000 Federal civilservice employees, as well as 1.3 million workers
employed by State and local governments, public
enterprises, and Government-owned corporations.
The system of personnel representation pro
vided in the new law consists essentially of Person
nel Councils, each composed of 5 to 25 worker
representatives, which are established at various
administrative levels in Government agencies.
Functions of the councils include implementation
of labor laws, collective agreements, and adminis
trative regulations; handling of grievances; and
participation in certain social and personnel de
cisions, either on the basis of “cooperation” or
“co-determination”.2
Decisions subject to “cooperation” can be
reached only after discussions between Govern
ment officials and the Personnel Council at a
particular administrative level. Disagreements
are referred for final decisions to the Government
authorities and the Personnel Council at the next
higher level. This procedure applies to most per
sonnel actions affecting civil-service officials (e. g.,
upgrading, downgrading, transfer, hiring, and
notice of termination), and to some personnel
actions relating to wage and salaried workers 3
(e. g., hiring, notice of termination, and temporary
1470
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
transfer), as well as on “social” matters affecting
all workers such as family allowances, accident
prevention, and allocation of Government housing.
Under “co-determination,” however, unresolved
disputes are referred to Government authorities
and Personnel Councils at successively higher
levels, and then, at the highest level, to a Con
ciliation Board of three for final determination.
Co-determination is applicable to certain “social”
decisions affecting all workers (e. g., those con
cerning scheduled work hours, rest periods, time
and place of wage payment, vacation schedules,
vocational training, administration of welfare pro
grams, and determination of piece and job rates)
and to personnel decisions relating to upgrading,
downgrading, and permanent transfers for wage
and salaried workers only. However, certain is
sues concerning the composition and conduct of
the Personnel Councils are referred directly to the
established Administrative court system if disputes
arise. These include the right of workers to vote
or hold office, election procedures, terms of office,
competence of council members, and the imple
mentation of plant agreements.
Final enactment of the 1955 law was preceded
by a legislative battle of more than 3 years, due
to strong union opposition and differences of
opinion among the Government’s political parties.
Although the law incorporated only minor con
cessions to the union point of view and was termed
“antilabor” by a German Trade Union Feder
ation (DGB) leader, it appears that the unions
are prepared to cooperate in its administration.
Several factors account for trade union dis
appointment with the law. The major objection
is that it falls far short of giving workers effective
control over personnel policy. For Germans, this
is a political, as w~ell as an economic issue, since
workers feel that disloyalty of the civil-service
staff was one of the major factors leading to
»Prepared in the Bureau’s Division of Foreign Labor Conditions. Based
on Foreign Service reports and information from other American and foreign
sources.
1For a historical review of co-determination and descriptions of the 1951
and 1952 laws, see M onthly Labor Review, December 1951 (pp. 649-656),
and April 1953 (pp. 393-395).
2These councils are analogous to works councils in private industry which
were provided under the 1951 and 1952 laws.
3Civil-service officials (Beamte), salaried workers (Angestellte), and wage
earners (Arbeiter) are distinct groups in the Government’s labor structure,
and are subject to separate wage and employment regulations. The first
2 groups have separate union organizations outside the German Trade Union
Federation (DGB). However, the DGB organizes civil-service officials and
salaried workers, in addition to the wage earners who comprise the bulk of
its membership.
CO-DETERMINATiON FOR WEST GERMAN GOVERNMENT WORKERS
collapse of the Weimar Republic. Hence, they
are concerned over the fact that worker participa
tion in labor-management relations has been
successively more restricted with each co-deter
mination law. Specifically, they point out that
the law covering the iron, steel, and coal industries
departs substantially from the original concept
of co-determination in that it makes no provision
for participation by federal or provincial economic
councils in overall economic policy decisions of the
Government. The general co-determination law
of 1952, in turn, is far weaker than its predecessor.
It limits worker representation, and excludes
trade union representation, on boards of directors
and fails to provide for the appointment of person
nel directors from labor’s ranks. Finally, under
the new law, worker influence is still further
weakened by the absence of worker representation
in management activities except through the
Personnel Councils.
Also, the DGB argues that the new legislation
permits it a lesser role in labor-management
“cooperation” than it has in works councils in
private industry. It points to the fact that unions
cannot submit candidate lists for elections to the
Personnel Councils or call council meetings, or
even be admitted to such meetings without
majority approval by the council membership
(approval by one-fourth of the membership is
required under the general co-determination law).
The DGB, which seeks to organize all Govern
ment workers, contends also that the law has
strengthened the organizing appeal of rival unions
representing civil-service officials and salaried
workers. The traditional class consciousness,
which is firmly embedded in the German official
structure, is particularly acute among German
civil-service employees. For these reasons the
DGB was opposed to a separate co-determination
law for Government workers and different court
jurisdiction, i. e., the referral of disputes involving
the Councils’ composition and conduct to the
established Administrative court system rather
than to the quasi-legal Labor Courts as under
the first two co-determination laws. They argued
that it was inconsistent to subject workers to
different legal procedures in situations involving
essentially similar issues, and deplored the empha
sis in the law on group (i. e., civil-service officials,
salaried workers, and wage earners) rather than
joint elections, representation, and decisions.
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1471
Recent Developments in
Greek Labor Policy
of a program designed to facilitate free
collective bargaining and the reliance on labormanagement-Government consultations to resolve
labor problems highlighted developments in the
Greek Government’s labor policy in 1955. Late
in 1954, the Government had defined its labor
policy, through the medium of an economic policy
statement by the Minister of Coordination, as
follows:
1. The Government recognized the principle of
free trade unionism, which presupposed the Gov
ernment abstention from any intervention in the
affairs of the trade unions.
2. The Government would consult with the
General Confederation of Greek Labor (GSEE) and
Greek employers on labor matters. For this pur
pose, a tripartite advisory committee would be
established.
3. Minimum wage rates would be increased.
4. Recent labor legislation would be reviewed
and, if desirable, amended.
The Government took a number of steps early
in 1955 to carry out these objectives. The legal
daily minimum wage rates for all nonagricultural
workers were increased in January. The Govern
ment consulted occasionally with the GSEE and
Greek employers on its labor program, and con
sidered their views in arriving at decisions. Exist
ing laws were examined, and several legislative
proposals were introduced, including the Collective
Bargaining Act passed by Parliament in May.
The law established permanent machinery for
labor-management-Government consultations on
labor problems and enunciated the principle that
collective bargaining should be restricted to labor
and management.
In June, Minister of Labor Andreas Stratos
stated to United States Department of Labor
officials attending the 38th ILO Conference in
Geneva that the new law justified “full optimism
for the development of mutual confidence for a
better organization of the economic life of our
country.” He pointed out that two major ele
ments are conducive to this purpose:
A doption
1. The collective bargaining system is improved in the
light of the new law, which establishes a really free bar-
1472
gaining system, and provides that the State, in exceptional
cases, has the right to intervene when the public interests
are affected.
2 . The tripartite National Consulting Board for Social
Policy will be the instrument through which the formula
tion of governmental policy, on a sound basis, coordinated
with the views of the employers and the workers, may be
expected.
Both labor and industry officials have been op
timistic regarding the new labor program’s poten
tial for improving labor-management-Government
relations. The new tripartite arrangements pro
vide for a high level committee of five members
each from Government, industry, and labor. The
committee will advise on industry and nationwide
collective agreements and will formulate minimum
substantive standards for local agreements. It
Philippine Minimum Wage Law
and Real Wages
T h e Philippine Minimum Wage Law of 1951, be
cause of determined opposition, was not enforced
vigorously until the prolabor Magsaysay adminis
tration came into office late in 1953. In 1954, the
Wage Administration Service secured for worker
claimants a total of 1.5 million pesos in wage resti
tutions. This prompted a strong movement, led
by former Agricultural Secretary Araneta, for
downward revision of the law’s wage standards,
especially for agricultural labor. He contended
that the law had intensified unemployment and
interfered with industrialization. However, Pres
ident Magsaysay reported to the Philippine Con
gress early in 1955:
I would like to reiterate my conviction that only the most
compelling reasons clearly related to the national interest
could justify changes in the Minimum Wage Law. This
administration will not lightly regard any action that may
adversely affect the workmen’s continuing struggle for a
decent life .1
A presidential committee, which had been ap
pointed to hear testimony on the effect of the
Minimum Wage Law, did not recommend its revi
sion and the Philippine House Committee on
Labor decided not to report out any of 11 proposed
1 Report on the State of the Nation, President Magsaysay, January 25
1955 (p. 11).
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
will also consider other labor problems, such as
safety measures and social security.
With the death of Premier Papagos in October
and the subsequent formation of a new Cabinet
which included a new Minister of Labor, implemen
tation of the new law is uncertain. Greek Gov
ernment officials credit a number of recently nego
tiated collective agreements to the effectiveness
of the law.
A fairly extensive period of testing will be needed
before a final appraisal can be made of the effective
ness of the new labor program. Meanwhile, how
ever, the spirit of cooperation expressed by all
three parties points to the possibility of definite
progress in industrial relations within a reasonable
period of time.
bills to amend the law. In August 1955, however»
the Philippine Congress passed a public works
appropriation bill with a rider which would permit
payment of 2.5 pesos (the current daily minimum
wage for agricultural labor) in rural public works
projects instead of the 4 pesos required for such
projects under the Minimum Wage Law. The
trade unions urged President Magsaysay to veto
the legislation, claiming that the rider would reduce
wage standards. Proponents of the rider termed
it an unemployment relief measure, pointing out
that at the lower wage the Government could hire
many more workers. The measure became law
shortly thereafter without the President’s signa
ture.
From 1951, when the Minimum Wage Law be
came effective, through 1954, the purchasing power
of wages (in 1941 dollars) for skilled workers in
creased 16 percent and that for unskilled workers,
21 percent, as shown in the accompanying table.
Daily wage rates for workers in Manila, 1951-54 1
M oney wage rates (pesos)
2
R eal wage rates « (pesos)
Year
Skilled
1951___ _____
1952_____ ___
1953.. .
. ._
1954.. . . __
7.13
7. 25
7.40
7. 44
Unskilled
4. 63
4. 95
5. 09
5.03
Skilled
1.98
2.10
2. 27
2.30
Unskilled
1. 29
1.43
1. 56
1. 56
. 1Statistical Bulletin, Central Bank of the Philippines, December 1954
(p. 218).
21 Philippine peso=50 U. S. cents.
2 Real wages represent the purchasing power of money wages, taking ac
count of changes in the cost-of-living index.
Technical Note
Accuracy of BLS
Current Estimates of Employment*
on employment are under constant
scrutiny, for the trends they reflect are among the
leading economic indicators. Private and gov
ernmental analysts, planners, and executives rely
on the BLS monthly series of nonagricultural em
ployment for current measurement on an industry
basis. It is therefore important to know how ac
curate these estimates of employment are. That
is, How much do they differ from a “true” count
based on the same conceptual definition of em
ployment?
S tatistics
Theory of Error
The question just asked implies that the error
of the current estimate is to be determined through
(1) agreement on a conceptual definition of em
ployment, (2) knowledge of a “true” figure, and
(3) adoption of the convention that the difference
between an accepted “true” figure and the esti
mate shall be identified as error in the estimate.
At least two difficulties in applying this definition
of error are evident immediately. One is the
question of concepts of employment. We shall
assume in this discussion that concepts have been
agreed upon.1 The other difficulty is that the
“true” count is unknown. Even an attempted
census, conducted with the most skilled enumera
tors, and with unlimited access to all records,
would yield an imperfect count. We have never
had an entirely accurate complete enumeration,
and probably never shall. Therefore, in trying to
answer these questions, we must be content with
some approximation of the “true” count.
There are at least seven major sources which
contribute to total error in any statistical sample
survey. The most widely publicized of these is
sampling error; that is, the degree to which plants
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selected for the particular sample are not repre
sentative of all plants in the universe.
All other sources may be listed under the gen
eral heading of measurement error. These in
clude especially (1) deviations from original con
cepts in the framing of instructions to respondents
for reporting; (2) biases that may arise because the
universe being measured is itself dynamic, and
even a changing sample may not reflect adequately
all changes that occur in membership of the uni
verse; (3) errors in classification, e. g., placement
of a plant in the wrong industry; (4) response
error, which encompasses both misinterpretation
or mistakes in reporting and imperfect estimates
made by the respondent because his records are
incomplete; (5) nonresponse biases which might
arise from refusal or from delinquency in reporting;
and (6) statistical processing errors, which include
faulty estimating procedure, improper editing of
reports, and computational mistakes.
For many types of samples, an elaborate mathe
matical analysis has been developed for use in de
termining and controlling sampling error. This
analysis relies chiefly on probability theory, and
makes it possible to quantify, with a considerable
degree of satisfaction, the probable representative
ness of the sample. Theoretical analysis of meas
urement errors is being developed on a good many
fronts, but is as yet much less adequate than
sampling theory. The result is that today a pub
lished statistic frequently is accompanied by an
estimate of sampling error or variance; but very
rarely by any evidence of expected size of other
types of error. The treatment of error which will
be presented here is one designed to encompass
not only sampling error, but also a large part of
measurement error.
♦Prepared by W alt R. Simmons and John P. Wymer of the Bureau’s
Division of Manpower and Employment Statistics.
1
A Federal interagency committee, with the advice of many public and
private organizations, has been reviewing this aspect of the problem over the
past year and expects to submit a report in 1956.
1473
1474
The BLS Employment Series
To understand the procedure used in calculating
the errors of the BLS estimates, it will be useful
to review briefly the nature of the program and
the method of preparing estimates.2 These are
published each month for the entire nonfarm
segment of the economy, for 200 separate indus
tries within that segment, and for about 50
combining groups of industries. These estimates
are part of a cooperative Federal-State current
employment statistics program. They rest upon
reports submitted by 155,000 of the Nation’s
4 million business establishments, which employ
approximately 16 million persons, or about
one-third of all nonfarm workers.
Employment data for the pay period ending
nearest the 15th of the month are collected on a
“shuttle” questionnaire from the 155,000 estab
lishments. The form provides space for entering
data for 12 months. Employers are asked to
report immediately after they complete thenpayroll records for the pay period requested, in
order to minimize reporting error. Entering data
for the current month on the line below those
for the previous month also helps to insure
comparability.
Data on these schedules for establishments
which reported for both the current and previous
months are used to calculate the ratio of employ
ment in the current month to that in the previous
month. The ratio for an industry for the current
month of, say, August might, for example, be
1.015, meaning that employment had increased
1.5 percent between July and August. The
ratios, or link relatives, for succeeding months
are chained together by multiplication in order
to show the change over two or more months.
If, for example, the relative for this industry for
September were 1.032, the chained relative
for September would be 1.015 times 1.032 or 1.047,
showing employment to have increased by 4.7
percent over the 2-month period.
The relatives are converted to estimates of
numbers of employees by multiplying the chained
relatives by an initial “benchmark” from another
source. The overall estimating procedure is
accordingly called a benchmark and link relative
technique.
A benchmark is an attempted complete count
or an estimate (generally based on more complete
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
data than can be obtained on a current basis) of
the number of workers in an industry as of a given
date or during a stated period of time. It is the
number which is accepted in lieu of the unknown
“true” figure. For each industrial sector the BLS
seeks the best available count or estimate, relying
primarily upon data from tax returns under the
social security system, as shown in the following
tabulation of sources:
Source of benchmark
Percent
o f total
benchmark
All sources_____________________________________
State unemployment insurance (UI) tax returns__
Federal FICA tax returns (old-age and survivors
insurance)___________________________________
U. S. Bureau of the Census, Division of Govern
ments (State and local governments)__________
U. S. Civil Service Commission (Federal Govern
ment) _______________________________________
Interstate Commerce Commission (railroads)_____
Miscellaneous (American Hospital Association,
National Catholic Welfare Conference, U. S.
Office of Education, National Income Division
of the U. S. Department of Commerce)________
ioo
73
7
9
5
3
3
Ordinarily, averages of these data for the first
calendar quarter of each year are used as bench
marks. The Federal FICA tax return is used for
small firms which are covered by that tax but
which are not covered by the UI tax. Beginning
in 1956, changes in UI coverage will increase the
proportion of the total benchmark accounted for
by the UI tax returns to 76 percent and reduce
the FICA portion to 4 percent.
Error and Discrepancy
The availability of annual employment bench
marks makes it possible to observe for an industry
category the discrepancy between a new bench
mark and the BLS estimate for the same period.
Discrepancy is a better term than error of estimate
to use in labeling the observed difference, because
the difference encompasses mistakes of measure
ment in the benchmark as well as errors in the
current estimate. Error of estimate, on the other
hand, refers to the difference between the unknown
“true” employment and the estimate. It differs
from the discrepancy by the amount that the
“true” employment differs from the benchmark.
2
For greater detail on this point, see Techniques of Preparing Major BLS
Statistical Series, BLS Bull. 1168 (pp. 42-49), and Monthly Labor Review,
September 1953 (pp. 968-973).
1475
ACCURACY OF BLS CURRENT ESTIMATES OF EMPLOYMENT
A measurement error which occurred in both the
benchmark and the estimate by the same amount
would not appear in the discrepancy.
Adjustment and Revision
In 1947, BLS overhauled and expanded its em
ployment program, and adopted a system of annual
checking of all series against new benchmarks.
Each year, the sample estimates are compared
with new benchmarks and discrepancies are stud
ied, industry by industry. Depending on the size
of the overall discrepancy, the sizes of discrepan
cies for individual industries, and the probable
reasons for the observed differences, a decision is
made either to adjust to the new benchmark and
issue revisions of earlier estimates or to wait until
the next year to adjust and revise. The “normal”
decision is to make the adjustment. However, if
the discrepancies are mostly trivial, it seems wiser
not to make an irritating but inconsequential
revision. Moreover, if there is reason to doubt
the comparability of benchmarks in individual in
dustries in 2 adjacent years, adjustments have not
been made to that particular set of benchmarks
in order to reduce the number of discontinuities
that otherwise would be introduced into the series.
The result of these reviews has been to adjust to
the benchmarks of 1951, 1953, and 1954. Pre
liminary investigation indicates that adjustment
will be made to 1955 benchmarks.
When an adjustment is made to a new bench
mark, the level of the series is changed to that of
the benchmark at the benchmark date. The ad
justment is said to be “wedged back to zero at
the previous benchmark” ; that is, a revised series
is prepared under the assumption that the dis
crepancy grew at a uniform rate during the period
between the two benchmarks. To illustrate, if
the estimate for a particular series 1 year after
adjustment to the previous benchmark was 100,000
while the new benchmark was 112,000, the dis
crepancy would be 12 percent. The series would
be revised upward by 1 percent in the first month
following the previous benchmark period, 2 per
cent in the second month, and so on, with the
revision reaching 12 percent at the new bench
mark. The objective of this technique is to pre
serve as nearly as possible the original trend while
still incorporating the evidence of the new bench
mark.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Magnitude of Discrepancies
Overall Discrepancy. For total nonfarm employ
ment, the discrepancy accumulated since the pre
vious adjustment has averaged about one-half
percent per year. In only 1 year since 1947,
namely the interval from the 1950 check to the
1951 check, has the newly accumulated discrep
ancy been as much as 1 percent (table 1).
T a b l e 1.— Discrepancy between BLS current estimate of
total nonfarm employment and benchmark data, first
quarter, 1948-54
Discrepancy accumu
lated—
Year
1948
______________
1949
_____________
1950 1
......... ........... .
1951
-- - ___
______________
1952
1953
______ ______
___________
1954
During
the year
(percent)
Years since Adjustment
Since previ previous
made
ous bench adjustment
mark ad
justment
(percent)
0.4
.9
- .7
1.1
.4
.7
.02
0.4
1.3
.6
1.7
.4
1.1
.02
1 No.
2 No.
3 No.
4 Yes.
1 No.
2 Yes.
1 Yes.
1Between 1949 and 1950, both the estimate and the benchmarks showed a
decline, but the decline in the estimate was less than that in the benchmarks.
Major Industrial Segments. As would be expected,
the amount of discrepancy varies among industry
divisions. For 1954, the date of the most recent
adjustment, discrepancies ranged from a high of
3.1 percent in construction to the trivial 0.04 per
cent in nondurable-goods manufacturing (table 2).
It will be noted that in 5 of the 10 broad industry
categories listed, the current estimate was slightly
higher than the benchmark and in the other 5 it
was lower, with the result that the nonfarm total
estimate differed from the benchmark by only
8,000 workers on a base of nearly 48 million.
T a ble 2. — Discrepancy between BLS estimates and first
quarter 1954 benchmarks, by industry divisions
Industry category
Bench
mark
(thou
sands of
employ
ees)
BLS es Discrepancy (bench
mark minus
timate
estimate)
(tnouemployAbsolute
ees)
T o tal---....... - ..................... .......... 47,964. 7 47, 956.7
16, 273.2 16, 329.4
Manufacturing
- ______
9,427. 6 9,486. 4
Durable g o o d s
_____
6,845. 6 6,843.0
Nondurable g o o d s _________
788.8
803.5
iVTiping
_______ - -2,373.1
Contract cnn struct, ion ________ 2, 302.1
Transportation, communication,
4,032.9
4,015.3
and public utilities
_____
10, 316.6 10,345. 4
Finance, insurance, and real
____________ 2,059. 0 2,044.4
estate
5, 501. 6 5,387.7
Government
____________ 6,688. 4 6,655.0
Percent
8.0
0.02
-56.2
-58.8
2.6
19.7
-71.0
-0 .3
- .6
.04
2.4
—3.1
-17.6
-23.8
- .4
—.3
14.6
113.9
33.4
.7
2.3
.5
1476
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Manufacturing Industries. More than half of
the industries for which separate estimates are
prepared are in the manufacturing division.
Comparison of the published estimates for 132
manufacturing industries with benchmarks showed
the following frequency distribution of industries
classified by size of discrepancy (table 3).
Distribution of individual manufacturing in
dustries by amount of discrepancy between BLS estimates
and first quarter 1954 benchmarks
T a b l e 3.
Amount of discrepancy (percent)
0-0.9_________
1.0-2.4____________
2.S-4.9__________
5.0-9.9_______
10.0 and over._ . . .
Total__________
Number of
individual
industries
Cumulative
percent of all
manufacturing
industries
46
43
27
11
5
35
67
88
96
100
132
100
Performance Ratio
The statistician likes to attempt summarization
of data with some single measure, which never
tells all the story, but which may convey a good
part of what is significant. It is, of course, for
this reason that we speak of arithmetic means,
medians, and coefficients of correlation. A meas
ure of this type has been developed as one indica
tor of the accuracy of an employment estimate,
or a group of employment estimates. This
indicator is called the performance ratio.3 It
depends on discrepancies observed at the time of
adjustment to a new benchmark. More specifically, it is calculated in the following manner:
First, the median discrepancy (without regard to
algebraic sign) is determined for the group of
industries under observation; e. g., for the data
in table 3, the median discrepancy is 1.7 percent
(that is, half the industries have a larger discrep
ancy, half smaller). Second, the median dis
crepancy is expressed as a decimal fraction,
0.017, and subtracted from unity—1.000 minus
0.017 equals 0.983. As with baseball fielding
averages, this result is read as a performance
ratio of ‘‘nine-eighty-three. ” A performance ratio
of “one thousand” would represent a perfect
set of estimates.
For the 8 industry divisions (table 2), the per
formance ratio for 1954 is 994. For the nonfarm
3
This is but one of several summarizing statistics which have been used
for the same general purpose.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
total, it has been above 990 in all but 1 year since
1947, assuming annual adjustment to new bench
marks. In that year, 1951, it was 989.
BLS Efforts Toward Improving Estimates
Whatever success the Bureau may have in esti
mating employment, it needs to continue its
analysis of observed discrepancies, as well as its
efforts to minimize errors of all types. The latter
include improvements in the representativeness
of the sample and the quality of both the bench
marks and employer response. The Bureau’s
current work in these areas is described below.
Analysis of the Discrepancy. Earlier in this arti
cle, seven of the major sources of error were listed,
and the existence of other possible sources was
implied. The Bureau lacks resources for com
pletely separating an observed discrepancy into
all its components. BLS analysts do, however,
inspect and review carefully each observed differ
ence and attempt to isolate the components of
the discrepancy.
The combinations of causes which lead to
discrepancies in particular industries vary greatly.
Sometimes one source seems to have been the
principal trouble area, sometimes another—and
frequently the precise cause cannot be isolated.
However, one general factor which emerges from
these benchmark checks is especially significant
because of its size and frequency of occurrence.
This factor is the impact of changes made in
industrial classification of individual firms. With
but few exceptions, the BLS current estimates of
employment do not reflect changes in the industrial
activity of individual plants which have taken
place since adjustment to the previous benchmark,
although the industrial activity of each plant
in the sample is checked each year. All needed
changes in coding are introduced at the time of
adjustment to a new benchmark. These, with
code changes made in nonsample firms by the
UI agencies, are wedged back to the last previous
benchmark. Thus, the observed discrepancy in
an individual industry includes, among other
components, the amount of change in industrial
activity during the interval since the previous
benchmark adjustment.
Within the manufacturing division, at least 50
percent of the adjustment to individual industries
ACCURACY OF BLS CURRENT ESTIMATES OF EMPLOYMENT
arises from this factor. In some years, changes
in classification may have accounted for 80 per
cent of observed discrepancies. The impact of
industrial classification changes is, of course,
dampened when comparisons relate to broader
industrial categories and is practically eliminated
at the level of total nonfarm employment.
Sampling Research. Sampling research is a con
tinuing part of the Bureau’s employment program.
The development of new theory, the availability
of higher speed in tabulating equipment, and
somewhat improved budgetary conditions make
likely progress in this area.
Quality oj Benchmarks. There are substantial
reasons for believing that if the benchmarks con
tained no errors, discrepancies would be smaller
than those now observed. Therefore, in the
interest of greater absolute accuracy, BLS con
tinuously tries to improve the benchmarks.
Since three-quarters of the total benchmark
comes from State tax returns for unemployment
insurance, first emphasis is given to those returns.
With the Federal Bureau of Employment Security
and with State statisticians, BLS collaborates in
the preparation of instructions for processing and
tabulating the tax returns—keeping in mind par
ticularly their later use as benchmarks. Detailed
editing of benchmarks begins in the State agency,
where State examiners audit the data in preparing
benchmarks for local estimates, as a part of the
Federal-State employment statistics program.
This auditing process is built around a benchmark
366804— 55------ 10
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1477
control card, which is a continuing ledger record of
employment for the principal employers in each
industry in the State.
Later, a graphic analysis for continuity, and for
detection of unusual developments, is carried out
by industry by the Washington BLS staff.
Quality of Response. Many respondents in the
employment statistics program have reported
monthly to the BLS for 20 years or longer.
During this period, both employers and BLS
editors have had opportunity to review the impact
of a tremendous variety of situations, including
war and peace, depression and prosperity, strikes,
holidays, vacations, overtime arrangements, 2and 3-shift operations, incentive and fringebenefit payments, and wage guarantees. As a
result of this experience, the BLS has been able to
develop a substantial body of instructions for
patrolling the quality of response. Instructions
are supplemented by correspondence between
employers and BLS editors for the purpose of
exploring and resolving apparently new or strange
developments.
Despite the efforts just described, in some areas
the precise interpretation given by respondents
to particular situations remains in doubt. In
October 1955, BLS inaugurated a regular fieldvisiting program to a sample of respondents for
the purpose of further strengthening the relation
ship between fact and the numbers reported on
questionnaires. It is expected that this activity
will be a continuing program and a primary vehicle
for further improvement of the employment series.
Significant Decisions
in Labor Cases
Labor Relations
Union Harassing Tactics Fair in Bargaining. The
United States Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia held that the National Labor Rela
tions Board had no power to order a union to cease
its harassing tactics’’ while negotiating a new
collective bargaining agreement.2
The employer and the union were negotiating a
new collective bargaining agreement when the
union began various harassing tactics to exert
economic pressure on the employer. Among
other things, there were unannounced walkouts,
refusals of employees to work special hours, slow
downs, an organized refusal to work overtime,
and an unauthorized extension of rest periods
from 10 to 15 minutes. On these facts, the Board
found that the union had failed in its duty to
bargain in good faith and ordered the union to
cease using these measures.
The court set aside this part of the Board’s
order. Though the tactics were “unprotected”
activity under the National Labor Relations Act
and the employees could have been discharged for
engaging in them, this behavior was not forbidden
by the act. To support its conclusion, the court
quoted the United States Supreme Court’s state
ment that “Congress made in the National Labor
Relations Act no express delegation of power to
the Board to permit or forbid this particular union
conduct. . . . The conduct here described is not
forbidden by this act and no proceeding is au
thorized by which the Federal Board may deal
with it in any manner.” 3
These tactics could not be used as evidence that
the union was not bargaining in good faith.
There is not the slightest inconsistency between
genuine desire to come to an agreement and use
of economic pressure to get the kind of agreement
one wants.” Since the union might have called
an economic strike to bring pressure on the em1478
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
ployer during bargaining without having been
accused of a lack of good faith, “no such inference
can be drawn from a partial withholding of serv
ices at that time and for that purpose.” Congress
forbade certain conduct, but not the conduct in
volved in this case.
One judge dissented because he believed that
the union’s conduct, considered on the record as a
whole, constituted substantial and legitimate evi
dence of the union’s failure to bargain in good
faith. In his opinion, “the union’s actions were
designed unilaterally to change working condi
tions during the bargaining process.” Though
the union could have called a strike, the conduct
in question had been denounced time and again
by the Board and the courts. There is a legal
distinction between an economic strike and sitdown strikes and slowdowns. Since the latter
two are not condoned, he held that the Board
should be allowed to consider them as evidence of
failure to meet the good-faith test of collective
bargaining. The court’s decision, he said, gave the
employer a choice of either operating his plant as
best he could, shutting it down in retaliation, or
discharging the employees engaged in the unpro
tected activities. This would not further the act’s
purpose of eliminating industrial strife.
Craft Union Bargaining for Departmental Unit.
The NLRB ordered a self-determination election
when a craft union sought to sever an entire
department as a separate bargaining unit, because
this craft union had traditionally and historically
represented employees on either a craft or
departmental basis.4
I he craft union petitioned for severance of a
department of the employer’s plant as a separate
bargaining unit though this department was part
of a larger bargaining unit in the plant. The
1 Prepared in the U. S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor. The
cases covered in this article represent a selection of the significant decisions
believed to be of special interest. No attem pt has been made to reflect all
recent judicial and administrative developments in the field of labor law or
to indicate the effect of particular decisions in jurisdictions in which contrary
results may be reached, based upon local statutory provisions, the existence
of local precedents, or a different approach by the courts to the issue presented.
2 T e x tile W o r k e r s U n io n o f A m e r i c a , C I O v. N L R B (C. A. D O Oct 27
1955).
’
' ’
3 I n t e r n a t io n a l U n io n , U A W v. W is c o n s i n E m p l o y m e n t R e l a ti o n s B o a r d .
336 U. S. 245 (1949).
4 G e n e r a l M o t o r s C o r p ., 114 NLRB No. 11 (Oct. 6, 1955). This was 1 of 3
recent cases in which the Board developed the doctrines connected with
the bargaining units which craft unions may represent. See also: G e n e r a l
M o t o r s C o r p ., 114 NLRB No. 53 (Oct. 6, 1955) and G e n e r a l M o t o r s C o r p ., 114
NLRB No. 54 (Oct. 6, 1955).
DECISIONS IN LABOR CASES
industrial union representing the noncraft em
ployees in the department intervened and insisted
that (1) the craft union could not represent the
other employees in the department under the
Board’s rule in the American Potash case;5 (2) the
American Potash rule should be reconsidered;
and (3) the proposed unit was inappropriate
because (a) employees having the same classifica
tions as some of the unskilled employees in the
department were assigned to and worked in other
departments of the plant, (b) some of the em
ployees in the proposed departmental unit per
formed work throughout the plant in proximity
with other employees, and (c) the craft union
did not seek to represent all the employees in
the department.
The Board reconsidered and affirmed its
American Potash rule that “craft severance would
be permitted only where the requested unit con
stituted a true craft consisting of a distinct and
homogeneous group of skilled journeymen crafts
men, working as such . . . and the petitioning
union traditionally and historically represented
the craft whose severance was sought.” In that
same case, the Board had also announced that
severance on a departmental basis would be
granted where the departmental group was
functionally distinct and separate, and the peti
tioning union traditionally devoted itself to serving
the special interests of the employees involved.
The Board was unable to find any merit in the
other contentions of the intervening union. As
for the departmental employees which the craft
union did not seek to represent, the Board held
that if the employees were in fact assigned to the
department and worked under the supervision of
the department’s foreman, they would be included
in the unit if, as a result of the election, the
department became a separate bargaining unit.
Effect of Change in Jurisdictional Standards.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit held that the 1954 change in the NLRB’s
jurisdictional standards would not prevent en
forcement of a 1952 Board order against an
employer who would not meet the new test.6
5
A m erica n Potash <Sc Chemical Corp., 107 NLRB 1418 (1954).
« N L R B v. Stanislaus Im p le m e n t Co. (C. A. 9, Oct. 12,1955).
7 N L R B v. N ational Oas Co., 215 F. 2d 160 (8th Cir., 1954).
8N L R B v. A rm co D rainage & M eta l Products In c., 220 F. 2d 573 (8th Cir.,
1955); N L R B v. Red Rock Co., 187 F. 2d 76 (5th Cir., 1951), cert, denied, 341
U. S. 950 (1951).
8C u rtis Brothers, In c ., 114 NLRB No. 27 (Sept. 20,1955).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1479
The Board had issued an order against this
employer on November 12, 1952, in an unfair
labor practice case. However, as a result of the
1954 revision of jurisdictional standards, jurisdic
tion would not have been exercised had the case
come up after the changes were made. Thus, the
court was faced with deciding how the jurisdic
tional changes affected enforcement proceedings
on orders which had been issued prior to the
changes.
In the National Gas case,7 one court refused to
enforce such a Board order. That case, however,
was distinguished from the present one on two
grounds. First, the Board itself subsequently
recognized that the National Gas case represented
an “unwarranted extension” of its former jurisdic
tional standards. Second, when National Gas was
decided, the Board had not announced its policy
on the effect of the jurisdictional changes on de
cided cases in which an order had been issued.
The court’s opinion was therefore based in part
on the Board’s presumed intention. This proved
to be an incorrect presumption when the Board
decided to apply its new standards to pending and
future cases, but not to those in which an order
had already been issued. Because of these two
factors, this court said that its decision did not
conflict with that of the court in National Gas.
Other courts had indicated that an employer
could not prevent enforcement of the Board’s
order simply because of the Board’s changes in
jurisdictional standards.8 The Ninth Circuit con
cluded that “the policy of the Board that its
1954 standards do not apply to cases in which it
had theretofore made an order is sound and should
not be disturbed.”
Union Disclaimer of Interest in Representation.
The NLRB held that a union’s disclaimer of
interest in representing employees was ineffective
when it continued to picket the employer’s plant
with the intention of inducing him to enter into
a contract with the union, whether or not it was
representative of the majority of the employees.
The union had been certified as the bargaining
representative on September 30, 1953, but no
contract had been negotiated. In February 1954
the union authorized a strike and picketing began
with signs giving notice of the strike.
However, the union notified the Board’s re
gional director a year later, on February 16, 1955,
1480
that it expressly disclaimed the right to represent
the employees. Though the picketing was dis
continued on February 17, it was resumed the
next day when the pickets appeared carrying signs
announcing that the employer hired nonunion
labor and that the union wanted the employees
to join it.
The Board reaffirmed its rule that a disclaimer
of interest in representation must be clear and
unequivocal. In this case the disclaimer was said
to be inconsistent with the union’s conduct in
light of all the facts. Further, the Board con
cluded that the union intended to force the em
ployer to enter into a contract with it whether or
not it represented a majority of the employees.
Election Upheld Despite Union Literature. The
NLRB held that a representation election need
not be set aside merely because the union had
circulated a letter containing allegedly false infor
mation on the day before the election.10
A statement that the employer’s counsel was
probably receiving $5,000 to keep the union out
was made in a letter the union circulated on the
day before the election. The employer alleged
that this information was “false, misleading, in
flammatory, and highly material.” Furthermore,
he did not have a chance to make a reply before
the election.
The Board found that the statement “could not
have so affected the employees as to impair their
ability to make a free, uncoerced, and uninhibited
choice of a collective bargaining representative in
the election.” Then it reaffirmed its Peerless Ply
wood ru le11 which prohibits making campaign
speeches within 24 hours of a scheduled election.
It pointed out that this rule specifically exempts
campaign literature from its scope, and, according
t° a prior decision,12 the distribution of union
literature need not be timed so as to give the em
ployer an opportunity to reply.
Misconduct of Board Employee. The United
States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
held that a second representation election should
have been set aside because the NLRB failed to
make it clear to the employees that the first elec
tion had been invalidated because of the improper
conduct of its field examiner in attending organi
zational meetings of the union and not because
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
of any misconduct of the employer, according to a
report allegedly circulated by the union.13
Prior to the first representation election, the
Board’s field examiner attended two organizational
meetings of the union, actively participating in
the second one. Though the Regional Director
did not recommend it, the Board set the election
aside and ordered a new one. Before the second
election, the employer notified the Board that the
union was circulating reports that the first election
had been voided because of the employer’s mis
conduct and requested the employees be given the
true facts. The Board took no remedial action.
The court said that “in view of the fact that it
was the actions of the Board’s own representative
which caused the setting aside of the first election,
it was the duty of the Board to lean over back
wards to be certain that the taint of such conduct
was not present when the second election was
held.” In fact, the Board was found to have
established, in a prior case, the standard for elec
tions when it said that “in election proceedings,
it is the Board’s function to provide a laboratory
in which an experiment may be conducted, under
conditions as nearly ideal as possible.” Since the
Board did not act to present to the employees the
true reasons for setting aside the first election, the
court felt that the misconduct of its representative
had carried over to and affected the second elec
tion. Consequently, that election should have
been set aside, too.
Discrimination for Concerted Activity. The Board
held that an employer had unlawfully suspended
4 employees who stopped working to question him
about the earlier discharge of 2 of their coworkers.14
The employer had discharged two employees
and, later that day, the employees involved here
left their machines for about an hour in accordance
with a preconceived plan to question their em
ployer about the discharges, which they regarded
as capricious. As a result, they were suspended
for 4 days.
The Board found that these workers were par
tially concerned over their own job security, which
they thought was in jeopardy if the employer could
and would fire people for the slightest reason.
10H ills Brass Co., 114 NLRB No. 35 (Sept. 22, ).
11Peerless Plyw ood Co., 107 NLRB 427 (1953).
12Comfort S lip p er, 112 NLRB No. 28 (1955).
13N L R B v. Fresh’n d -A ire Co. (C. A. 7, Oct. 13,1955).
14Solo C u p Co., 114 N LRB No. 31 (Sept. 21,1955).
1955
DECISIONS IN LABOR CASES
1481
Since they were engaged in concerted activities for
their mutual aid and protection, their activity was
protected by the NLRA; their temporary suspen
sion amounted then to unfair discrimination.
of their future resumption supported the employ
er’s position that the discharges were economically
motivated. Since the employer’s motivation is
determinative in such cases, there was no violation.
Department Discontinued for Economic Reasons.
The United States Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit held that a small truckline operator
did not violate sections 8 (a) (3) and (1) of the
NLRA by discharging his two maintenance em
ployees and discontinuing the maintenance depart
ment because the union wages were so high that
the work could be performed more cheaply by
outside business concerns.15
The two employees, hired to service and main
tain an employer’s trucks at his terminal, joined
the same union to which all the other employees
belonged. After the union demanded that their
wages be raised to the union’s uniform rate in
the area for such employees, the employer dis
charged them and eliminated the department from
his business. Thereafter, he arranged to have
other business concerns care for the trucks as
that was not as expensive as maintaining his
own facilities.
He contended that the discharges were an
attempt to resolve a difficult economic position,
but the Board found no support for this since he
had simply acted in “subjective anticipation” of
what the union might do if he refused to raise
the wages. Thus, the Board found that the dis
charges constituted a prima facie case of discrim
ination and interference which was not rebutted
by the employer’s contention.
The court, on the other hand, found that the
record supported the employer’s position rather
than the Board’s. According to the testimony of
the union officials, the demanded rates were uni
form in the area, a strike would have resulted
from a refusal to pay those rates, and the strike
would have effectively closed the employer’s busi
ness. The court stated that there could be dis
charges for any reason other than union member
ship, activity, or relationship. The evidence that
the jobs had been discontinued with no indication
Enforcement of Board Order Barred by False Affidavit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth
Circuit held that the conviction of a union presi
dent for filing a false non-Communist affidavit
with the NLRB bars enforcement of the Board’s
subsequent unfair labor practice order against an
employer based on charges filed by the union,
even though the false affidavit was not in effect
when the complaint was issued.16
Section 9 (h) of the act requires that a nonCommunist affidavit be filed with the Board
annually by each officer of a union before that
union can avail itself of the processes of the
Board. On August 30, 1950, the president of the
union filed such an affidavit and continued to do
so each year thereafter. The Board considered
that the union had therefore met the statutory
requirements and issued the complaint in this
case on February 27, 1952.
However, the union president was convicted on
April 30, 1954, of having filed a false affidavit in
1950, and an appeal was pending in the Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia when this
case was decided. As the result of considerable
litigation in the District of Columbia courts,17
the Board was forced to consider the complaint
issued in 1952 even though it had determined
that the union had not complied with the require
ments of the act. The employer, contending the
Board should not have acted on the complaint,
asked the court to dismiss the Board’s petition.
Since a jury had found that the 1950 affidavit
was false, the court had to decide whether the
union had complied with section 9 (h) of the act
because “what purports to be an affidavit is now
merely a piece of paper evidencing false swear
ing.” This decision was necessary to a determi
nation of the right of the Board to have its order
enforced because “there is no doubt but that the
legal effect of noncompliance with section 9 (h) of
the act is a bar to enforcement proceedings in
the courts.”
The union argued that the complaint had been
issued while the union president’s 1951 affidavit,
not his 1950 one, was in effect. As there had been
no showing that it was false, the union should be
15 N L R B v . A d k in s Transfer Co. (C. A. 6, Oct. 5,1955).
18N L R B v. L a n n o m M a n u fa ctu rin g Co. (C. A. 6, Oct. 6, 1955).
United Electrical W orkers v. H erzog, 110 F. Supp. 220 (1953), affirmed,
Farm er v. United Electrical W orkers, 211 F. 2d 36 (1953), cert, denied, 347 U. S.
943 (1954); International F u r & Leather W orkers U nion v. Farm er, 117 F. Supp.
35 (1953); Farm er v. International F u r & Leather W orkers U nion, 221 F. 2d
862 (1955).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1482
considered to have met its statutory obligations.
The court, however, was not impressed by this
argument. Relying on prior judicial expressions
concerning the character of the Communist
Party,18 it said that “in the absence of a showing
to the contrary, the reasonable presumption
would be a continuing membership in such an
organization rather than a withdrawal from the
membership ranks. Considering the falsity of
the 1950 affidavit and the nature of the Commu
nist Party, we do not regard the renewal affidavit
in 1951, unsupported by any alleged change in
the factual situation, as a sufficient showing to
the contrary.” It therefore concluded that the
union had not met the requirements of the act
and that the Board’s petition for enforcement of
its order should be dismissed. The fact that the
conviction of the union president had been
appealed was not enough to postpone action on
the Board’s petition since the court felt that the
parties were entitled to a decision on the case in
order that they might ask for a review of the case
by the United States Supreme Court if they
wished.
One judge dissented on the ground that if the
Board had authority to determine that the union
was not in compliance with the act, there was not
sufficient evidence in the record to support such
a finding. Further, he could not agree that the
court should presume that the union president had
filed a false affidavit in 1951 simply because he
had filed one in 1950.
Unemployment Compensation
Multiple Employment. Claimant was regularly
employed full time as a laborer. As a sideline he
also worked part time as a pinsetter in a bowling
alley. However, he quit the sideline because the
hours were too long when added to those of his
regular employment. Subsequently, his regular
employer closed down and claimant lost his job.
On the ground that he left his part-time work
18
A m erica n C om m unications Association v. D ouds, 339 U. S. 382 (1950);
D ennis v. U. S ., 341 U. S. 494 at 498, 547, and 564 (1950).
i“ M cC arthy v. Iow a E m p lo y m e n t Security Com m ission (Iowa Dist. Ct.,
Sept. 23, 1955).
20R affety v. Iow a E m p lo y m e n t Security Com m ission (Iowa Dist. Ct., Sept.
14, 1955).
21Weaver v. The U nited W oolen Co. (Ohio Ct. of Com. Pleas, Oct. 4,1955).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
voluntarily without good cause attributable to
his employer, the Iowa Employment Security
Commission denied unemployment benefits based
on his wages in both jobs prior to his quitting. On
appeal to the district court, the Commission
argued that the disqualification would apply to
any noncasual work, whether covered employment
or not, and irrespective of how extensive or minor
the work may be. The court reversed the Com
mission’s decision,19 holding that the application
of the disqualification to this claimant is not
within the intention of the legislature, since, when
he quit the sideline, he was still fully employed.
The court observed, however, that wage credits
earned in the sideline could be deleted in processing
the claim.
Cause Attributable to the Employer. Claimant was
compelled to leave his work because of an injury
sustained in the course of his employment. He
was under a doctor’s care for 6 weeks and was then
advised to obtain lighter work. The Iowa Employ
ment Security Commission found that claimant
quit his job without good cause attributable to his
employer and therefore denied benefits. In
reversing the Commission, the district court
held 20 that the phrase “attributable to his em
ployer” includes causes which arise from the
employment itself and does not imply that the
employer must be guilty of some fault or wrong
doing in causing the termination of the employ
ment.
Good Cause for Quitting. A decrease in the number
of employees resulted in a substantial increase in
the claimant’s work. Also, changes in the produc
tion procedure made her job more difficult. The
new work required the use of a knee press which
the claimant could not use because she had a bad
knee. Company officials refused to discuss with
the claimant a change in the method of doing the
work, and one of her superiors told her to go home.
She left her work. A decision of the Ohio Board of
Review, denying claimant unemployment benefits
on the ground that she quit work without just
cause, was reversed by an Ohio court of common
pleas.21 The court held that “just cause” means
“reasonable excuse” and that it covers reasons
which are personal to the employee and extraneous
1483
DECISIONS IN LABOR CASES
to the employment such as arduousness and
constant pressure.
Disobedience Implicit in Insubordination. A dis
agreement and argument between claimant and
his employer culminated in the claimant’s dis
charge for alleged insubordination as to the manner
of conducting certain features of the business. The
Ohio Bureau of Unemployment Compensation
disqualified the claimant from receipt of unem
ployment benefits on the ground that he was
discharged for a just cause consisting of insubordi
nation. On appeal to an Ohio court of common
pleas, this decision was reversed as being against
the manifest weight of evidence, unreasonable, and
contrary to law.22 The court said that this case
involved nothing more than one of the ordinary
incidents, problems, and unpleasantries of the
employer’s business, and that the facts do not
support a finding of insubordination, which
implies disobedience.
22 Free v. Circle Cab Co. (Ohio Ct. of Com. Pleas, Sept. 22,1955).
Conferences and Institutes Scheduled for January 1956
E d it o r ’s N o t e .— As a service to its readers, the Monthly Labor Review
publishes a list of forthcoming conferences and institutes devoted to the broad
field of industrial relations. Institutes and organizations are invited to submit
schedules of such meetings for listing. To be timely enough for publication,
announcements must be received 60 days prior to the date of a conference.
J a n u a ry
Conference and sponsor
Place
Regional Meeting. Sponsor: President’s Com Kansas City, Mo.
mittee on Employment of the Physically Handi
capped.
Seminars on (1) Recruiting, Training, and Company New York, N. Y.
16-18
Integration of College Graduates; (2) Planning
for a Sound Industrial Relations Organization;
(3) Developing a Sound Grievance Procedure and
the Techniques of Arbitration; and (4) How to Set
Up and Operate a Cost Reduction Program.
Sponsor: American Management Association.
Western Labor-Management Relations Conference. San Francisco, Calif.
18
Sponsors: California Chamber of Commerce and
Chamber of Commerce of the United States.
Seminar on Executive Appraisal. Sponsor: Ameri New York, N. Y.
19
can Management Association.
on Data Processing. Sponsor: Engineering Los Angeles, Calif.
23Feb.Course
2
and Management Course, University of Cali
fornia.
West Coast General Management Conference. San Francisco, Calif.
24—27
Sponsor: American Management Association.
31-Feb. 2 Institute on Effective Coordination as a Function of Chicago, 111.
Modern Management. Sponsor: The Coopera
tive League.
16
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Chronology of
Recent Labor Events
October 1, 1955
h e
p o l ic y
c o m m it t e e
of the CIO Textile Workers
Union accepted contract proposals from 4 Rhode Island
and Connecticut textile dyeing and finishing plants, pro
viding a 6-cent-an-hour increase for 2,000 workers during
the next year.
On the same day, the Textile Workers signed a 3-year
contract with 300 dyeing and finishing plants in New York,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, ending a 4-hour strike of
about 16,000 workers. The contract provided for an
immediate increase of 12 cents an hour and 6-cent increases
on October 1 of 1956 and 1957, improved fringe benefits,
including a 7th paid holiday, and increases in employerpaid pensions.
T
October 3
T h e Railway Labor Executives’ Association notified the
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen that its application for
resumption of membership in the association, terminated
in 1937, was accepted, effective January 1, 1956. A few
days earlier, the association had accepted a similar appli
cation by the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen.
October 4
T h e Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (Ind.) reached a
wage agreement with the major railroads for about
110,000 employed workers, providing for increases of 10%
cents an hour, retroactive to October 1, for most of the
workers; monthly raises of $30 and $21 for dining-car
stewards and yardmasters, respectively; and additional
daily raises for yard conductors, brakemen, and switch
tenders, ranging from 82 cents to $1.30 for those going on
a 40-hour workweek as of December 1, and from 50 to
98 cents for those already on such a schedule. The union
accepted 4 cents of the raise in lieu of health and welfare
benefits and agreed to defer until June 30, 1956, requests
for payments for fringe services.
On October 10, the railroads signed a similar agreement
with the AFL Switchmen’s Union of North America.
On October 15, following 9 months of negotiations and
the appointment of a Presidential Emergency Board
(see Chron. item for Aug. 1, 1955, MLR, Oct. 1955), the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (Ind.)
reached agreement with the major railroads on a package
settlement estimated at 17 to 17% cents an hour for 60,000
employees. The main provisions of the new pact were a
1484
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
wage increase of from 21% to 33% cents an hour for yardservice workers on a 40-hour workweek; an 8-cent hourly
increase for all road-service workers not on a 40-hour
week; higher minimum earnings for passenger-service
employees; and, for the first time, a daily minimumearnings guarantee for the freight-service workers. Con
version to the 40-hour weekly schedule is not compulsory,
according to union officials.
On October 27, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
(Ind.) reached a wage settlement, retroactive to October 1,
1955, with the railroads, providing for a 5-percent general
increase in the average daily rates plus a 2-percent increase
to widen the differential between engineers and other
railroad employees. A portion of the increase was in
lieu of a health-welfare plan. The pact also guarantees
daily wage minimums of $17.43 and $18.49 for the engi
neers in passenger and freight service, respectively; and
provides that a 5-day weekly schedule will go into effect
only if the union so requests on all the railroad lines.
October 5
A f t e r a 16-week strike, the AFL Machinists reached a
new agreement with the Flying Tiger Line, providing for
wage rates equal to those paid by other airlines with
which the IAM has contracts (see MLR, Mar. 1955, p.
337), and for the restoration of the strikers to the seniority
positions, classifications, shifts, and locations they occu
pied before the strike. At the beginning of the strike, the
company had attempted to shift its maintenance work to
overseas sites, but aviation unions there, alerted by the
International Transportworkers Federation and the
International Metal Workers Federation, responded
with picket lines and boycotts.
October 6
T h e NLRB, in General Motors Corp., Chevrolet Muncie
Div. (Forge Plant), Muncie, Ind., and International Die
Sinkers’ Conference {Ind.), reaffirming its departmental
severance principle enunciated in American Potash (see
Chron. item for Mar. 1, 1954, MLR, May 1954), directed
a self-determination election among the company’s forge
die shop employees because they constitute a traditional
departmental unit and the petitioning union has tradi
tionally represented such employees on either a craft
or departmental basis. The United Automobile Workers
(CIO) opposed severance because other plant employees
had the same classifications as the noncraft employees in
the die shop and the die repairmen at times worked
throughout the plant in close proximity with other than
die-shop employees.
F o l l o w i n g a gunfight between nonstrikers working in
the Perfect Circle Corp. foundry at New Castle, Ind.,
and about 5,000 demonstrating members of the CIO Auto
Workers, which had called a strike against the company
10 weeks earlier after management rejected union demands
for a union shop, a supplemental layoff-pay plan, and
arbitration of all disputes, the Governor of Indiana called
out an Indiana National Guard battalion to enforce order
1485
CHRONOLOGY OF LABOR EVENTS
in the city. Meanwhile, groups of workers in company
plants at Hagerstown and Richmond, Ind., had petitioned
the NLRB for decertification elections. On October 10,
the Governor proclaimed full martial law in New Castle
and extended National Guard protection to the rest of
Henry County, to Hagerstown, and to areas around the
company’s plants in Richmond. On October 20, martial
law was ended and a reduced force of National Guards
men was assigned to maintain order, under civil control,
in the strike-bound areas. (See also p. — of this issue.)
On October 27, the NLRB ordered decertification
elections among production and maintenance units in the
Richmond and Hagerstown plants, overriding the con
tention of the CIO Auto Workers that the leaders of
workers petitioning decertification should comply with
the Taft-Hartley Act’s filing requirements of non-Communist affidavits.
of a firm of consultant engineers providing preliminary
and on-the-job services on construction for interstate
traffic. (See Chron. item for July 12, 1955, MLR, Sept.
1955.)
T he first break in the dispute over union recognition by
22 Miami and Miami Beach, Fla., hotels came when the
AFL Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union signed a
contract with the Vanderbilt Hotel, which was not directly
involved in the dispute. Four days later, the union
signed a 5-year contract, providing pay increases for
about 200 employees, with the Monte Carlo Hotel—the
first of the hotels to be struck or picketed. (See also p. 1490
of this issue.)
October 12
T he Supreme Court of North Carolina, in Hudson et al. v .
T h e Federal court of appeals in Cincinnati refused to
enforce an NLRB unfair labor practice order which was
in favor of the Fur and Leather Workers Union (Ind.),
because there was no evidence that the union’s ex-president,
Ben Gold, who had been convicted in April 1954 for filing
a false anti-Communist affidavit in 1950, had renounced
his Communist Party membership at the time the NLRB
issued the order in February 1952. The court refused to
“freeze” its proceeding pending the judgment of the
Federal court of appeals in the District of Columbia on
an appeal of the conviction of Mr. Gold. (See Chron.
item for Feb. 15, 1955, MLR, Apr. 1955.) The case was
N LRB v. Lannom Manufacturing Co.
October 9
T h e New York State Unemployment Insurance Adminis
trator ruled that jobless employees of Ford Motor Co.
were entitled to receive State unemployment compensation
in addition to company-paid supplemental unemployment
benefits.
On October 25, the State Attorney General concurred
in the Administrator’s ruling, but suggested that, in such
circumstances, specific permission for payment of benefits
under the State unemployment insurance law be incor
porated in the law and that a Federal ruling be sought on
whether company payments to the SUB fund would be
subject to the State unemployment insurance tax.
October 10
T h e Supreme Court of the United States denied review
in the following cases, thereby in effect upholding the
decisions of the lower courts:
1. Douds, etc. v. International Longshoremen’s Associa
tion (Ind.), et al. The reversal of the convictions of the
International Longshoremen’s Association and some of
its officials for criminal contempt of a court order to stop
interfering with truck operations by the AFL Teamsters’
union during last year’s New York waterfront strike.
(See Chron. item for June 24, 1955, MLR, Aug. 1955.)
2. Brown, d. b. a. Brown Engineering Co. v. Mitchell,
etc. The Fair Labor Standards Act applies to employees
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Atlantic Coast Line Railway Co. et al., ruled that a unionshop agreement conforming to provisions of the Federal
Railway Labor Act was valid, regardless of the State’s
right-to-work law forbidding union-security agreements.
October 13
T he Federal court of appeals in Chicago held that the
Board failed in its duty, in setting aside a representation
election and ordering a second one, to acquaint the
employees concerned of the true reason of its action—the
preelection misconduct of the Board’s own field examiner
and not that of the employer as reported by the union to
its members. The court thus upheld the employer’s
challenge of the second election in N LRB v. Fresh’nd-Aire
Co., Div. of Cory Cor-p.
October 16
T he CIO Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers announced
the signing of 3-year contracts with Union Carbide
Nuclear Co., providing for a 24-cent-an-hour wage increase
for 4,500 atomic workers at the Oak Ridge, Tenn., and
Paducah, Ky., plants, to be made in 3 installments by
October 15, 1957. On the same day, the Carborundum
Metals Co. also signed an agreement with the union,
providing for a 5-percent general wage increase immedi
ately, and 2% percent more in October 1956 and again in
October 1957 for its 1,500 atomic workers at the James
town, N. Y., plant.
October 18
T he NLRB held, in Mathieson Chemical Cory, et al.,
Morgantown, W. Va., and United Association of Journey
men and Ayyrentices of the Plumbing and Piye Fitting
Industry . . . Local 152, AFL, et al., that the institution
of a superseniority system by an employer, following a
strike, and the consequent dismissal of strikers were in
fact motivated by a desire to punish the strikers and to
reward nonstrikers and those who abandoned the strike.
The Board ordered the employer to rescind his discrimina-
1486
tory system and reinstate the employees affected to their
jobs and old seniority status.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
right to resign from his union whenever he chooses, provided
he continues paying his dues for the duration of the union
contract then in effect.
F or the first time, the University of Notre Dame Laetare
Medal—the highest award given annually to Catholic
laymen in the United States—was awarded to a labor
leader, the AFL president George Meany, at a ceremony
held in Washington, D. C.
October 19
T h e NLRB refused to assert jurisdiction over an egg
processor and packager who had annual egg sales of
$100,000 to outlets of several large retail chainstore
enterprises. Recognizing that the retail chains them
selves met the jurisdictional criterion for multistate
chains, the Board emphasized that in a case of this kind,
the individual retail outlets must have a sufficient volume
of direct interstate sales to meet its jurisdictional stand
ards; the $11,000 volume in this case was insufficient. Prior
decisions were overruled insofar as they conflicted with this
ruling. The case, involving a representation petition, was
New Jersey Poultry & Egg Cooperative Association, Inc.,
Flemington, N. J., and Amalgamated Food & Allied
Workers, Local 56, AFL.
October 20
T he impartial umpire under the AFL-CIO no-raiding
agreement decided that the CIO Electrical Workers
(IUE) violated the agreement by intervening in an NLRB
representation proceeding brought by the AFL Machinists
(IAM) in an attempt to extend its representation of the
toolroom workers of the General Electric Co.’s plant in
Danville, 111., to the production and maintenance unit
represented by the AFL Auto Workers. To the IU E ’s
contention that the agreement does not apply to a situation
when a CIO union merely joins in a raid initiated by one
AFL union against another AFL union, the umpire replied
that each party to the no-raiding agreement promises it
will not “directly or indirectly . . . attempt or seek to
organize or represent employees for whom an established
bargaining relationship exists” and that the pledge is not
conditional on the absence of initial attacks by unions not
signatory to the pact. The decision was in re International
Union, United Automobile Workers of America {AFL) and
International Union of Electrical . . . Workers {CIO).
A union violated the Taft-IIartley Act, the NLRB held in
Marlin Rockwell Corp., Plainville, Conn., and Adam
Raczkowski, et al.; International Union, United Automobile
. . . Workers of America, CIO, et al. and Same, by (1)
attempting to cause a discriminatory discharge of three
employees who had submitted resignations from the union
shortly before a maintenance-of-membership contract ex
pired but had voluntarily paid up their membership dues
until the date of the expiration, and (2) by collecting from
them dues for a period subsequent to that date. The
Board ruled that the act guarantees a union member the
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
October 21
T he Secretary of Labor announced the first minimum-wage
determination for the bituminous-coal industry under
the Public Contracts Act. The rates effective for con
tracts initiated on or after November 25 range from
$1.40 to $2,346 an hour for 22 coal-producing districts,
with $2,245 applying to the 8 districts which supply
about four-fifths of the United States production.
October 23
AFL International Alliance of Stage Employees
announced a new contract with the Association of Motion
Picture Producers for about 15,000 production employees
of major film studios, providing for a reduction in the work
week to 5 days, effective January 30, 1956, and a 234percent general wage increase starting January 30, 1958;
an immediate hourly wage raise of 25 cents an hour for
workers hired by the day; and higher employer contribu
tions to the pension and health and welfare funds. The
pact is effective October 25, 1956, and expires January 30,
1959.
T he
October 25
A Conference on Equal Job Opportunity, sponsored by
the President’s Committee on Government Contracts and
attended by 50 business and industrial leaders, met at
Washington under the chairmanship of Vice President
Nixon to discuss “effective ways of eliminating discrimina
tion in employment due to race, religion, color, or national
origin.” (See also p. 1494 of this issue.)
T he AFL Executive Council approved the merger agree
ment of February 22, 1955, between the AFL Meat Cutters
and the Fur and Leather Workers Union (see Chron. item
for Aug. 8, 1955, MLR, Oct. 1955). It voiced its satisfac
tion with efforts of the Meat Cutters to eliminate Commu
nists from positions of influence in the Fur Workers union.
T h e Federal Wage and Hour Administrator, under the
Fair Labor Standards Act, set a new minimum piece rate
of 30 cents per gross for homeworkers in Puerto Rico
engaged in the hand braiding of leather buttons, 24 to 30
ligne, effective November 28, 1955.
October 26
T h e Pacific Maritime Association and the AFL Marine
Firemen reached a 3-year working agreement providing
for a $25 monthly pay raise and an increase in its overtime
rates for approximately 2,000 workers. The Firemen
did not adopt the new pay system of incorporating penalty
pay into the monthly base rates (see Chron. item for
Sept. 26, 1955, MLR, Nov. 1955).
1487
CHRONOLOGY OF LABOR EVENTS
October 27
T h e Governor of Pennsylvania approved a fair-employ
ment-practices bill forbidding employers of 12 or more
workers to discriminate in employment against any person
“the best able, and most competent to perform the services
required,” because of age (specifically, against persons
between 40 and 62 years old), race, religion, or national
origin. The penalties for violating the law are a fine of
$100 to $500 and/or imprisonment up to 30 days.
T he Federal court of appeals for Washington, D . C., in
Textile Workers Union of America, CIO, et al. v. NLRB,
rejected a Board decision that a union had violated the
Taft-Hartley Act by applying harassing tactics, such as
production slowdowns and refusals to work overtime, to
bring economic pressure on an employer during a bargain
ing impasse. The court held that this harassment,
although unprotected by the act, did not constitute
evidence of the union’s failure to bargain in good faith,
saying, “aside from some specified conduct, such as
jurisdictional strikes and secondary boycotts, we do not
find that Congress limited the use of economic pressure in
support of lawful demands.” (See also page 1478 of this
issue.)
The Board chairman said that this code, effective Decem
ber 15, would be the first in the Nation to conform
with the safety regulations recently established by the
Atomic Energy Commission.
A n e w 2-year contract, retroactive to September 1, 1955,
and covering 6,000 employees, was signed by the CIO
Transport Workers Union and the Pan American World
Airways. The pact provides for an 11-cent hourly
wage increase for mechanics and other ground-service
workers, and sets a new pay plan whereby the flightservice employees will receive a premium pay of $3.75
an hour for time flown in excess of 70 hours a month up to
255 hours in a calendar quarter, with overtime pay at
time and a half for any additional hours flown over the 255
hours.
T h e Westinghouse Electric Corp. granted a 16-percent
wage increase, spread over 5 years, and improvements in
working conditions to 25,000 nonunion employees. The
provisions closely parallel the company’s offer recently
rejected by the striking CIO Electrical Workers and the
terms of an agreement with the Federation of Westinghouse
Independent Salaried Unions reached 3 days earlier.
(See also p. 1491 of this issue.)
T he NLRB ruled, in Jack Lewis and Joe Levitan, d. b. a.
October 30
T h e impartial chairman of the New York women’s neck
wear industry ordered 3 New York blouse manufacturers
to pay $60,000 to the AFL Ladies’ Garment Workers’
Union for importing large quantities of blouses from Japan.
The arbitrator ruled that the imports from Japan violated
the union’s contract with the manufacturers, which
requires that all blouses be made in union shops. (See
also p. 1494 of this issue.)
October 31
T h e New York State Board of Standards and Appeals
announced regulations for on-the-job protection of workers
from the hazards of atomic energy and other radiation.
California Footwear Co. et al., Los Angeles, Calif, and
United Shoe Workers of America, Local 122, that an
employer who, for valid economic reasons, transferred his
plant from Los Angeles to a place 15 miles outside the city
and subleased it to another firm with which, however, he
agreed to share the control of the new plant’s operations,
violated, jointly with the lessor, the Taft-Hartley Act by
refusing (1) to bargain with the union about transferring
employees to the new location and (2) to recognize the
union for his new employees or apply to them the existing
contract. Considering the employer’s conduct a deliberate
attempt to get rid of the union, the Board ordered him to
bargain, holding that the union’s loss of majority status
was directly attributable to his refusal to bargain about
transfers from the old plant.
Union Conventions Scheduled for January 1956
J a n u a ry
13
20
27
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
State conventions
Illinois, CIO------------------------------------Connecticut, CIO----------------------------Oklahoma, CIO--------------------------------
Place
Chicago
Hartford
Tulsa
Developments in
Industrial Relations
1
I m m e d ia t e
w a g e
in c r e a s e s
were negotiated
during October for approximately 225,000 mem
bers of 4 of the operating railroad brotherhoods
and provision was also made for added wage
increases and a reduction in work schedules on
December 1 for some yard-service employees. A
number of wage settlements were concluded in the
telephone industry. Several developments evi
denced union-management cooperation, for ex
ample, a reduction of wage rates to improve the
competitive position of a firm. A number of
settlements followed brief strikes, some lasting
only an hour or two, but disputes over new con
tracts with Westinghouse Electric Corp. resulted
in strikes by the CIO Electrical Workers and the
Independent Electrical Workers. A bitter strike
of the CIO Auto Workers at the Perfect Circle
Corp. in Indiana flared into violence, and both
this strike and the St. Louis transit stoppage
brought intervention of State authorities.
The question of free trade was involved in an
arbitration award giving the AFL Ladies’ Garment
Workers damages against three New York blouse
manufacturers for importing Japanese-made
blouses in violation of terms of their agreements
with the union. The AFL and CIO took steps to
solve the remaining problems involved in their
forthcoming merger.
Automation—a subject increasingly discussed in
management and union circles and around the
bargaining table—was aired before a subcommit
tee of the congressional Joint Committee on the
Economic Report during the last half of October.
Varying opinions were expressed by industry,
union, and Government witnesses. These ran the
gamut from optimism based on an expected stimu
lating effect to apprehension of economic and
social consequences unless accompanied by proper
planning to mitigate transitional hardships. Sev
eral labor witnesses and private consultants, ap
prehensive over rapid displacement of workers and
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
too intensive changeover in skill requirements,
urged business and Government to assume respon
sibility for the costs of dislocation. They warned
against reliance on automatic adjustment and
proposed legislative and economic “cushions,”
including a shorter workweek, higher consumer
purchasing power, earlier retirement, worker
retraining programs, improved social welfare
laws, and special assistance to small business and
distressed communities. In contrast, a number of
business leaders and Government representatives
viewed the new technology as an evolutionary
phase of an expanding economy attaining everhigher living standards; far from eliminating jobs,
automation was viewed as opening up new indus
tries and products and a method of coping with
labor shortages expected in the future. Still other
witnesses considered it essential to avoid intensify
ing the anticipated labor shortages.2
Settlements, Negotiations, and Work Stoppages
Transportation. By the end of October, the out
look for uninterrupted service in the railroad
industry was brighter with the settlement of four
long-standing wage disputes. The agreements
provided for immediate increases in earnings for
more than 225,000 workers affected thereby, and
additional increases for some, effective December
1, when hours of specified groups of yard-service
employees will be reduced. All of the agreements
were reached with the operating or transportation
brotherhoods. Separate contracts with the Na
tion’s major railroads were negotiated by the
unaffiliated Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen,
representing about 110,000 employed members;
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and
Enginemen, representing about 60,000; and the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, for about
48.000 road and yard engineers. The fourth
agreement, between a group of western railroads
and the Switchmen’s Union (AFL), covered about
10.000 members.
The engineers will receive basic rate increases
of 5 percent plus 2 percent to increase pay differen
tials over other occupations. Among the firemen
and enginemen, approximately 31,000 road-service
employees had their basic hourly rates increased
1Prepared in the Bureau’s Division of Wages and Industrial Relations.
2A summary of testimony at the hearings is scheduled to appear in the
January 1956 issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
DEVELOPMENTS IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
by 8 cents an hour, about 3,000 yard-service em
ployees who are on a 40-hour week received a
10%-cent hourly increase on October 1, while the
remaining 26,000 yard-service workers who are
working longer hours received 4% cents an hour.
Practically all members of the other 2 unions
received 10%-cent hourly increases effective Octo
ber 1. About 2,000 members of the Brotherhood
of Railroad Trainmen received flat monthly in
creases—$30 for stewards and $21 for yardmasters—instead of the hourly raises. Part of the
increases to the various transportation brother
hoods were designated as in lieu of health and
welfare plans currently in effect for the larger
group of nonoperating railroad workers.
All the agreements, except that of the Loco
motive Engineers, provided that yard-service
employees, accounting for less than half of the
workers covered by these agreements, will obtain
extra boosts in daily or hourly pay on December 1
when those now on 6- or 7-day schedules convert
to a 40-hour week.
The Trainmen’s and Switchmen’s agreements
provided additional increases on December 1 for
those workers whose hours were to be reduced at
that time, ranging from 82 cents to about $1.30 a
day, depending on the occupation; the Trainmen’s
agreement provided for a $36-a-month increase
for yardmasters at that time. The additional
increases due on December 1 for yardmen belong
ing to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
and Enginemen will bring their total hourly
increase under the new settlement to 29% cents
for engineers and 25% cents for firemen who go
on the shorter workweek. The total increase
for the yardmen already on a 40-hour week,
whether members of the Trainmen or the Loco
motive Firemen and Enginemen, will be 4 cents
an hour less since they received a 4-cent increase
in their hourly pay at the time their hours were
reduced. Provision was also made in the agree
ment of the Locomotive Engineers for establish
ment of a 5-day week for yard engineers if re
quested on all roads.
Progress was not as satisfactory in negotiations
affecting the Nation’s 800,000 nonoperating em
ployees. The railroads’ offer of a package increase
amounting to 10% cents an hour was rejected by
3
See M onthly Labor Review, November 1955 (p. 1283).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1489
11 AFL unions, as was a mediator’s proposal that
the issue be submitted to arbitration.
A 3-year working agreement covering about
2,400 West Coast ship stewards was negotiated
by the Pacific Maritime Association and the
Marine Cooks’ Union (AFL). The contract
followed the formula adopted last month by the
Sailors Union of the Pacific (AFL), raising monthly
base rates to incorporate penalty pay plus an added
$25.3 Other major provisions included employer
contributions toward establishment of a welfare
fund and wage reviews on each June 1 anniversary
date.
The third AFL seamen’s union—the
Marine Firemen—did not eliminate penalty pay
for its 2,000 members but also secured a flat $25
monthly raise under terms of its new 3-year
contract with the same association.
About 2,500 bus and streetcar operators em
ployed by the St. Louis Public Service Co. in
St. Louis, Mo., returned to work on October 15
after members of the AFL Street, Electric Rail
way and Motor Coach Employees Union voted
to end a 4-day strike and resume negotiations
with the company. The State of Missouri seized
the company under its public utility antistrike
law on October 11 when the stoppage began and
the State Attorney General filed suit against the
union for $10,000 for each day the strike con
tinued after the seizure. This was the first time
the penalty section of the State law had been
invoked. The union struck over an arbitration
panel recommendation for a wage increase of 12
cents an hour in 3 installments over an 18-month
period; it demanded a flat 25-cent increase and a
1-year contract.
Communications. A 14-day strike that idled about
22,000 employees of the Pacific Telephone & Tele
graph Co. in northern California and Nevada
ended October 23, when the company and the CIO
Communications Workers reached agreement on
a new contract. The agreement provided for an
hourly wage increase averaging 10.2 cents for
plant employees, advances of $3 or $3.50 in start
ing rates for operators in some cities, and raises
of $2 to $2.50 for other operators. Increases for
commercial and accounting department employees
ranged from $2 to $4.50 a week. Two inde
pendent unions that supported the strike—the
United Brotherhood of Telephone Workers and
the United Brotherhood of Telephone Workers
1490
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
of Northern California and Nevada—also agreed
to wage increases of $2 to $4.50 for their members
employed in the company’s accounting and com
mercial departments.
The same company previously had announced
an agreement with the Federation of Women
Telephone Workers of Southern California (Ind.)
providing wage increases ranging from $2 to $2.50
per week. Reached under a wage reopening
clause, the pact covered 12,000 telephone
operators.
Another agreement reached October 23 by the
CIO union and the Northwestern Bell Telephone
Co. also provided weeldy raises of $2 to $4.50,
averting a strike that would have affected 19,000
workers in 5 States.
Earlier in October, the Michigan Bell Telephone
Co. concluded an agreement with the CIO Com
munications Workers for pay raises ranging from
$2.50 to $5 a week, plus upward reclassification
of salary schedules for workers in several towns,
certain job upgradings, and some shortening of
operators’ evening tours. The 1-year agreement,
reached after a work suspension of less than 2
hours, continues the present 40-hour week, al
though the union had sought 35 hours. It was
similar to a settlement which followed a September
strike of a few hours by 16,000 employees of the
Ohio Bell Telephone Co.
volving the St. Louis Hotel Association, the
NLRB took the position that the hotel business
does not directly involve interstate commerce and
thus does not come under the provisions of the
Taft-Hartley law.
The union argued that the Board’s policy was
outdated and that hotels should not be classified
as local business, since the bulk of their trade is
interstate. Union members in northern areas
were notified that they were in danger of losing
their membership if they sought work in Miami
at nonunion hotels; there is customarily consider
able migration of hotel workers from area to area
as the seasons change.
Under Florida law, the hotels can be required
to recognize and negotiate with a union only if
the majority of their employees have voted for
unionization. However, the law makes no pro
vision for elections and thus the union could not
prove officially that it represented a majority.
The hotel operators consistently refused to abide
by a card check or any unofficial tally of sentiment.
On October 19, the Florida Supreme Court ruled
that hotel picketing in the area was unlawful
because the Hotel Employees union represented
“an insignificant number” of hotel workers. The
international union’s vice president announced
immediately that it would appeal to the United
States Supreme Court.
Hotels. The first settlement in the 6-month-old
strike of about 2,000 workers in 22 Miami and
Miami Beach, Fla., hotels came on October 14,
when the Monte Carlo Hotel and the AFL Hotel
& Restaurant Employees Union agreed on a 5-year
contract. The agreement provided for wage in
creases ranging from $3 to $15 a week in the first
year, together with a 6-day week with time and
one-half pay for the 6th day and other extra work.
Additional wage increases were provided for 1957
and 1958, as well as a health and welfare plan to
be introduced in 1957. The union continued to
seek recognition from the other hotels involved in
the strike.
On two occasions after the strike began, the
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) denied
union requests for a representation election, citing
the Board’s long-standing policy against taking
jurisdiction in hotel disputes. In 1949, in a case
involving the Greenbrier Hotel, White Sulphur
Springs, W. Va., and again in 1951, in a case in
Electrical Equipment. Although the General Elec
tric Co. and the CIO Electrical Workers had
agreed on a 5-year contract in August,4 the union
called a nationwide strike of about 46,000 IUE
employees of the Westinghouse Electric Corp. on
October 17 when negotiations became deadlocked.
The stoppage continued through the end of the
month. The company offered a total wage in
crease of about 16 percent spread over a 5-year
contract period, plus liberalized pensions and
social insurance benefits. The union demanded
that the company make a wage offer for the final
year of the existing 2-year contract that expires in
the autumn of 1956, before making proposals for a
longer contract. It also asked for arbitration of
disputes over time studies and work standards for
nonproduction workers, which had caused a
stoppage a few weeks earlier.5 To aid the
Westinghouse strikers, the union assessed its
4See Monthly Labor Review, October 1955 (p. 1170).
5See Monthly Labor Review, November 1955 (p. 1286).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
DEVELOPMENTS IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
members $15, or a day’s pay each month, which
ever is larger, for the duration of the work
stoppage.
About 25,000 Westinghouse employees not
covered by union contracts were granted benefits
closely paralleling the company’s offer rejected by
the unions. Pay raises for each of the first 3
years would amount to 3 percent or a minimum
of $1.80 per week (4% cents an hour), stepped up to
3% percent in the last 2 years of the 5-year period.
Salaried employees earning over $71.20 weekly will
receive additional increases ranging up to $4.80
and skilled day workers will receive additional in
creases ranging from % to 12 cents an hour.
Other improvements included longer vacations,
increased pension and insurance benefits, and an
escalator provision for quarterly wage adjustments
based upon changes in the Bureau of Labor
Statistics Consumer Price Index.
Several days earlier, the company signed a 5year contract with the Federation of Westinghouse
Independent Salaried Unions, retroactive to Oc
tober 15. This contract, covering about 14,000
office employees, also provided for annual wage
increases totaling about 16 percent over the life of
the contract, as well as changes in supplementary
benefits.
A strike of members of the independent United
Electrical Workers union closed the Lester, Pa.,
Westinghouse plant. This dispute started Oc
tober 15 in a local disagreement over a company
proposal to discontinue incentive wage premiums
and pay all employees a fixed hourly wage. On
October 26, members of the independent United
Electrical Workers union stopped work in a
contract dispute at other Westinghouse plants.
Metalworking. A particularly bitter dispute flared
into violence on October 5 when 8 persons, in
cluding strikers and those inside the plant, were
injured in a clash arising out of the prolonged
stoppage at the New Castle, Ind., foundry of the
Perfect Circle Corp. The incident occurred when
about 5,000 members of the CIO United Auto
mobile Workers from all parts of the State
marched to the foundry (which employs about 260
workers) after the company had discharged 35
workers on October 4, largely because of an earlier
picket-line disorder. Subsequently, the Governor
sent Indiana National Guardsmen to the area to
maintain order and close the plant.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1491
The foundry and the Richmond and Hagers
town, Ind., plants had been struck on July 25 by
the UAW in a dispute over a union shop and a
wage increase, but the company has continued
partial production with nonunion workers. Em
ployees in the Hagerstown and Richmond plants
have petitioned the NLRB to decertify the union
as bargaining agent. The company indicated that
it would not sign a new contract for the Hagers
town and Richmond plants until the decertification
matter had been settled, and the union refused to
negotiate for the New Castle foundry alone.
On October 10, the Governor invoked full
martial law in the 3 towns affected by the strike.
At the same time, he made it clear that the
company would be permitted to reopen its New
Castle foundry and that union members could
picket the plants. The union condemned the use
of the National Guard and martial law, calling it
“a tailormade strikebreaking machine.” Martial
law was ended on October 20 and the number of
National Guardsmen was reduced.
Package contracts, reportedly valued at 17
cents and including a 12-cent hourly general wage
increase, were negotiated in mid-September by the
CIO United Automobile Workers and the Wright
Aeronautical Div. of Curtiss-Wright Corp. The
new 2-year contracts, containing a 1-year wage
reopener, affect 14,000 production and whitecollar employees in 5 New Jersey plants. Because
of recognition of the skilled trades by additional
increases (up to 4 cents an hour), a group of 400
technicians withdrew application to the NLRB
for separate bargaining representation. Other
contract provisions included liberalization of
vacation, medical, and insurance benefits. Among
new job-security provisions was the option given
employees with at least 2 years’ seniority to follow
their jobs if company operations are relocated.
The CIO United Steelworkers and the Crane
Co., a manufacturer of plumbing supplies, reached
agreement during October on a general hourly
wage increase of 11% cents for 5,000 production
and maintenance workers. An additional 3% cents
will be used for inequity adjustments.
Wage reductions to aid employers were nego
tiated in two settlements. Under a contract with
West Michigan Shipyards, Inc., AFL Marine
Council employees agreed to reduce their earnings
by 50 cents an hour for 6 months. The resulting
savings, it was indicated, would be applied to
1492
encourage development of the Muskegon harbor
as a winter layup center for Great Lakes vessels.
The CIO Auto Workers at Electric Auto-Lite’s
Toledo plant agreed to a pay cut to help the firm
regain its competitive position. Incentive plan
revisions, estimated to reduce labor costs by 38
cents an hour, were adopted together with pro
vision for new time studies, job reassignments,
and other concessions.
A different pattern was noted when Jaeger
Machine Co., a heavy construction equipment
manufacturer, voluntarily doubled a 4-cent sched
uled pay raise for CIO Steelworkers, because of
high productivity.
Textiles, Footwear, and Apparel. A 4-hour strike
following contract expiration was terminated by a
settlement October 1 between the Textile Workers
Union (CIO) and 300 dyeing and finishing plants
in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
The new 3-year agreement gave 16,000 employees
a 24-cent hourly wage increase in three install
ments—12 cents immediately, and an additional
6 cents October 1, 1956, and again in October 1957.
Workers in 2 categories were accorded extra 5-cent
raises. Other benefits included a 7th paid holiday
and increases in company contributions of $1 a
month per employee in 1956 and again in 1957 to
company-financed pension plans. On the same
day, the union also agreed, in a 1-year contract,
to a 6-cent hourly increase for 2,000 workers in 4
Rhode Island and Connecticut dyeing and finish
ing plants; similar settlements were reached later
with other New England plants.
In the shoe industry, Endicott Johnson Corp.
on September 22 announced wage increases for its
18,500 employees in 9 northern New York and
Pennsylvania plants as well as in its retail stores.
The increases, effective October 10, are the first
since 1952 and reportedly will average about $76
annually per worker—or 3 to 4 cents an hour.
Wage increases for 3,800 clerical, stock, produc
tion, and maintenance employees of CraddockTerry Shoe Co. in Virginia were announced, to
take effect January 2, 1956. At that time, the
company’s minimum wage will be raised to $1
an hour and workers already earning more will
receive a 5-percent increase.
Other Industries. In mid-October, the Interna
tional Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (AFL)
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
announced new 2-year contracts with New York
associations of electrical contractors. Some 6,000
electricians in the construction industry will
receive an hourly wage increase of 20 cents, effec
tive January 1, 1956, and an additional 15 cents
a year later.
Hollywood film studios will adjust from a 6- to
a 5-day week January 30 under a new contract
between the International Alliance of Theatrical
Stage Employees and the Association of Motion
Picture Producers. (Studios operating chiefly for
TV were also expected to reduce their workweek.)
Other terms of the 39-month contract included
an immediate 25-cent hourly wage increase for
daily-rated employees, liberalized vacation pro
visions, and increased employer payments to
industry pension and health and welfare funds.
When the 5-day workweek becomes effective in
January, weekly employees will obtain about the
same pay they had been receiving for 6 days. On
January 30, 1958, all pay scales will be increased
by 2K percent. About 15,000 workers are cov
ered by the pact. A similar agreement with the
association was reached by unions representing
truckdrivers, culinary workers, building service
employees, and common laborers.
Three-year contracts covering 6,000 atomic
energy workers were signed by the CIO Oil,
Chemical & Atomic Workers with Union Carbide
Nuclear Co. (a division of the Union Carbide &
Carbon) for its Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Paducah,
Ky., plants and with Carborundum Metals Co.
for its Jamestown, N. Y., atomic installation.
Union Carbide employees will receive a 24-cent
hourly wage increase—10 cents immediately, 7
cents next October, and an additional 7 cents in
October 1957. The Carborundum agreement pro
vides for a wage rise of about 10 percent also
effective in three steps—5 percent now, and 2%
percent on each of 2 subsequent anniversary
dates. At the end of October, the AFL Atomic
Trades Council was still seeking settlements at
two other Oak Ridge units.
The AFL Teamsters, representing 12,500 drivers
and pasteurization plant employees, settled with
metropolitan New York milk dealers on a $5
weekly package pay increase, thus removing the
threat of a delivery tieup. The New York com
panies indicated probable absorption of the higher
labor costs, but New Jersey distributors remained
noncommittal as to price adjustments. Under
DEVELOPMENTS IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
the 2-year contract, wages will be raised by $2 a
week and employer pension and welfare payments
increased by $3, bringing total employer con
tributions to the fund to $9 a week.
Approximately 11,500 Bakery and Confec
tionery Workers (AFL) at 19 National Biscuit Co.
plants received 6-percent wage increases, averag
ing 10 cents an hour, retroactive to September 1.
Under the 2-year contract, the company will also
boost its payments to the union’s national health
and welfare fund and, effective January 1, 1957,
will provide a 3d week’s vacation after 10 instead
of 12 years’ employment.
Union Developments
Mergers. Leaders of the AFL and CIO held a
series of meetings during October to complete
preparations for their joint convention early in
December. They largely resolved the assignment
of key staff positions, including the designation
of the present incumbents, James McDevitt
(AFL) and Jack Ivroll (CIO), as codirectors of
political action and the naming of 22 regional
officers. John W. Livingston, a vice president
of the UAW-CIO, was chosen director of organiza
tion to head the revitalized organizing campaign
planned by the new federation. George T.
Brown, staff assistant to President Meany, was
moved to the important post of director of inter
national affairs of the merged organization.
Withdrawing objections raised twice earlier
this year,6 the AFL Executive Council approved
the absorption of the unaffiliated Fur Workers
by the Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AFL).
President George Meany expressed satisfaction
with the progress of the Meat Cutters’ drive to
eliminate leftwing leadership from the 45,000member fur group, but he added that the AFL
will maintain continued vigilance to insure no
Communist influence. In addition to other meas
ures, the meat union had placed a few locals under
receivership in the process of expelling over 70
members beyond the 29 officials “marked” by the
AFL Council for removal. |
Other Union Activities. Leaders of the||AFL
Teamsters and the International Longshoremen’s
« See M onthly Labor Reviews, April 1955 (p. 459), M ay 1955 (p. 579), and
October 1955 (p. 1174).
7See M onthly Labor Review, November 1955 (p. 1283).
8See M onthly Labor Review, July 1954 (p. 792).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1493
Association (Ind.) spelled out details for a joint
cooperation pact designed to provide mutual
assistance in organizing and bargaining and to
determine procedures for settling jurisdictional
disputes. The agreement was subject to consid
eration by the Teamsters’ executive board and
to ratification by Atlantic and Gulf Coast dockworkers. There was no specific mention of
financial aid for the ILA, which is reportedly in
debt for several hundred thousand dollars and is
being sued for $10 million by New York shippers
for damage which they attributed to the September
6 strike.7 In a contempt case 8 arising out of
last year’s New York waterfront strike, the United
States Supreme Court rejected on October 24
the Government’s appeal from a lower court
ruling reversing the contempt convictions of the
ILA and its officials.
The Executive Board of the International
Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (AFL) in
structed its locals to seek a general wage increase
for one-third of its 440,000 members, designed to
maintain the industry’s pay structure after the
Federal minimum wage rises to $1 an hour on
March 1, 1956. It also directed its locals to seek
a minimum of $1.10 an hour in union firms. To
further insure protection against a deterioration
of standards in high-wage centers, the Board
authorized a new recruiting campaign among
workers in the South and Midwest to get unor
ganized shops to follow a similar pattern of general
pay rises. In another policy decision, it advised
against the guaranteed annual wage, preferring
the shortened workweek as the most practical
method of stabilizing employment and earnings
in the industry. The union noted that it had
pioneered in guaranteed wage plans but had then
abandoned them because of the large number of
small producers and their dependence on style
fluctuations.
Asserting that it is not contractually obligated to
deduct an assessment, Swift & Co. refused to check
off the dues increase recently adopted by the CIO
Packinghouse Workers as a strike fund measure.
The ILGWU dedicated a middle-income coop
erative apartment housing project upon a former
slum site in New York City, which it financed by
a $ 15-million mortgage.
To relieve a local housing shortage, the CIO
Auto Workers announced that it will construct a
1494
268-home subdivision, including recreational facili
ties, for Ford workers in California. Many of
these employees must commute nearly 100 miles
since the plant was moved to Milpitas from
Richmond, Calif.
Other Developments
Supplemental Unemployment Benefits. The New
York State Attorney General ruled that the receipt
of supplemental unemployment benefits by Ford
Motor Co. workers would be compatible with
public jobless insurance, thus corroborating the
view of the State’s unemployment insurance ad
ministrator. However, the attorney general stated
that this matter should be specifically covered by
legislative amendment and that a Federal ruling
was also needed on whether employers’ payments
were subject to State unemployment insurance
taxes.
Arbitration and Court Decisions. The ILGWU won
an unusual arbitration decision, expected to have
wide repercussions, in a case involving imports
from Japan by three New York blouse manufac
turers. The companies were fined $60,000, with
the Garment Workers planning to disburse the
fines for its philanthropic activities. The arbi
trator ruled that a clause in the union contract
with these and other manufacturers requiring that
all blouses be made in ILGWU shops had been
violated. The companies affected by the award
disavowed intentions of siphoning off work from
the union and stressed they were seeking a market
that would otherwise be satisfied by import houses
not having agreements with the union. Although
the union supports lowered trade barriers to pro
mote higher living standards, it has become con
cerned over the threat to job opportunities and
wage levels for its 30,000 blousemakers in the midAtlantic States. An upsurge this year in the
importation of Japanese-made cotton blouses—
generally retailing for $1 or less and reportedly
representing roughly one-fifth of all blouses sold
in the United States—has led the Garment
Workers to seek Government relief in the form of
import quotas or higher tariffs. Although the
Japanese workers are reportedly also unionized,
• Item Co. v. N L R B (U. S. Sup. Ct., No. 216, Oct. 10, 1955).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
the ILGWU claimed hourly union wage rates in
Japan were as low as 13 cents.
In a case 9 involving alleged discrimination
against Newspaper Guild employees in obtaining
merit raises, the United States Supreme Court
upheld the right of labor unions to secure access to
wage information necessary to the “policing” of a
collective bargaining agreement.
Race Discrimination. A step toward carrying out
the administration’s objective of combating racial
and religious discrimination in employment was
taken on October 25 by a meeting of leading
industrialists and Government agency officials.
The President’s Committee on Government Con
tracts sponsored the 1-day conference to study the
best ways to make further progress in the elimina
tion of job discrimination. The conference em
phasized that the primary problem in employ
ment today was not in hiring but in promotion and
upgrading. It also concluded that the fears of
many companies about putting nondiscrimination
practices into force, particularly in the South, have
proved unjustified; and that a nondiscrimination
policy, to be effective, must be formulated by and
receive constant direction by top management.
Labor-Management Cooperation. An unusual 2year relationship was ended when the Fruehauf
Trailer Co. announced full repayment of its
$ 1.5-million debt to the AFL Teamsters. The
union had aided the company president in a proxy
fight to retain control by supplying a loan at 4
percent interest, secured by company stock, since
outright purchase of the securities was banned by
the Teamsters’ constitution.
In a rather unusual action, over a score of skilled
Italian refugee tailors—the vanguard of possibly
as many as 1,000—were flown to New York and
guaranteed jobs there in their trade by employers
under contract to the Amalgamated Clothing
Workers (CIO). Considered adaptable to United
States production methods, the workers (to be
employed at established pay rates and admitted
to union membership) will help alleviate the
skilled-tailor shortage that has resulted from
death or retirement of older workers. This step
was the result of combined sponsorship by labor,
industry, and private and governmental agencies.
Book Reviews
and Notes
Special Reviews
A Trade Union Analysis of Time Study. By
William Gomberg. New York, PrenticeHall, Inc., 1955. xix, 318 pp., bibliography,
charts. 2d ed. $7.50.
In his first edition (1948), the author subjected
time-study techniques to a penetrating analysis
and concluded that they represented more nearly
an art of approximation than measuring tools of
scientific precision. Time study, he said, could
not achieve the end product, a specific production
standard, but only define a range within which the
true standard is to be found. Since traditionally
selection of a final standard within the range de
pends heavily on a time-study engineer’s judg
ment, the author called for other judgments in the
selection process, or selection by collective
bargaining.
The earlier edition was one of the major modern
articulations of the trade union attitude toward
time study, an attitude of skepticism toward the
claimed scientific formulation of production stand
ards, which has been growing over the past dozen
years. In the present edition, the author but
tresses his earlier theoretical analysis with strong
evidence derived largely from the experimental
work of Adam Abruzzi and Gerald Nadler. The
new evidence is brought to bear on time study’s
less exact points; namely, performance rating,
selection of raw data, and allowing for physio
logical and psychological causes of fatigue. The
“standard data” system of established time values
for a wide range of elemental human emotions is
also subjected to critical analyses based on recent
experiments in the field.
r A recurrent theme of sociological impact runs
through both editions, and in the second appears
more forceably to indicate organized labor’s
mounting interest in the role of the industrial
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
engineer. In his opening sentence, Mr. Gomberg
states that “the industrial engineer works at the
bridgehead where technological problems merge
into social questions.” And later he states that
“above all, in a democratic society he [the engi
neer] must understand the relationship between
efficiency and consent,” consent meaning worker
cooperation and understanding. Examples given
of outstanding trade union activities and practices
in the field of time study include those of the Tex
tile Workers Union of America (CIO), United
Automobile Workers (CIO), and those of Mr.
Gomberg’s own organization, the International
Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (AFL).
The book is highly recommended for students
and others who are interested in the general field
of establishing production standards—so closely
related to productivity—which is still the subject
of honest differences and more than a little heat.
—K. G.
V a n A u k e n , J r.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Fundamentals of Private Pensions. By Dan M.
McGill. Homewood, 111., Richard D. Irwin,
Inc. (for University of Pennsylvania, Wharton
School of Finance and Commerce, Pension
Research Council), 1955. 239 pp., bibli
ography. $5.
The complexities and variables involved in the
planning and administration of private pensions
in the United States become strikingly apparent
as one reads this informative volume. It is the
first publication of the recently formed Pension
Research Council of the Wharton School of Fi
nance and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania.
It is well for any research group to start at the
beginning and this is what Dr. McGill has done.
He describes in great detail in the first chapter the
underlying forces that have brought the private
pension movement to its present state of public
concern, with special emphasis on the relative role
and influence of public pensions in the develop
ment of private plans.
The expressed intent of the volume is “to serve
as a basic text for those persons aspiring to a fuller
understanding of the private pension mechanism.”
It was not the intention to impress the technicians
but to inform “college or university students and
trainees in insurance companies, trust companies,
nd p en sion consulting firms.” In this sense, it
1495
1496
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
is a basic manual or guide and should prove very
valuable for students and trainees as a reference
for basic terms, concepts, and issues in the private
pension field.
Chapters 2, 3, and 4 constitute an elaborate
glossary of basic terms and concepts in the various
technical aspects of private pension planning and
administration. These chapters should be ex
tremely helpful in clearing up confusion over the
myriad types and combinations of private pension
arrangements as to coverage, benefit structure,
and sources and methods of financing. The ma
terial will be most useful, however, when it is
accompanied by the interpretation of a competent
instructor who can draw upon practical examples
and experiences for detailed and concrete illus
trations.
Chapter 5 is by far the most interesting and
readable part of the book, as it deals with the
problems of costs and discusses pro and con the
relative merits of insured plans and self-admin
istered trusteed plans. In this chapter, it becomes
clear that if present trends continue, private
pensions will be an increasingly significant source
of investment resources in the future and, further,
that the issues of security of benefits and flexibility
in handling investments of pension funds have just
begun to crystallize. This chapter is also valuable
as a source of basic information for those who are
interested in the whole problem of the impact of
pension costs on the hiring and retention of middleaged and older workers. Here are clearly set forth
the whole range of variables that may influence
the costs of pensions to the employer, such as
anticipated rates of interest on invested pension
contributions, basic expenses involved in develop
ing and administering the plans, provisions for
retention beyond a normal retirement age, and the
degree to which employees are contributors to
the fund.
Dr. McGill and his colleagues deserve much
credit for bringing some order into the literature
and discussions surrounding the private pension
field. Certainly this volume sets the stage for
promising publications from the Pension Research
Council.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
— C harles E. Odell
Bureau of Employment Security
Personnel Policy in a Public Agency■
—The TV A
Experience. By Harry L. Case. New York,
Harper & Brothers, 1955. 176 pp., bibli
ography. $3.
Experiment in Management: Personnel Decentral
ization in the Tennessee Valley Authority.
By Robert S. Avery. Knoxville, University
of Tennessee Press, 1954. 212 pp. $4.50.
The appearance of two studies on the personnel
relationship system of the Tennessee Valley Au
thority reflects the continuing interest in the prob
lem of collective bargaining arrangements for gov
ernment employees. Despite differences in orien
tation and style—TVA Personnel Director Harry
Case writes with the informal but informed assur
ance of the direct participant, while Robert Avery
takes the scholarly approach—the basic problems
treated and the basic findings are parallel. Mr.
Case deals with the broad sweep of TVA policies
and their implications; Mr. Avery is concerned
directly with the impact of the broad policies ou
the decentralization of the personnel authority to
operating departments.
The TVA personnel policy, although meeting
the inherent responsibilities of a Federal agency,
has sought to combine flexibility in management
with a democratic employee relations policy. In
providing the flexibility needed for the region’s
unified resources development, Congress also au
thorized a merit system for TVA specifically outside
of the civil service, but required the same non
political administration. Mr. Case points to the
TVA record of success in maintaining a non
political merit system; Mr. Avery adds that free
dom from civil service regulations made possible a
decentralized personnel program.
Flexibility also made possible the development
of an employee relations policy consistent with
that on the national private industrial scene. The
effective relations between TVA and the TVA
Trades and Labor Council, particularly in joint
participation in wage determination, job classifica
tion, employee training, and safety are described.
Flexibility has even permitted some accommoda
tion of the union security question, always
troublesome in government employment. The
two studies together provide an interesting account
of the metamorphosis from TVA “neutrality” on
union security, through an informal recognition of
BOOK REVIEWS AND NOTES
limited preference, to the formal policy adopted in
1951 of granting certain preference to union
members in appointment and layoff, without any
requirement of union membership.
The experience with the slower development of
organization among the professional and non
professional white-collar employees is particularly
relevant to the problem of collective bargaining
for government employees. It was not until ap
propriate bargaining units were organized and
coordination developed among them that the
TVA Salary Policy Employee Panel was estab
lished and recognized in 1943. Mr. Case reports
that the adoption of the prevailing rate policy for
setting white-collar salaries in 1951 only partially
solved these problems.
The TVA bargaining structure is .undoubtedly
an adaptation to its own unusual milieu. But the
TVA experience, so well described in these studies,
should assist government administrators in meet
ing the need, in the language of the Hoover Com
mission’s Task Force Report on Federal Per
sonnel, for “formal provisions for the positive
participation of employees, both as individuals and
in organized groups, in the formulation and im
provement of Federal personnel policies and
practices.”
—J oseph P. G oldberg
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Shapeup and Hiring Hall: A Comparison of Hir
ing Methods and Labor Relations on the New
York and Seattle Waterfronts. By Charles P.
Larrowe. Berkeley and Los Angeles, Uni
versity of California Press, 1955. 250 pp.,
bibliography, maps, illus. $4.50.
Professor Larrowe has written an interesting
account of the two distinct methods of hiring
longshoremen on the East Coast and on the West
Coast. He first describes the shapeup and the role
played by employers and public officials in creat
ing the system on the New York docks, where the
dockworkers have for some time been represented
by the International Longshoremen’s Association
(Ind.). Then, in nontechnical language, he ex
plains in considerable detail the operation of the
closely administered employer- and union-operated
hiring hall during the past 6 or more years on the
West Coast where the stevedores are represented by
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1497
the International Longshoremen’s and Warehouse
men’s Union (Ind.). After pointing out the many
contrasts presented in longshoring on the two
coasts, he concludes that in the East waterfront
workers suffer from irregular employment, while
in the West they work with as much regularity as
employees in other industries.
There follows a resume of developments on the
New York waterfront which brought on a series of
investigations leading to findings that, as a result
of the lack of a systematic method of hiring, labor
conditions within the port were depressing and
degrading; employees were subject to exploitation,
extortion, and indignities; crime was encouraged;
and the cost of necessities of life was greatly in
creased. A chapter is devoted to an analysis of the
reforms instituted upon completion of the investi
gation, when, in 1953, the legislatures of the States
of New York and New Jersey passed the Water
front Commission Acts which proscribed the
shapeup, set up Government-operated hiring halls,
and created a bi-State agency endowed with broad
powers including the authority to investigate and
ban from the longshore industry both employees
and employers.
I he author questions the necessity of carrying
Government intervention in the port of New York
as far as was done in the Waterfront Commission
Acts, in view of the successful working of the
privately operated hiring halls in West Coast ports.
He predicts, however, that eventually a respon
sible union and a responsible employers’ association
on the Atlantic will attain sufficient maturity to
evolve and reach an agreement similar to that en
joyed by their counterparts on the Pacific Coast,
and that supervision by fiat and sanction will then
cease. The study concludes with a timely epilog,
written in January 1955, which reviews the first
year’s experience with the State-controlled hiringhalls operated as a part of the New York reform
program. The exploration of the “labyrinthine
passages of the Taft-Hartley Act” well deserves
the perusal of those who must delve into the depths
of labor-management relations. The more casual
readers, professional and lay alike, will find the
entire voyage through the volume most informative.
-—S tephen S. B ean
National Labor Relations Board
1498
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Automation
Housing
A Case Study of a Company Manufacturing Electronic
Equipment. By Edgar Weinberg. Washington, U. S.
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
1955. 19 pp., bibliography. (Studies of Automatic
Technology, 1.) Free.
The European Housing Developments and Policies in 1954.
Geneva, United Nations, Economic Commission for
Europe, 1955. 61 pp. (E/ECE/209; E/ECE/HOU
54.) 40 cents, Columbia University, International
Documents Service, New York.
The Introduction of an Electronic Computer in a Large
Insurance Company. By K. G. Van Auken, Jr.
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1955. 18 pp. (Studies of Auto
matic Technology, 2.) Free.
Proceedings of Symposium on Electronics and Automatic
Production, San Francisco, Calif., August 22-28, 1955.
[Menlo Park, Calif., Stanford Research Institute?],
1955. Various pagings, diagrams, illus.
Contains numerous references to the kinds of skilled
workers required, and to the impact upon employment
of the introduction of automatic production, especially
that characterized by electronics. The symposium was
sponsored jointly by the National Industrial Conference
Board and Stanford Research Institute.
Source Materials on Automation and Related Subjects.
[Detroit, United Automobile, Aircraft, and Agricul
tural Implement Workers of America, CIO], Research
and Engineering Department Library, April 1955.
74 pp.
Education and Training
Apprenticeship-Past and Present. By Reginald Perry.
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Apprenticeship, 1955. 34 pp. 3d ed. 20 cents,
Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
A story of apprentice training in the skilled trades in
the United States since colonial days.
Apprentice Training in the Building Trades, 1950—55. By
John S. McCauley. (In Construction Review, U. S.
Department of Labor and U. S. Department of
Commerce, Washington, October 1955, pp. 9-12.
30 cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.)
Guide to Guidance, Volume XVI I : A Selected Bibliography
of 1954 Publications of Interest to Deans, Counselors,
Advisers, Teachers, and Administrators. By Kathryn
Anne Emerson. Syracuse, N. Y., Syracuse Univer
sity, 1955, 64 pp.
References on vocational guidance are included.
General Education and Vocational Training in Great
Britain. By G. D. H. Cole. (In International Labor
Review, Geneva, August-September 1955, pp. 164186. 60 cents. Distributed in United States by
Washington Branch of ILO.)
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
The Solution of the Housing Problem in the Federal Republic
of Germany. {In International Labor Review,
Geneva, August-September 1955, pp. 187-202. 60
cents. Distributed in United States by Washington
Branch of ILO.)
Industrial Hygiene
Criteria for the Diagnosis of Occupational Illness. (In
Industrial Medicine and Surgery, Chicago, October
1955, pp. 427-442. 75 cents.)
Illnesses caused by metals and other inorganic sub
stances, solvents, radiation, and organic material are the
subjects, respectively, of four separate papers discussing
diagnostic criteria.
Dust Is Dangerous. By C. N. Davies. London, Faber
and Faber, Ltd., 1954. xvii, 116 pp., bibliographical
footnotes, diagrams, illus. $4.50, John de Graff,
Inc., New York.
Seeks to “explain and classify the dangers of dust, and
to set out general principles for assessing and dealing with
dust problems” in industry.
Guide for Industrial Audiometric Technicians. By Em
ployers Mutuals of Wausau. Wausau, Employers
Mutual Liability Insurance Co. of Wisconsin, 1955.
36 pp., diagrams, illus.
Designed as a teaching aid and a source of information
“to enable the technician to deal more effectively with
the new problems of industrial hearing conservation.”
Papers Read at Mclntyre-Saranac Conference on Occupa
tional Chest Disease, Saranac Lake, N. Y., February
7-9, 1955. (In A.M.A. Archives of Industrial
Health, Chicago, September 1955, pp. 229-367,
bibliographies, charts, illus. $1.)
The concluding presentation in the Archives of the
papers presented at the Saranac conference. Previous
installments were in the July and August issues.
The Protection of Workers Against Ionizing Radiations.
Geneva, International Labor Office, 1955. 66 pp.,
bibliography, forms, illus. 50 cents. Distributed
in United States by Washington Branch of ILO.
Report submitted to International Conference on the
Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Geneva, August 1955.
Occup Aional Health Publications in the United States Prior
to 1900. By Carey P. McCord, M.D. (In Industrial
Medicine and Surgery, Chicago, August 1955, pp.
363-368. 75 cents.)
BOOK REVIEWS AND NOTES
Industrial Relations
The 1955 Ford and General Motors Union Contracts.
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1955. 7 pp. (Reprint 2171; from
Monthly Labor Review, August 1955.) Free.
Union-Security Provisions in Agreements, 1954. By Rose
Theodore. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1955. 10 pp., charts.
(Reprint 2170; from Monthly Labor Review, June
1955.) Free.
Work Stoppages in the Bituminous-Coal Mining Industry,
1927-54. By Ann J. Herlihy. Washington, U. S.
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
1955. 18 pp. (BLS Report 95.) Free.
Local Employers’ Associations. By William H. Smith.
Berkeley, University of California, Institute of In
dustrial Relations, 1955. 72 pp., bibliography. 25
cents.
Describes various types of local employers’ associations
and the services they perform, especially in the field of
labor-management relations.
1499
Women in the Trade Union Movement, [Great Britain].
London, Trades Union Congress, 1955. 99 pp., illus.
2s. 6d.
Relazione della Segreteria Confederale, 2d Congresso Nazionale, Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori,
Roma, 28-27 Aprile 1955. Rome, [Confederazione
Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori], 1955. xv, 317 pp.
Report of the Secretariat to the second national congress
of the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Unions, Rome,
April 23-27, 1955.
The Trade Union Movement in Norway. Oslo, Arbeidernes
Faglige Landsorganisasjon i Norge, 1955. 68 pp.
2d ed. In English. 1 kr.
Manpower
Aircraft and Parts Manufacturing. By Ruth Rosenwald.
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Employment Security, 1955. 12 pp. (Industry
Manpower Survey 72.) Free.
Trade Unionism and Collective Bargaining in Italy. By
J. A. Raffaele. (In Social Research, New York,
Summer 1955, pp. 138-162. $1.50.)
Labor Force Characteristics in Twenty Small Arizona
Communities. By William J. Haltigan. (In Arizona
Business and Economic Review, University of Ari
zona, College of Business and Public Administration,
Bureau of Business Research, Tucson, September
1955, pp. 1-12, chart, map.)
Labor and Social Legislation
Medical Care and Health Insurance
State Right-To-Work Laws: Pros and Cons. (In Manage
ment Record, National Industrial Conference Board,
Inc., New York, July 1955, pp. 271-281.)
The Economic Position of Medical Care, 1929-53. By
Frank G. Dickinson and James Raymond. Chicago,
American Medical Association, 1955. 36 pp., charts.
(Bull. 99.)
Reprints, with additions, of articles in the AMA Journal
for September 3 and 10, 1955.
A Statement of the Laws of Haiti in Matters Affecting Busi
ness. By Charles Fernand Pressoir, Georges Baussan
Fils, Pierre Chauvet. Washington, Pan American
Union, Department of International Law, Division of
Law and Treaties, 1955. 77 pp., bibliography. 2d
ed. $3.
Includes a section on labor and social legislation.
Similar reports have been published by PAU in 1955 for
Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
Recopilación de Leyes y Reglamentos Sobre Trabajo y
Seguridad Social, [El Salvador]. San Salvador, Minis
terio de Trabajo y Previsión Social, 1954. 465 pp.
Labor Organization
History of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employ
ees: Its Birth and Growth, 1887-1955. By D. W.
Hertel. [Detroit, Brotherhood of Maintenance of
Way Employees], 1955. xxvii, 308 pp., illus. $3.50.
The Labor Movement in San Antonio, Texas, 1865-1915.
By Harold A. Shapiro. (In Southwestern Social
Science Quarterly, Austin, Tex., September 1955,
pp. 160-175.)
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Guiding Principles for the Organization of Occupational
Medical Services in Places of Employment. (In Occu
pational Safety and Health, International Labor
Office, Geneva, April-September 1955, pp. 111-120,
bibliography.
75 cents.
Distributed in United
States by Washington Branch of ILO.)
Voluntary Health Insurance Coverage— A Survey. (In
American Economic Security, Chamber of Commerce
of the United States, Washington, July-August 1955,
pp. 9-19, charts. 25 cents.)
Some'' onsiderations on Sickness Insurance in Latin Amer
ica. By Luis Mijares Ulloa. (In Bulletin of the
International Social Security Association, [Geneva],
July 1955, pp. 243-253.)
Migratory Labor
Migratory Farm Workers in the Atlantic Coast Stream—
A Study in the Belle Glade Area of Florida. By William
H. Metzler. Washington, U. S. Department of
1500
Agriculture, 1955. 79 pp., bibliography, chart, map,
illus. (Circular 966.) 30 cents, Superintendent of
Documents, Washington.
Report of the New York State Joint Legislative Committee on
Migrant Labor, 1955. Albany, 1955. 25 pp. (Legis
lative Document, 1955, No. 51.)
Discusses various migrant labor problems and applicable
legislation and makes recommendations.
Occupations
I Find M y Vocation. By Harry Dexter Kitson. New
York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1954. 282 pp.,
bibliographies, forms, illus. 4th ed. $2.80.
Designed primarily as a textbook for use by teachers and
counselors responsible for assisting students in choosing an
occupation.
Teaching as a Career. By Earl W. Anderson. Washington,
U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare,
Office of Education, 1955. 20 pp., bibliography.
(Bull., 1955, No. 2.) 15 cents, Superintendent of
Documents, Washington.
Older Worker and the Aged
Aging and Retirement. Edited by Irving L. Webber.
Gainesville, University of Florida, Institute of Geron
tology, 1955. 142 pp., bibliographical footnotes,
charts. (Institute of Gerontology Series, Vol. 5.)
$2, University of Florida Press, Gainesville.
Report on Fifth Annual Southern Conference on Geron
tology held at University of Florida, December 28-30,
1954.
Flexible Retirement and Preretirement Planning. Ithaca,
N. Y., Cornell University, New York State School of
Industrial and Labor Relations, [1955?]. 66 pp.,
charts.
Digest of proceedings of Cornell seminar for business and
industry, December 7-8, 1954.
The Employment of Older Women. (In International Labor
Review, Geneva, July 1955, pp. 61-77. 60 cents.
Distributed in United States by Washington Branch
of ILO.)
Occupations for Men and Women After 4-5• By Juvenal L.
Angel. New York, World Trade Academy Press, Inc.,
1954. 99 pp., bibliography. $5.
Report of Governor's Committee to Study Problems of the
Aging. Salem, Oreg., 1954. 41 pp., charts.
Report of the Committee on the Economic and Financial
Problems of the Provision for Old Age. London, 1954.
120 pp. (Cmd. 9333.) 4s. net, H. M. Stationery
Office, London.
Includes sections on Government and private pensions
and other forms of assistance for the aged in Great Britain.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
Pension and Welfare Plans
Pension Plans and Their Administration. By F. Beatrice
Brower. New York, National Industrial Conference
Board, Inc., 1955. 56 pp. (Studies in Personnel
Policy, 149.)
Proceedings of 32d Annual Meeting of National Council on
Teacher Retirement of the National Education Associ
ation, St. Louis, Mo., February 23-25, 1955. [Madison,
Wis., Ray L. Lillywhite, Secretary of Council, 905
University Avenue], 1955. 131 pp., charts.
The Law of Employee Benefit Plans. By David Ziskind.
(In Washington University Law Quarterly, St. Louis,
Mo., April 1955, pp. 112-153. $1.25.)
Seventh Annual Labor-Management Conference, New Bruns
wick, N. J ., April 26, 1955: Benefit Plans in Collective
Bargaining. New Brunswick, Rutgers University,
Institute of Management and Labor Relations, 1955.
93 pp.
Report of United Mine Workers of America Welfare and
Retirement Fund for Year Ending June SO, 1955.
Washington, 1955. 33 pp., charts, illus.
Industrial Pension Plans [in Canada]. (In Labor Research,
Canadian Congress of Labor, Ottawa, July-September
1955, pp. 1-12, charts. 15 cents.)
Henimod Folkepension. By Geert Drachmann. Copen
hagen, D et Danske Forlag, 1955. 86 pp., charts.
(Socialpolitisk Forenings Smâskrifter 20.) 3.75 kr.
Personnel Management
Management Training— Cases and Principles. By William
J. McLarney. Homewood, 111., Richard D. Irwin,
Inc., 1955. XX, 371 pp., bibliographies. Rev. ed.
$5.50.
Provides cases and principles to be used in a conference
program of management training, “fitted to the first-line
supervisor and the middle-management man.”
Selected Reading List on Human Relations in Management.
New York, Columbia University, Department of In
dustrial and Management Engineering, 1955. 30 pp.
$3.
Prepared for 4th Utility Management Workshop and
6th Industrial Research Conference, Arden House,
Columbia University, 1955.
Supervisory Development. Washington, Bureau of National
Affairs, Inc., 1955. In 2 parts, 14 and 13 pp. (Per
sonnel Policies Forum Surveys 31 and 32.) $1 each.
Social Security (General)
American Social Insurance. By Domenico Gagliardo. New
York, Harper & Brothers, 1955. xxiii, 672 pp., bib
liography. Rev. ed. $6.
1501
BOOK REVIEWS AND NOTES
The Contribution of Life Insurance to Social Security in the
United States. By Chester C. Nash. (In International
Labor Review, Geneva, July 1955, pp. 21-39. 60
cents. Distributed in United States by Washington
Branch of ILO.)
[1954 Accident Experience of Member Plants of Portland
Cement Association.] (In Accident Prevention Mag
azine, Portland Cement Association, Chicago, Summer
1955, pp. 3-23, charts, illus.)
Twenty Years Under the Railroad Retirement and Unemploy
ment Insurance Systems. (In Monthly Review, U. S.
Railroad Retirement Board, Chicago, October 1955,
pp. 183-208, charts.)
Annual Report on Compensable Work Injuries: Part I,
Work Injuries Reported During 1954 to the Illinois
Industrial Commission Under the Workmen’s Compen
sation and Occupational Diseases Acts. [Chicago],
Illinois Department of Labor, Division of Statistics
and Research, 1955. Various pagings, charts, map.
Mothers’ Allowances Legislation in Canada. Ottawa, De
partment of National Health and Welfare, Research
Division, 1955. 92 pp. (Social Security Series,
Memorandum 1.) Rev. ed.
Miscellaneous
Wages and Hours of Labor
A Deviation in the Pattern of Relative Earnings for Produc
tion Workers and Office Personnel. By John P. Hender
son. (In Journal of Business, University of Chicago,
School of Business, July 1955, pp. 195-205. $1.75.)
Earnings and Hours in April 1955, [Great Britain]. (In
Ministry of Labor Gazette, London, September 1955,
pp. 305-312. Is. 6d. net, H. M. Stationery Office,
London.)
Wages in Japan. Tokyo, Daily Labor Press, Inc., 1954.
69 pp., charts, illus.
Includes data on fringe benefits, factors adversely affect
ing wages, labor productivity, and labor legislation.
Jordbruksstatistikk, 1954. Oslo, Statistisk Sentralbyrâ,
1955. 107 pp., survey form. (Norges Offisielle
Statistisk, XI, 202.) 3 kr.
Annual compilation of Norwegian agricultural statistics.
Tabulations of wages of men and of women, 1954-55, are
included.
Work Accidents
Injury Experience in the Coking Industry, 1952—Detailed
Analysis of Safety Factors and Related Employment
Data. By Seth T. Reese and Naomi W. Kearney.
Washington, U. S. Department of the Interior, Bu
reau of Mines, 1955. 20 pp. (Bull. 548.) 20 cents,
Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
A 4-page summary of data for 1954 was issued recently
by the Bureau of Mines as one of its Mineral Industry
Surveys (HSS 438).
Injury Experience in the Oil and Gas Industry of the United
States, 1954- By Nina L. Jones and Nell B. Bradley.
Washington, U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau
of Mines, 1955. 7 pp. (Mineral Industry Surveys,
HSS 437.)
366804— 55------ 11
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
The American Economy— Attitudes and Opinions. By
A. Dudley Ward. New York, Harper & Brothers,
1955. xx, 199 pp. $3.50.
One of the "Ethics and Economic Life” series originated
by Federal Council of Churches. In a section on "work,”
various phases of the work life are discussed—satisfaction
and dissatisfaction, use of leisure, retirement, security,
labor unions, and youth training.
Labor. Washington, Government Printing Office, Super
intendent of Documents, August 1955. 25 pp.
(Price List 33— 37th ed.) Free.
Lists publications on a variety of labor subjects for sale
by the Superintendent of Documents.
Man, Motives, and Money: Psychological Frontiers of Eco
nomics. By Albert Lauterbach. Ithaca, N. Y.,
Cornell University Press, 1954. 366 pp., bibliog
raphy. $5.
This study attempts to develop the complexity, vari
ability, and elasticity of the motivations that guide
economic decisions and actions.
An Adventure in Free Enterprise: [Highlights of Proceedings
of 7th Annual Conference of Council of Profit Sharing
Industries, Chicago, October 28-29, 1954]• Chicago,
Council of Profit Sharing Industries, [1955?]. 64 pp.,
chart, illus.
Annual Report of the U. S. Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare, 1954. Washington, 1955. 278 pp.,
charts, map. 75 cents, Superintendent of Documents,
Washington.
The several agencies of the department whose work is
reported upon include the Social Security Administration
and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
The Dock Worker: An Analysis of Conditions of Employ
ment in the Port of Manchester, [England]. Liverpool,
University of Liverpool, Department of Social Science,
1954. 277 pp., charts. 17s. 6d., University Press of
Liverpool.
V
Current Labor Statistics
A.—Employment and Payrolls
1504 Table A -l:
1505 Table A-2
1509 Table A-3
1512 Table A-4
1512
1513
1514
1515
Table
Table
Table
Table
A-5
A-6
A-7
A-8
Estimated total labor force classified by employment status, hours
worked, and sex
Employees in nonagricultural establishments, by industry 1
Production workers in mining and manufacturing industries 1
Indexes of production-worker employment and weekly payrolls in
manufacturing industries 1
Federal personnel, civilian and military 1
Employment in nonagricultural establishments for selected States 2
Employment in manufacturing industries, by State 2
Insured unemployment under State unemployment insurance pro
grams, by geographic division and State
Labor Turnover
1516 Table B -l:
1517 Table B-2:
Monthly labor turnover rates in manufacturing, by class of turnover
Monthly labor turnover rates in selected industries
Earnings and Hours
1519 Table C -l:
1535 Table C-2:
1535 Table C-3:
1536 Table C-4:
1536 Table C-5:
1537 Table C-6:
Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory
employees 1
Gross average weekly earnings of production workers in selected
industries, in current and 1947-49 dollars 1
Average weekly earnings, gross and net spendable, of production
workers in manufacturing industries, in current and 1947-49
dollars 1
Average hourly earnings, gross and excluding overtime, of production
workers in manufacturing industries 1
Indexes of aggregate weekly man-hours in industrial and construction
activity 1
Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing
industries for selected States and areas 2
1Beginning with the June 1955 issue, data shown in tables A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, C -l, C-2, C-3, C-4, and C-5 have
been revised because of adjustment to more recent benchmark levels. These data cannot be used with those appearing
in previous issues of the Monthly Labor Review. Comparable data for earlier years are available upon request to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2This table is included in the March, June, September, and December issues of the Review.
1502
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1503
CURRENT LABOR STATISTICS
D.—Consumer and Wholesale Prices
Consumer Price Index—United States average, all items and com
modity groups
D-2: Consumer Price Index—United States average, food and its subgroups
D-3: Consumer Price Index—United States average, apparel and its sub
groups
D-4: Consumer Price Index—United States average, all items and food
D-5: Consumer Price Index—All items indexes for selected dates, by city
D-6: Consumer Price Index—All items and commodity groups, except
food, by city
D-7: Consumer Price Index—Food and its subgroups, by city
D-8: Average retail prices of selected foods
D-9: Indexes of wholesale prices, by group and subgroup of commodities
D-10: Special wholesale price indexes
1544 Table D -l:
1545 Table
1545 Table
1546 Table
1546 Table
1547 Table
1549
1550
1551
1552
Table
Table
Table
Table
E.—Work Stoppages
1553 Table E -l:
Work stoppages resulting from labor-management disputes
F.—Building and Construction
1554 Table F -l:
1555 Table F-2:
1556 Table F-3:
1556 Table F-4:
1557 Table F-5:
1558 Table F-6:
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Expenditures for new construction
Contract awards: Public construction, by ownership and type of
construction
Building permit activity: Valuation, by private-public ownership,
class of construction, and type of building
Building permit activity: Valuation, by class of construction and
geographic region
Building permit activity: Valuation, by metropolitan-nonmetropol
itan location and State
Number of new permanent nonfarm dwelling units started, by
ownership and location, and construction cost
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1-504
A: Employment and Payrolls
T able A -l: Estimated total labor force classified by employment status, hours worked, and sex
[In thousands]
Estimated number of persons 14 years of age and over1
1955
1954»
Labor force status
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
April
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov. »
Oct.
Total, both sexes
Total labor force- ____________________
70,250
69,853
70,695
70,429
69,692
68,256
67, 784
66,840
66,550
66,700
66,811
67,909
68,190
Civilian labor force______________________
Unemployment_____________________
Unemployed 4 weeks or less________
Unemployed 5-10 weeks___________
Unemployed 11-14 weeks_________
Unemployed 15-26 weeks__________
Unemployed over 26 weeks________
Employment............................. ..................
N onagricultural____________ _____Worked 35 hours or more______
Worked 15-34 hours__________
Worked 1-14 hours------------------W ith a job but not at work 4........
Agricultural_______ ____ _________
Worked 35 hours or more_______
Worked 15-34 hours......................
Worked 1-14 hours------------------With a job but not at work 4____
67,292
2,131
1,079
471
130
238
213
65,161
57, 256
45, 984
6,811
2,289
2,173
7, 905
5,937
1, 547
297
124
66, 882
2,149
1,128
390
172
242
216
64, 733
56, 858
46, 636
5,357
2,087
2,777
7, 875
6, 093
1, 343
309
129
67,726
2,237
1,060
528
189
195
265
65,488
57,952
44,910
5,173
1,924
5,945
7, 536
5,572
1,347
328
290
67,465
2,471
1,160
609
116
280
306
64,994
57, 291
43,955
5,201
1,913
6,221
7,704
5,625
1,505
330
244
66,696
2,679
1,433
464
135
337
311
64,016
56,335
45,830
5,580
2,194
2,731
7,681
5,637
1,579
334
132
65,192
2,489
996
453
161
470
409
62,703
55,740
45,831
5,617
2,440
1,852
6,963
5,175
1,372
263
153
64,647
2,962
958
538
355
664
447
61,685
55,470
43, 721
7,478
2,361
1, 911
6,215
4,332
1,441
257
186
63,654
3,176
964
795
356
615
447
60,477
54, 785
45,248
5,618
2,241
1,678
5,692
4, 273
976
249
194
63,321
3,383
1,138
893
377
524
450
59, 938
54,854
44, 741
5,935
2,265
1,914
5,084
3, 519
1,004
292
269
63,497
3,347
1,329
881
263
415
459
60,150
54,853
44,074
6,606
2,170
2,004
5,297
3, 551
1,167
305
274
63,526
2,838
1,164
726
241
331
376
60,688
55,363
45,958
5,891
2,079
1,435
5,325
3, 788
977
302
259
64,624
2,893
1,274
705
183
379
352
61,731
55,577
40,506
11,195
2,322
1, 554
6,154
4, 598
1,126
259
171
64,882
2, 741
1,129
635
181
406
391
62,141
54,902
43, 666
7,144
2,194
1,899
7,239
5,353
1,464
295
126
Males
Total labor force________________________
48, 265
48, 216
49,180
49,323
48,848
47,801
47, 590
47, 226
46,922
47,044
47,005
47,426
47,586
Civilian labor force_____________________
U nemployment_____________ ____ ___
Employment_______________________
Nonagricultural__________________
Worked 35 hours or more....... ......
Worked 15-34 hours, _________
Worked 1-14 hours............ ...........
With a job but not at work 4__
Agricultural_____________________
Worked 35 hours or more............Worked 15-34 hours......... ........... .
Worked 1-14 hours__ __________
With a job but not at work 4____
45,341
1, 254
44,087
38,145
32,415
3,340
937
1,453
5, 942
4,863
765
205
110
45,279
1,201
44, 078
38,107
32,918
2,574
837
1, 778
5,971
4, 977
681
195
118
46,245
1,387
44,858
38,878
32,054
2,633
764
3, 427
5, 980
4,803
704
228
244
46,393
1,603
44,790
38, 715
31,636
2,620
825
3,635
6,075
4,912
726
228
209
45,888
1,753
44,135
38,153
32,805
2,848
978
1,522
5,982
4,800
845
222
115
44,773
1,624
43,149
37,527
32,626
2,674
1,072
1,156
5,622
4,492
810
185
135
44,493
2,093
42,400
37,113
31,211
3,688
1,049
1,165
5,287
4,052
862
201
172
44,078
2,283
41, 795
36, 772
31,946
2,766
981
1,079
5,023
4,005
620
212
186
43, 731
2,431
41,301
36,680
31,481
3,036
972
1,190
4,621
3,338
757
269
256
43,879
2,395
41,485
36,732
31,041
3,454
972
1,265
4,753
3,378
864
266
245
43,759
1,996
41, 762
36,954
32,071
2,972
900
1,011
4,808
3,600
711
256
241
44,180
1,875
42,305
37,134
28,956
6,236
917
1,026
5,171
4,155
659
206
151
44,317
1,796
42, 522
36,792
30,780
3,782
864
1,366
5,730
4,579
822
201
128
Females
Total labor force............................................. . 21, 985
21,637
21,515
21,106
20,844
20,456
20,191
19,614
19,628
19,655
19,806
20,484 ' 20,604
Civilian labor force______________________
Unemployment___________ ______ ___
Employment__________ _________ ____
Nonagricultural__________________
Worked 35 hours or more_______
Worked 15-34 hours___________
Worked 1-14 hours________ ____
With a job but not at work 4___
A gricultural____________________
Worked 35 hours or more_______
Worked 15-34 hours___________
Worked 1-14 hours___________
With a job but not at w ork4. . . .
21, 603
948
20, 654
18, 751
13, 716
2, 784
1,250
1,001
1, 904
1,116
661
115
11
21, 481
850
20,631
19,075
12,856
2, 541
1,160
2,518
1,556
766
643
100
46
21,072
868
20,204
18,575
12,320
2, 581
1,088
2,587
1,629
714
779
102
34
20,808
926
19,882
18,182
13,025
2,731
1,216
1,209
1,700
837
734
112
17
20, 420
865
19,555
18,213
13, 205
2,943
1,368
696
1,342
683
563
78
18
20,154
869
19,284
18,357
12,510
3,790
1,311
745
927
280
579
55
14
19,576
893
18,683
18,014
13,302
2,852
1,259
600
669
269
356
37
8
19,590
952
18,638
18,174
13, 263
2,898
1,293
720
464
181
247
22
14
19,617
952
18,666
18,122
13,034
3,151
1,198
739
544
173
303
39
29
19, 767
841
18,925
18,408
13,887
2,919
1,178
424
517
188
266
46
17
20,445
1,018
19,427
18, 444
11,550
4,960
1,406
528
983
443
467
53
20
21,951
877
21, 073
19, 111
13, 568
3,471
1,352
719
1,962
1,074
782
92
14
1 Estimates are subject to sampling variation which may be large in cases
where the quantities shown are relatively small. Therefore, the smaller
estimates should be used with caution. Prior to July 1955, data refer to the
week including the 8th of the month; subsequent data refer to the week
including the 12th of the month. All data exclude persons in institutions.
Because of rounding, the individual figures do not necessarily add to group
totals.
» Data beginning January 1954 are based upon a new Census sample in
230 areas and are not entirely comparable with previously published estimates
for earlier months. Revised monthly data for 1953 were published in the
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
20,565
945
19, 619
18,110
12,885
3,362
1,330
533
1,509
775
642
94
0
Census Bureau’s “Annual Report on the Labor Force: 1954.”
* Census survey week contained legal holiday.
4
Includes persons who had a job or business, but who did not work during
the survey week because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute, or
because of temporary layoff with definite instructions to return to work
within 30 days of layoff. Also includes persons who had new jobs to which
they were scheduled to report within 30 days.
Source: U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
a
1505
: EMPLOYMENT AND PAYKOLLS
T able A-2: Employees in nonagricultural establishments, by industry 1
[In thousands]
Annual aver
age
1954
1955
Industry
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
1954
1953
Total employees............................................. 50,393 50,309 49,858 49,420 49, 508 48,918 48, 643 48, 212 47,753 47,741 49,463 48,808 48,580 48,285 49,681
852
749
743
770
747
739
739
737
741
742
749
760
754
754
758
Mining______________________________
93.7
90.5
98.1 106.0
92.5
94.1
94.3
96.5
94.8
97.1
90.0
98.6
98.1
93.0
97.6
Metal___ __________________________
31.4
32.9
35.2
40.1
29.8
30.2
30.3
30.5
33.8
32.0
34.5
35.8
36.2
36.3
Iron.............................................. ...........
27.4
28.6
26.9
24.8
27.6
28.6
28.3
27.5
28.8
28.7
18.0 27.9
20.6
27.0
Copper......................................................
14.6
16.2
17.8
16.0
15.9
16.2
16.2
16.4
16.3
16.2
16.3
15.2
16.4
16.2
Lead and zinc_____________________
43.4
41.1
64.0
43.6
43.3
42.6
39.8
37.4
38.3
33.6
37.0
35.4
34.5
33.9
Anthracite..................................................
Bituminous-coal........................................ - 212.1 211.5 207.6 208.5 211.0 208.1 204.8 208.4 209.9 210.5 211.7 212.0 211.0 226.7 288.9
Crude-petroleum and natural-gas pro
duction...........-........................................
297.4
304.9
309.4
308.3
306.3
297.3
295.3
295.6
293.2
293.6
295.6
293.9
292.3
298.8
Nonmetallic mining and quarrying......... -
108.6
109.7
108.9
107.5
107.2
106.1
105.1
102.3
99.8
100.1
104.0
105.6
106.2
104.7
105.9
Contract construction--------------------------Nonbuilding construction..........................
Highway and street............... ................
Other nonbuilding construction............
2,691
2,745
582
279.5
302.4
2,746
576
277.9
298.2
2, 701
567
272.3
295.1
2,615
548
262.3
286.1
2,526
513
234.7
278.6
2,399
464
196.4
267.3
2,255
411
161.9
249.0
2,169
389
147.4
241.2
2,237
398
152.6
244.9
2,426
451
186.0
265.2
2,598
524
231.2
292.6
2,652
563
252.6
300.7
2,527
506
217.4
288.2
2,622
613
214.9
297.8
Building construction...................... ..........
2,163
2,170
2,134
2,067
2,013
1,935
1,844
1,780
1,839
1,975
2,074
2,099
2,021
851.0 868.2 855.5 819.7 789.9 759.8 723.9 694.6 733.3 801.9 862.6 877.2 848.8
1,312.0 1.301.6 1,278.8 1, 247. 2 1, 222.8 1,174.8 1,119.9 1,085.6 1,106.1 1,173.4 1,211.7 1,221.9 1,172.7
299.4 297.3 289.9 284.0 279.3 272.5 266.3 264.7 270.6 283.1 288.1 291.1 283.4
161.3 164.1 161.5 153.5 147.8 140.2 129.2 121.7 121.6 135.5 144.2 148.4 141.4
152.2 150.4 150.1 148.5 145. 6 143.8 143.6 144.6 148.5 153.7 155.4 155.5 156.5
699.1 689.8 677.3 661.2 650.1 618.3 580.8 554.6 565.4 601.1 624.0 626.9 591.5
16,050 16,057 16,007 15,989
Manufacturing_______________________ 16.929 16.916 16.807 16, 475 16,577 16,334 16,255 16, 201 16,060 15,925 9,144
9,121 9,002 9.120
Durable goods *-------- ------- ----------- 9, 725 9,644 9, 578 9, 511 9,624 9, 501 9, 4Ï8 9,323 9,220 9,113
Nondurable goods 8------------- ------ 7,204 7,272 7,229 6,964 6,953 6,833 6,837 6,878 6,840 6,812 6,906 6,936 7,005 6,870
Ordnance and accessories-------------------- 125.7 130.5 131.5 132.3 132.’3 133.2 134.5 137.0 137.2 139.9 141.2 142.1 143.9 160.8
2,109
General contractors.................................
934.0
Special-trade contractors........................
Plumbing and heating.........................
Painting and decorating-....................
Electrical work........... ........................
Other special-trade contractors...........
1,175.1
288.9
148.1
159.7
578.4
17,238
10,105
7,133
234.3
490. 2 1, 538.4 1, 612.1 1, 530.2 1, 557.9
Food and kindred products.............. ........ 1,611.4 1,695.2 1, 705.2 1,603.0 1, 530.4 1,469.8 1,440.4 1,418.5 1, 409.7 1, 430. 2 1, 333.4
331.8 331.4 321.8 321.5
333.4 330.2 328.1 324.3 320.3 316.0 317.8 318.1 324.9
Meat products____________________
126.2 131.2 132.9 130.6 123.6 117.8 113.8 112.4 111.0 112.6 114.5 116.3 118. 5 118.2
Dairy products...... .................................
274.1 224.2 238.2
208.9
180.6
154.4
164.0
171.7
157.7
179.0
213.7
361.4
361.0
265.2
Canning and preserving------------------118.9 122.5 123.0 121.4 119.1 117.1 117.8 117.7 118.2 119.1 120.0 122.6 121.3 119.9
Grain-mill products------------------------285.3
286.7 283.7 285.9
283.3
280.0
278.6
280.5
279.7
284.0
288.0
289.1
289.9
288.8
Bakery products___________________
47.3
50.0
33.9
34.2
43.6
27.6
29.8
27.1
26.5
27.8
27.4
29.4
26.0
30.9
Sugar.—...................................- ..........—
88.4
89.7
80.9
84.6
85.2
81.5
78.1
74.5
73.6
77.7
73.7
78.4
71.2
85.1
Confectionery and related products___
204.9
207.7
208.7
214.9
200.7
213.0 222.6 224.3 212.9 207.2 200.3 194.1 189.6 191.8
Beverages--------- ------ --------------------137.5 140.8 141.0 139.8 136.5 134.7 132.8 131.8 130.4 131.7 134.6 136.3 137.2 140.8
Miscellaneous food products----------. . .
99.5 109.4 111.5 121.2 102.4 103.6
97.1
87.7
89.4
87.9
91.0
122.1
113.3
86.8
121.8
Tobacco manufactures-----------------------32.9
32.1
31.4
33.0
32.9
32.4
32.1
32.0
32.3
32.3
33.0
33.9
33.5
33.0
Cigarettes...................-............................
40.8
40.7
39.9
40.3
40.9
39.4
35.5
37.9
37.9
38.7
38.6
38.4
36.5
38.8
Cigars.................. - ......................- ...........
7.7
7.7
7.8
8.0
7.7
7.5
7.5
7.4
7.5
7.5
7.5
7.4
7.1
7.5
Tobacco and snufl...................................
39.9
29.9
22.7
23.7
24.1
28.6
18.1
10.2
10.4
12.5
10.3
10.2
41.9
34.0
Tobacco stemming and redrying-------1,076.0 1,076.4 1,072. 6 1,069.4 1,185.8
Textile-mill products.................................. 1,086.3 1.081.5 1,078.7 1,045. 6 1,066. 9 1,057.7 1,075.1 1,078.3 1,078.2 1,068.8
6.5
6.3
6.7
6.0
6.4
6.4
6.7
6.4
6.9
6.5
6.5
6.4
6.5
6.6
Scouring and combing plants------------130.7 131.3 127.6 130.7 130.9 131.5 131.4 131.1 130.0 129.2 129.2 127.9 127.6 145.8
Yam and thread mills--------------------472.1
467.8
530.4
468.3
470.9
472.0
474.3
473.1
473.1
460.9
458.0
465.7 468.2 456.5
Broad-woven fabric mills-----------------30.4
30.2
30.8
31.8
31.1
31.2
31.3
31.7
31.4
31.7
31.2
31.2
30.7
31.6
Narrow fabrics and small wares--------229.0 226.4 214.0 222.3 217.3 217.1 218.1 216.9 212.9 221.1 225.8 225.5 218.0 236.1
Knitting mills------- -----------------------88.3
87.9
93.4
89.5
90.2
89.9
90.3
88.3
89.6
88.4
87.7
88.4
86.1
89.2
Dyeing and finishing textiles________
51. 4 57.6
51. 2
50.7
50.1
50.3
50.8
50.4
49.3
50.5
49.3
49.8
48.7
50.5
Carpets, rugs, other floor coverings----13.2
12.9
12.9
16.3
13.1
12.5
12.5
12.1
12.4
12.3
12.9
11.9
12.3
12.2
Hats (except cloth and millinery).........
63.2
62.6
62.3
67.7
63.9
64.4
63.5
64.5
64.7
64.2
64.7
64.5
63.7
66.1
Miscellaneous textile goods......... ......... —
Apparel and other finished textile
1,184. 4 1,172. 5 1, 231.7
products.-------- --------------------------- 1,249.3 1, 247.0 1,230.1 1,152.1 1,188.2 1,168.3 1,185.9 1, 240.3 1, 230.5 1,199.3 1, 202.7 1,188.7
' 123.8 ' 122.5 110.4 119.6 116.5 116.6 122.4 121.9 120.1 119.7 113.2 118.6 121.3 133.0
Men’s and boys’ suits and coats--------Men’s and boys’ furnishings and work
311.1
328.4 324.1 308.5 316.9 313.7 311.8 314.3 309.2 300.1 300.3 304.7 304.2 295.3 363.
clothing— ...........................................
5
3
368.0 365.9 337.7 343.5 335.8 354.6 385.2 385.0 376.4 374.1 355.1 345.4 355.
Women’s outerwear________________
112.1
115.9
117.0
116.7
114.6
112.9
115.5
118.2
116.2
118.3
116.6
111.8
116.8
120.3
Women’s, children’s undergarments.. .
21.2
20.9
21.6
19.
5
21.2
27.0
23.7
19.7
27.4
15.5
16.0
18.5
22.5
21.7
Millinery..............................- ..................
71. 1
70.1
71.1
69. 5 69.9
74.1
71.1
66.9
73.0
72.5
68.8
70.8
72.1
72.1
Children’s outerwear..............................
11.6
11.3
12.3
13.1
12.3
8.6
10.3
7.4
8.2
11.9
10.7
11.3
11.4
11.2
Fur goods................................................
64.1
65.1
60.8
65.4
63.1
59.8
61.7
61.2
62.1
63.6
61.0
64.9
56.8
66.1
Miscellaneous apparel and accessories..
Other fabricated textile products— — _________ 136.4 130.9 126.3 128.1 129.6 129.5 129.4 127.5 124.9 127.9 130.8 130.1 125. 4 139. 4
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1506
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T able A-2: Employees in nonagricultural establishments, by industry 1—Continued
[In thousands]
1955
Annual aver
age
1954
Industry
Oct.
Manufacturing—Continued
Lumber and wood products (except
furniture)_______________________
Logging camps and contractors______
Sawmills and planing mills
Millwork, plywood, and prefabricated
structural wood products....................
Wooden containers_________________
Miscellaneous wood products _
Furniture and fixtures...
Household furniture ____________________
Office, public-building, and professional
furniture.
Partitions, shelving, lockers, and fixtures ___ _________ . _____________
Screens, blinds, and miscellaneous furniture and fixtures............................. ..
Paper and allied products.. . . ...............
Pulp, paper, and paperboard m ills . . .
Paperboard containers and boxes_____
Other paper and allied products ...............
Printing, publishing, and allied industries. ___________________________ . . .
Newspapers.. _______________________
P eriodicals.. ___________________________
Books . . _______________________
Commercial printing_____________ .
Lithographing.. __________________
Greeting cards
Bookbinding and related industries _
Miscellaneous publishing and printing
services
790.4
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Nov.
Dec.
Oct.
1954
1953
___
793.6
120.4
416. 5
799.8
123.6
421. 5
788.1
123.6
415.7
795.1
124.0
418. 0
750.5
99.9
401.1
718.2
82.3
389.3
700.9
73.2
384. 4
705.8
84.0
381.9
697.3
80.0
377.7
727.5
96.6
389.0
751.3
109.5
398.1
759.0
110.0
403.1
705.8
89.6
378.7
767.6
96.9
415.9
___
___
144.4
53.1
59.2
144.6
51.4
58. 7
139.7
52.3
fifi 8
140.6
54.0
58. 5
137. 5
53.4
58 6
135.2
52.8
58.6
132.1
53.5
57 7
130.6
53.2
1
130.9
53.7
fifi o
132.8
53.9
2
134.7
53.8
fifi 2
135.6
55.0
126.0
55.8
130.8
64.4
fi9 fi
376.1
265.2
369.2
259.8
353.2
248.4
356.5
251. 5
353.6
249.2
353.4
251.0
354.5
252. 5
352.5
250.8
347.8
247.2
351.9
251. 2
356.3
254.5
355.7
254.2
345.2
243.7
374.6
44.2
43.6
42.1
41.4
41. 8
41.8
41. 6
41.3
41.1
41.1
41.1
41.0
40.8
42.7
38.1
37.9
36.0
36.1
35.3
34.6
34.4
34.2
33.5
33.3
34.3
34.3
33.8
35.7
378.6
fifi
fifi
fifi
3
fifi fi
267.0
..............
28.6
27.9
26.7
27.5
27.3
26.0
26.0
26.2
26.0
26.3
26.4
26.2
26.9
29.2
560.7
559.9
273.1
156.8
130.0
556.7
274.0
153.4
129.3
546.8
547.5
269.1
150.3
128.1
540.0
266. 3
146.8
126.9
536.7
265.4
145.5
125.8
534.6
264. 5
144.7
125.4
531.9
263 9
143.5
124. 5
531.9
263 9
144 3
123.7
536.3
264 7
147. 7
123. 9
537.7
263 fi
149. 9
124. 2
536.4
2fi3 0
149 7
123.7
530.6
2fi1 9
14fi 1
123.6
530.4
2*8 3
148 2
123! 9
820.7
300.5
62.9
49. 2
215.3
61.4
19. 7
44.9
810. 5
297. 5
61. 4
48.4
212.9
60.3
19. 5
43.7
808.4
fi 297.6
fin' 8
60.9
48’ fi
48.1
218 1 212.8
fi9 1
59.7
18* 8
19.0
43] 2 43. 6
802.8
295. 4
61.0
47.8
210. 7
59. 3
18 0
43.1
803.3
295.1
61.6
48.1
210.8
59.7
17.6
42.8
802.0
293. 4
62.0
48.1
211.0
59. 4
17. 5
42. 4
798.8
292 3
62.3
47.6
209.5
59. 2
17.5
42.1
798.9
291. 8
63 0
47. 5
808.8
295 5
64.0
48. 2
58.6
17 7
42.1
60.6
19 2
42. 5
807.8
294. 7
64. 2
48. 7
209. 2
61.1
20 3
42.7
806.6
294 0
62 9
49 3
209 7
61.0
19 8
800.1
292 3
fi2 fi
48 8
208 0
fiO 0
18 8
42.9
791.9
28Q 1
62 3
49 9
20fi 1
fi7* 7
66.9
fifi 8
fifi 7
64 1
793.6 793.1
791.0
101 2
299.1
92.0
807.0
Q4 1
317.2
91.5
91.9
fiO fi
70 4
7 7
36 8
42 4
91 0
fi1 1
74 2
7 9
37 2
43 1
90 fi
251.9
202.9
253.0
203.6
260.4
206.3
826.0
66.8
66.8
822.6
109. 6
314.2
91. 7
811.5
108.4
313.9
92.3
51.2
72.4
8.1
35.0
43. 2
97.2
51. C
73.2
8.1
29.6
38.5
96.5
9,71 9,
148 8
127! 3
807.7
9Q7
fifi fi
210.3
211.3
43.1
66. 7
67. 5
67.6
68.2
68 3
67. 9
67.5
808.9 808.6
107 Q 109. 2
31312 310. 2
92 5
93.0
811.5
107. 9
307.0
92. 5
811. 9
104. 5
305.9
92.4
808.4
103.9
303.7
92.9
794.7
102.6
301.0
93.0
792.8
105.0
299.0
92.7
793.7
104. 5
298.7
92.4
103. 9
297.7
92.8
103 3
295.5
92.7
49.9
50.2
70.9
7.8
47.8
38.9
93.5
50. 3
70.2
7.8
46. 7
40.9
92.0
50.3
69. 7
7.8
38.2
41.4
90.7
50. 4
69.7
7.7
49.9
69.8
7.7
34.8
42. 5
89.9
91 4
50.1
69.8
7. 7
34.0
46.2
91. 4
50 4
69. 5
7.7
38. 0
95.1
71. 2
7. 9
42 7
38.1
94. 3
253.9
202. 6
251.0
200. 5
249.8
200.2
248.9
200.2
247.4
199.7
248.3
201 6
249.5
201.2
251.3
202. 4
1Q fi
44! 1
Chemicals and allied products_________
Industrial inorganic chemicals _______
Industrial organic chemicals_____ ______
Drugs and medicines____________________
Soap, cleaning and polishing preparat i o n s .. __ ______ __ . __________
Paints, pigments, and fillers____________
Gum and wood chemicals_________ ____
Fertilizers__________________________
Vegetable and animal oils and fats _____
Miscellaneous chemicals____________
826.1
Products of petroleum and coal_________
Petroleum refining_______________ _
Coke, other petroleum and coal products — ___________________________
253.0
254.3 256.2
202. C 204.2
52.3
52. C
52 0
51. 3
50. 5
49.6
48. 7
47. 7
46. 7
48 3
48.9
49. 0
49 fi
fi4 1
R ubber products____________ _______ __
Tires and inner tubes ______ _________
Rubber footwear______ ______ _______
Other rubber products___ ___________
283.7
281.5
119. 4
29.0
133.1
274.6
117. £
26.9
129. 8
273.9
118 7
27 2
128 0
276.3
118. 0
26. 8
131. 5
273.4
116. £
26. 6
129 9
268.5
115.8
26. 5
126.2
269.3
114. 7
26.8
127.8
267.3
114.1
26.8
126. 4
265.9
112. 9
27. 4
125. 6
264.5
112. 4
27.6
124. fi
259.0
108. 5
27. 5
123.0
257.5
111. 1
27.0
119 4
250.2
106 0
26 0
118 2
278.0
119 fi
9.9 3
19Q 9
Leather and leather prod ucts. ________
Leather: tanned, curried, and finished..
Industrial leather belting and packing. ..
Boot and shoe cut stock and findings___
Footwear (except rubber) ..............................
Luggage______ . . .
_ _________________
Handbags and small leather goods.. . . .
Gloves and miscellaneous leather goods.
385.2
387.2
43.6
392.5
43.6
5.0
15.9
249.3
19.6
33.5
20.3
5.0
16.8
254.2
19. 7
33. 2
20.0
382.6
43 1
382.9
44.1
371.0
43. 4
377.4
43.4
386.7
43.4
384.4
43. 5
376.7
43.2
374.5 371.7
43 3 42. 7
369.2
42.7
370.1
43 4
386.2
47 1
Stone, clay, and glass products ____________
Flat glass_______________ . ______
Glass and glassware, pressed or blown ..
Glass products made of purchased glass.
Cement, hydraulic_________________
Structuralclay products____________
Pottery and related products________
Concrete, gypsum, and plaster products__________ _________ _______
Cut-stone and stone products________
Miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral
products................................................
See footnotes at end of table.
570.0
568.6
33.2
97.9
17.6
44. 4
84.6
54.6
560.9
32. 6
93.7
17.2
44.4
84.5
53.3
118. 3
20.8
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
97.2
no 1
78 3
8
99
37
9ñ
1
7
Q
7
256.1
204.1
49. 8
72. 5
7. 8
33.5
4. 9
16. 9
249 8
18. 5
30.2
18.5
4. 8
16.0
242.6
18.1
28. 7
17.4
4.8
16.7
246.2
17. 7
31.5
17.1
32 2
89 6
16.4
44 4
82.8
51.3
553.6
33 0
94. 4
17.1
43 9
81.8
53. 5
543.4
31.5
92. 8
17.1
43 1
79.7
53.8
535.7
31. S
91.0
17.2
42.7
78.3
54.2
118 C llfi. 6
20.8
2 0 .3
115.1
2 0 .3
112. 8
19.7
9 4 .5
92.6
96.4
49
16 5
2fi0 0
18 8
30 3
1 9 I0
5 4 7 .8
9 5 .2
4.8
17.6
251.7
17.2
34.9
17.1
4.6
17.6
252.3
16.1
34. 7
15.6
35 9
44.5
4. 6
15.1
237. 6
17 9
33 0
18.3
4
,7
16.0
243 4
16 2
30 2
16.2
fi 4
17. 0
249 9
17 fi
31 4
18.0
521.9
31 7
88. 6
16,7
42. 5
76.6
53. 6
521.4
30 2
89.1
16.5
42 9
514.2
29 3
89.7
16.1
41 7
76.1
51.9
543.2
31 fi
97.8
18.2
41 8
7C. 1
55.8
104.6
20.2
106.2
106. 2
2 0 .1
2 0 .3
103 6
19.7
105 1
18.7
87.0
85.9
8 6 .2
86.0
95.0
4.7
17.3
249.7
15. 4
32. 4
14.0
4. 6
16.4
245.8
16.2
31.9
16.3
4.6
15.9
240. 5
17.0
527.2 519.0
32. C 39. 9
90.0
88.7
17.0
16.9
42.4
42.2
76.6
7 4 .2
54.2
5 3 .5
514.1
32. 4
87 5
16.7
42 4
52. 3
520.3
32.2
87.8
16.9
42. 5
76.1
53.0
109.3
20.0
105. 4
19.8
103.3
19.6
102. 6
19.2
91.1
89.8
88.4
86.6
7 4 .4
35 1
47.0
33 2
17.8
7 7 .1
52. 9
1507
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLLS
T able
A-2: Employees in nonagricultural establishments, by industry1—Continued
[In thousands]
Annual aver
age
1954
1955
Industry
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
1954
1953
Manufacturing—Continued
Primary metal industries------ -------------- 1,343.9 1,341.7 1,318.8 1,302. 7 1,316. 4 1,294.5 1,273.6 1, 251. 6 1,224. 9 1,202. 5 1,191. 7 1,177.8 1,161.1 1,185.0 1, 332. 7
Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling
662.4 657.4 652.8 647.6 632.9 620.8 608.4 594.1 581.5 577.2 571.3 567.4 581.0 653.3
mills....... ............. -.............................. .
248.7 244.3 239.9 239.9 238.9 233.8 229.1 221.5 216.2 212.0 209.1 207.2 213.0 247.6
Iron and steel foundries------------------Prim ary smelting and refining of non64.4
61.5
62.9
61.0
64.6
65.2
65.0
65.9
65.4
56.2
67.2
66.2
64.5
67.6
ferrous metals—.......................-...........
Secondary smelting and refining of
12.4
12.4
12.2
13.5
12.3
12.4
12.3
12.6
12.6
11.6
12.5
12.5
13.1
12.7
nonferrous metals______ _________
Bolling, drawing, and alloying of non103.4
112.9
102.1
106.0
104.8
107.1
109.2
108.3
110.0
110.2
113.4
111.6
107.9
111.1
ferrous metals_____________ ____
92.2
80.0
77.0
77.6
81.1
80.8
84.2
82.3
85.7
83.4
85.3
87.1
85.7
83.3
Nonferrous foundries_______________
Miscellaneous primary metal indus
132.4
136.0 152.3
152.1 148.7 148.6 149.7 147.1 144.8 142.7 141.1 139.6 138.5 135.8
tries--- -------------------------------------Fabricated metal products (except ord
nance, machinery, and transporta
tion equipment)_______ _________ 1,116.4 1,109.8 1,092.1 1, 077. 5 1,096. 5 1,087. 8 1,077. 5 1,067. 5 1,051.5 1,043.0 1,050.3 1,050.8 1,035.7 1,045.2 1,139.3
55.4
57.2
58.5
54.6
55.2
54.4
54.3
54.0
56.8
63.2
62.6
58.7
64.6
61.2
Tin cans and other tinware__________
147.7 145.1 145.1 149.4 150.6 150.3 150.2 148.3 145.8 145.9 143.6 140.4 143.5 160.0
Cutlery, handtools, and hardware-----Heating apparatus (except electric) and
138.2 134.3 128.2 134.5 132.0 130.7 130. 2 128.0 125.4 127.6 130.6 130.3 124.7 136. 4
plumbers’ supplies........................ ......
283. 8 281 4 274.7 268.8 264.3 262.2 262.8 268.6 273.2 277.0 274.8 273.7
291 3 287
Fabricated structural metal products—
Metal stamping, coating, and en
212.8 220.6 222.8 222.3 220.7 215.6 213.4 212.9 212.0 201.7 212.0 254.2
216.7
213.9
graving...................................... -........ 46.4
45.6
43.6
43.9
50.0
46.2
48.2
48.4
47.7
45.2
48.0
47.7
46.2
47.5
Lighting fixtures....... ..............................
58.4
57.6
65.7
62.6
60.6
62.9
62.8
64.4
64.1
62.6
64.2
63.9
62.9
64.2
Fabricated wire products------- ---------Miscellaneous fabricated metal prod
141.1 137.6 137.2 137.7 136.8 136.0 135.3 132.8 132.2 131.7 130.0 127.9 129.5 144.1
ucts..............- .......................................1,560.1
1,572. 2 1, 573.6 1,593. 6 1,580. 5 1, 568.0 1, 544. 7 1, 523. 4 1,506.0 1,502.1 1, 487.9 1,489. 2 1, 551.1 1, 707.9
1,594.
8
Machinery (except electrical).................. 74.1
76.0
88.5
75.3
72.2
76.1
76.7
78.7
77.0
80.7
80.4
79.8
80.2
80.9
Engines and turbines_______________
127.7
156.8 164.2 165.0 164. 7 164.4 161.8 157.6 151.7 145.3 140.8 138.6 145.7 167.9
Agricultural machinery and tractors—
121.1
123.7 133.9
134.4 133.3 130.6 129.8 126.9 125.1 123.0 120.8 119.6 119.3 119.6
Construction and mining machinery—
262.4 259.7 258.0 258.9 256.2 253.8 251.5 249.8 249.9 251.5 252.1 253.3 270.8 306.0
Metalworking machinery___________ _____
Special-industry machinery (except
182.6 180.7 179.3 180.6 179.2 178.4 176.3 174.6 173.2 173.2 172.9 173.8 178.5 189.3
metalworking machinery)...................
240.2 234.3 233.2 232.2 230.6 229.1 224.7 224.2 224.0 225.3 226.4 227.1 232.9 245. 5
General industrial machinery-----------107.4 105.1 105. 5 106.2 105.4 105.8 106.0 105.0 104.2 105.1 103.9 104.9 104.7 109.3
Office and store machines and devices—
Service-industry and household ma
167.5 169.1 175.0 186.8 187.3 185.1 180.2 173.4 168.5 169.0 166.5 165.5 178.6 202.8
chines__________________________
258.1 253.0 249.0 253.2 249.8 247.6 244.5 241.0 238.8 238.1 233.5 230.8 240.4 264.8
Miscellaneous machinery parts_______
Electrical machinery.......... .........—......... 1,192. 7 1,168. 3 1,126. 4 1, 108. 2 1,118. 6 1,108.9 1,101.8 1,098.3 1,096.3 1,093.2 1,103. 2 1,104.7 1,091.6 1,088.6 1,219.8
Electrical generating, transmission,
distribution, and industrial appara
378.1 365.0 367.8 375.0 373.7 370.0 367.8 365.9 364.8 365.3 360.5 360.1 367.8 402.8
tu s.................... ....................... .............
65.2
70.8
65.6
64.6
64.7
64.9
64.5
63.5
62.6
66.1
70.6
68.3
66.0
65.6
Electrical appliances_______________
25.2
24.1
31.5
25.5
25.1
25.5
25.5
25.8
25.3
25.4
25.2
26.6
26.1
26.1
Insulated wire and cable........................
64.9
81.6
73.9
71.6
70.8
78.9
76.4
78.8
78.0
76.2
78.8
75.1
78.3
78.9
Electrical equipment for vehicles.........
24.6
25.4
24.8
27.6
25.2
24.9
25.7
25.5
25.3
26.0
26.2
26.0
26.1
25.9
Electric lamps ..................— ................ 504.1
511.0
505.3
490.1
556.0
538.9 518.1 499.4 499.7 492.4 491.3 491.1 494.1 495.0
Communication equipment-------------46.3
49.5
46.1
45.8
44.9
44.6
45.6
44.2
43.7
47.3
47.4
49.1
46.3
48.7
Miscellaneous electrical products........ .
Transportation equipment-................... 1,798. 2 1,789. 2 1,815.3 1, 854.9 1,876. 5 1,880.6 1,883.7 1,868. 5 1,844.5 1,815.7 1,788. 6 1,744. 9 1,657.9 1,744.9 1,952.6
' 848. 7 883.8 921.2 942.4 947.7 946.8 929.4 905.4 883.6 854.8 815.9 730.1 780.6 928.9
Automobiles.........................................
750.4 741.4 742.3 738.7 740.9 749.1 752.0 753.2 752.6 753.5 751.4 748.0 768.1 779.1
Aircraft and parts...............................
485.6 482.1 481.9 476.3 476.8 478.0 477.1 477.0 472.8 470.9 468.2 466.2 473.4 472.4
Aircraft___ ___________________
143. 4 140.5 140.7 142.1 143.1 146.6 148.8 148.6 149.0 150.0 149.9 151.6 158.9 174.7
Aircraft engines and parts...............
15.9
17.7
16.1
15.3
15.7
13.6
13.9
14.1
14.3
13.2
13.4
13.5
13.2
13.3
Aircraft propellers and parts-------107.9 105.6 106.5 107.0 107.6 110.9 112.2 113.5 116.5 117.3 117.6 114.1 119.9 114.2
Other aircraft parts and equipment
120.3
118.0
129.3
153.6
120.8
123.6
124.3
120.3
122.3
119.4 122.1 125.0 130.1 126.3
Ship and boat building and repairing—
98.8 102.1 108.4 131.2
98.2 100.4
99.1 100.3
98.8
98.2 100.4 102.0 105.6 101.4
Shipbuilding and repairing___
19.2
18.2
20.9
22.4
20.4
24.0
22.1
24.5
23.5
23.0
21.2
24.5
24.9
21.7
Boatbuilding and repairing----48.9
57.4
79.7
51.2
49.9
54.0
55.6
55.1
51.9
56.7
56.6
60.0
55.8
57.6
Bailroad equipment___________
11.3
9.7
10.6
9.3
8.3
8.6
8.8
8.5
7.3
9.7
9.1
10.4
9.5
10.7
Other transportation equipmentinstrum ents and related products--------Laboratory, scientific, and engineering
instrum ents.------ -----------------------Mechanical measuring and controlling
instruments..... ................................
Optical instruments and lenses______
Surgical, medical, and dental instruments.
Ophthalmic goods.................. - ............. .
Photographic apparatus............. ...........
Watches and clocks...............................
320.4
494.0
Jewelry, silverware, and plated ware —.
Musical instruments and parts.............
Toys and sporting goods........................
Pens, pencils, other office supplies.......
Costume jewelry, buttons, notions___
Fabricated plastics products.................
Other manufacturing industries--------See footnotes at end of table.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
318.3
315.5
314.8
315.1
305.0
310.4
311.0
308.9
308.7
309.6
309.0
308.9
315.7
334.8
51.1
50.0
50.1
49.7
41.8
49.8
49.7
49.3
49.5
49.4
49.2
48.7
51.7
55.5
86.8
12.7
41.1
24.6
67.1
34.9
86.4
12.6
40.8
24.2
67.8
33.7
86.0
12.9
40.6
24.1
68.0
33.1
86.9
12.8
40.2
24.4
67.2
33.9
86.4
12.7
40.1
24.0
66.3
33.7
85.5
12.7
38.3
23.7
66.4
34.0
84.9
12.7
39.4
23.6
66.5
34.2
83.9
12.7
39.4
23.5
66.2
33.8
83.9
12.8
39.4
23.3
66.4
33.4
83.6
12.9
39.6
23.2
66.7
34.2
83.2
13.0
39.5
23.2
66.6
34.3
83.0
13.3
39.5
23.1
66.7
34.6
82.0
13.7
40.1
24.0
67.0
37.3
82.1
14.9
43.3
26.9
67.9
44.3
488.0 476.3
54.0
52.3
17.8
18.3
92.2
94.2
29.8
29.8
67.7
66.5
79.0
76.1
145.0) 141.6
457.6
48.7
17.5
88.5
29.2
62.7
73.5
137.5
469.9
51.7
17.8
90.1
29.7
64.4
76.8
139.4
463.1
50.8
17.6
87.4
29.7
62.1
76.2
139.3
444.6
53.3
17.4
70.6
28.4
65.6
71.8
137.5
457.4
54.9
17.6
74.5
29.6
65.2
72.9
142.7
474.5 478.0
56.2
56.3
17.5
17.6
90.4
85.5
30.0
29.8
67.2
67.7
71.1
72.9
145.1 ! 145.2
463.3
53.7
16.8
82.8
29.5
63.6
71.2
145. 7
498.5
53.6
17.4
94.3
29.5
67.0
77.2
159.5
461.2 462.0 456.3
53.2
51.4
52. £
17.5
17.6
17.7
84. C 79.4
75. £
29.5
29. C 28.5
62. C 65. i
67. Î
75.3
75.1
73.1
141.5 142.4 141.11
1508
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T able
A-2: Employees in nonagricultural establishments, by industry 1—Continued
[In thousands]
1955
Annual aver
age
1954
Industry
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
M ay
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan
Dec.
Nov.
Oct
1954
1953
Transportation and public utilities______
4,118 4,151 4,137 4,113 4,081 3,997 3,939 3,966 3,937 3,927 3,996 3,986 4,005 4,008 4,221
Transportation........ ................................... 2,783
,792 2,769 2,749 2, 735 2,701 2,653 2,648 2,625 2,617 2,683 2,672 2,690 2,688 2,899
Interstate railroads________________
, 241.7 1,245. 5 1.239.7 1,224.4 1,196. 2 1.158.6 1.156.8 1.152.3 1,152.9 1,186.8 1.185.7 1,202.9 1,215.4 1,376.9
Class I railroads...................................
, 092.1 1,096.1 1.090.8 1,075.8 1,049.8 1,012.4 1,010.61,008.7 1,009.4 1,029.2 1.036.7 1.055.1 1,064.6 1,206.5
Local railways and bus lines................ .
116.0 113.2 112.4 118.4 119.7 119.7 120.5 121.1 121.7 122.6 123.0 124.0 126.9 129.1
Trucking and warehousing— .............. .
791.2 772.8 762.0 760.4 754.5 747.9 743.9 732.3 724.3 748.0 741.0 737.0 719.7 731.4
Other transportation and services___
642.7 637.2 634.4 632.0 631.0 627.0 626.3 618.8 617.7 625.9 622.0 625.8 626.3 661.3
Bus lines, except local--...................
45.2
45.5
45.8
43.9
43.1
43.4
43.2
44.1
43.3
44.0
44.1
51.4
45.8
44.5
Air transportation (common carrier)
117.3 116.7 116.2 114.7 112.7 110.1 108.4 107.2 106.1 105.5 104.8 104.4 105.2 104.9
Communication........................................
752
770
773
770
758
716
709
741
735
737
741
747
736
736
736
Telephone_____________________
727.5 731.0 727.4 715.2 673.6 666.9 699.7 696.1 693.4 694.2 694.3 693.9 698.8 702.2
Telegraph.............................................
41.
41.6
42.0
41.6
41.5
41.6
41.1
40.6
40.8
41.5
41.2
41.0
43.7
41.0
Other public utilities________ ______
583
589
594
595
588
580
577
575
579
577
575
577
576
578
579
Gas and electric utilities........ - ...........
566.2 571.7 570.8 564.6 557.1 554.3 554.4 553.3 553.1 554.7 555.2 556.4 556.3 552.4
Electric light and power utilities___
253.0 254.8 254.5 252.0 249.1 248.3 248.3 247.6 247.2 247.4 247.6 248.0 249.0 248.2
Gas utilities____________ _______
143.1 145.2 144.4 142.5 140.1 138.4 138.6 138.2 138.5 139.2 139.5 140.1 139.1 133.2
Electric light and gas utilities com
bined. ______ ________________
170.1 171.7 171.9 170.1 167.9 167.6 167.5 167.5 167.4 168.1 168.1 168.3 168.2 171.1
Local utilities, not elsewhere Classified23.4
23.0
23.4
23.0
23.2
22.1
22.7
2 2.2
22.5
22.8
22.4
22.5
2 2.0
22.3
Wholesale and retail trade_____________
Wholesale trade____________________
Retail trade___________________ ____
General merchandise stores________
Food and liquor stores________ ____
Automotive and accessories dealers—
Apparel and accessories stores........ .
Other retail trade______ __________
10,919 10,813 10, G38 10, 633 10,643 10,534 10,549 10,408 10,309 10,419 11,354 10,745 10,548 10,498 10,527
2,905 2,877 2,863 2,858 2,826 2,801 2,804 2,813 2,806 2,817 2,860 2,849 2,819 2,796 2,784
8,014 7,936 7,775 7,775 7, 817 7,733 7,745 7,595 7,503 7,602 8,494 7,896 7,729 7,702 7,744
1,440.7 1,392. 5 1.315.0 1,313.4 1,348. 7 1,341. 8 1.371.7 1.304.8 1,269.2 1,326.6 1,903.0 1,518.1 1,398.4 1.395.8 1,444. 5
1, 535.9 1,515.2 1.499.0 1,505. 7 1, 502. 7 1,486. 7 1,478.2 1,471.4 1.467.4 1,462.3 1,493.6 1.471.8 1.460.2 1,446. 2 1,395.3
783.5 785.1 788.3 784.9 776.6 767.8 762.5 755.4 749.4 749.3 767.1 754.3 749.4 764.6 798.8
598.6 588.4 540.8 552.8 596.1 593.5 612.3 578.3 555.3 579.0 723.2 614.4 597.5 592.4 598.6
3,655.6 3,654.7 3,631.4 3,618. 4 3,592. 8 3, 542.9 3, 520.7 3,485.2 3,461.6 3,485.1 3,607.4 3,537.4 3, 523.2 3.502.8 3, 506.1
Finance, insurance, and real estate........
Banks and trust companies_________
Security dealers and exchanges_____
Insurance carriers and agents_______
Other finance agencies and real estate.
2,215
2,224
555.6
78.7
798.3
791.6
2,241
561.2
80.2
802.7
796.8
2,237
560.7
79.4
798.6
798.7
2,206
549.0
77.9
788.1
790.6
2,171
540.8
76.9
781.1
771.7
2,161
539.9
76.5
782.5
762.2
2,150
538.2
75.5
781.5
754.7
2,132
535.7
74.2
778.3
744.1
2,124
531.8
72.4
776.2
743.3
2,136
532.6
70.8
777.5
754.6
2,134
530.3
70.0
776.4
756.9
2,136
529.5
69.2
775.8
761.2
2,114
529.3
67.3
770.6
746.4
2,038
513.5
65.7
739.4
719.3
Service and miscellaneous_____
Hotels and lodging places____
Personal services:
Laundries____ __________
Cleaning and dyeing plants.
Motion pictures......... .............
5,725
5,791
507.6
5,818
575.4
5,816
574.2
5,775
513.9
5,733
488.3
5,674
479.7
5,571
462.9
5,536
461.5
5,533
456.3
5,588
462.9
5,622
465.6
5,660
474.4
5,629
498.0
5,538
504.3
336.4
155.3
240.6
337.7
151.1
239.6
339.0
155.7
239.9
337.7
160.8
239.3
333.1
160.4
238.7
328.5
157.1
236.5
325.4
154.1
228.9
324.0
150.3
224.4
326.2
152.7
224.4
327.1
155.1
225.5
328.3
158.4
229.9
329.5
159.8
236.7
331.4
160.7
231.5
339.2
166.2
234.0
Government........
Federal..............
State and local <.
7,042 6,911 6,717 6, 696 6,851 6,881 6,927 6,922 6,873 6,835 7,166 6,917 6,829 6,751 6,645
2,160 2,173 2,190 2,187 2,183 2,159 2,153 2,148 2,142 2,139 2,457 2,165 2,147 2,188 2,305
4,882 4,738 4, 527 4, 509 4, 668 4, 722 4, 774 4, 774 4,731 4,696 4, 709 4,752 4,682 4,563 4,340
1 The Bureau of Labor Statistics series on employment in nonagricultural
establishments are based upon reports submitted by cooperating firms.
These reports cover all full- and part-time employees in private nonagricul
tural establishments who worked during, or received pay for, any part of the
pay period ending nearest the 15th of the month. Because of this, persons
who worked in more than one establishment during the reporting period will
be counted more than once. In Federal establishments the data generally
refer to persons who worked on, or received pay for, the last day of the
month. Proprietors, self-employed persons, unpaid family workers, and
domestic servants are excluded. These employment series have been ad
justed to first-quarter 1954 benchmark levels indicated by data from govern
ment social-insurance programs.
Data for the 2 most recent months are subject to revision without notation;
revised figures for earlier months will be identified by asterisks the first month
they are published.
These data difier in several respects from the nonagricultural employment
data shown in the Monthly Report on the Labor Force (table A -l, civilian
labor force), which are obtained by household interviews. This M R LF
series relates to the calendar week which contains the 8th day of the month.
It includes all persons (14 years and over) with a job whether at work or not,
proprietors self-employed persons, unpaid family workers, and domestic
servants«
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2 Durable goods include: ordnance and accessories; lumber and wood
products (except furniture); furniture and fixtures; stone, clay, and glass
products; primary metal industries; fabricated metal products (except
ordnance, machinery, and transportation equipment); machinery (except
electrical); electrical machinery; transportation equipment; instruments and
related products; and miscellaneous manufacturing industries.
3 Nondurable goods include: food and kindred products; tobacco manufac
tures; textile-mill products; apparel and other finished textile products; paper
and allied products; printing, publishing, and allied industries; chemicals and
allied products; products of petroleum and coal; rubber products; and leather
and leather products.
4 State and local government data exclude, as nominal employees, elected
officials of small local units, and paid volunteer firemen.
See footnote 1, p. 1502.
N o t e .— Information on concepts, methodology, etc., is
given in a technical note on Measurement of Industrial
Employment, which appeared in the September 1953
Monthly Labor Review.
1509
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLLS
T able A-3: Production workers in mining and manufacturing industries 1
[In thousands]
Annual aver
age
1954
1955
Industry
une
Mining:
Metal_________
Iron_________
Copper............
Lead and zinc.
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
12.2
39.7
192.4
36.7
207.3
50.3
267.5
126.1
127.4
130.0
131.4
90.1
91.2
89.6
91.3
82.9
29.4
23.2
13.8
82.3
27.5
24.5
14.0
81.1
26.2
24.6
13.9
80.7
26.0
24.4
13.9
80.3
25.8
24.2
13.8
78.6
25.3
23.5
13.5
79.9
27.0
13.1
84.3
29.9
23.7
13.9
Anthracite...........
Bituminous-coal.
30.6
194.0
32.2
189.7
31.0
190.8
33.6
193.5
30.4
191.1
33.8
187.4
34.8
191.1
36.2
192.5
38.5
192.4
39.3
192.9
39. 5
193.1
Crude-petroleum and natural-gas pro
duction:
Petroleum and natural-gas production
(except contract services)---------------
126.9
130.5
129.7
127.9
122.7
122.4
123.2
123.9
124.9
125.2
94.5
93-4
91.8
91.6
91.0
90.6
87.2
85.0
85.2
88.8
Nonmetallic mining and quarrying...
Manufacturing-----------Durable goods3—
Nondurable goods1
13,381 13,378 13,262 12,951
7,694 7,623 7, 553 7,499
5,687 5,755 5,709 5,452
Ordnance and accessories.........................
83.0
86.4
87.8
8.6
Food and kindred products.................... 1,166.6 1,245. 1,249.9 1,150. 4
258.8 257.4
260.
Meat products.......................................
89.9
88.1
83.
Dairy products......................................
327.1 232.5
327.
Canning and preserving-......................
89.1
88.9
86
.
Grain-mill products..--------------------172.4 174.2
172.
Bakery products....................................
22.0
23.9
25.
Sugar.. ..................... .............................
64.4
57.7
71.
Confectionery and related products...
127.2 128.6
122.
Beverages...............................................
99.1
99.0
Miscellaneous food products................
Tobacco manufactures---------------Cigarettes.......................................
Cigars................ ............................
Tobacco and snuff.........................
Tobacco stemming and redrying.
113.0
Textile-mill products.----- ------- ------Scouring and combing plants...........
Yam and thread mills----------------Broad-woven fabric m ills.................
Narrow fabrics and smallwares-----Knitting mills............. ......................
Dyeing and finishing textiles--------Carpets, rags, other floor coverings.
Hats (except cloth and millinery)...
Miscellaneous textile goods.............
994.3
Furniture and fixtures------- ---------------Household furniture.............................. Office, public-building, and profession
al furniture_____________________
Partitions, shelving, lockers, and fix
tures.................................................... .
Screens, blinds, and miscellaneous fur
niture and fixtures..............................
See footnotes at end of table.
366804— 55------ 12
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
720.
6.0
8.2
81.5
30.1
36.7
6.4
8.3
79.8
29.2
36.1
6.4
8.1
79.6
28.9
36.1
6.3
8.3
82.8
29.2
36.9
6.4
10.3
989.9
5.9
985.9
121.0
121.6
953.5
f*‘5.8
118.2
429.2
26.5
193.6
74.9
40.9
10.5
53.9
974.4
5.9
121.3
433.4
27.1
201.7
77.1
41.5
11.5
54.9
965.4
5.9
121.2
430.7
27.4
196.5
76.6
41.4
11.0
54.7
982.6
5.8
121.6
445.5
27.7
196.1
77.4
42.6
10.7
55.2
985.4
6.3
121.8
445.1
27.7
197.0
78.6
42.6
10.8
55.5
440.4
27.1
205.7
77.1
42.0
11.0
54.9
13.6
76.7
28.4
20.7
985.3 1,007.0 1,061.9 1,110.8 1,180.4 1,100. 4 1.136.2
249.6 256.0 264.2 263.5 262.2 251.9 254.9
80.4
76.3
78.9
75.3
72.1
72.2
73.2
125.2 134.9 151.3 179.3 244.2 194.4 207.0
87.8
89.5
88.7
87.1
86.3
85.3
84.5
168.9 168.0 172.6 174.5 175.1 173.9 180.1
28.6
28.4
41.0
43.8
38.0
24.5
22.3
70.4
75.3
66.6
74,
70.6
66.8
63.7
105.1 106.8 113.7 117.5 118.6 120.0 126.2
98.2
97.7 100.9
95.7
93.1
92.5
92.8
95.1
93.9
91.1 100.1 102.7 111.6
88.7
28.4
29.7
29.1
30.0
29.6
29.5
29.2
38.5
37.9
38.7
38.9
38.4
33.7
37.5
6.8
6.7 21.4
6.6 6.6 20.2
6.5
6.4
6.5
27.2
36.6
25.6
21.5
15.5
984.5
6.1
121.4
446.1
27.3
195.8
79.2
42.6
11.1
54.9
976.6
5.8
120.6
444. 3
27.3
192.3
78.7
42.3
11.1
54.2
983.4
5.8
119.8
443.1
27,
200.1
79.2
42.2
11.7
54.4
982.6
5.4
119.6
440.3
26.8
204.0
78.5
42.7
11.5
53.8
979.4
5.7
118.4
439.8
26.5
204.2
77.5
42.9
11.4
53.0
975.7 1.090.2
6.2
5.9
118.0 135.8
500.6
443.6
28.1
26.3
197.0 215.2
82.5
77.2
48.6
42.8
14.8
11.8
58.4
53.2
6 1,046.2 1,102.9
057. 5 1,041.1 1,056.8 1,110. 2 1,100.7 1,068.9 1,073.0 1,060.4 1,056.
107.4 104.5 104.3 110.2 110.1 108.0 107.6 100.7 106.4 108.7 119.8
276.9 281.7 281.4 272.5 288.5
292.2 289.2 287.2 289.8 284.8 275.
332.2 314.7 305.1 315.7 322.7
302.4 296.2 314. C 343.2 343,1 334.
99.4 102.9
103.9 103.6 105.5 105.5 103.0 100.3 101.7 104.3 103.5
19.4
18.6
19.2
17.2
18.9
21.1
24.3
17.2
24.7
13.7
13.2
64.7
63.8
63.4
64.6
62.7
64.3
67.2
60.2
66.5
62.1
65.7
9.3
8.4
8.7
10.0
9.3
6.3
7.1
5.1
6.1
8.3
9.3
57.1
54.1
58.3
58
56.4
54.9
53.
54. f
55.5
56.9
54.7
118.6
107.3 109.9 109.4 105
106.5 108.8 108.7 108.7 107.0 104.
723.3
113.3
386.3
730.
116.
392.
720.1
117.2
386.7
726.8
116.8
389.3
683.3
93.7
372.5
650.9
76. (
360.0
633.8
66.9
355.3
639.3
77.6
353.1
631.:
73.:
349.
661.4
90.0
360.4
684.6
103.0
369.0
691.6
103.6
374.2
639.3
83.3
350.1
698.0
90.0
385.0
121.8
122.
117.7
48.1
50.4
119.
49.8
51. £
115. £
49.
52.
114.3
48.6
52.0
111.5
49.5
51.1
110.0
49.2
49.4
110.
49.
48.
112.6
47.
52.
49.
48.
114.4
49.7
48.5
114.5
50.8
48.5
105.5
51.5
48.9
110.5
59.7
52.8
319.0
231.3
312.
226.
297.5
215.4
300.
218.
297. €
215.
297.
217.5
298.
218. £
296.4
217.0
292.
214.
296.
218.
301.4
221.7
301.3
290.5
221.8
211.0
319.9
233.9
35.
35.
34.0
33.
33.
33.'
33.
33.3
33.
33.
33.1
32.9
32.9
35.0
26.
26.2
25.7
27.8
20.5
20.4
21.0
23.3
49.1
52.8
320.
991.1
248.1
74.2
128.0
84.5
168.9
21.9
63.6
108.6
93.3
79.1
30.1
34.8
Apparel and other finished textile prod
ucts................................................... — 1,116.9 , 116. 7 1,101.0 1,025.1
98.9
112.1 110.6
Men’s and boys’ suits and coats--------Men’s and boys’ furnishings and work
284.0
299.4
304.2
clothing................................................
324.4 324.9 297.0
Women’s outerwear------------------------99.5
107.7 1 104.4
Women’s, children’s undergarments . . .
16.1
19.4
19.9
Millinery_________________________
64.2
65.
65.3
Children’s outerwear..............................
9.0
8.8 8 .
Fur goods.................................................
50.5
58.
59.5
Miscellaneous apparel and accessories..
105.9
114.8 109.
Other fabricated textile products...........
Lumber and wood products (except fur
niture)...................................................
Logging camps and contractors........ —
Sawmills and planing m ills...................
Millwork, plywood, and prefabricated
structural wood products--------------Wooden containers.................................
Miscellaneous wood products------------
089.0 1,034. 5 l, 011.0
254.8 251.0 246.3
78.1
82.7
88.9
182.9 148.8 141.8
84.2
86.4
87.9
173.5 171.2 169.1
22.7
21.1
20.7
60.3
59.3
59.7
121.8 118.0 113.7
94.8
96.0
98.8
105.3
30.6
36.7
6.3
31.7
438.1
27.8
208.8
78.2
42.6
10.9
56.6
22.8
13,833
3,086 12,882 12, 816 12,778 12,649 12,523 12,645 12,657 12,612 12,588 8,148
630 7,530 7, 457 7,375 7,282 7,182 7,218 7,198 7,081 7,184
456 5,352 5,359 5,403 5,367 5,341 5,427 5,459 5,531 5,404 5,685
99.9 115.5 179.9
98.0
97.4
96.0
93.9
91.2
93.5
90.4
89.3
113.6
30.7
37.2
6.4
39.3
6.1
1953
91.6
35.4
24.5
15.1
75.4
31.3
13.5
13.8
21.8
1954
83.9
30.5
23.3
13.7
78.0
31.6
15.9
14.0
82.9
31.6
Oct
29.
22.
29.
21.4
27.7
20.
27.
21.
27.
21.
26.
19. f
26.Í
19.71
26.:
19. £
25.
19.
25.
20.1
1510
M O N T H L Y L A B O R R E V I E W , D E C E M B E R 1955
T able A 3 : Production workers in mining and manufacturing industries 1—Continued
[In thousands]
1955
Oct.
Annual aver
age
1954
Industry
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
462.7
461.
228.
129.
103.
458.
229.
126.
102.
448.
226.
121.
100.
450.
225.
123.
101.
443.
223.
119.
100.,
534.0
530.
150.
26.
30.
174.
46.
14. £
36.
520.
146.
25.
29.
172.
45.
14.
35.1
518.
146.
25.
29. £
172.8
44. £
14.1
34.8
521.
516.
148.
147.
25.£
25.
29.;
28.'
172.
170.
45.;
44.'
14.1
13.
35. C 34.4
50.8
50.8
50.5
50.7
51.7
51.4
52.1
52.1
51.9
51.fi
50.9
50.9
51.
50.1
Chemicals and allied products.................
Industrial inorganic chemicals........... .
Industrial organic chemicals __
Drugs and medicines_______ . . ” ” 11’
Soap, cleaning and polishing prepara
tions__________________
Paints, pigments, and fillers.” ” ! ” ” ”
Gum and wood chemicals________
Fertilizers________ ______________
Vegetable and animal oils and fats!!!!!
Miscellaneous chemicals____________
556.3
553.6
77.4
218.9
54.7
543.1
76.2
218.4
55.2
542.3
76.2
218.9
56.1
544.8
77.7
216.8
56.4
550.3
76.6
214.7
56.6
551.1
73.5
213.8
56.7
548.2
72.7
211.9
57.6
535.3
72.1
209. 2
57.4
534.4
74.3
207.0
56.9
534.2
73.8
206.3
56.8
533.3
73.3
204.6
57.6
533.9
73.2
202.0
57.8
531.7
71.8
203.
57.0
552.5
67.2
222.0
56.9
31.1
45.9
6.9
25.9
30.2
62.6
30.7
46.9
7.0
20.7
26.0
62.0
30.1
46.6
6.9
20.7
25.3
61.5
29.9
46.2
6.6
24.6
25.5
61.1
30.3
45.2
6.7
33.7
25.9
60.6
30.3
44.7
6.6
38.9
26.6
60.0
30.4
44.1
6.6
37.6
28.3
59.0
30.5
43.7
6.6
29.3
28.6
57.9
30.8
44.1
6.6
27.1
29.9
57.7
30.2
44.2
6.5
25.9
31.7
58.8
30.4
44.1
6.5
25.0
33.0
58.8
30.8
43.9
6.5
26.3
34.0
59.4
31.0
44.3
6.5
28.3
30.3
58.8
Products of petroleum and coal_______
Petroleum refining.___ ______ ____
Coke, other petroleum and coal prod
ucts_____________
31.9
46.9
6.8
29.0
31.6
60.3
173.4
174.2
131.5
176.4
134.1
177.2
135.1
176.1
134.7
174.5
133.6
172.6
132.3
171.7
132.5
169.7
131.6
168.6
131.8
171.5
132.8
173.3
134.0
174.5
135.1
177.1
137.3
186.5
142.4
42.7
42.3
42.1
41.4
40.9
40.3
39.2
38.1
36.8
38.7
39.3
39.4
Rubber products_______ _____
Tires and inner tu b e s........... ........ ! ” ’
Rubber footwear__________________
Other rubber products__________” !
39.8
44.1
225.3
223.1
92.4
23.5
107.2
216.8
91.0
21.5
104.3
215.7
91.5
21.8
102.4
219.0
91.0
21.6
106.4
215.7
89.8
21.3
104.6
210.9
88.6
21.3
101.0
211.6
87.4
21. 5
102.7
209.4
86.5
21.5
101.4
208.5
85.3
22.1
101.1
206.8
84.5
22.3
100.0
202.1
81.2
22.3
98.6
201.6
83.9
21.9
95.8
194.7
79.7
20.7
94.3
220.5
92.8
23.7
104.1
Leather and leather products__________
Leather: tanned, curried, and finishedindustrial leather belting and packing.
Boot and shoe cut stock and findings.
Footwear (except rubber). .
Luggage.------- ----------- ----------------Handbags and small leather goods___
Gloves and miscellaneous leather
goods.............................................
344.7
346.0
39.1
3.9
14.1
224.6
16.9
29.7
351.3
39.2
3.8
15.0
229.3
17.1
29.5
341.7
38.8
3.7
14.8
225.0
16.3
26.6
342.2
39.7
3.7
15.1
225.1
15.9
26.6
330.9
39.1
3.7
14.3
218.1
15.6
25.1
337.1
39.0
3.7
14.9
221.6
15.1
28.1
346.7
38.9
3.7
15.8
227.3
14.7
31.5
344.5
39.1
3.6
15.8
227.8
13.6
31.2
336.3
38.8
3.6
15.4
224.9
12.8
29.0
334.9
39.0
3.5
14.7
221.5
13.6
28.6
332.1
38.4
3.5
14.2
216.2
14.5
29.9
329.6
38.4
3.5
13.3
213.1
15.5
29.9
330.6
39.0
3.6
14.2
219.0
13.8
27.1
346.8
42.4
4.4
15.1
225.8
15.3
28.1
17.7
17.4
16.5
16.1
15.0
14.7
14.8
13.4
11.8
14.0
15.4
15.9
13.9
Stone, clay, and glass products........
Flat g lass...______________________
Glass and glassware, pressed or blown..
Glass products made of purchased glass
Cement, hydraulic___ ______
Structural clay products.................
Pottery and related products____
Concrete, gypsum, and plaster products.
Cut-stone and stone products...........
Miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral
products_______________
15.6
480.0
479.6
29.9
83.9
15.0
37.5
75.6
48.3
97.6
18.2
472.2
29.3
79.7
14.6
37.4
75.8
47.1
97.0
18.2
460.3
28.8
75.7
13.9
37.3
74.2
45.4
95.1
17.8
465.7
29.4
SO. 3
14.7
36.8
73.4
47.3
94.3
17.8
456.4
28.6
78.9
14.7
36.1
71.3
47.7
92.1
17.1
450.0
28.7
77.4
14.8
35.8
69.8
48.1
89.3
17.6
442.2
28.8
76.4
14.6
35.5
68.3
48.2
85.8
17.3
434.2
29.0
75.2
14.6
35.3
66.1
47.3
83.6
17.2
430.1
29.2
74.1
14.5
35.5
66.1
46.3
83.1
16.7
436.6
28.9
71 7
14.6
35.6
67.7
47.1
85.4
17.8
438.3
28.6
75.5
14.5
35.7
68.4
47.5
86.7
17.6
437.6
27.1
75.9
14.2
36.0
68.6
46.9
86.8
17.8
431.0
26.1
76.6
13.9
34.9
67.6
45.8
84.6
17.3
460.1
28.2
84.8
15.8
35.2
70.8
49.5
86.4
16.5
71.7
69.9
68.5
67.3
65.9
64.6
64.8
1,115.3 1,096. 3 1,075.6 1,056.6 1,031. 7 1,012.7 1,002.2
63.8
64.3
64.2
72.9
988.0
969.4
990.6 1,131.0
M anufacturing—Continued
Paper and allied products....... ..................
Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills___
Paperboard containers and boxes .
Other paper and allied products...........
Printing, publishing, and allied indus
tries................................................
Newspapers...................................**” ”
Periodicals—...........................
Books__ ____________________
Commercial printing.............!!!!!!!”
Lithography____________________
Greeting cards_________________
Bookbinding and related industries!!!
Miscellaneous publishing and printing
services______________
73.6
72.1
73.1
Primary metal industries.............. ...... ... 1,138. 2 1,136. 4 1,112. 2 1,098.0
Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling
mills__________________________
569.8 564.2 559.6
Iron and steel foundries.................
219.0 214.2 210.3
Primary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals________________
53.8
51.2
43.5
Secondary smelting and refining of
nonferrous metals________________
10.0
9.6
8.6
Rolling, drawing, and alloying of nonferrous m etals.............. ...................
88.5
85.3
87.7
N onferrous foundries.____ _____!!!!!
72.5
68.6
68.9
Miscellaneous primary metal Industries.
122.8 119.1 119.4
Fabricated metal products (except
ordnance, machinery, and trans
portation equipment)_____________
893.8 877.1 862.9
Tin cans and other tinware________ ”
55.7
57.1
55.1
Cutlery, handtools, and hardware__
121.0 118.5 118.1
Heating apparatus (except electric)
and plumbers’ supplies______ _____
109.7 105.4
99.8
Fabricated structural metal products
219.5 216.9 213.5
Metal stamping, coating, and engraving
180.6 178.4 177.2
lighting fixtures___________________
38.5
37.0
36.1
Fabricated wire products____________
53. l! 51.9
51.8
Miscellaneous fabricated metal products.
115.71 111.9 111.3
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
441.
439.
222.
221.
118.7 118.;
99. C 9 9 .;
437.2
221.
117.
98.;
437.
221.
118.1
97.
441.
222.
121.
97.
516.
146. S
26.1
29.1
170.7
45.2
12.8
34.0
512.
512.]
145.3 145.
26. C 25. £
28.7
28. £
169. £ 170.4
44.7
43. £
12.6
12.7
33.1
33.2
519. c
147.'
25.
29.4
171.
46.1
14.1
33. £
515.
145.8
26.
28. £
171.
45.2
12.7
33. £
Oct.
1954
1953
444.
221.
124.
98.:
443.
221.
124.
98.4
439.
221.
119.
98.
441.8
219.6
122. 2
99.9
518.]
146. £
26.
29.'
169.Í
46.
15.1
33.7
519. £
147.
26.1
30.1
169.6
46.7
14. 7
34.1
514.
145.;
25.
29.
168.
46.
13. £
33. £
512. 5
145.1
26.6
29.3
167. 5
44.6
14.8
34.8
556.5
210.9
543.8
209.9
531.0
205.3
520.3
200.7
508.0
193.8
497.8
188.4
493.0
184.5
486.7
181.4
481.2
179.2
492.7
185.0
55.2
54.0
53.8
53.4
53.0
52.9
52.8
52.5
49.4
51.4
50.5
9.4
9.4
9.4
9.4
9.2
9.2
9.2
9.2
9.0
9.1
10.0
91.2
71.2
120.9
89.5
71.0
118.7
88.2
71.4
116.5
87.6
70.4
114.8
86.5
68.0
113.2
85.7
66.6
112.1
84.6
66.8
111.3
83.6
65.7
108.9
82.5
62.7
105.4
81.1
62.7
108.7
91.7
77.0
124.3
883.9
53.9
122.7
876.7
51.4
123.9
868.1
49.6
123.5
860.1
47.2
123.4
843.9
46.8
122.2
834.4
47.2
119.3
842.7
47.5
119.2
844.1
48.0
116.9
829.4
50.0
113.5
837.5
51.3
116.6
930.4
48.6
132.1
106.2
211.9
184.9
38.3
53.6
112.4
103.7
205.7
187.8
38.7
53.8
111.71
102.9
200.8
187.2
39.0
54.2
110.9
102.6
197.6
186.1
39.3
53.8
110.1
100.3
194.8
180.7
38.7
52.5
107.9
97.4
99.9
195.2 200.9
178.4 178.2
37.2
37.4
52.3
52.4
107.41 107.2
103.1
206.1
177.3
36.4
50.4
105.9
102.8
97.2
210.1 208.5
167.2 176.3
34.5
34.9
47.6
48.2
103.71 104.7
108.9
211.1
214.5
40.9
55.3
119.1
559.6
217.9
1511
A : EM PLOYM ENT A N D PAYROLLS
T able A-3 : Production workers in mining and manufacturing industries 1—Continued
[In thousands]
Annual aver
age
1954
1955
Industry
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct
1954
1953
Manufacturing—Continued
1,105.9 1,092.0 1,092. 5 1,147.8 1,303.1
Machinery (except electrical)--------------- 1,175. 6 1, 147. 2 1,154.8 1,159. 5 1,181. 7 1,174. 2 1,164.0 1,144.2 1,125.0 1,109.3
53.6
64.7
52.3
53.6
50.5
54.2
54.5
54.8
56.1
57.6
58.2
57. 2 57.8
57.0
Engines and turbines----------------------99.6 105.8 126.2
106.0 101.6
112.1
117.6
121.4
87.8 114. 3 122.0 123.2 123.6 123.3
Agricultural machinery and tractors---99.6
89.4
86.7
85.2
85.0
85.6
86.5
88.5
90.1
91.9
94.5
94.6
96.7
98.3
Construction and mining machinery—
200.9 198.1 196.9 197.9 195.9 193.9 192.0 190.1 189.6 191.5 192.5 193.3 208.5 242.6
Metalworking machinery..................... Special-industry machinery (except
129.7 127.5 126.8 128.3 127.6 127.3 125.1 123.5 122.4 123.2 122.7 123.5 127.8 138.9
metalworking machinery)...................
162.3 156.2 155.8 156.3 155.9 155.1 150.7 150.7 150.4 151.1 152.4 152.7 158.3 173.1
General industrial machinery-----------88.5
83.0
82.8
82.1
82.3
83.2
82.6
82.8
83.3
82.1
82.8
81.5
80.9
83.3
Office and store machines and devices—
125.0 126.1 130.6 143.3 144.5 142.5 138.6 131.9 126.8 127.1 124.6 123.5 134.5 157.8
Service-industry and household ma
chines____________ ____ _________
202.9 197.8 193.5 197.2 195.1 192.9 190.1 187.3 185.9 185.2 180.4 177.9 187.1 211.9
Miscellaneous machinery parts---------Electrical machinery----- -------------------Electrical generating, transmission,
distribution, and industrial appa
ratus—...........-......................................
Electrical appliances-.............................
Insulated wire and cable____________
Electrical equipment for vehicles........
Electric lamps......... -......................... —
Communication equipment— ....... —
Miscellaneous electrical products-------
882.6
858.1
818.2
802.0
815.7
808.
804.2
803.2
803.4
799.5
809.1
810.7
799.9
794.6
925.1
266.3
57.2
252.6
54.
19.8
60.5
22.5
371.3
36.7
255.7
52.8
264.0
52.3
20.7
64.0
22.7
356.5
35.5
263.6
52.7
261.1
51.5
20.7
64.5
22.3
350.2
33.9
259.0
51.7
20.4
64.5
256.4
50.5
20.3
63.7
255.0
49.5
256.0
51
20.7
59.7
250.9
52.8
20.4
57.4
21.4
373.5
34.3
250.6
52.7
20.4
50.6
21.3
370.1
34.2
257.1
52.2
19.4
56.6
290.7
59.0
26.1
67.1
24.2
419.9
38.1
21.0
64.2
22.8
389.7
36.9
Transportation equipment—..................... 1,365.1 , 357.1 , 379. 2
687.0 721.6
Automobiles____________________
513. 3 501.3
Aircraft and parts..... ..............................
333.1 327.3
Aircraft........ -........ ..........................
92.2
88.8
Aircraft engines and parts-----------8.7
9.0
Aircraft propellers and parts--------76.5
79.0
Other aircraft parts and equipment.
104.
102.2
Ship and boat building and repairing
86.2
84.0
Shipbuilding and repairing-............
18.7
18.2
Boatbuilding and repairing.............
42.8
45.6
Railroad equipment........ ...................
8.6
9.0
Other transportation equipment-----223.7 222.0 219.8
Instruments and related products—.......
Laboratory, scientific, and engineering
29.1
30.4
instruments_____ _____- ------ -------Mechanical measuring and controlling
61.4
61.8
instruments_____________________
9.7
9.9
Optical instruments and lenses______
Surgical, medical, and dental instru
28.2
28.4
ments_____________________ ____
19.3
19.4
Ophthalmic goods........ -....................—
44.6
43.6
Photographic apparatus—.....................
27.5
28.5
Watches and clocks-----------------------Miscellaneous manufacturing industriesJewelry, silverware, and plated ware—
Musical instruments and parts.............
Toys and sporting goods-----------------Pens, pencils, other office supplies-----Costume jewelry, buttons, notions-----Fabricated plastics products--------Other manufacturing industries-----
404.6
399.7
43.7
15.6
80.2
388.3
42.1
15.2
78.2
22.2
22.2
56.2
64.2
117.6
54.7
61.5
114.4
20.0
61.7
22.7
353.8
35.3
64.
22.6
350.0
34.5
, 419.9 , 447.1 , 456.3
760.5 782.3 785.6
501.7 502.5 508.9
326.2 323.4 328.0
93.2
89.1
92.1
9.1
9.1
8.9
77.9
77.5
78.6
107.9 113.2 109.4
87.5
91.8
87.9
21.4
21
20.0
42.1
41.4
41.9
7.3
7.7
7.9
22.1
352.3
33.2
22.0
358.1
32.4
62.2
21.9
358.3
32.0
21.6
366.6
32.6
462.0 , 446.8 1, 426.4 1,399.8 1,374. 7 1,333.8 1,249.0
789.1 772.7 750.1 729.5 701.8 665.1 579.6
517.5 519.7 523.2 523.1 525.1 523.6 522.1
329.8 328.2 329.6 325.8 325.9 324.0 323.5
100.3 102.0
100.2
99.
99.7
96.5
99.0
11.3
11.1
10.8
10.0
9.8
9.7
9.3
85.3
88.2
88.2
87.5
84.1
82.8
81.9
107.2 107.6 105.6 103.7 104.2 101.4 103.8
88.4
85.0
86.6
84.3
85.1
85.7
86.5
15.4
16.4
17.6
19.4
21.5
20.5
21.1
34.7
35.7
37.0
37.8
40.8
41.3
39.7
6.6 8.0 8.8
5.7
6.7
7.1
22.1
353.1
34.1
334.9 1, 542.9
628.4 767.1
544.3 568.7
333.8 343.0
108.8 124.7
13.1
11.3
88.0
90.5
112.3 135.1
94.1 115.1
20.0
18.3
62.4
42.3
9.6
7.6
218.6
219.9
211.3
217.8
218.9
216.4
216.5
217.7
217.6
217.5
223.3
243.7
29.3
29.4
21.7
30.1
30.1
29.7
29.8
29.7
29.7
29.0
31.0
34.8
60.6
9.9
61.7
9.7
61.6
9.7
61.2
9.7
60.5
59.6
59.8
9.9
59.4
59.1
10.0
10.1
58.7
10.4
57.8
10.7
59.1
11.7
28.0
19.1
44.7
27.0
27.6
19.4
44.6
27.5
27.6
19.1
43.9
27.7
26.4
18.6
44.0
27.8
27.2
18
44.4
28.2
27.2
18.5
43.9
27.7
27.2
18.4
44.1
27.3
27.3
18.3
45.0
28.0
27.1
18.3
45.1
28.2
27.2
18.3
45.4
28.5
27.9
19.0
45.7
31.1
31.0
371.7
38.7
14.8
74.6
21.5
51.6
59.3
384.7
41.3
15.2
76.4
378.6
40.4
15.0
74.0
376.3
41.0
14.9
70.2
370.9
42.3
15.0
62.2
389.8
46.0
15.1
71.9
393.0
45.7
15.1
76.3
22.4
56.9
58.0
118.6
379.0
43.6
14.4
69.2
22.2
360.0
43.2
14.9
57.1
20.9
55.0
58.3
373.0
44.6
15.1
61.0
22.1
377.1
42.5
15.0
65.7
21.5
55.0
61.6
115.8
413.4
43.8
15.1
81.1
22.3
56.2
64.0
130.4
111.2
1 See footnote 1, table A-2.
Production and related workers include work
ing foremen and all nonsupervisory workers (including leadmen and trainees)
engaged in fabricating, processing, assembling, inspection, receiving, storage,
handling, packing, warehousing, shipping, maintenance, janitorial, watch
man services, products development, auxiliary production for plant’s own
use (e. g., powerplant), and recordkeeping and other services closely associ
ated with the above production operations.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
20.
20.6
53.8
62.8
113.1
51.5
62.0
113.5
22.0
51.5
61.6
115.1
21.1
56.5
59.6
114.2
s See footnote 2, table A-2.
3 See footnote 3, table A-2.
See footnote 1 on p. 1502.
110.6
22.1
54.6
59.3
116.3
22.6
56.3
59.2
118.7
22.2
53.2
58.2
118.4
21.6
47.4
38.2
M O N T H L Y L A B O R R E V I E W , D E C E M B E R 1955
1512
T able A-4: Indexes of production-worker employment and weekly payrolls in manufacturing industries1
[1947-49=100]
Period
1939:
1940:
1941:
1942:
1943:
1944:
1945:
1946:
1947:
1948:
Average.........................
Average........... .............
Average____________
Average____________
Average____________
Average____________
Average____________
Average____________
Average____________
Average.........................
Employ
ment
Weekly
payrolls
66.2
71.2
87.9
103.9
121.4
118.1
104.0
97.9
103.4
102.8
1See footnote 1, tables A-2 and A-3.
29.9
34.0
49.3
72.2
99.0
102.8
87.8
81.2
97.7
105.1
Employ
ment
Weekly
payrolls
Average____________
Average____________
Average____________
Average........................
Average.........................
Average____________
93.8
99.6
106.4
106.3
111.8
101.8
97.2
111.7
129.8
136.6
151.4
137.7
1954: October____________
November__________
December___________
102.0
102.3
102.2
139.1
142.2
143.1
Period
1949:
1950:
1951:
1952:
19.53:
1954:
Employ Weekly
ment
payrolls
Period
1955: January.................... .
February___________
March______________
April_______________
M ay_____ _____ ____
June___ ___________
July _____ __________
August-------------------September__________
October____________
101.2
102.3
103.3
103.6
104.1
105.8
104.7
107.2
108.2
108.2
141.5
144.4
146.6
146.7
150.1
152.1
151.0
154.6
158.8
See footnote 1 on p. 1502.
T able A-5: Federal personnel, civilian and military
[In thousands]
1954
1955
Annual average
Branch and agency
Sept.
Total Federal civilian em
ployment i_____________ 2,173
Aug.
2,190
July
2,187
June
2,183
May
2,159
Apr.
2,153
Mar.
2,148
Feb.
2,142
Jan.
2,139
Dec.
2,457
Nov.
2,165
Oct.
2,147
Sept.
2,142
1954
2,188
Executive * _________ 2,146. 9 2,164. 5 2,161.3 2,157.4 2,132.9 2,127. 4 2,122.1 2,116.4 2,113. 2 2,431.1 2,138. 7 2,121.3 2,115. 9 2,161. 6
Department of De
fense_____________ 1,035.1 1,040.0 1,036. 4 1,033.2 1,023.7 1, 020. 9 1, 019.9 1,016. 8 1,014. 6 1, Oil. 9 1,011.7 1, Oil. 1 1,012.6 1,027.3
Post Office Depart
510.2
502.1
506.2
m ent____________
504.8
808.4
501.8
503.3
529.2
504.6
503.7
506.1
510.6
509.3
503.8
Other agencies............ 605.7
614.2
600.1
620.9
608.3
599.9
605.3
602.0
595.8
593.7
610.8
605.1
614.3
614.9
1953
2,305
2, 278.8
1,130.6
526.5
621.7
22.0
4.0
22.1
4.0
22.1
4.0
22.0
4.0
21.9
4.0
226.7
230.7
226.9
226.4
225.7
227.5
240.9
206.1
209.8
206.0
205.5
204.7
206.7
219.8
87.4
87.0
87.0
86.8
86.5
87.1
90.4
8.8
109.9
13.0
109.8
8.7
110.2
8.7
110.0
8.7
109.5
9.3
110.4
9.5
119.8
19.9
.7
20.1
.7
20.2
.7
20.2
.7
20.2
.7
20.1
.7
20.3
.7
Total military personnel 4___ 2,958
3,209
2, 974 2, 969 2,964
2,997
3,133
3,188
3,231
3, 261
3,309
3,065
3,286
3, 326
Army__ ________ ____ 1,109. 5 1,123.8 1,120. 5 1,109.3 1,143.5 1, 201.8 .1, 263. 0 1, 300. 3 1,334. 0 1,326.1 1, 351. 9 1,368. 3 1,385. 0 1, 402. 0
Air Force____________ 957.6
959.9
947.2
959.8
956.1
955.9
952.9
966.4
946.0
959.9
959.6
957.0
965.1
961.7
Navy_______________
660.4
659.9
659.1
674.9
689.4
698.5
686.5
660.7
660.0
667.1
692.7
702.0
711.1
725.1
Marine Corps________
201. 7 202.0
203.7
210.4
214.2
205.2
205.7
208.0
217.6
220.7
221.8
221.5
221.8
223.8
Coast Guard ___ ____
29.0
29.2
27.9
28.7
28.6
28.0
27.7
28.0
28.0
28.5
28.9
29.5
28.1
28.8
3,545
1, 508. 9
957.9
792.7
250.6
34.7
Legislative___ _____
Judicial_______ ______
21.5
4.2
District of Columbia 5_____
Executive 8 __ _______
Department of De
fense______________
Post Office Depart
ment _____________
Other agencies________
Legislative___________
Judicial...........................
21.6
4.1
21.6
4.0
21.7
4.0
229.6
232.0
232.4
231.9
209.2
211.5
211.9
211.3
90.0
90.9
91.1
90.6
8.5
110.7
8.6
112.2
8.5
112.3
8.6
112.2
19.7
.7
19.7
.7
19.8
.7
19.9
.7
21.7
4.0
21.8
4.0
228.2
227.9
228.2
227.6
207.7
207.3
207.5
207.0
88.3
88.0
88.0
87.7
8.7
110.7
8.7
110.6
8.7
110.9
8.8
110.5
19.8
.7
19.9
.7
20.0
.7
19.9
.7
21.6
.0
1 Data refer to Continental United States only.
a Includes all executive agencies (except the Central Intelligence Agency)
and Government corporations. Civilian employment in navy yards,
arsenals, hospitals, and on force-account construction is also included.
*Includes all Federal civilian employment in Washington Standard Metro-
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
21.8
4.0
21.7
4.0
22.2
3.9
politan Area (District of Columbia and adjacent Maryland and Virginia
counties).
4 Data refer to Continental United States and elsewhere.
See footnote 1 on p. 1502.
1'513
A : EM PLOYM ENT A N D PAYROLLS
T
A-6: Employees in nonagricultural establishments for selected States 1
able
[In thousands]
1954
1955
Annual average
State
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
1954
659.5
674.9
665.2
672.2
668.9
664.4
676.0
671.7
662.1
675.3
671.6
Alabama________ ____ ___ 686.3
670.1
660.1
216.4
213.5
218.6
215.9
215.2
216.5
211.3
208.1
201.5
204.5
213.0
211.3
210.1
Arizona 2________________ 217.8
313.7
314.4
307.9
312.8
314.5
313.7
304.2
317.5
312.0
309.9
311.8
Arkansas 2_______________ 318.1
311.7
305.7
California_______________ 4,138.4 4,105.3 4,028. 3 4,020.2 3,969. 5 3,944. 6 3,895. 5 3,856. 0 3,837. 6 3,978.3 3,911. 6 3,930.0 3,942.1 3,855. 2
424.3
422.8
419.8
398.9
408.5
411.8
410. 5 404.7
393.9
410.3
410.0
400.6
Colorado
_ _______ 423.4
395.0
879.3
508.9
835.7
906.2
134.7
Illinois__________________ 3,348.3 3, 330.0 3,314. 2 3,337.3 3, 305. 5 3, 282.6 3,252. 7 3,231. 7 3,240. 3 3,343. 7 3,303. 5 3, 295. 7 3, 298.1 3, 280. 3
Indiana_________________ 1,390.0 1, 384. 6 1,370.1 1,379.0 1,360.8 1, 354.6 1,335.7 1,318.3 1,313.1 1, 343.2 1,324.9 1, 318. 0 1, 317.6 1, 318.8
631.4
635.9
624.2
610.3
611.9
630.9
627.3
629.8
629.5
618.8
636.1
628.5
617.1
Iowa..- ------------------------- 639.2
548.4
548.2
546.6
547.6
548.3
550.3
550.2
542.3
546.6
547.8
541.1
532.0
535.3
553.6
Kansas 2___ - --------------701.9
693.2
693.9
690.5
709.0
699.3
695.8
699.6
688.7
677.7
677.6
681.3
676.7
678.1
Louisiana_______________
3,411. 4
1, 423.6
633.0
546.4
696.4
271.3
266.6
280.3
277.6
259.1
258.2
260.2
268.3
265.1
268.6
280.1
264.8
259.5
M aine.. ------------------------ 275.2
797.2
820.4
815.2
814.1
796.7
798.3
789.6
803.3
798.1
774.2
775.3
M aryland— ____________ 829.3
789.0
800.1
Massachusetts___________ 1,816.1 1, 798.6 1, 782.4 1, 790.3 1,773.8 1,767.2 1, 754. 3 1, 739. 4 1, 744.3 1,805.8 1, 776.2 1,774. 7 1, 777. 2 1,773. 3
Michigan.
________
2,355.6 2, 338.0 2,368. 3 2, 397. 0 2,400.0 2,386.1 2, 353. 4 2,331.1 2, 325. 6 2,376. 0 2, 323.0 2, 257. 3 2,194.1 2, 288.1
872.9
870.9
827.9
814.2
859.9
862.8
845.8
Minnesota___- --------------- 889.2
880.0
861.0
848.8
814.3
822.0
855.8
274.7
806.5
1,827.8
2, 455.1
865.9
338.3
349.2
343.6
341.3
345.3
343.1
346.0
343.7
341.3
341.3
336.3
344.0
336.0
Mississippi___________ -- 349.5
Missouri________________ 1,278. 7 1, 265. 6 1, 262.4 1,262.8 1,255. 7 1,252.9 1, 246.9 1, 233. 2 1, 235. 3 1,276.3 1, 250.6 1, 246.6 1, 248. 9 1,253. 2
150.2
152.2
162.4
144.2
143.2
150.6
152.3
152.8
160.6
154.1
148.3
143.6
164.0
M ontana________________ 163.0
355.9
348.3
354.4
352.2
355.7
360.0
358.9
358.3
348.5
342.2
337.6
354.0
339.0
Nebraska 2__ - --------- . 362.9
80.2
89.4
77.6
75.7
88.9
87.2
83.9
77.5
78.1
78.0
90.9
80.5
79.7
76.1
Nevada 2________________
341.5
1, 292.0
154.2
348.2
71.1
177.7
174.7
185.4
173.3
176.3
174.7
175.6
182.3
185.1
182.0
176.5
174.6
173.8
173.1
New Hampshire 2________
New Jersey 2______
___ 1,876. 7 1,867. 3 1,844.1 1,837. 5 1,815.6 1,797. 5 1,789. 5 1, 783. 2 1,786. 2 1,833.0 1,816.9 1,819.4 1,824.9 1,815.0
174.1
176.4
176.5
180.9
180.4
182.4
175.4
171.6
177.8
176.0
180.3
178.0
172.7
New Mexico 2_„ _________ 183.5
New Y ork..
------- 5,951.6 5,890. 4 5,834. 4 5,851.1 5,802.0 5, 789.8 5,784.0 5, 743.8 5,749. 7 5,970. 7 5,908. 8 5,909. 7 5,893. 7 5,856. 3
994.4 1,023.1 1,013.1 1,014.2 1,005.0
991.9
997.2
996.5
998.3
994.8
N orth Carolina__________ 1,032. 3 1,014. 2 994.7 1,003.9
175.8
1,849. 5
178.1
5,973. 2
1,012.0
107.9
116.4
119.2
119.5
114.3
115.0
119.9
118.7
117.8
116.7
114.8
112.0
108.3
107.6
North Dakota___________
Ohio__ _______________ 3,091.0 3,051.7 3,037. 1 3,040.6 3,007.0 2,979.8 2,941. 7 2,909. 2 2,910.7 2, 999.8 2, 959.8 2,953.4 2,954.0 2, 956.0
535.4
546.4
537.5
534.3
531.3
530.6
540.7
538.0
547.6
548.3
547.7
544.7
540.8
550.1
Oklahoma_____________483.1
438.9
461.6
462.3
471.5
453.7
496.9
477.7
462.1
450.6
438.3
495.6
487.1
443.0
Oregon2- _ ____
Pennsylvania........................ 3,733. 4 3,683.1 3,665.3 3,686.1 3,643.4 3,616.0 3,575. 4 3, 546. 5 3, 556.0 3,681.3 3,644.4 3,635. 5 3,610. 7 3,637.1
112.7
3,108. 3
539.0
465.8
3,865.4
299.4
291.4
297.2
288.8
292.3
294.8
294.7
292.7
292.8
302.0
297.8
290.6
294.0
Rhode Island ___________ 301.6
515.4
515.4
509.4
520.4
513.3
511.9
509.9
523.1
514.5
517.7
515.9
511.3
512.8
South Carolina______ 526.8
121.9
118.4
122.4
123.9
125.3
125.3
121. 3
117.3
117.8
124.6
125.7
126.6
125.3
123.7
South Dakota 2__________
829.4
826.2
826.2
813.4
818.3
823.4
815.5
819.8
816.7
843.0
836.7
830.6
831.8
Tennessee_______ _______ 840.9
Texas___________________ 2, 273. 7 2, 271.4 2,258. 5 2,263.8 2, 238. 7 2, 230.4 2,212.1 2,195.4 2,191.1 2, 253.9 2,218.8 2, 206. 0 2, 205.8 2,189. 6
302.4
532.5
121.0
831.8
2,227.9
867.0
499.5
857.6
938.6
142.4
860.8
492.9
851.9
937.2
139.4
855.7
496.6
856.9
927.0
135.9
854.3
493.0
871.0
916.2
131.7
848.0
491.0
899.6
908.2
128.6
847.1
489.3
908.6
914.7
126.0
843.1
486.7
909.3
905.1
125.5
843.9
487.8
903.4
902.9
126.3
853.3
494.0
873.9
911.8
136.6
216.4
100.5
897.8
736.7
461.5
851.5
492.6
843.3
905.8
139.9
846.6
492.2
828.0
896.0
142.1
210.7
101.2
881.6
723.1
464.7
216.5
103.8
900.2
736.0
506.0
Wisconsin______________ 1,107. 2 1,112.0 1,112. 0 1,094.3 1,077.1 1,064. 7 1,049. 2 1,038.8 1,037. 5 1,065.3 1,059. 0 1,064.0 1,076. 3 1,057. 3
78.4
84.1
89.8
85.6
85.6
87.7
90.2
89.9
87.6
79.1
78.0
77.1
88.6
83.0
Wyoming 2---------------------
1,093.8
87.5
U tah___________________
Vermont------ ---------------Virginia_________________
Washington_______ _____
West Virginia____________
233.6
104.4
918.0
774.3
483.9
222.5
104.4
904.0
765.8
480.6
221.6
103.4
897.9
762.2
472.1
221.8
102.1
897.4
747.7
472.4
220.0
100.0
891.1
735.6
465.6
215.6
98.6
889.8
724.0
461.2
1 Data for earlier years are available upon request to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics or the cooperating State agency. State agencies also make available
more detailed industry data. See table A-7 for addresses of cooperating State
agencies.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
210.8
97.7
883.1
710.2
454.9
206.8
97.6
876.7
702.8
450.8
207.2
97.3
877.2
704.2
447.2
866.2
501.7
911.0
923.7
134.9
679.9
202.4
316.1
3,876.9
412.2
851.2
491.5
861.6
892.2
132.3
Connecticut_____________
District of Columbia____
Florida______________ ___
Georgia_________________
Idaho 2___
___________
853.4
493.3
845.1
923.2
137.8
1953
218.1
101.0
909.1
736.1
465.8
218.6
101.4
896.2
750.7
461.1
219.7
102.0
888.5
753.2
460.4
2 Revised series; not comparable with data previously published.
1514
M O N T H L Y L A B O R R E V IE W , D E C E M B E R 1955
T
able
A-7: Employees in manufacturing industries by S ta te 1
[In thousands]
1955
State
Sept.
Alabama_______________
238.9
Arizona 2___ ______
32.1
Arkansas 2_____ 86.0
California ___ __
__ - 1,159. 5
Colorado___ _ _ _________
67.9
Connecticut___
413.6
Delaware... ... 62.0
District of Columbia___ _
16.1
Florida_________________
125.0
Georgia____ ___________
330.3
Idaho 2____
__ ___
28.2
Illinois---------- --------------- 1,260. 9
Indiana------- --------------- 616.2
Iowa. - .
------166.6
Kansas 2___ ____________
121.5
Kentucky_______________ 163.9
Louisiana.149.3
M aine... ______________
110.1
M aryland___ ___________ 264.1
Massachusetts-.
_____
693.9
Michigan..
...
___ _ 1, 084. 4
Minnesota
------- ___
219.1
Mississippi . .
99.9
Missouri.. . . . . _ . . . 391.1
Montana_______________
21.5
Nebraska 2________ _ . . .
59.8
Nevada 2 _______________
6.0
New Hampshire 2 _______
82.0
New Jersey 2 ___ ______ 817.1
New Mexico 2 _____ _ ..
18.0
New Y ork... __________ 1, 927.1
North Carolina_________
464.8
North Dakota___________
6.9
Ohio___ ___________ .„ 1,366. 9
Oklahoma______________
91.4
Oregon2. .- _______
- __ 158. 3
Pennsylvania. -. __ - - .. 1,492. 4
Rhode Island.
_ _____ 136.0
South Carolina___ - ___ 229.0
South Dakota2________ .12.0
Tennessee - ___- . . . ____ 286.6
Texas__________________
442.4
Utah_____ _________ ..
37.2
Vermont... . . . . ___
37.3
Virginia____
______
253.1
Washington__ - _____
215.2
West Virginia____________ 135.7
Wisconsin____________ __ 454.2
Wyoming 2____
_____
6.7
1954
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
222.4
31.3
85.4
1,157. 3
66.5
410.1
63.2
16.0
124.5
329.6
27.2
1,262. 3
618.2
168.8
122.3
167.3
149.6
112.8
266.1
683.8
1,090. 0
213.0
99.6
390.1
21.0
59.6
5.1
82.6
810.1
17.8
1,893. 5
454.2
6.9
1, 342.0
91.2
162.1
1, 473. 5
132.7
229.0
12.0
287.7
442.6
32.4
37.1
249.1
212.3
135.5
464.9
6.6
234.0
31.4
85.0
1,099.1
64.7
406.9
60.5
16.0
123.0
323.8
26.9
1,243. 4
606.8
165.1
124.5
158.7
149.4
112.7
260.9
669.4
1,126. 0
210.5
99.4
383.5
20.1
58.7
5.1
81. 1
791.2
17.8
1,829. 9
435.4
6.9
1,333. 5
90.5
156.0
1,457.9
127.6
223.4
11.9
283.0
435.7
34.3
36.1
244.4
209.2
130.7
466.2
6.5
234.5
31.9
85.7
1,089. 9
64.9
411.7
60.2
15.9
129.0
324.3
24.8
1,254. 3
617.8
167.2
125.7
162.7
147.9
110.8
259.3
675.8
1,148.0
204.2
99.9
386.2
19.8
58.7
5.9
81.5
796.9
18.1
1,850. 8
440.1
6.7
1, 342.2
89.7
152. 2
1,466.3
131.0
223.9
11.9
281.4
439.7
32.1
35.9
244.4
203.6
131.8
451.9
6.4
232.0
30.9
85.9
1,077.8
63.5
411.7
59.1
16.0
131.2
321.6
22.9
1,236. 3
610.7
164.6
127.7
159. 2
145.8
101.4
254. 4
668.1
1,158. 6
200.7
98.7
384.6
18.4
57.7
5.7
79.8
789.0
17.8
1, 829. 8
436.4
6.7
1,330. 9
89.0
139.8
1, 449. 5
129.6
223.4
11.4
279.5
431.8
31.5
35.5
241.5
197.2
129.9
443.6
6.0
230.9
30.5
84.5
1,075. 6
62.1
412.9
56.3
15.8
134.7
320.1
21.4
1,232.7
606.6
164.9
130.8
158. 7
144.2
100.5
252.6
674.0
1,152. 4
200.0
98.6
383.9
17.4
56.5
5.7
80.1
784.3
17.3
1, 846.2
436.4
6.5
1,320.1
87.6
132.0
1, 438.1
132.0
223.8
11.2
277.3
425.3
30.8
35.5
241.6
191.3
128.0
439.2
5.8
230.5
29.7
83.1
1, 053. 6
61.9
416.0
54.5
16.0
136. 6
319.5
20.5
1,225. 6
600.4
164. 8
131.3
158.0
144.2
102.3
249.3
677.0
1,139. 7
198.8
97.9
383.5
17.2
56.1
5.5
81.5
792.3
17.3
1,884.0
438.6
6.4
1,310.1
86.6
130.1
1,433.2
133.8
224.6
11.3
276.1
423.4
30.4
35.4
241.1
187.0
127.1
434.4
5.8
226.2
28.6
81.4
1, 037.1
61.1
413.4
54.2
15.8
139.3
317.0
21.2
1,215.6
591.8
162.8
131.2
160.6
143.5
104.1
245.0
672.5
1,125. 9
196.5
96.2
381.0
17.5
55.9
5.4
81.6
785.7
17.0
1,874.1
438.5
6.3
1,294.5
85.3
128.9
1,423.0
134.0
222.6
11.1
274.3
421.6
29.9
35.3
240.8
186.3
126.5
427.3
5.8
223.5
27.7
80.9
1,025. 4
60.9
409.2
53.8
15.8
138.8
314.3
21.8
1, 207. 8
582.2
162.5
133.0
162.7
143.7
103.1
243.6
668.2
1, 111. 5
197.8
95.6
378.2
17.6
56.2
5.3
80.9
780.5
16.7
1, 864.2
437.8
6.5
1,282.1
84.3
128.2
1,414. 3
132.9
221.6
11.4
274.4
424.1
29.8
34.7
241.4
185.1
123.4
421.2
6.1
225.8
28.4
82.1
1,039.1
63.9
411.6
54.1
16.0
138.6
315.0
23.2
1,213.9
579.1
162.3
134.6
161.2
152. 9
103.3
244.2
673.7
1, 098.3
201.9
96.2
375.7
18.7
57.7
5.3
79.6
786.1
16.8
1, 899. 7
442.4
6.9
1,281.6
84.1
135.4
1, 429. 3
134.1
222.7
12.0
274.7
426.0
31.4
35.5
244.9
190.3
124.7
421.3
6.8
226.8
28.3
81.6
1,053. 0
66.2
410.9
54.1
16.2
134.8
315.9
25.3
1, 208. 5
576.3
160.3
136.2
152.1
157. 4
103.5
247. 5
672.4
1,073.1
204.6
97.2
372.3
19.7
58.5
5.3
79.3
790.2
16.7
1,920. 4
445.7
7.0
1,274. 4
84.7
140.9
1,431.0
134. 6
220.8
12.2
273.1
427.0
32.3
35.9
246.9
195.7
126.1
424.3
7.2
227.3
27.7
81.3
1, 072. 9
67.3
410.5
55.6
16.2
125.2
313.4
26.8
1,204.8
572.3
161.2
135.7
151.7
154.6
105.6
252.9
672.3
1, 009. 6
204.9
97.4
368.3
17.1
59.7
5.2
77.5
792.2
17.0
1,925. 7
' 448. 9
7.0
1, 269. 6
84.4
146. 4
1, 429.0
134.3
220. 5
11.9
272.3
426.9
33.8
35.9
247.8
203.5
125.7
425.7
7.4
226.8
26.7
81.8
1,095. 0
66.0
408.0
58.9
16.4
121.9
309.9
28.3
1, 208. 7
575.6
162.1
132.1
150.3
151.4
107.4
254.0
672.0
951.8
217.0
96.9
371.9
17.0
58. 6
5.2
78.9
796.2
17.1
1, 919. 9
444.6
6.8
1,271.3
83.2
155.3
1, 421. 4
' 130. 5
220. 7
11.7
275. 6
426.9
35.0
36.2
245.7
204. 9
125. 7
438.3
6.6
1 Data for earlier years are available upon request to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics or the cooperating State agency. State agencies also make available
more detailed industry data.
2 Revised series; not comparable with data previously published.
Cooperating State Agencies:
ALABAMA—Department of Industrial Relations, Montgomery 4.
ARIZONA—Unemployment Compensation Division, Employment Secur
ity Commission, Phoenix.
ARKANSAS—Employment Security Division, Department of Labor,
Little Rock.
CALIFORNIA—Division of Labor Statistics and Research, Department
of Industrial Relations, San Francisco 1.
COLORADO—U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Denver 2.
CON N EC TICU T—Employment Security Division, Department of
Labor, Hartford 15.
DELAW ARE—Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Philadelphia 1, Pa.
D IST R IC T OF COLUMBIA—U. S. Employment Service for D. C.,
Washington 25.
FLORID A—Industrial Commission, Tallahassee.
GEORGIA—Employment Security Agency, Department of Labor,
Atlanta 3.
IDAHO—Employment Security Agency, Boise.
ILLIN O IS—State Employment Service and Division of Unemployment
Compensation, Department of Labor, Chicago 6.
INDIA NA—Employment Security Division, Indianapolis 9.
IOWA—Employment Security Commission, Des Moines 8.
KANSAS—Employment Security Division, Department of Labor, Topeka.
K EN TU C K Y —Bureau of Employment Security, Department of Economic
Security, Frankfort.
LOUISIANA—Division of Employment Security, Department of Labor,
Baton Rouge 4.
M A IN E—Employment Security Commission, Augusta.
M ARYLAND—Department of Employment Security, Baltimore 1.
MASSACHUSETTS—Division of Statistics, Department of Labor and
Industries, Boston 8.
M ICH IGAN—Employment Security Commission, Detroit 2.
M INNESOTA—Department of Employment Security, St. Paul 1.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Annual average
Aug.
1954
1953
225.7
234.9
26.5
27.9
80.8
83.3
1,045. 4 1,060. 5
63.5
68.0
418.5
458.0
57. 0
62.1
17.4
16. 4
128. 6
122.4
308.5
318.1
23.7
23.7
1,212.5 1, 324. 4
579. 7
674.2
160. 6
172.5
133.0
137.9
151.0
159.5
151. 4
160. 9
105.5
114.3
250. 9
268.9
680.3
743.6
1, 052. 0 1,219. 4
208.6
' 225.1
95.6
98. 6
382.1
416.3
18.1
18.3
58.2
61.0
4. 8
4. 4
79.0
82.4
793.1
845.9
16.4
16.4
1,910.9 2,027. 3
433.1
’ 448. 7
6. 6
6. 4
1,287.2 1,423. 7
83.4
85.0
135. 9
143. 5
1, 454.3 1, 620.1
130.0
145.1
218. 8
225. 7
11.6
12.0
273. 7
291.1
424.8
437.8
31.2
32. 4
36. 8
40. 4
242.0
256.4
195. 8
188.9
136 0
125. 7
432.9
472. 5
6.6
6.6
M ISSISSIPPI—Employment Security Commission, Jackson.
M ISSOURI—Division of Employment Security, Jefferson City.
MONTANA—Unemployment Compensation Division, Helena.
NEBRASKA—Division of Employment Security, Department of Labor,
Lincoln 1.
NEVADA—Employment Security Department, Carson City.
NEW H A M PSH IR E—Division of Employment Security, Department o
Labor, Concord.
N EW JE R SE Y —Bureau of Statistics and Records, Department of Labor
and Industry, Trenton 25.
N EW M EX ICO —Employment Security Commission, Albuquerque.
N EW YORK—Bureau of Research and Statistics, Division of Employment,
State Department of Labor, 500-8th Avenue, New York 18.
N O R TH CAROLINA—Division of Statistics, Department of Labor,
Raleigh.
N O R TH DAKOTA—Unemployment Compensation Division, Workmen’s
Compensation Bureau, Bismarck.
OHIO—Division of Research and Statistics, Bureau of Unemployment
Compensation, Columbus 16.
OKLAHOMA—Employment Security Commission, Oklahoma City 2.
OREGON—Unemployment Compensation Commission, Salem.
PENNSYLVANIA—Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Philadelphia 1
(mfg.); Bureau of Employment Security, Department of Labor and
Industry, Harrisburg (nonmfg.).
RHO DE ISLAND—Division of Statistics and Census, Department of
Labor, Providence 3.
SOUTH CAROLINA—Employment Security Commission, Columbia 1.
SOUTH DAKOTA—Employment Security Department, Aberdeen.
T EN N E SSE E —Department of Employment Security, Nashville 3.
TEXAS—Employment Commission, Austin 19.
UTAH—Department of Employment Security, Industrial Commission,
Salt Lake City 10.
V ERM O NT—Unemployment Compensation Commission, Montpelier.
VIRGINIA—Division of Research and Statistics, Department of Labor
and Industry, Richmond 14.
WASHINGTON—Employment Security Department, Olympia.
W EST VIRGINIA—Department of Employment Security, Charleston 5.
W ISCONSIN—Statistical Department, Industrial Commission, Madison 3.
W YOM ING—Employment Security Commission, Casper.
A : EM PLOYM ENT A N D PAYROLLS
T
able
1515
A-8:: Insured unemployment under State unemployment insurance programs,1 by geographic
division and State
[In thousands]
1954
1955
1953
Geographic division and State
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
961.5 1,091.9 1,120.9 1,262. 8 1, 471.4 1,657.0 1,879.8 1,962.3 1,666.2 1,463.3 1,465.8 1, 580.4
July
June
May
April
Sept.
Sept.
779.4
Continental United States-------------
858.5
New England------------- --------------Maine________________ ____
New Hampshire--------------------Vermont------- ----------------------Massachusetts----------------------Rhode Island------------------------Connecticut--------------------------
74.2
7.6
5.2
1.7
31.4
8.5
19.7
86.1
8.1
4.6
1.9
35.1
10.3
26.1
99.5
9.0
5.3
2.2
45.2
14.2
23.6
92.4
10.2
5.7
2.4
42.3
13.6
18.2
104.9
13.3
7.5
2.8
48.0
14.7
18.6
122.9
16.7
8.6
3.5
56.0
15.5
22.6
124.0
11.2
7.6
5.4
60.3
15.3
24.2
140.4
12.8
7.5
5.8
70.1
16.8
27.4
150.4
14.0
8.2
5.0
75.2
17.2
30.8
128.9
12.4
8.0
4.0
64.5
13.6
26.4
116.1
11.0
8.2
3.4
56.9
12.0
24.6
117.5
8.2
9.8
3.1
56.7
13.5
26.2
128.9
8.3
10.8
2.9
60.8
19.0
27.1
66.1
5.3
7.2
1.2
34.5
9.3
8.6
Middle Atlantic...........-............. ........
New York____ - _____________
New Je rse y -------------- ----------Pennsylvania------------------------
273.4
117.3
47.8
108.4
310.4
134.0
51.9
124.4
377.9
177.8
58.9
141.2
392.9
194.5
60.2
138.2
428.2
207.1
69.3
151.8
468.5
221.0
76.5
171.0
507.4
226.9
84.0
196.5
557.3
251.8
91.7
213.8
587.0
266.3
94.6
226.1
501.5
230.2
78.7
192.6
445.4
194.1
71.3
180.0
445.8
184.5
70.8
190.5
459.1
184.5
69.7
204.9
251.2
127.2
38.3
85.7
East North Central— ......................
Ohio_______________________
Indiana_____________ ____ . . .
Elinois_______________ ______
Michigan--------------------- --------Wisconsin.............. ................ ......
191.6
28.0
17.9
52.4
79.6
13.7
190.2
31.9
18.5
60.4
67.7
11.6
181.7
36.1
19.5
74.0
40.7
11.4
185.8
37.4
17.8
85.0
33.8
11.8
202.0
42.9
19.9
93.9
32.9
12.4
243.6
55.6
23.5
102.7
43.7
18.1
279.2
72.7
28.7
91.7
59.8
26.3
337.9
89.0
36.7
110.2
69.0
33.0
365.8
96.2
41.8
116.4
75.8
35.6
329.8
87.2
36.0
101.6
72.1
32.9
311.4
77.7
32.6
95.0
80.3
25.8
360.9
79.2
34.6
101.9
121.6
23.6
424.1
87.2
40.9
113.0
159.1
23.9
152.4
25.2
14.7
43.3
52.4
16.8
West North Central--------------------Minnesota_______ __________
Iowa_________ _____ ________
Missouri____ ____ ________ ___
North Dakota____ ____ ______
South Dakota------------ ------ ----Nebraska-------------- ------ --------Kansas...........................................
40.6
8.8
3.1
20.9
.3
.3
1.6
5.7
44.4
11.3
3.6
20.4
.4
.3
1.6
6.8
49.5
12.3
4.4
22.8
.6
.4
1.9
7.1
55.8
14.1
4.5
26.4
.9
.4
2.0
7.5
67.7
19.9
5.3
30.1
1.6
.6
2.2
8.0
93.3
33.8
7.4
32.6
4.0
1.6
4.3
9.6
120.3
40.7
11.3
38.2
6.4
3.3
7.5
12.9
137.7
43.4
14.0
44.4
6.7
3.8
9.0
16.4
128.8
40.2
12.5
45.0
5.9
3.1
8.0
14.1
98.4
29.6
8.4
39.7
3.7
1.8
4.7
10.5
78.2
20.2
5.7
39.4
1.5
.8
2.6
8.0
70.8
16.0
5.3
39.5
.4
.4
2.0
7.2
69.1
15.4
5.3
38.6
.3
.4
2.0
7.1
32.3
5.8
3.7
16.4
.2
.2
1.0
5.0
South Atlantic........-..........................
Delaware ---------------------------M aryland----------------------------District of Columbia....................
Virginia.- --------------------------West Virginia__________ _____
North Carolina---------------------South Carolina.............................
Georgia_______________ ____
Florida.........................................
94.2
1.1
8.8
2.5
7.3
9.6
19.3
9.2
14.3
22.1
110.2
1.3
11.8
3.1
10.0
11.5
21.6
9.6
17.2
23.9
133.2
1.5
14.9
3.2
14.0
14.4
30.4
11.4
21.0
22.4
134.7
1.6
17.2
3.4
17.1
15.5
32.5
11.2
20.6
15.6
142.8
2.0
20.4
3.8
14.8
18.1
36.4
11.6
22.3
13.4
150.3
2.8
20.6
4.9
12.9
22.0
39.3
11.7
24.0
12.1
160.9
3.8
19.0
6.5
15.5
26.1
40.8
13.1
23.1
13.0
184.1
4.4
25.1
7.5
17.9
29.8
43.3
15.1
26.5
14.5
198.1
4.3
27.0
6.6
18.0
32.8
44.4
16.8
31.9
16.3
168.2
3.3
23.1
5.0
14.3
28.9
36.2
15.5
27.0
14.9
147.4
2.9
20.1
4.4
12.0
27.4
29.3
14.4
22.0
14.9
154.4
2.9
20.5
4.2
12.9
29.4
28.6
14.1
22.1
19.7
176.0
3.0
24.5
4.3
15.4
33.2
32.1
14.9
24.8
23.8
91.7
1.2
8.2
2.6
8.4
12.4
21.3
9.3
11.9
16.4
East South C e n tral--------------------Kentucky--------------------- ------Tennessee----------------------------Alabama-----------------------------Mississippi----------------------------
64.6
21.0
25.0
12.0
6.6
79.1
23.9
27.5
19.2
8.4
87.1
27.1
33.9
16.5
9.6
88.3
30.0
32.9
15.9
9.5
102.8
37.3
36.5
17.0
12.0
119.5
45.0
41.7
19.3
13.5
118.7
41.1
42.3
20.4
14.9
128.2
41.2
46.4
23.4
17.2
134.4
39.3
49.8
26.6
18.7
118.3
36.3
43.3
23.9
14.8
108.1
34.4
39.1
23.1
11.5
105.1
34.9
37.4
22.6
10.2
110.3
37.2
37.7
24.6
10.8
52.5
14.9
19.3
12.2
6.1
West South Central--------------------Arkansas-----------------------------Louisiana------------------------- Oklahoma..................................
Texas____________ _______ _
37.5
6.2
9.4
7.0
15.0
46.0
7.8
12.3
8.0
18.0
52.1
8.7
14.1
8.8
20.5
53.9
8.5
14.7
9.0
21.7
62.1
10.1
17.0
10.1
24.9
75.7
14.1
20.5
12.1
29.0
87.5
16.8
24.0
14.3
32.4
101.0
20.0
27.8
17.3
35.9
97.6
20.1
25.4
17.8
34.3
77.6
15.4
19.8
13.9
28.5
64.4
12.1
16.7
11.5
24.1
60.0
10.4
15.5
10.5
23.6
62.1
10.7
16.2
10.9
24.3
37.3
5.7
8.8
6.0
16.8
M ountain---------------------------------M ontana............................. ..........
Idaho_______________________
Wyoming----------------------------Colorado--------------------- --------New Mexico......................... ........
Arizona----- --------------------- ..
U tah_______________________
Nevada_________ ___________
10.9
.7
1.2
.4
1.4
1.7
3.1
1.5
1.0
15.1
.9
1.5
.5
1.7
2.1
4.2
3.0
1.0
17.4
1.2
1.5
.6
1.9
2.4
4.9
3.9
1.0
16.0
1.9
1.9
.9
2.2
2.2
3.2
2.6
1.1
21.6
3.4
3.4
1.2
2.7
2.8
3.6
3.0
1.5
33.5
6.4
5.9
2.5
4.0
4.0
4.3
4.3
2.1
45.8
8.0
8.8
3.6
5.7
4.9
5.3
6.6
2.9
52.5
8.1
9.9
3.9
6.9
5.7
6.3
8.4
3.3
48.4
6.5
9.4
3.2
6.3
5.4
6.1
8.0
3.5
32.9
3.8
6.7
1.8
4.5
3.9
4.6
4.9
2.7
23.1
2.2
3.7
1.0
3.4
2.8
4.2
3.5
2.3
18.3
2.2
1.9
.7
2.5
2.4
4.3
2.7
1.6
20.0
2.2
1.9
.6
2.6
2.8
5.1
3.3
1.5
11.0
.6
1.2
.2
1. 5
2.0
3.3
1.5
.7
Pacific_______________ __________
Washington-------------------------Oregon..................... .............. ......
California........... ..........................
71.5
15.5
6.4
49.5
80.0
14.5
7.1
58.4
93.2
13.6
8.3
71.3
101.0
12.9
8.0
80.1
130.8
20.2
12.6
98.0
164.1
31.6
21.1
111. 4
213.6
45.7
27.2
140.7
240.7
51.6
30.2
158.9
251.8
56.3
32.8
162.7
210.5
46.2
27.3
137.0
169.3
36.1
20.6
112.6
132.6
26.5
14.4
91.7
130.6
24.9
13.1
92.6
85.0
16.9
9.6
58.5
•Average of weekly data adjusted for split weeks in the month. For a
technical description of this series, see the April 1950 Monthly Labor Review
(p.382). Figures may not add to exact column totals because of rounding.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Source: U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Employment Security,
1516
M O N T H L Y L A B O R R E V IE W , D E C E M B E R 1955
B: Labor Turnover
T able B - l: Monthly labor turnover rates in manufacturing, by class of turnover 1
[Per 100 employees]
Jan.
Feb.
M ar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Annual
average
Total accession
1948_________ ______________
1949_____ _____ ____________
1950________________________
1951_____ ____ ______________
1952................ ...................... ........
1953_________ ________ _____
1954_______________ ________
1955............. .................................
4.6
3.2
3.6
5.2
4.4
4.4
2.8
3.3
3.9
2.9
3.2
4.5
3.9
4.2
2.5
3.2
4.0
3.0
3.6
4.6
3.9
4.4
2.8
3.6
4.0
2.9
3.5
4.5
3.7
4.3
2.4
3.5
4.1
3.5
4.4
4.5
3.9
4.1
2.7
3.8
5.7
4.4
4.8
4.9
4.9
5.1
3.5
4.3
4.7
3.5
4.7
4.2
4.4
4.1
2.9
3.4
5.0
4. 4
6.6
4.5
5.9
4.3
3.3
4.5
5.1
4.1
5.7
4.3
5.6
4.0
3.4
4.3
4.5
3.7
5.2
4.4
5.2
3.3
3.6
3.9
3.3
4.0
3.9
4.0
2.7
3.3
2.7
3.2
3.0
3.0
3.3
2.1
2.5
4.4
3.5
4.4
4.4
4.4
3.9
3.0
5.1
4.0
4.2
5.3
4.6
4.8
3.5
4.0
5.4
4.2
4.9
5.1
4.9
5.2
3.9
4.4
4.5
4.1
4.3
4.7
4.2
4.5
3.3
4.1
4.0
3.8
4.3
3.5
4.2
3.0
4.3
3.2
3.6
3.5
3.4
4.0
3.0
4.6
4.3
3.5
4. 4
4.1
4.3
3.5
3.4
1.8
2.9
3.1
3.0
2.9
1.4
2.2
3.9
2.1
3.4
3.1
3.5
3.1
1.8
2.7
2.8
1.5
2.7
2.5
2.8
2.1
1.2
2.2
1.2
2.1
1.9
2.1
1.5
1.0
1. 7
1.7
1. 4
1.7
1.1
.9
2.8
1.5
1.9
2.4
2.3
2.3
1.1
0.4
.3
.4
.4
.3
.4
.2
.3
0.4
.2
.4
.3
.4
.4
.2
.3
0.4
.2
.4
.4
.4
.4
.2
0.4
.2
.3
.3
.4
.3
.2
0.3
.2
.3
.3
.3
.2
.2
1.2
1.8
.6
1.4
1.0
1.3
1.7
1.3
1.0
1.8
1.2
2.3
.8
1.4
.7
1.8
1.6
1.4
2.5
1.1
1.7
.7
2.3
1.6
2.2
2.0
1.3
1.5
1.0
2.5
1.7
0.1
.1
.4
.4
.3
.3
.2
0.1
.1
.3
.4
.3
.3
.1
.2
0.1
.1
.3
.3
.3
.2
.2
Total separation
1948________________________
1949________________________
1950________________________
1951________________________
1952....... .......................................
1953......... ........... ........ -................
1954________________ _______
1955......... -.....................................
4.3
4.6
3.1
4.1
4.0
3.8
4.3
2.9
4.7
4.1
3.0
3.8
3.9
3.6
3.5
2.5
4.5
4.8
2.9
4.1
3.7
4.1
3.7
3.0
4.7
4.8
2.8
4.6
4.1
4.3
3.8
3.1
4.3
5. 2
3.1
4.8
3.9
4.4
3.3
3.2
4.5
4.3
3.0
4.3
3.9
4.2
3.1
3.2
4.4
3.8
2.9
4.4
5.0
4.3
3.1
3.4
Quit
1948________________________
1949________________________
1950________________________
1951____ ______________ ____ 1952__________________ ____
1953_______ _____ -....................
1954_____________ ______ ____
1955................................................
2.6
1.7
1.1
2.1
1.9
2.1
1.1
1.0
2.5
1.4
1.0
2.1
1.9
2.2
1.0
1.0
2.8
1.6
1.2
2.5
2.0
2.5
1.0
1.3
3.0
1.7
1.3
2.7
2.2
2.7
1.1
1.5
2.8
1.6
1.6
2.8
2.2
2.7
1.0
1.5
2.9
1.5
1.7
2.5
2.2
2.6
1.1
1.5
2.9
1.4
1.8
2.4
2.2
2.5
1.1
1.6
.9
Discharge
1948_________ _____ ________
1949________________________
1950________________________
1951________________________
1952...........- ......................... ........
1953................................................
1954____________ ___________
1955...............................................
0.4
.3
.2
.3
.3
.3
.2
.2
0.4
.3
.2
.3
.3
.4
.2
.2
0.4
.3
.2
.3
.3
.4
.2
.2
0.4
.2
.2
.4
.3
.4
.2
.3
0.3
.2
.3
.4
.3
.4
.2
.3
0.4
.2
.3
.4
.3
.4
.2
.3
0.4
.2
.3
.3
.3
.4
.2
.3
Layoff
1948____ _________ __________
1949............................-____ _____
1950____ ____________ ______
1951________________________
1952................................................
1953.............. ................. ............ .
1954___ ______ _____________
1955-.................................. ........ -
1.2
2.5
1.7
1.0
1.4
.9
2.8
1.5
1.7
2.3
1.7
.8
1.3
.8
2.2
1.1
1.2
2.8
1.4
.8
1.1
.8
2.3
1.3
1.2
2.8
1.2
1.0
1.3
.9
2.4
1.2
1.1
3.3
1.1
1.2
1.1
1.0
1.9
1.1
1.1
2.5
.9
1.0
1.1
.9
1.7
1.2
1.0
2.1
.6
1.3
2.2
1.1
1.6
1.3
.7
1.3
.7
1.5
1.7
11
Miscellaneous, including military
1948.
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
0.1
.1
.1
.7
.4
.4
.3
.3
0.1
.1
.1
.6
.4
.4
.2
.2
0.1
.1
.1
.5
.3
.3
.2
.2
0.1
.1
.1
.5
.3
.3
.2
.2
1 Data for the current month are preliminary.
N ote.—Month-to-month changes in total employment in manufacturing
Industries as indicated by labor turnover rates are not comparable with the
changes shown by the Bureau’s employment series for the following reasons:
(1) Accessions and separations are reported for the entire calendar month;
the employment and payroll reports, for the most part, refer to a 1-week pay
period ending nearest the 15th of the month.
(2) The turnover sample is not so large as that of the employment sample
and includes proportionately fewer small plants; certain industries are not
covered. The major industries excluded are: printing, publishing, and allied
industries; canning and preserving fruits, vegetables, and seafoods; women’s,
misses’, and children’s outerwear; and fertilizers.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
0.1
.1
.1
.4
.3
.3
.2
.2
0.1
.1
.1
.4
.3
.3
.2
.2
0.1
.1
.2
.4
.3
.3
.2
.2
0.1
.1
.3
.4
.3
.3
.3
.2
0.1
.1
.4
.4
.3
.3
.3
.2
0.1
.1
.2
.5
.3
.3
.2
w riiuus are not mcjuuea m me turnover computations m months when
work stoppages are in progress; the influence of such stoppages is reflected,
however, in the employment figures.
Beginning with data for October 1952, components may not add to total
separation rate because of rounding.
Information on concepts, methodology, etc., is given in
a technical note on Measurement of Labor Turnover,
which appeared in the May 1953 Monthly Labor Review.
B : LABOR TUR NO VER
1517
T able B -2: Monthly labor turnover rates in selected industries
[Per 100 employees]
x u idi auuessiuu
rate
Industry
Sept.
1955
Aug.
1955
Separation rate
Total
Sept.
1955
Quit
Aug.
1955
Sept.
1955
Discharge
Aug.
1955
Sept.
1955
Mise., incl.
military
Layofl
Aug.
1955
Sept.
1955
Aug.
1955
Sept.
1955
Aug.
1955
M a n u fa ctu rin g
All manufacturing............................... ........
Durable goods.- -------- -----------------Nondurable goods........... ................ —
4.3
4.6
3.7
4.5
4.8
4.0
4.4
4.5
4.2
4.0
4.1
3.7
2.7
2.7
2.7
2.2
2.1
2.3
0.3
.3
.3
0.3
.3
.3
1.1
1.2
1.0
1.3
1.5
1.0
0.2
.2
.2
0.2
.2
.2
Ordnance and accessories......................... .
Food and kindred products.....................
Meat products___________________
Grain-mill products---------- ------- - .
Bakery products..-------- ---------------Beverages:
M alt liq u o rs...................... ...........
Tobacco manufactures_________ _____ _
Cigarettes_______________________
------------- ---------Cigars-----------Tobacco and snuff..............................
Textile-mill products---------- ---------------Yarn and thread mills..........................
Broad-woven fabric mills.....................
Cotton, silk, synthetic fiber_____
Woolen and worsted___________
Knitting mills____________________
Full-fashioned hosiery_________
Seamless hosiery....... ......................
Knit underwear.......... .................. .
Dyeing and finishing textiles............. .
Carpets, rugs, other floor coverings__
Apparel and other finished textile prod
ucts... ---- --------- ---------------------Men’s and boys’ suits and coats........
Men’s and boys’ furnishings and work
clothing______________ ________ _
Lumber and wood products (except fur
niture) ____________________________
Logging camps and contractors..........
Sawmills and planing mills________
Millwork, plywood, and prefabricated
structural wood products................
Furniture and fixtures_______ ____ _____
Household furniture.... ........... .............
Other furniture and fixtures_______
Paper and allied products.„ ---------------Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills___
Paperboard containers and boxes____
Chemicals and allied products__________
Industrial inorganic chemicals______
Industrial organic chemicals________
Synthetic fibers....... ............. ..........
Drugs and medicines........ ........... ........
Paints, pigments, and fillers................
Products of petroleum and coal------------Petroleum refining____________ ____
Kubber products__
. . -------------------Tires and inner tubes________ _____
Bubber footwear. _______________
Other rubber products......... ...............
Leather and leather products_______ . . .
Leather: tanned, curried, and finished.
Footwear (except rubber)__________
Stone, clay, and glass products_________
Glass and glass products............. ..
Cement, hydraulic... ........................
Structural clay products___________
Pottery and related products_______
Primary metal industries______________
Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling
mills_________________ ________
Iron and steel foundries........................
Gray-iron foundries----------------Malleable-iron foundries________
Steel foundries__________ _____Primary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals:
Primary smelting and refining of
copper, lead, and zinc------------Bolling, drawing, and alloying of nonjerrous metals:
Bolling, drawing, and alloying of
copper_____________________
Nonferrous foundries--------------------Other primary metal industries:
Iron and steel forgings-------- -----See footnotes at end of table.
2.4
4.7
5.3
4.1
3.8
3.7
4.5
5.3
2.9
3.7
4.2
5.3
5.0
4.8
4.1
3.6
4.8
5.2
3.9
3.8
1.6
2.5
1.9
2.7
3.0
1.7
2.0
1.5
1.9
2.5
.2
.3
.3
.2
.4
.3
.3
.3
.3
.4
2.3
2.3
2.7
1.6
.5
1.4
2.3
3.1
1.4
.8
.1
.2
.1
.2
.1
.2
.2
.2
.2
.1
2.0
3.3
1.3
5.4
2.0
3.8
4.1
3.8
3.6
4.8
4.0
3.1
3.9
4.0
2.8
3.5
2.9
3.6
3.0
4.4
1.6
4.4
5.3
4.1
4.1
4.0
4.9
3.1
5.0
4.9
3.6
4.0
6.9
3.4
2.9
4.0
2.7
4.2
5.7
4.1
3.8
6.0
4.2
3.3
3.7
3.9
3.5
2.6
5.2
3.4
2.5
4.5
2.0
4.1
4.4
4.3
4.1
5.5
4.2
3.4
4.6
3.3
3.1
3.8
1.7
2.7
2.0
3.4
2.1
2.6
2.9
2.7
2.7
2.8
2.8
2.6
2.2
2.6
1.9
1.3
1.1
2.3
1.7
2.9
1.6
2.5
2.7
2.7
2.7
2.3
2.6
2.2
2.4
2.9
1.5
1.3
.1
.3
.2
.5
.2
.3
.3
.3
.3
.3
.3
.2
.2
.3
.3
.1
.2
.4
.4
.3
.2
.3
.3
.3
.4
.2
.3
.2
.3
.1
.2
.3
4.9
.3
.6
.1
.1
1.1
2.3
.9
.6
2.7
1.1
.5
1.1
1.0
1.2
1.0
3.7
.7
.2
1.2
.1
1.1
1.3
1.0
.7
2.7
1.0
1.0
1.4
.3
1.2
2.0
.2
.1
.1
.2
.1
.2
4.8
3.0
5.7
3.6
4.6
3.5
4.6
3.7
3.8
2.2
3.8
2.5
.3
.3
.3
.2
.3
.8
5.1
6.0
4.8
4.8
4.2
4.1
.3
.3
5.5
6.0
(2)
5.4
6.9
14.4
5.1
4.7
(2)
4.0
4.0
6.2
3.7
.4
4.8
6.1
9.8
5.4
.4
.4
.4
.4
3.7
5.5
5.8
4.7
3.4
1.9
5.7
2.3
2.2
1.6
1.7
2.2
1.8
1.1
.5
4.1
2.2
6.8
5.2
3.8
2.8
3.9
3.2
4.0
2.4
3.7
3.3
3.1
4.6
6.7
7.2
5.3
3.5
2.3
4.7
2.2
2.2
1.4
1.0
1.4
1.4
1.1
.5
3.6
1.9
4.4
5.0
4.5
3.8
4.6
4.2
6.0
2.1
3.7
4.2
3.3
4.2
4.9
5.0
4.7
4.2
3.5
5.1
2.8
2.4
2.2
2.0
2.3
3.2
2.5
2.0
3.1
2.3
3.6
3.7
4.8
2.9
5.1
3.8
4. 4
3.5
4.1
2.9
3.2
4.9
4.3
4.5
4.0
3.3
2.2
4.2
1.9
2.1
1.3
1.1
1.6
2.1
1.3
.9
2.9
1.8
3.1
3.9
4.6
3.7
4.8
2.9
3.0
2.0
3.6
2.8
2.8
2.9
3.5
3.6
3.3
3.0
2.5
3.9
2.0
1.9
1.6
1.1
1.9
2.4
1.8
1.4
2.3
1.8
3.1
2.5
3.5
1.5
3.8
2.3
1.6
2.7
2.4
2.3
2.1
3.1
3.0
3.2
2.7
2.2
1.4
3.1
1.3
1.4
.8
.5
1.3
1.6
.9
.6
1.9
1.2
2.2
2.4
3.2
1.6
3.4
1.7
1.5
1.5
2.2
1.9
1.6
.3
.6
.7
.3
.3
.2
.5
.2
.1
.1
.4
.6
.7
.4
.4
.2
.5
.2
.2
.1
2.1
5.0
5.0
5.2
5.0
2.5
5.8
4.7
5.6
7.3
2.7
4.1
4.2
4.1
4.0
2.1
3.9
4.1
4.0
3.6
2.0
2.6
2.6
3.0
2.5
3.7
3.8
4.5
4.3
3.0
5.0
1.5
5.5
1.8
4.0
3.7
3.4
3.3
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
(»)
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2.3
7.7
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.2
1.3
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.4
.6
.5
.3
.4
.2
.2
.2
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.3
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.3
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.3
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.2
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.2
.2
.3
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.2
.4
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.3
.3
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.2
.1
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.8
.8
.8
1.0
2.0
.2
1.0
.3
.5
1.4
2.4
2.7
2.7
2.0
.2
.6
.5
.5
.8
.2
.6
.5
.8
.7
.4
.7
.9
.2
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.3
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.7
.4
.7
.2
.2
.1
.3
.2
.2
.2
.1
.2
.3
3.7
2.8
.4
.6
.2
.7
.2
.1
2.7
5.0
1.3
2.4
.9
2.3
.2
.5
.2
.7
.1
.7
1.5
1.6
.2
.4
.2
.4
2.6
1.9
1.5
.4
.3
.7
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1518
M O N T H L Y L A B O R R E V IE W , D E C E M B E R 1955
T
able
B-2: Monthly labor turnover rates in selected industries—Continued
[Per 100 employees]
Separation rate
i orai accession
rate
Total
Industry
Sept.
1955
M a n u fa ctu rin g —Continued
Fabricated metal products (except ord
nance, machinery, and transportation
equipment)......... ........... ............._...........
Cutlery, handtools, and hardware___
Cutlery and edge tools___ ____
Handtools.......................................
Hardware......................................
Heating apparatus (except electric)
and plumbers’ supplies___________
Sanitary ware and plumbers’
supplies............... ................. .......
Oil burners, nonelectric heating
and cooking apparatus, not else
where classified____ _________
Fabricated structural metal products Metal stamping, coating, and en
graving________________________
Machinery (except electrical).....................
Engines and turbines_______ _____
Agricultural machinery and tractors..
Construction and mining machinery..
Metalworking machinery.....................
Machine tools________ ________
Metalworking machinery (except
machine to o ls)...........................
Machine-tool accessories...... ........ .
Special-industry machinery (except
metalworking machinery)..... ...........
General industrial machinery_______
Office and store machines and devices,
Service-industry
and
household
machines_________________ _____
Miscellaneous machinery parts______
Electrical machinery__________________
Electrical generating, transmission,
distribution, and industrial appa
ratus__________________________
Communication equipment________
Radios, phonographs, television
sets, and equipment__________
Telephone, telegraph, and related
equipment______ ____ _______
Electrical appliances, lamps, and mis
cellaneous products...........................
Transportation equipment_____________
Automobiles_____________________
Aircraft and parts____ ___________
Aircraft—____ ________________
Aircraft engines and parts_______
Aircraft propellers and parts____
Other aircraft parts and equip
m ent_______ ______ ______ _
Ship and boat building and repairing.
Railroad equipment_______________
Locomotives and parts_________
Railroad and street cars________
Other transportation equipment.........
Instruments and related products_______
Photographic apparatus____________
Watches and clocks......... ........... ..........
Professional and scientific instruments.
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries..
Jewelry, silverware, and plated ware..
4.9
4. 5
4.5
3.0
5.1
Aug.
1955
Sept.
1955
5.5
4.2
4.1
3.6
4.6
Quit
Aug.
1955
5.3
4.2
2.7
3.2
4.9
Sept.
1955
4.7
3.7
2.4
2.5
4.9
2.9
3.0
2.2
2.4
3.4
Discharge
Aug.
1955
Sept.
1955
2.2
2.3
1.7
1.7
2.9
Aug.
1955
0.4
.4
.2
.3
.5
Mise., incl.
military
Layoff
Sept.
1955
0.5
.4
.3
.2
.5
1.7
.6
.2
.5
.7
Aug.
1955
Sept.
1955
1.7
.8
.3
.4
1.3
0.2
.2
.1
.1
.3
Aug.
1955
0.3
.2
.1
.2
.2
4.9
5.8
5.0
4.9
3.1
2.6
.5
.7
1.1
1.3
.2
.3
4.1
4.3
3.9
4.6
2.9
2.5
.8
.8
.2
1.1
.1
.2
5.3
4.3
6.7
5.1
5.6
5.3
5.1
3.8
3.3
2.7
2.6
2.1
.4
.4
.7
.5
1.6
2.0
1.4
1.1
.3
.2
.4
.2
6.3
3.5
5.3
(2)
3.6
2.7
2.2
6.5
3.5
3.5
3.7
3.6
2.9
2.8
6.4
3.5
4.2
(2)
3.6
3.1
2.6
5.0
2.8
3.4
2.6
2.6
2.2
1.7
2.7
2.1
3.0
(2)
2.6
1.8
1.8
2.0
1.6
1.6
1.7
1.9
1.3
1.2
.5
.3
.6
3.0
.8
.6
(2)
.4
.8
.4
2.2
.7
1.5
.4
.2
.5
.2
.3
.2
.1
.4
.3
.2
.4
.3
.2
.2
.4
.3
.2
.2
.2
.2
.4
.2
.2
.3
.2
.2
.2
2.6
3.8
2.7
3.3
1.9
4.9
2.1
3.3
1.4
2.3
1.4
1.6
.3
.4
.3
.4
.1
2.2
.2
1.2
.2
.1
.2
.2
2.9
3.3
3.6
3.3
4.3
3.1
3.3
3.5
2.2
2.5
2.9
1.9
2.1
2.2
1.6
1.7
1.7
1.3
.3
.3
.2
.3
.3
.2
.7
.7
.2
.4
.4
.6
.2
.2
.2
.1
.2
.1
4.1
4.0
6.2
3.6
3.3
5.2
5.7
2.9
4.4
4.4
2.5
3.3
2.1
1.9
3.2
1.6
1.4
2.1
.3
.3
.4
.2
.2
.3
3.0
.5
.7
2.3
.7
.7
.3
.3
.2
.4
.2
.2
4.1
(2)
3.1
6.1
3.5
(2)
2.5
3.3
2.5
(2)
1.5
2.4
.3
.3
.3
.5
.5
.3
.2
.2
.3
7.1
5.6
3.7
4.2
2.6
.1
.3
7.9
(2)
3.4
(2)
2.0
(2)
1.6
(2)
(2)
.6
(2)
.3
.1
(2)
.7
(2)
(2)
(2)
.5
(•)
.2
(2)
7.6
5.5
6.3
3.3
3.2
3.9
3.1
6.0
5.5
6.5
3.0
2.8
3.0
2.9
5.2
5.0
5.3
3.6
3.6
3.1
4.7
4.6
5.7
6.8
2.6
2.5
2.5
2.8
3.1
2.3
2.1
2.6
2.7
1.8
1.1
2.4
1.8
1.5
1.8
1.9
1.6
1.3
.4
.3
.4
.1
.1
.2
.1
.4
.3
.3
.2
.1
.2
.1
1.7
2.1
2.5
.7
.6
.8
3.4
1.6
3.3
4.4
.5
.4
.5
1.3
.1
.2
.3
.1
.1
.2
.1
.2
.4
.6
.1
.1
.2
.1
4.5
12,7
5. 2
5.8
4.9
7.4
3.8
(2)
(2)
3.0
4.5
4.3
4.5
12.5
7.0
5.4
7.8
8.9
2.6
1.3
5.1
2.5
6.3
3.9
4.5
10.6
5.3
2.2
7.1
4.7
3.9
(2)
(2)
3.6
5.3
4.0
3.9
15.8
5.4
2.0
7.1
5.1
2.1
1.5
3.1
2.2
5.0
2.4
2.5
2.6
1.0
.7
1.1
4.2
2.4
(2)
(2)
2.4
3.3
3.1
1.8
3.1
1.3
.6
1.6
3.9
1.2
.7
1.4
1.3
3.1
1.8
.3
.6
.4
.1
.5
.5
.3
.4
1.5
7.2
3.3
.7
4.8
0)
.9
(2)
(2)
.7
1.5
.5
1.5
11.9
3.1
.5
4.4
.4
.6
.5
1.2
.5
1.2
.3
.2
.1
.6
.7
.6
.2
.2
.8
.8
.7
.1
.2
.1
.3
.2
.2
.1
4.8
(2)
7.4
2.8
(2)
2.1
4.8
2.3
6. 7
2.5
1.7
1.7
5.3
(2)
7.0
3.0
(2)
1.7
4.6
1.4
7.1
3.2
1.7
1.3
4.5
(2)
6.0
2.6
(2)
.7
3.7
.7
5.4
2.8
.8
.6
.1
.4
.5
.8
.1
.8
.4
(2)
(2)
2.3
2.1
(2)
(2)
2.0
1.8
(2)
(2)
1.7
1.4
(2)
(2)
.6
.3
.1
.4
.7
.2
.1
.2
.2
.5
.3
.3
.4
.2
(")
.2
(2)
(2)
.2
.2
.2
N on m a n u fa ctu rin g
Metal mining________________________
Iron mining____ _________________
Copper mining........ ............. ..............
Lead and zinc mining........................ .
Anthracite mining.................... .................
Bituminous-coal mining ..............................
Communication:
Telephone_______________________
Telegraph 8................ ........... ............. .
1Less than 0.05.
2N ot available.
8Data relate to domestic employees except messengers and, those compen-
sated entirely on a commission basis.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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.2
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.1
.1
.2
N ote.—See footnote 1 and N ote on table B -l, p. 1516. For industries ineluded in the durable- and nondurable-goods categories, see table A-2, footnotes 2 and 3 (exceptions are contained in the note to table B -l).
O: EARNINGS AND HOURS
1519
C: Earnings and Honrs
T able C -l : Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1
Mining
Metal
Year and month
1953: Average-------1954: Average-------September___
October_____
November----December.......
1955: January_____
February____
March______
April— ____
M ay________
June________
July— ....... —
August______
September___
Iron
Total: Metal
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
43.4
$88. 54
84.46
40.8
40.2
83.62
83.41
40.1
84.85
40.6
41.7
87.57
90.31
42.8
42.0
88.20
41.6
87.78
41.1
86.31
42.2
89.46
42.2
90.73
91.46
41.2
94. 73 42.1
42.6
96.28
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$2.04
2.07
2.08
2.08
2.09
2.10
2.11
2.10
2.11
2.10
2.12
2.15
2.22
2.25
2. 26
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
42.4
$90.74
82.03
37.8
36.4
80. 81
80.30
36.5
35.4
78.94
36.9
81.92
86.19
39.0
83.98
38.0
38.0
83.60
80. 59 36.8
88.04
40.2
88.62
40.1
94.24
40.1
97.88
41.3
99.12
41.3
Coal
Copper
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$2.14
2.17
2.22
2.20
2.23
2.22
2.21
2.21
2.20
2.19
2.19
2. 21
2.35
2.37
2.40
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
$91.60
45.8
87.33
42.6
87.54
42.7
86.94
42.0
90.25
43.6
91.10
43.8
95.72
45.8
44.5
91.67
44.2
92.38
92.35
44.4
94.34
44.5
97. 00 44.7
94.81
42.9
98.06
43.2
101.92
44.9
Lead and zinc
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$2.00
2.05
2.05
2.07
2.07
2.08
2.09
2.06
2.09
2.08
2.12
2.17
2. 21
2.27
2. 27
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
$80.06
41.7
76.73
40.6
74.03
39.8
75.30
40.7
42.4
80.56
43.5
83.96
83.30
42.5
82.06
42.3
41.9
81.29
81.51
41.8
41.7
81.73
41.6
83.20
82.01
40.6
83. 22 41.2
84.46
41.2
Mining—Continued
1953: Average........ .
1954: Average_____
September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
M arch__ ____
April_______
M ay________
June________
July— ...........
August______
September___
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.92
1.89
1.86
1. 85
1.90
1.93
1.96
1.94
1.94
1.95
1.96
2.00
2.02
2.02
2.05
Anthracite
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
29.4
$72.91
75.60
30.0
6.88
23.6
34.1
86.27
85.26
33.7
89.86
35.1
76.88
31.9
94. 74 36.3
80.07
31.9
74.88
28.8
77. 62 30.8
87.40
35.1
86.27
35.5
85. 76 33.5
72.61
28.7
Bituminous
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$2.48
2.52
2.41
2. 53
2. 53
2. 56
2. 41
2.61
2.51
2.60
2.52
2.49
2.43
2. 56
2. 53
1953: Average_____ $91. 76
1954: Average_____ 94.12
September___ 94.32
October......... 96.26
November___ 94.15
December___
95.40
1955: January_____ 93.02
February____ 91.96
M arch______
94.42
April_______
93.10
M ay________ 96.52
June________ 96. 89
J u ly .. ......... . 98.95
A u g u st_____ 97.99
September___ 100.61
37.0
36.2
36.0
36.6
35.8
36.0
35.1
34.7
35.9
35.4
36.7
36.7
37.2
36.7
37.4
$2.48
2.60
2.62
2.63
2.63
2.65
2.65
2.65
2. 63
2. 63
2.63
2.64
2.66
2. 67
2. 69
1953: Average_____ $91.04
35.7
1954: Average_____ 93.19
35.3
September___ 94.08
35.5
October____
94.87
35.8
November___ 93.90
35.3
December___
91. 77 34.5
1955: January....... .
33.5
88.78
February____ 89.24
33.3
M arch_____
93.37
35.1
April_______
92. 92 34.8
M ay......... ...... 97.55
36.4
June________ 98.36
36.7
July________ 100.64
37.0
35.8
August--------- 97.73
37.2
September___ 101.18
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Other nonbuilding
construction
$93. 85 39.6 $2.37
97. 36 39.9
2. 44
96.33
39.0
2. 47
100.53
2. 47
40.7
98. 55
39.9
2. 47
38.9
96.08
2. 47
90.16
2.45
36.8
94.11
2.47
38.1
97.22
39.2
2.48
95.37
2.49
38.3
97.86
2.49
39.3
2. 47
98. 55 39.9
101.18
40.8
2.48
101.15
40.3
2.51
102. 09 41.0
2.49
Special-trade contractors
General contractors
$87. 75
89.41
89.00
91.62
89.61
90.83
88. 55
85. 59
89.14
87.40
90.27
90.14
92.00
92.23
94.23
37.5
36.2
35.6
36.5
35.7
35.9
35.0
34.1
35.8
35.1
36.4
36.2
36.8
36.6
37.1
$2.34
2.47
2.50
2.51
2.51
3.53
2. 53
2.51
2. 49
24.9
2.48
2. 49
2.50
2.52
2. 54
Total: Special-trade
contractors
$94.79
36.6 $2.59
98.01
2.70
36.3
98.10
2.71
36.2
2.71
99.46
36.7
97.02
2.71
35.8
98.28
2.73
36.0
35.2
96.10
2.73
2. 73
95.55
35.0
97.92
2.72
36.0
2. 72
97.10
35.7
100.74
36.9
2.73
2. 74
101. 65 37.1
103. 60 37.4
2.77
102.03
36.7
2.78
105.18
37.7
2.79
Special-trade con
tractors—Continued
Other special-trade
contractors
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$2.48
2. 48
2.49
2.48
2.48
2.48
2.48
2.50
2.49
2.50
2.51
2. 52
2.50
2. 52
2.65
Contract construction
Petroleum and nat
Nonbuilding construction
ural-gas produc Nonmetallio mining Total: Contract con
and quarrying
Total: Nonbuilding Highway and street
tion (except con
struction
tract services)
construction
37.7 $2.43 $90.27
44.7 $1.70 $91.61
40.9 $2.21 $75.99
40.3 $2.24 $85.28
$90.39
41.2 $2.07
44.0
1. 76 93.98
2.31 86.88
37.0
2. 54 92.86
40.5
2.27 77.44
40.2
2.14
40.6
91.94
39.9
2. 55 92.97
1.78 93. 84 36.8
44.7
2.28 79. 57
2.33 88.75
93.02
40.8
40.9
2.17
40.4
2.56 94.13
1. 78 95. 74 37.4
44.9
2.26 79.92
2.33 86.62
40.2
90.85
40.1
2.16
44.4
36.7
40.3
2.34 88.94
2.57 94.30
1.77 94.32
2.26 78.59
40.2
90. 85
40.8
2.18
36.4
43.4
2. 33 80. 51
38.4
2.59 89.47
1.76 94.28
2.25 76.38
40.3
90.68
37.8
2.13
42.4
35.4
1.77 91.69
2. 59 85.01
2.29 75.05
36.8
2.31 76.70
95.49
36.7
41.7
2.09
2. 59 88.31
1. 78 91.43
35.3
41.6
39.9
37.9
2.33 78. 79
2.24 74.05
89.38
37.7
2.09
1.77 94.06
2.31 83. 21
2. 57 91.48
36.6
43.6
2.28 77.17
39.6
40.1
2.07
40.2
91.43
2.57 89.39
1. 79 92.52 36.0
38.2
2.34 81.92
2.33 78. 58 43.9
93. 67 40.2
38.1
2.15
40.2
2.57 94.07
37.4
45.3
1.81 96.12
2.34 81.99
41.2
2.34 90.03
96.41
2.18
41.3
2. 57 96.41
37.7
2. 32 82.90
41.2
45.3
1.83 96.89
2.34 93.93
40.1
2. 21
93.03
42.5
2. 59 99.36
1.85 98.94
38.2
42.1
45.4
2.36 83.99
2.36 97.22
40.8
43.4
96.29
2.24
37.7
2.60 99.01
45.8
1. 85 98.02
2.31 84. 73
41.6
2.38 96.75
92. 63
40.1
2. 25
43.0
2. 62 102. 29 42.8
38.6
2. 39 102.36
46.1
1.86 101.13
2.36 85.75
2. 29
40.8
44.7
96. 29
Building construction
Total: Building con
struction
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
$85.31
34.4
80. 85 32.6
81.17
32.6
87.54
35.3
88.29
35.6
92.01
37.1
92.01
37.1
94. 50 37.8
91.88
36.9
37.2
93.00
93.87
37.4
98.28
39.0
95.50
38.2
37.5
94.50
96.99
36.6
Plumbing and heat
ing
38.1 $2.58
$98.30
37.9
102.71
2.71
37.7
102.92
2. 73
38.1
103.63
2.72
36.8
100.10
2. 72
107.20
38.7
2. 77
105.64
38.0
2.78
37.6
103.40
2. 75
103. 40 37.6
2. 75
2. 76
103. 22 37.4
105.26
2.77
38.0
105. 64 38.0
2.78
38.3
108.39
2.83
38.2
2. 81
107.34
109. 80 38.8
2. 83
Painting and deco
Electrical work
rating
$87.10
34.7 $2. 51 $111. 61
39.3 $2.84
90. 39
34.5
2.62 112. 71 38.6
2. 92
34.8
92.57
2.66 110.08
37.7
2.92
92.75
35.0
2.65 115.05
39.0
2.95
90.37
34.1
2.65 112.18
37.9
2.96
91.12
34.0
2.68 113.30
2. 92
38.8
86.72
2.66 113.00
32.6
38.7
2. 92
90.05
33.6
2.68 111.25
38.1
2. 92
92.38
34.6
2.67 113.10
38.6
2.93
90. 25 33.8
2. 67 112.81
38.5
2.93
94.87
35.4
2.68 114.17
38.7
2.95
95.39
35.2
2. 71 115.35
2. 95
39.1
97.02
35.8
2.71 118.31
39.7
2.98
96.72
35.3
2.74 118.60 39.8
2. 98
99.17
35.8
2.77 121. 30 39.9
3. 04
Manufacturing
Total: Manufac
turing
$2.55 $71.69
2.64 71.86
2.65 71.86
2.65 72.22
2.66 73.57
2.66 74.12
2.65 73.97
2.68 74. 74
2. 66 75.11
2.67 74.96
2.68 76.30
2.68 76.11
2.72 76.36
2.73 76.33
2.72 77. 71
40.5
39.7
39.7
39.9
40.2
40.5
40.2
40.4
40.6
40.3
40.8
40.7
40.4
40.6
40.9
Durable goods J
$1.77 $77.23
1.81 77.18
1.81 77.39
1.81 77.97
1.83 79.15
1.83 80.15
1.84 80.16
1.85 80.56
1.85 81.56
1.86 81.58
1.87 82.78
1.87 81.99
1.89 82. 62
1.88 82. 61
1.90 84. 25
41.3
40.2
40.1
40.4
40.8
41.1
40.9
41.1
41.4
41.2
41.6
41.2
40.9
41.1
41.5
Nondurable goods s
$1.87 $63.60
1.92 64. 74
1.93 65.24
1.93 65.07
1.94 65.97
1.95 66.47
1.96 66.02
1.96 66.36
1.97 66.70
1. 98 65.91
1.99 67.32
1.99 67.83
2.02 67.89
2 01 67.83
2.03 69.14
39.5
39.0
39.3
39.2
39.5
39.8
39.3
39.5
39.7
39.0
39.6
39.9
39.7
39.9
40.2
Total: Ordnance
and accessories
$1.61 $77.90
1.66 79.60
1.66 80.60
1.66 81.41
1.67 81.81
1.67 82.21
1.68 81.20
1.68 82.22
1.68 82.42
1.69 82. 42
1.70 82.82
1.70 83.44
1.71 82.62
1.70 82.42
1.72 85.70
41.0
40.2
40.1
40.5
40.7
40.7
40.0
40.5
40.6
40.6
40.8
40.9
40.3
40.4
41.2
Food and kindred
products
Total: Food and
kindred products
$1.90 $66.33
41.2 $1.61
1.67
1.98 68.47
41.0
2.01 68.48
41.5
1.65
2.01 68.30
40.9
1.67
2.01 70.04
1.70
41.2
2.02 70. 79 41.4
1.71
2.03 70.18
40.8
1.72
2.03 70.07
1.73
40.5
2.03 70. 07
40.5
1.73
2.03 70.12
1.74
40.3
2.03 71.51
41.1
1.74
2.04 71.38
1.72
41.5
2.05 72.07
41.9
1.72
2.04 71.10
41.1
1.73
2.08 73.33
41.9
1.75
1520
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T able C-l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Food and kindred products—Continued
Year and month
Meat products4
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average_____ $74. 57
1954: Average_____ 76.86
September___ 77.87
O cto b er____
78.02
November___ 83.03
December....... 81. 75
1955: January_____
79.65
February____
76.00
M arch______
77. 76
April_______
76.00
M a y .......... .
79.30
June________ 79. 30
July..... ........... 80. 48
August______ 83. 62
September___ 87.52
41.2
41.1
41.2
41.5
42.8
42.8
41.7
40.0
40.5
40.0
41.3
41.3
41.7
41.6
42.9
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn
ings
ings hours
$1.81 $77.64
1.87 79. 71
1.89 81.14
1.88 81. 71
1.94 86.83
1. 91 85.10
1.91 83.10
1.90 78.78
1.92 81.16
1.90 78. 99
1.92 82.37
1.92 81.38
1.93 82.98
2.01 86.94
2.04 92.23
Canning and pre
serving 4
1953: Average_____ $53.18
1954: Average_____ 54. 57
September___ 56.30
October_____
53.13
November___ 51. 75
December___
55.39
1955: January........... 54.67
February........ 56.15
M arch______
56.24
April_______
57.68
M ay.............. . 56.68
June________ 55.81
July— ........... 54.79
August______ 56.45
September___ 59.13
39.1
38.7
40.8
38.5
36.7
38.2
37.7
38.2
38.0
37.7
38.3
39.3
39.7
39.2
40.5
M eatpacking, whole
sale
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
41.3
41.3
41.4
41.9
43.2
43.2
42.4
40.4
41.2
40.3
41.6
41.1
41.7
41.6
43.3
$1.88 $73.39
1.93 76.22
1.96 76.78
1. 95 76.30
2.01 79.80
1.97 79.00
1.96 78.09
1.95 76.00
1.97 75.41
1.96 76.19
1.98 79.27
1.98 81.41
1.99 81.98
2.09 83.23
2.13 84.08
Seafood, canned and
cured
$1. 36 $45.00
1.41 46.82
1.38 46.66
1.38 38.09
1.41 48.64
1. 45 54.28
1. 45 44.95
1.47 48.47
1.48 49.38
1.53 54.94
1.48 47.95
1.42 51.95
1.38 45.90
1.44 49.92
1.46 46.09
29.8
30.4
30.7
27.4
29.3
32.7
29.0
32.1
32.7
33.5
29.6
35.1
30.6
32.0
33.4
Sausages and casings
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
41.7
41.2
41.5
40.8
42.0
41.8
41.1
40.0
39.9
40.1
41.5
42.4
42.7
42.9
42.9
$1.76 $68.05
1.85 70.04
1.85 71.07
1.87 70.47
1.90 68. 26
1.89 69.34
1. 90 70.58
1.90 71. 45
1.89 71.28
1.90 70. 95
1.91 72.71
1.92 73.04
1.92 75.26
1.94 72.98
1.96 74.46
C anned fr u its , vege
tables, and soups
$1. 51 $55. 76
1.54 56.82
1.52 58.38
1.39 55.60
1.66 53.27
1.66 56. 91
1. 55 58.15
1. 51 58.90
1.51 59.40
1.64 59. 60
1.62 60.15
1.48 57.17
1.50 56.58
1.56 58.25
1.38 61.54
40.7
40.3
42.0
40.0
38.6
39.8
40.1
39.8
39.6
38.7
40.1
39.7
41.3
39.9
41.3
Dairy products 4
1953: Average_____ $64.84
1954: Average_____
67. 89
September___ 68.88
October........... 68.38
November___ 68. 21
December___
69.12
1955: January
68.28
February____ 68.85
M arch ..
08.28
April_______
68.11
M ay_______
69.87
June......... ...... 70. 79
July________
70. 79
August______ 70.35
September___ 71.45
41.3
40.9
41.0
40.7
40.6
40.9
40.4
40.5
40.4
40.3
41.1
41.4
41.4
40.9
41.3
$1.57 $66.24
1. 66 69.22
1.68 70. 62
1.68 70.11
1.68 70.11
1. 69 70. 62
1.69 70.00
1.70 70.41
1.09 70.00
1.69 70.00
1.70 71.45
1.71 72.38
1.71 72.98
1.72 72. 45
1.73 73.04
C onfectionery a n d
related products 4
1953: Average_____ $53. 45
1954: Average_____
55.81
September___ 57.08
October_____
55.55
November___ 55.44
December___
56.26
1955: January_____
56.77
February........ 57.60
M arch______
56.88
April________ 55. 77
M a y .............. 56.94
June______
58.80
J u ly ................ 57. 48
August______ 56.94
September___ 58.98
39.3
39.3
40.2
39.4
39.6
39.9
39.7
40.0
39.5
38.2
39.0
40.0
39.1
39.0
40.4
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
41.4
41.2
41.3
41.0
41.0
41.3
40.7
40.7
40.7
40.7
41.3
41.6
41.7
41.4
41.5
$1.37 $71.44
1.41 74. 42
1.39 77.46
1.39 75.31
1.38 75.60
1.43 74.48
1. 45 75. 26
1. 48 74. 74
1.50 73.79
1.54 76. 21
1.50 75.85
1.44 78.09
1.37 79.98
1.46 77.53
1.49 80.10
Confectionery
$1.36 $51.74
1.42 53.70
1.42 54.94
1.41 53.84
1.40 53. 46
1.41 54.26
1.43 54. 65
1.44 55.60
1.44 54. 77
1. 46 54.00
1.46 54.85
1.47 56.66
1.47 54.00
1.46 54. 71
1. 46 56.82
39.2
39.2
40.1
39.3
39.6
39.9
39.6
40.0
39.4
38.3
38.9
39.9
38.3
38.8
40.3
41.2
39.9
40.0
39.7
39.1
39.1
39.2
39.7
39.2
38.7
40.1
40.8
40.3
39.0
40.5
$1. 43 $71.18
1. 54 73.01
1.56 72. 75
1.56 68. 06
1.56 78.16
1.57 73. 78
1.57 74.45
1.57 73. 51
1.57 73.71
1.56 72.44
1.57 76.89
1.57 78.38
1.56 84.29
1.57 77.19
1.61 82.03
Beverages 4
$1.32 $76.04
1.37 78.59
1.37 79.17
1.37 78.78
1.35 79.00
1.36 78. 21
1.38 77.62
1.39 78.61
1.39 80.00
1.41 81.41
1.41 82.21
1.42 82. 21
1.41 87.35
1.41 85.28
1.41 84.66
41.1
40.3
40.6
40.4
39.9
39.5
39.4
39.7
40.2
40.5
40.7
40.7
42.2
41.4
40.9
$1. 55 $69. 77
1.61 71.73
1.63 74. 54
1.62 70.31
1.61 70. 44
1.62 70.44
1.63 72. 45
1.65 71.81
1.65 72.13
1. 65 73.68
1.66 74.00
1.66 77.22
1.68 77.39
1.67 74.33
1. 70 76. 53
44.1
44.3
45.3
44.3
43.7
43.3
43.5
43.2
42.9
43.8
44.1
45.4
45.7
44.3
45.0
$1.62 $75.65
1.68 79. 74
1.71 84.64
1. 70 82. 45
1.73 84.73
1.72 80. 55
1.73 82.08
1.73 79. 74
1.72 77.69
1.74 78.12
1.72 78.55
1. 72 80.73
1.75 85.46
1.75 84.04
1.78 87.14
Sugar4
pretzels
$1.60 $58.92
1.68 61. 45
1. 71 62. 40
1. 71 61.93
1.71 61.00
1. 71 61.39
1. 72 61.54
1.73 62.33
1.72 61.54
1.72 60. 37
1.73 62.96
1.74 64.06
1.75 62.87
1.75 61.23
1.76 65.21
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
43.4
43.2
41.1
41.5
50.1
47.6
42.3
41.3
40.5
39.8
40.9
42.6
44.6
41.5
43.4
45.9
45.4
46.3
44.5
44.3
44.3
45.0
44.6
44.8
45.2
45.4
46.8
46.9
45.6
46.1
$1. 52 $68.37
1. 58 71. 57
1.61 72.84
1. 58 71. 74
1.59 70.47
1. 59 71.40
1.61 71. 23
1.61 73.70
1.61 71.40
1.63 71.99
1.63 74. 56
1.65 73. 87
1.65 78. 50
1.63 76.65
1.66 78. 66
Bottled soft drinks
$1.85 $60. 49
1.95 61.57
1.95 61.63
1.95 61.59
1.98 59. 94
1.98 60. 75
1.97 59.24
1.98 59.83
1.99 61.15
2.01 61. 72
2.02 63.00
2.02 61. 72
2.07 69.13
2.06 67.14
2.07 66.19
42.6
41.6
42.5
41.9
40.5
40.5
40.3
40.7
41.6
41.7
42.0
41.7
44.6
43.6
42.7
44.5
44.8
46.0
45.3
45.8
44.5
45.1
44.3
43.4
43.4
43.4
44.6
45.7
44.7
46.6
42.1
41.0
41.4
39.8
41.8
40.3
39.6
40.6
40.5
38.6
41.9
43.8
46.9
44.2
45.1
M a lt liquors
$1.42 $89. 79
1.48 92. 80
1. 45 93.60
1.47 91.80
1.48 92.20
1.50 93. 53
1.47 91. 96
1.47 93.06
1.47 94.40
1.48 97.20
1.50 98.09
1.48 98. 66
1.55 104. 67
1.54 101.34
1. 55 99.45
41.0
40.0
40.0
39.4
39.4
39.8
39.3
39.6
40.0
40.5
40.7
40.6
41.7
40.7
40.1
43.0
42.6
43.1
42.7
41.7
42.0
41.9
42.6
42.0
42.1
43.1
42.7
44.6
43.8
43.7
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.59
1.68
1.69
1.68
1.69
1.70
1.70
1.73
1.70
1. 71
1.73
1.73
1.76
1.75
1.80
Prepared feeds
$1.70 $69.30
1.78 71.87
1.84 73. 92
1.82 72.19
1.85 71.44
1.81 71.72
1.82 70.79
1.80 71.34
1.79 72.00
1.80 74.87
1.81 73.55
1.81 75.67
1.87 77.10
1.88 74.29
1.87 77.11
Cane-sugar refining
$1.64 $74. 94
1.69 76.26
1. 77 77.00
1.64 74.03
1.56 79. 84
1. 55 74.96
1.76 73. 66
1.78 77.14
1.82 77. 76
1.82 74.50
1.88 82.12
1.84 84.97
1.89 93.80
1.86 86.63
1.89 91.10
Ice cream and ices
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
and other grainGrain-mill products 4 F lourm ill
products
Bakery products 4 Bread and other bakery B iscuits, crackers, and
products
43.9
43.5
43.6
43.5
42.4
42.8
43.3
43.3
43.2
43.0
43.8
44.0
44.8
43.7
43.8
Condensed and evap
orated m ilk
45.0
45.2
46.2
45.4
44.1
44.0
43.7
43.5
43.9
45.1
45.4
47.0
47.3
45.3
45.9
$1. 54
1.59
1.60
1. 59
1.62
1.63
1.62
1.64
1. 64
1.66
1.62
1.61
1.63
1.64
1.68
Beet sugar
$1. 78 $69. 80
1.86 73.08
1.86 71.28
1.86 67.78
1. 91 80.02
1. 86 75.14
1.86 81.09
1.90 72. 71
1.92 71.61
1.93 75.44
1.96 72.77
1.94 73.60
2.00 74.40
1.96 64.08
2.02 73.31
42.3
43.5
40.5
42.9
49.7
46.1
44.8
39.3
38.5
41.0
38.3
40.0
40.0
35.6
40.5
$1.65
1.68
1.76
1.58
1.61
1.63
1.81
1.85
1.86
1.84
1.90
1.84
1.86
1.80
1.81
D istilled, rectified, and
blended liquors
$2.19 $71.42
2.32 74.88
2.34 74.11
2.33 76.25
2.34 80.60
2.35 72.64
2.34 75. 75
2.35 77.37
2. 36 77.37
2.40 77. 55
2.41 77.59
2.43 78.78
2.51 77.77
2.49 78. 54
2. 48 81.77
38.4
38.6
38.2
39.1
40.1
36.5
37.5
38.3
38.3
38.2
38.6
39.0
38.5
38.5
39.5
$1.86
1.94
1.94
1.95
2.01
1.99
2.02
2.02
2.02
2.03
2.01
2.02
2.02
2.04
2.07
1521
O: EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able C-l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Tobacco manufactures
Food and kindred products—Continued
Year and month
Miscellaneous food
products <
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average..........
1954: Average_____
September___
October..........
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
March______
April_______
M ay............. .
June............. __
July..... ...........
A u g u st_____
September___
$63.15
66.3(
66.9-3
67.65
68. 2(
66.9S
66.82
66.65
65.19
65.19
66.72
67. 62
69.17
69.04
70.31
41.
42.
42.1
42.Í
42.
41.
41. £
41.4
41.0
41.0
41.7
42.0
42.7
42.1
42.1
Corn siru p , sugar, oil
and starch
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1. 51
1.5f
1.5£
1.6C
1.61
1.61
1.61
1.61
1.59
1.59
1.60
1. 61
1.62
1.64
1.67
$80.94
83.6£
84.9'
86.96
85.73
82. Of
81.0£
82.10
80.48
79. 71
80.93
84.48
85.17
88.91
87.23
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
42.
42.'
42.'
43.7
43.3
42.3
41.8
42.1
41.7
41.3
41.5
43.1
42.8
43.8
43.4
$1.9C
1. 9C
1.95
1.95
1.98
1.94
1.94
1.95
1.93
1.93
1.95
1.96
1.99
2.03
2.01
Total: Tobacco
manufactures
M an u fa ctu red ice
$63.34
65.64
66.27
65.8f
65.85
66.28
65.56
65.83
64.92
64.64
66.50
64.35
68.73
67.45
67.50
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$1.38 $47.37
1.43 49.01
1.4£ 48.86
1.47 49.72
1.46 47.6C
1.46 49.92
1.47 50.14
1.45 49.58
1.43 51. 51
1.43 50.60
1.43 54.71
1.43 55. 55
1.45 54.00
1.46 50.57
1.49 50.63
45. £
45. £
45.7
44.8
45.1
45.4
44.6
45.4
45.4
45.2
46.5
45.0
47.4
46.2
45.3
1953: Average.......... $50.90
1954: Average_____
52.73
September___ 55.63
October........... 54.53
November___ 53. 20
December....... 54.20
1955: January_____ 53. 28
February........ 50.54
M arch___ . . .
53.80
April_______
51. 48
M ay......... ...... 56.30
June________ 54.90
Ju ly ................ 54.02
August______ 55.42
September___ 55.42
37.7
37.4
38.9
38.4
37.2
37.9
37.0
35.1
37.1
35.5
38.3
37.6
36.5
37.7
37.7
$1.35
1.41
1.43
1.42
1.43
1.43
1.44
1.44
1.45
1.45
1.47
1. 46
1.48
1.47
1.47
Tobacco stemming
and redrying
$39. 73
39.43
38.21
39. 96
34.17
39.59
39.70
40.43
44.04
45.36
48.01
47.99
48.26
40.19
42.58
38.2
37.2
39.8
41.2
33.5
37.7
37.1
36.1
36.4
36.0
38.1
38.7
38.3
40.6
43.9
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.24
1.3C
1.24
1.24
1.29
1.30
1.33
1.34
1.37
1.39
1.41
1.41
1.41
1.29
1.25
$58.59
63.27
66.91
66.99
61.88
67.73
66.33
b3.63
65.76
63.08
69.38
70. 64
67.06
67.80
65.13
38.8
39.3
41.3
41.1
38.2
41.3
40.2
38.8
40.1
38.0
41.3
41.8
40.4
40.6
39.0
Cigars
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$1.51 $42.71
1.61 42.32
1.62 43.73
1.63 44.66
1.62 44. 96
1.64 42. 57
1.65 41.88
1.64 42.35
1.64 42.12
1.66 41.42
1.68 43.78
1.69 44. 72
1.66 43.79
1.67 43.90
1. 67 46. 32
37.8
36.8
37.7
38.5
38.1
36.7
36.1
36.2
36.0
35.4
37.1
37.9
36.8
37.2
38.6
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.13
1.15
1.16
1.16
1.18
1.16
1.16
1.17
1.17
1.17
1.18
1.18
1.19
1.18
1. 20
Textile-mill products
Tobacco manufactures—Continued
Tobacco and snuff
38.2
37.7
39.4
40.1
36.9
38.4
37.7
37.0
37.6
36.4
38.8
39.4
38.3
39.2
40.5
Cigarettes
Total: Textile-mill
products
$1.04 $53. 57
1.06 52.09
.96 52. 50
.97 53.70
1.02 54.53
1.05 55.07
1.07 54.25
1.12 55.20
1.21 54.80
1.26 53.02
1.26 54.51
1.24 54. 92
1.26 54.25
.99 55.48
.97 56.70
39.1
38.3
38.6
39.2
39.8
40.2
39.6
40.0
40.0
38.7
39.5
39.8
39.6
40.2
40.5
Scouring and comb
ing plants
$1.37 $62.01
1.36 60.53
1.36 60.61
1.37 65.03
1.37 56.25
1.37 60.28
1.37 63.29
1.38 62.22
1.37 61.35
1.37 60.34
1.38 61.97
1.38 63. 71
1.37 68.48
1.38 63.50
1.40 65.88
39.0
38.8
39.1
35.5
35.6
39.4
41.1
40.4
40.1
39.7
40.5
41.1
43.9
41.5
42.5
Yarn and thread
mills 4
$1.59 $48.39
1.56 46.00
1.55 46. 75
1.55 47.00
1.58 48.13
1.53 49.00
1.54 49.01
1.54 49. 77
1.53 49. 77
1.52 48. 51
1.53 48. 76
1. 55 49. 53
1.56 49.27
1.53 49.90
1.55 50.96
38.1
36.8
37.1
37.6
38.5
39.2
38.9
39.5
39.5
38.5
38.7
39.0
39.1
39.6
39.5
Y a rn m ills
$1.27 $48.26
1.25 45.63
1.26 46.49
1.25 47.13
1.25 48.00
1.25 48.63
1.26 48. 38
1.26 49. 25
1.26 49. 25
1.26 48. 64
1.26 49.01
1.27 49.66
1.26 49. 52
1.26 50.27
1. 29 51.08
38.0
36.5
36.9
37.7
38.4
38.9
38.7
39.4
39.4
38.6
38.9
39.1
39.3
39.9
39.6
$1.27
1.25
1.26
1.25
1.25
1.25
1.25
1.25
1.25
1. 26
1.26
1. 27
1.26
1.26
1. 29
Cotton, silk, synthetic fiber
Broad-woven fabric
m ills4
Thread m ills
1953: Average_____ $49. 53
1954: Average_____ 47.50
September___ 49.02
44.80
October_____
November___ 47.74
December___
50.82
1955: January.......... 51. 21
February____ 52.13
M arch______
52.65
April________ 50. 83
M ay................ 50.70
June___ ____
50. 57
J u ly ............ .
50.44
August—......... 50.70
September___ 53.47
39.0
37.4
38.3
35.0
37.3
39.7
39.7
40.1
40.5
39.4
39.3
39.2
39.1
39.3
40.2
$1.27 $52.80
1.27 50.69
1.28 51.08
1.28 52.14
1.28 53.20
1.28 53.59
1.29 52.67
1.30 53.33
1.30 52.93
1.29 52.00
1.29 53.20
1.29 53.20
1.29 53. 20
1.29 54.13
1.33 56.31
Narrow fabrics and
small wares
1953: Average_____ $54.53
1954: Average_____
54.37
September___ 54.39
54.60
October_____
November___ 55.30
55. 74
December___
54. 92
1955: January_____
February........ 56.17
M arch......... . .
56.03
April_______
54. 79
M ay________ 55.60
56.02
June........... .
Ju ly ................ 54.77
August______ 55.04
September___ 57.08
39.8
39.4
39.7
39.0
39.5
40.1
39.8
40.7
40.6
39.7
40.0
40.3
39.4
39.6
40.2
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$1.37
1.38
1.37
1. 40
1.40
1.39
1.38
1.38
1. 38
1.38
1.39
1. 39
1.39
1.39
1.42|
39.4
38.4
38.7
39.5
49.3
40.6
39.9
40.1
40.1
39.1
40.0
40.0
40.3
40.7
41.1
$1.34 $51.09
.32 49.28
1.32 49.54
1.32 50.96
1.32 52. 26
1.32 52. 52
1.32 51.74
1.33 52.40
1.32 51.87
1.33 50.44
1.33 51.48
1. 33 51.08
1.32 51.73
1.33 52.65
1.37 54.81
Knitting m ills4
$48. 75
48.60
49.13
50.17
50.82
50.56
49.37
50. 81
50. 69
47. 92
49.50
50. 29
49.01
50.95
50.94
37.5
37.1
37.5
38.3
38.5
38.3
37.4
38.2
38.4
36.3
37.5
38.1
37.7
38.6
38.3
W oolen and worsted
United States
$1.30
1.31
1.31
1.31
1.32
1.32
1.32
1.33
1.32
1.32
1.32
1.32
1.30
1.32
1.33
39.3
38.2
38.4
39.5
40.2
40.4
39.8
40.0
39.9
38.8
39.6
39.6
40.1
40.5
40.9
South
North
$1.30 $56.37
1.29 55.10
1.29 55.38
1.29 55.81
1.30 57.77
1.30 58.06
1.30 57. 51
1.31 57. 92
1.30 57.23
1.30 54.29
1.30 57.49
1.29 57.49
1.29 56.80
1.30 57.37
1.34 57.51
39.7
38.8
39.0
39.3
40.4
40.6
40.5
40.5
40.3
38.5
40.2
40.2
40.0
40.4
40.5
$1.42 $49.78
1.42 47.88
1.42 48.26
1.42 50.17
1.43 51.05
1.43 51.31
1.42 50.42
1. 43 51. 07
1.42 50. 55
1.41 49.79
1.43 50.56
1.43 50.17
1.42 50.93
1.42 51.84
1.42 54. 53
39.2
38.0
38.3
39.5
40.2
40.4
39.7
39.9
39.8
38.9
39.5
39.5
40.1
40.5
41.0
$1.27 $61. 93
1. 26 61.05
1.26 61. 41
1.27 60.80
1.27 61.86
1.27 62.67
1.27 61.31
1.28 61.65
1.27 62.21
1.28 61.76
1.28 63.72
1.27 64. 90
1.27 62.78
1. 28 63. 27
1.33 63.84
$56. 70
55. 50
54.31
54. 96
56. 79
57.92
56.45
58.31
58. 46
54.24
55.13
54.10
53.14
55.13
53.66
37.3
37.5
37.2
37.9
38.9
39.4
38.4
39.4
39.5
36.9
37.5
36.8
36.4
37.5
36.5
$1.52
1.48
1. 46
1.45
1.46
1.47
1.47
1.48
1.48
1.47
1.47
1.47
1.46
1.47
1. 47
South
North
$57.00
55.65
54. 24
53.00
56.45
57.18
55.20
56. 92
56. 09
54.75
53.22
52.13
49.68
54.60
53.00
37.5
37.1
36.9
36.3
38.4
38.9
37.3
38.2
37.9
37.5
36.7
36.2
36.0
37.4
36.3
$1.52 $56.24
1.50 55.80
1.47 54. 46
1.46 56.12
1.47 56.84
1.47 58.36
1.48 56. 79
1.49 59.20
1.48 59. 64
1.46 53.80
1.45 55.94
1.44 54.91
1.38 54.17
1.46 55.13
1.46 54.17
$1.56
1.53
1.52
1.52
1.52
1.51
1. 51
1. 50
1.51
1.51
1.51
1.52
1.52
1.51
1.52
Seam less hosiery
Full-fashioned hosiery
United States
39.7
39.9
40.4
40.0
40.7
41.5
40.6
41.1
41.2
40.9
42.2
42.7
41.3
41.9
42.0
37.0
37.7
37.3
38.7
39.2
39.7
38.9
40.0
40.3
36.6
37.8
37.1
36.6
37.5
36.6
United States
$1.52
1.48
1. 46
1.45
1.45
1.47
1.46
1.48
1.48
1.47
1.48
1.48
1.48
1.47
1.48
$40.26
40.77
41.58
43.66
43.66
43.09
42.11
42.57
42.09
38.53
40.02
42.55
41.15
43.13
44. 49
36.6
36.4
36.8
38.3
38.3
37.8
36.3
36.7
36.6
33.5
34.8
37.0
36.1
37.5
37.7
$1.10
1.12
1.13
1.14
1.14
1.14
1.16
1.16
1.15
1.15
1.15
1.15
1.14
1.15
1.18
1522
T able
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
C-l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Textile-mill products—Continued
Seam less hosiei y— Continued
Year and month
North
South
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
1953: Average_____ $43.88
1954: Average_____ 43.07
September___ 43.52
October_____ 44. 72
November___ 44.25
December___
43.44
1955: January_____ 43.32
February____ 43.80
March______
44. 77
April........ ...... 45.96
M ay________ 43.55
June________ 45. 46
Ju ly ................ 46.68
August . . . .
47.43
September___ 47. 58
37.5
36.5
37.2
37.9
37.5
36.5
36.1
36.2
37.0
38.3
36.6
38.2
38.9
39.2
39.0
$1.17 $39.31
1.18 40.40
1.17 41.10
1.18 43.39
1.18 43.78
1.19 42.83
1.20 41.75
1.21 42.32
1.21 41.61
1.20 37.51
1.19 39.44
1.19 42.07
1.20 40.34
1. 21 42. 52
1.22 43.88
Carpets, rugs, other
floor coverings 4
1953: Average....... . $70.58
1954: Average_____
69.95
September___ 73.69
October_____
72.28
November___ 70.47
December___
71.86
1955: January_____
72.69
February___
71.69
March______
73. 25
April_______
72.10
M ay________ 72.28
June________ 72. 22
Ju ly .— ........... 72.16
August______ 74.16
September___ 75. 47
40.8
40.2
41.4
41.3
40.5
41.3
41.3
41.2
42.1
41.2
41.3
40.8
41.0
41.9
42.4
36.4
36.4
36.7
38.4
38.4
37.9
36.3
36.8
36.5
32.9
34.6
36.9
35.7
37.3
37.5
K n it outerwear
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.08 $50.81
1.11 51.85
1.12 53.65
1.13 53.38
1.14 54.00
1.13 52.36
1.15 51.10
1.15 51. 57
1.14 52.16
1.14 50.23
1.14 54.07
1.14 54.49
1.13 53.96
1.14 54.23
1.17 54.85
Wool carpets, rugs,
and carpet yarn
$1.73 $69.08
1.74 66.95
1.78 69.65
1.75 67.82
1.74 65.84
1.74 69.20
1.76 70.30
1.74 70.12
1. 74 71.40
1.75 68.78
1.75 69.25
1. 77 69.13
1.76 66.91
1.77 71.23
1.78 71.93
39.7
38.7
39.8
39.2
38.5
40.0
40.4
40.3
40.8
39.3
39.8
39.5
38.9
40.7
41.1
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkiy.
ings
ings hours
38.2
37.3
38.6
38.4
38.3
37.4
36.5
37.1
37.8
36.4
38.9
39.2
39.1
39.3
38.9
$1.33 $45.12
1.39 44. 53
1.39 45.26
1.39 45.74
1.41 46.49
1.40 45.13
1.40 45.87
1.39 47.72
1.38 48.19
1.38 46.34
1.39 47.95
1.39 48.34
1.38 47.07
1.38 48.68
1.41 50.00
Hats (except cloth
and millinery)
$1.74 $56.10
1.73 54.66
1. 75 54.60
1.73 53.59
1.71 57.82
1.73 60.76
1.74 56.54
1.74 61.69
1.75 55. 72
1.75 51.19
1.74 58.37
1.75 60. 92
1.72 57.67
1.75 60.83
1.75 59.50
K n it underw ear
37.4
36.2
36.4
34.8
37.3
39.2
37.2
38.8
36.9
33.9
37.9
38.8
36.5
38.5
37.9
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
37.6
36.5
37.1
37.8
37.8
37.3
37.6
38.8
39.5
38.3
39.3
39.3
38.9
39.9
40.0
$1.20 $61.65
1.22 61.61
1.22 61.31
1.21 62.67
1.23 65.18
1.21 66. 22
1.22 64.30
1.23 65.33
1.22 63. 72
1. 21 61.31
1.22 63.23
1.23 65.14
1.21 61.05
1.22 63.38
1.25 65. 88
Miscellaneous textile
goods 4
$1.50 $62.42
1.51 62.56
1.50 62. 56
1.54 62.87
1.55 64.06
1.55 65.89
1.52 65.10
1.59 66.78
1.51 66.30
1.51 65.03
1.54 65. 76
1.57 65.67
1.58 65.28
1.58 66. 72
1.57 67. 72
40.8
40.1
40.1
40.3
40.8
41.7
41.2
42.0
41.7
40.9
41.1
41.3
40.8
41.7
41.8
1953: Average_____ $65.19
1954: Average.......... 67.89
September___ 64.19
October_____ 67. 57
November___ 70. 73
December___
75. 41
1965: January_____ 72. 76
February____ 77.33
March______
73. 70
A pril.............. 73.70
M ay________ 72. 50
June________ 66. 73
July------------- 73.19
August______ 73. 27
September___ 70.14
41.0
40.9
38.9
41.2
42.1
44.1
42.8
44.7
43.1
43.1
42.4
40.2
42.8
43.1
41.5
$1. 59 $51.30
1.66 51.41
1. 65 51.83
1.64 52.08
1. 68 52.58
1.71 53.20
1. 70 53. 20
1.73 52.45
1. 71 53.07
1.71 50.18
1.71 52.33
1.66 53. 80
1.71 49.65
1.70 51. 29
1.69 50. 75
Men’s and b o y s ’
fu rn ish in g s and
work clothing 4
1953: Average_____ $41.18
1954: Average_____ 40.81
September___ 41.84
October_____ 41.58
November___ 41.61
December___
40.91
1955: January_____ 40.68
February____ 41.92
March _____
42. 29
April ______ 40. 23
M ay________ 41.36
June________ 41.92
July------------- 40. 52
August______ 42. 22
September___ 42. 83
37.1
35.8
36.7
36.8
36.5
36.2
36.0
37.1
37.1
35.6
36.6
37.1
36.5
37.7
37.9
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Processed waste and
recovered fibers
42.4
41.8
41.8
42.0
42.4
42.9
42.9
42.3
42.8
40.8
42.2
42.7
40.7
41.7
41.6
Shirts, collars, and
nightwear
$1.11 $41. 40
1.14 41.04
1.14 42.44
1.13 42. 75
1.14 43. 82
1.13 42. 41
1.13 41.61
1.13 42.41
1.14 42.18
1.13 41.06
1.13 41.95
1.13 41.61
1.11 40.45
1.12 41.92
1.13 43.47
37.3
36.0
36.9
37.5
38.1
37.2
36.5
37.2
37.0
35.7
36.8
36.5
35.8
37.1
37.8
44.5
43.3
44.2
44.0
45.2
45.8
45.4
46.2
45.5
44.4
45.0
46.4
44.9
44.3
47.0
37.5
36.1
36.5
35.7
35.6
36.6
36.6
37.9
37.5
36.2
36.5
37.2
36.9
37.3
37.2
Cordage and tw ine
$1. 80 $53.33
1.83 53.02
1.84 53.31
1.86 53. 54
1.87 52.61
1.88 53. 70
1.91 53.96
1. 92 55.20
1.90 55.20
1.88 54.35
1.91 54.63
1.91 55. 44
1.91 55.16
1.89 56. 54
1.96 56.82
Separate trousers
$1.11 $44. 63
1.14 43.32
1.15 43.44
1.14 42.13
1.15 42.36
1.14 43.55
1.14 43.19
1.14 45.10
1.14 44.63
1.15 42.72
1.14 42. 71
1.14 43.15
1.13 41.70
1.13 43. 27
1.15 43.15
$1.50 $61.65
1.51 61.35
1.51 61.05
1.51 62.55
1.53 65.06
1.54 66.10
1.52 64.60
1.53 65.06
1.51 63.60
1.51 61.05
1.52 62.82
1. 54 64.72
1.50 60.49
1.52 62. 82
1.55 65.45
41.3
40.0
39.8
40.8
40.9
41.0
40.4
41.1
41.2
40.9
40.6
41.1
40.2
42.0
41.7
41.1
40.9
40.7
41.7
42.8
43.2
42.5
42.8
42.4
40.7
41.6
42.3
40.6
41.6
42.5
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.50
1.50
1.50
1.50
1.52
1.53
1.52
1.52
1.50
1.50
1.51
1.53
1.49
1.51
1. 54
Lace goods
$1. 72 $61.85
1.74 60.80
1.77 62.54
1.76 61.38
1.76 62.05
1.76 64.62
1.75 62.32
1.76 63.91
1.77 63.36
1. 78 62.54
1.78 63.34
1. 78 63.69
1.82 62.70
1.80 65.30
1.80 64. 96
38.9
37.3
37.9
37.2
38.3
39.4
38.0
38.5
38.4
37.9
37.7
38.6
38.0
39.1
38.9
$1.59
1.63
1.65
1.65
1.62
1.64
1.64
1.66
1.65
1.65
1.68
1.65
1.65
1.67
1.67
Apparel and other finished textile products
A rtificia l leather, oil
cloth, and other
coated fabrics
$1.21 $80.10
1.23 79.24
1.24 81.33
1.24 81.84
1.24 84.52
1.24 86.10
1.24 86. 71
1.24 88.70
1.24 86.45
1. 23 83.47
1.24 85.95
1.26 88. 62
1.22 85. 76
1.23 83.73
1.22 92.12
41.1
40.8
40.6
41.5
42.6
43.0
42.3
42.7
42.2
40.6
41.6
42.3
40.7
41.7
42.5
D yeing and fin ish in g
textiles (except wool)
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
F elt goods (except
woven felts and hats )
$1.53 $71.04
1.56 69.60
1.56 70.45
1.56 71.81
1.57 71.98
1.58 72.16
1.58 70.70
1.59 72.34
1.59 72.92
1.59 72.80
1.60 72. 27
1.59 73.16
1.60 73.16
1.60 75.60
1.62 75.06
Textile-mill products—Continued
P addings and uphol
stery filling
Dyeing and finishing
textiles 4
39.5
38.7
39.2
38.8
38.4
39.2
39.1
40.0
40.0
39.1
39.3
39.6
39.4
40.1
40.3
W ork shirts
$1.19 $34.32
1.20 33. 63
1.19 33.44
1.18 33. 65
1.19 32. 59
1.19 33.12
1.18 33. 28
1.19 33.56
1.19 35. 52
1.18 34.58
1.17 34. 68
1. 16 36.10
1.13 35.34
1.16 38.29
1.16 38. 50
Total: Apparel and
other finished tex
tile products
$1.35 $48.41
1.37 48. 06
1.36 48. 82
1.38 47. 84
1.37 48.37
1.37 49.01
1.38 48. 60
1.38 49. 55
1.38 49. 71
1.39 46. 99
1.39 47. 92
1.40 48. 68
1.40 47.88
1.41 49. 82
1.41 49.68
36.4
35.6
35.9
35.7
36.1
36.3
36.0
36.7
37.1
35.6
36.3
36.6
36.0
36.9
36.8
$1.33 $57.93
1.35 56.05
1.36 57.35
1.34 53.63
1.34 55.09
1.35 58.32
1.35 57.87
1.35 59. 66
1.34 60. 64
1.32 55.40
1.32 58.91
1.33 61.09
1.33 58.48
1.35 60. 72
1.35 61.59
Women’s outerwear4
36.9 $0.93 $52. 65
35.4
.95 52.05
35.2
.95 52.17
.94 50. 40
35.8
.95 51.65
34.3
34. 5
.96 53. 55
.94 53. 40
35.4
.94 54. 21
35.7
.96 53. 72
37.0
36.4
.95 50. 62
36.5
.95 51.84
.95 51.48
38.0
.94 52.00
37.6
.95 54. 21
40.3
.96 52.59
40.1
35.1
34.7
34.1
33.6
34.9
35.7
35.6
35.9
36.3
35.4
36.0
35.5
34.9
35.9
34.6
M en’s and boys’
suits and coats
36.9
34.6
35.4
32.9
33.8
36.0
35.5
36.6
37.2
34.2
35.7
36.8
36.1
36.8
37.1
$1.57
1.62
1.62
1. 63
1.63
1. 62
1.63
1.63
1.63
1.62
1.65
1.66
1.62
1.65
1.66
W o m e n ’s dresses
$1.50 $52.15
1. 50 52. 20
1.53 52.86
1. 50 52. 05
1.48 52. 50
1. 50 53. 70
1.50 53. 49
1. 51 53. 04
1.48 54. 39
1.43 54.81
1.44 55.18
1.45 51. 54
1.49 50. 26
1.51 54.00
1.52 54.41
35.0
34.8
34.1
33.8
35.0
35.8
35.9
35.6
36.5
36.3
36.3
35.3
34.9
36.0
35.1
$1.49
1.50
1.55
1.54
1.50
1.50
1.49
1.49
1.49
1.51
1.52
1.46
1.44
1.50
1.55
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
1523
Table C-l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Apparel and other finished textile products—Continued
Year and month
H ousehold apparel
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average_____ $39. 74
1954: Average^......... 39.82
September___ 39.96
October........... 40.18
November___ 41.63
December....... 40.70
1955: January_____ 39. 38
February____ 39.93
March..........__ 40.92
April------------ 40. 48
M ay ________ 41.66
J u n e -............. 40.29
July................. 38.17
August............ 39. 35
September___ 40.29
36.8
36.2
36.0
36.2
37.5
37.0
35.8
36.3
37.2
36.8
37.2
36.3
34.7
36.1
36.3
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.08 $64.81
1.10 63.31
1.11 63.60
1.11 59.40
1.11 60. 87
1.10 66.25
1.10 67.42
1.10 68. 36
1.10 63. 74
1.10 52.69
1.12 52.87
1.11 61.79
1.10 67.71
1.09 69.34
1.11 63.04
Children’s outerwear
1953: Average........... $44. 53
1954: Average_____ 45.14
September___ 45.26
October_____
44.16
November___ 44. 77
December___
43.92
1955: January_____
45.26
February____ 46.00
March______
45.62
April________ 41.65
M ay________
44. 52
June________ 46.13
July— ......... .
46. 49
August______ 46. 62
September___ 45.63
36.5
36.7
36.5
36.2
37.0
36.3
37.1
37.4
37.7
35.6
37.1
37.5
37.8
37.6
36.8
W o m en ’s suits, coats,
Women’s and chil
and skirts
dren’s undergarments
32.9
32.3
31.8
29.7
30.9
33.8
34.4
34.7
33.2
29.6
29.7
33.4
34.9
35.2
32.0
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
$1.97
1.96
2.00
2.00
1.97
1. 96
1.96
1.97
1.92
1.78
1.78
1.85
1.94
1.97
1.97
Miscellaneous apparel
and accessories
$1.22 $44.52
1.23 43.68
1.24 44.77
1.22 45. 38
1.21 45.51
1.21 45.13
1.22 43.32
1.23 44.04
1.21 44.53
1.17 43.20
1.20 44.04
1.23 44.28
1.23 44.64
1.24 44.65
1.24 46. 62
37.1
36.1
36.7
37.2
37.3
37.3
35.8
36.4
36.8
35.7
36.4
36.9
36.0
36.9
37.9
36.9
36.1
36.9
37.6
37.3
36.3
36.0
36.5
37.3
35.7
36.0
36.2
35.1
36.8
37.2
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$1.66 $68. 55
1.71 70. 81
1.73 72.85
1. 74 73.96
1.74 72.93
1.74 72.50
1.74 70.04
1. 75 70.45
1.75 71.48
1.75 71. 21
1.76 72.31
1.77 73.60
1. 77 73. 43
1. 79 73. 68
1.79 74. 27
41.8
41.9
42.6
43.0
42.4
42.4
41.2
41.2
41.8
41.4
41.8
42.3
42.2
42.1
42. 2
36.8
36.2
37.1
38.1
37.8
36.3
36.0
36.9
37.7
35.8
35.8
36.0
35.0
37.1
37.4
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
$1.13 $48.10
1.14 48.24
1.13 48. 55
1.13 49.18
1.14 49.28
1.13 48. 78
1.13 48.11
1.13 48.11
1.14 49.04
1.14 47.22
1.15 48. 51
1.14 49.41
1.13 46.46
1.13 48. 41
1.15 49.45
C urtains, draperies,
and other house-fur
nishings
Sawmills and plan
ing mills 4
$1.64 $71.32
1.69 73.08
1. 71 71.81
1. 72 77.51
1. 72 76.72
1.71 78.68
1. 70 80.99
1.71 79.90
1.71 79. 28
1.72 77. 76
1.73 77. 40
1.74 77.22
1.74 73.63
1.75 77.53
1.76 78.62
42.2
42.0
40.8
43.3
43.1
44.2
44.5
43.9
43.8
43.2
43.0
42.9
41.6
42.6
43.2
37.0
36.0
36.5
36.7
36.5
36.4
35.9
35.9
36.6
35.5
36.2
36.6
35.2
36.4
36.9
38.1
37.9
39.9
38.3
38.8
38.4
37.7
37.5
38.3
37.8
37.7
38.8
39.5
38.6
39.8
Millinery
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
$1. 30 $58. 48
1. 34 58.16
1. 33 64.51
1.34 59.13
1.35 51.90
1. 34 53.50
1.34 56.21
1. 34 64. 71
1.34 64.06
1.33 49.95
1.34 45.60
1.35 51.34
1.32 54.60
1.33 60. 70
1.34 60.99
Textile bags
$1.27 $42.18
37.0 $1.14 $49. 53
1.29 42.80
36.9
1.16 50.79
1.29 44. 58 38.1
1.17 54.26
1.28 45.24
39.0
1.16 51. 71
1.29 45.75
39.1
1.17 52. 38
1.30 45. 31
38.4
1.18 52. 22
1.31 43. 07
36.5
1.18 51.65
1. 31 45.22
38.0
1.19 51.38
1.30 44.49
37.7
1.18 52. 47
1.33 44.29
36.6
1.21 51. 79
1.33 43. 44 36.2
1.20 52.03
1.33 45. 72 38.1
1.20 54. 32
1.32 44. 27 37.2
1.19 55.30
1.32 44.37
37.6
1.18 53.27
1.34 47. 70 39.1
1.22 55.72
Lumber and wood products (except furniture)
40.7
40.6
40.6
41.5
41.1
40.8
40.7
40.8
40.8
40.4
41.0
41.8
40.5
41.5
41.3
41.5
41.5
41.2
42.6
42.2
42.4
41.8
41.3
41.7
41.6
41.9
41.9
41.8
41.8
42 0
$1.20 $41. 58
1.22 41.27
1.21 41.92
1.21 43.05
1.22 43.09
1.21 41.02
1. 21 40.68
1.21 41.70
1.22 42.98
1.21 40.81
1.23 41.17
1.22 41.04
1.20 39. 55
1.20 41.92
1.22 43.01
Corsets and allied
garments
37.6
37.2
37.8
38.4
38.6
38.6
37.5
38.1
38.2
37.7
37.3
38.4
37.3
37.9
39.0
$1. 62 $79.00
39.5 $2.00 $65.37
40.6
1.63 73. 72 38.0
1.94 66.83
41.0
1. 66 68.16
35.5
1.92 70.06
41.7
1.68 77.03
39.3
1. 96 70.81
41.9
1.67 76.05
39.0
1.95 68.89
41.5
1.64 73.53
38.7
1.90 66.67
40.9
1. 63 74.03
39.8
1.86 66. 75
40.7
1.63 71.24
38.3
41.2
1.86 67.57
1.62 65.87
35.8
1.84 66.99
41.1
1.66 73.23
36.8
1.99 67. 40 40.6
1.67 72.80
36.4
2.00 69.64
41.7
1. 72 78.41
39.4
1.99 73.10
42.5
1. 72 77.34
38.1
2.03 70.35
40.9
1.74 81.59
39.8
2.05 72. 83 42.1
1.74 80.94
39.1
2.07 72.31
41.8
Millwork, plywood,
and prefabricated
M illw o rk
Plyw ood
stru ctu ral wood
products <
1953: Average........ . $68.89
1954: Average_____ 70.97
September___ 71.28
October_____
74.12
November___ 73. 43
73. 78
December___
1955: January_____ 72.73
February____ 72.28
M arch..........
72.98
April_______
72.80
M ay ________
73.74
June________ 74.16
July------------- 73. 99
August______ 74. 82
September___ 75 18
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Other fabricated
textile products4
$1.20 $47. 75
1. 21 47.99
1.22 48.76
1. 22 49.15
1.22 49.79
1.21 50.18
1.21 49.13
1.21 49. 91
1.21 49.66
1.21 50.14
1. 21 49.61
1.20 51.07
1.24 49.24
1.21 50.03
1.23 52.26
Total: Lumber and Logging camps and
wood products (ex
contractors
cept furniture)
1953: Average_____ $65. 93
1954: Average.......... 66.18
September___ 67.40
October........... 69. 72
November___ 68.64
66.91
December___
1955: January_____ 66. 34
February____ 66.50
March........ .
66.10
April------------ 67.06
M ay ________
68.47
June________ 71.90
July------------- 69.66
72. 21
August_____
September___ 71.86
$44.28
44.04
44.65
45. 50
45. 51
43.92
43. 56
44.17
45.51
43.20
44.28
44.16
42.12
44.16
45.38
Underwear and night
wear, except corsets
36.1
35.9
38.4
36.5
33.7
35.2
36.5
39.7
40.8
33.3
30.4
32.7
35.0
37.7
38.6
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.62
1.62
1.68
1.62
1.54
1. 52
1. 54
1.63
1.57
1.50
1. 50
1.57
1.56
1.61
1.58
Canvas products
$1.30 $51.09
1.34 52.38
5. 58
1. 36
1.35 52.50
1.35 51.84
1.36 52. 67
1. 37 50. 57
1. 37 53.33
1.37 53. 60
1.37 53.60
1.38 54.94
1.40 56.44
1.40 53.06
1.38 54.35
1.40 51.22
39.0
38.8
39.7
38.6
38.4
39.6
38.6
39.5
39.7
40.0
40.4
41.2
39.6
39.1
39.4
$1.31
1.35
1.40
1.36
1. 35
1.33
1.31
1.35
1.35
1.34
1.36
1.37
1. 34
1.39
1.30
S a w m ills and p la n in g m ills, general
United States
$1. 61 $66.18
1.63 67.40
1.68 70.47
1. 69 71.40
1. 66 69. 31
1.63 67.08
1.64 67.16
1.64 67.98
1.63 67.40
1.66 67.80
1.67 70.06
1.72 73.53
1. 72 70. 76
1.73 73.25
1.73 72. 73
40.6
41.1
41.7
42.0
41.5
40.9
40.7
41.2
41.1
40.6
41.7
42.5
40.9
42.1
41.8
$1.63 $43. 78
1.64 44.20
1.69 45.68
1. 70 46.11
1.67 45.36
1.64 45. 47
1.65 43.99
1.65 45.26
1.64 45.89
1.67 44.63
1.68 47.81
1.73 47.17
1.73 46.44
1.74 46.44
1.74 48.06
Wooden containers 4
$1.69 $51. 25
1. 74 50.00
1. 76 50. 82
1.79 51.82
1.78 50.50
1. 78 50. 53
1.82 49.23
1. 82 49. 97
1.81 52.04
1.80 52. 07
1.80 52.58
1.80 54. 60
1. 77 51. 75
1.82 52.79
1 82 53.45
41.0
40.0
39.7
40.8
40.4
40.1
39.7
40.3
41.3
41.0
41.4
42.0
39.5
40.3
40.8
South
42.5
42.5
43.5
43.5
43.2
43.3
42.3
43.1
43.7
42.5
45.1
44.5
43.4
43.4
44.5
West
$1.03 $83.81
1.04 85. 06
1.05 86.19
1. 06 88.44
1. 05 86. 94
1.05 83. 81
1.04 85. 63
1.05 86. 29
1.05 84. 75
1.05 86.80
1.06 87. 53
1.06 92. 57
1.07 88.24
1.07 92. 62
1.08 88.24
Wooden boxes, other
than cigar
$1. 25 $51. 34
1.25 49.48
1.28 50.43
1. 27 51. 56
1. 25 50.38
1. 26 50.38
1.24 49.20
1.24 50.84
1.26 52.79
1. 27 52.54
1. 27 54.10
1.30 55.64
1.31 53.46
1.31 52.91
1.31 53.56
41.4
39.9
39.4
40.6
40.3
40.3
40.0
41.0
41.9
41.7
42.6
42.8
40.5
40.7
41.2
38.8
39.2
39.0
40.2
39.7
38.8
39.1
39.4
38.7
39.1
38.9
40.6
38.7
40.8
38.7
$2.16
2.17
2.21
2. 20
2.19
2.16
2.19
2.19
2.19
2. 22
2. 25
2.28
2.28
2.27
2.28
Miscellaneous wood
products
$1.24 $55.46
1. 24 54.95
1. 28 56.17
1.27 56. 72
1. 25 57.13
1. 25 57.13
1.23 57.13
1. 24 57.41
1.26 58.10
1.26 56.72
1.27 57.41
1.30 58.38
1.32 58.38
1.30 57.96
1.30 58.52
41.7
40.7
40.7
41.1
41.1
41.4
41.1
41.6
42.1
41.4
41.6
41.7
41.7
41.4
41.5
$1.33
1.35
1. 38
1. 38
1.39
1. 38
1.39
1.38
1.38
1.37
1.38
1.40
1.40
1.40
1.41
1524
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T able C-l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Furniture and fixtures
Year and month
Total: Furniture
and fixtures
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average_____ $63.14
1954: Average_____ 62.96
September___ 64.46
October_____
65.10
November___ 64.62
December....... 65.83
1955: January_____ 63.99
February____ 65.67
M arch......... .
65.67
April________ 64. 48
M ay................ 64. 71
June..............
66.98
July................. 64.96
August______ 68.46
September___ 68. 95
W ood household fu r
Household furniture4
n itu re (except u p
holstered)
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
41.0
40.1
40.8
41.2
40.9
41.4
40.5
41.3
41.3
40.3
40.7
41.6
40.6
42.0
42.3
$1.54 $60.38
1.57 60.25
1.58 61.71
1.58 62.62
1.58 62.17
1.59 63.19
1. 58 60.85
1.59 62.78
1.59 62.78
1.60 61.10
1.59 61.71
1.61 63.34
1.60 61.71
1.63 64.79
1.63 66.14
40.8
39.9
40.6
41.2
40.9
41.3
40.3
41.3
41.3
40.2
40.6
41.4
40.6
41.8
42.4
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.48 $55.21
1.51 64.54
1.52 55.08
1.52 56.44
1.52 56. 44
1.53 57. 27
1.51 56.17
1. 52 56. 85
1.52 56.98
1.52 55.35
1.52 56.44
1.53 57.68
1. 52 56.44
1.55 58. 37
1.56 59. 21
41.2
40.4
40.5
41.5
41.5
41.8
41.3
41.8
41.9
40.7
41.5
42.1
41.5
42.3
42.6
Wood household fu r
n itu re, upholstered
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.34
1.35
1.36
1.36
1.36
1.37
1.36
1.36
1.36
1.36
1. 36
1. 37
1. 36
1.38
1. 39
$65.45
64.29
67.49
68.89
69.14
70.98
62.43
68.14
68.88
66.70
65.80
68.28
64. 46
70. 38
72.76
40.4
39.2
40.9
41.5
41.4
42.0
38.3
40.8
41.0
39.7
39.4
40.4
38.6
41.4
42.3
M attresses and bedsprings
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$1.62
1.64
1.65
1.66
1.67
1.69
1.63
1.67
1.68
1.68
1.67
1.69
1.67
1.70
1. 72
$66. 23
66.86
69.97
68.95
66.19
66.70
69.72
70.18
68.23
68.06
68.63
70.35
70.35
73.92
75.86
Furniture and fixtures—Continued
Wood office fu rn itu re
1953: Average-......... $61. 71
1954: Average........... 59.15
September___ 60.68
October_____ 60.49
November___ 58.20
December....... 60.90
1955: January_____ 60.05
February____ 60.49
M arch______ 61.20
A pril............... 60.40
M ay________ 62. 32
June________ 64. 57
July________
63.14
August______ 69.68
September___ 68. 53
40.6
39.7
41.0
40.6
38.8
40.6
40.3
40.6
40.8
40.0
41.0
42.2
41.0
44.1
43.1
M eta l office fu rn itu re
$1.52 $75.70
1.49 77.55
1.48 78.36
1.49 78.34
1.50 79.32
1.50 80. 70
1.49 80.90
1.49 82.64
1.50 81.83
1.51 80.90
1. 52 80.73
1.53 83.95
1. 54 84.02
1.58 84.15
1.59 85.24
40.7
40.6
40.6
40.8
41.1
41.6
41.7
42.6
42.4
41.7
41.4
42.4
41.8
42.5
42.2
Partitions, shelving,
lockers, and fixtures
$1.86 $73.85
1.91 75.01
1.93 77.39
1.92 75.84
1.93 76.99
1.94 76.78
1.94 75.79
1.94 78.38
1.93 78. 57
1. 94 77. 03
1. 95 77.42
1.98 82.57
2.01 79.60
1.98 85. 04
2. 02 83.83
40.8
39.9
40.1
39.5
40.1
40.2
40.1
40.4
40.5
39.5
39.7
41.7
40.2
42.1
41.5
1953: Average_____ $67. 68
1964: Average......... 68.97
September___ 70. 98
October_____
71.23
November___ 71.83
December___
70.22
1955: January.......... 69.70
February____ 70.38
M arch______
71.90
April________ 72.04
M ay................ 72. 66
June______
74.20
July................. 73. 57
August______ 75. 23
September___ 76.64
42.3
41.3
42.0
42.4
42.5
41.8
41.0
41.4
41.8
41.4
42.0
42.4
41.8
42.5
43.3
Paperboard boxes
$1.81 $62.31
1.88 64.43
1.93 65.00
1.92 65.41
1.92 64.78
1. 91 68.16
1.89 65.19
1.94 65.83
1.94 66.82
1.95 66.56
1.95 64. 58
1.98 66. 62
1.98 64. 62
2.02 66.30
2.02 65. 35
$1.60 $67.42
1.67 68.72
1.69 70.47
1.68 71.14
1.69 71.74
1.68 69.97
1.70 69.46
1.70 70.14
1.72 71. 65
1. 74 71.80
1.73 72. 41
1.75 73.78
1.76 73.33
1. 77 74.98
1. 77 76. 38
Periodicals
1953: Average........ . $86. 98
1954: Average........ . 88.70
September___ 89. 95
October_____ 89. 55
November___ 88.82
December___
87.12
1955: January........... 88. 76
February........ 90.68
March__ . . .
91. 77
A p ril.......... .
89.54
M ay________ 89. 54
June_______
91.96
July------------- 93.50
August______ 98.40
September___ 97.68
39.9
39.6
39.8
39.8
39.3
39.6
39.1
39.6
39.9
39.1
39.1
39.3
40.3
41.0
40.7
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
42.4
41.4
42.2
42.6
42.7
41.9
41.1
41.5
41.9
41.5
42.1
42.4
41.9
42.6
43.4
Books
$2.18 $73.84
2.2-1 76.24
2. 26 78.18
2.25 76. 82
2.26 77. 22
2.20 78.41
2.27 77.42
2.29 78.21
2.30 79.60
2.29 79. 80
2.29 80. 40
2.34 76.60
2.32 78.41
2.40 81.41
2.40 81.81
39.7
39.3
40.3
39.6
39.0
39.6
39.1
39.3
39.8
39.9
40.0
38.3
39.4
40.5
40.7
Fiber cans, tubes,
and d ru m s
$1.59 $71.65
1.66 73.02
1.67 74.48
1.67 74.80
1.68 72. 71
1.67 75.52
1.69 74.96
1.69 74.19
1. 71 74. 56
1.73 76.52
1.72 75.89
1.74 79.19
1. 75 78. 31
1.76 77.11
1.76 80.87
41.9
39.9
39.2
40.0
39.3
40.6
40.3
40.1
40.3
40.7
40.8
41.9
41.0
40.8
41.9
Commercial
printing
$1.86 $84.42
1.94 85.72
1.94 85.89
1.94 86.29
1.98 86.90
1.98 88.84
1.98 87.52
1.99 87. 96
2.00 89.65
2.00 88.13
2.01 88.70
2.00 90.00
1. 99 90.17
2. 01 90.23
2. 01 92.39
40.2
39.5
39.4
39.4
39.5
40.2
39.6
39.8
40.2
39.7
39.6
40.0
39.9
40.1
40.7
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.66 $71.06
1.68 71.10
1.69 72. 56
1.69 72.98
1.68 72.34
1.68 74.27
1.73 73. 46
1.72 74. 52
1.71 73. 92
1. 71 72.92
1.72 73.63
1.72 75. 65
1.72 73. 57
1.76 78.01
1.74 78. 32
41.8
41.1
41.7
41.7
41.1
42.2
41.5
42.1
42.0
41.2
41.6
42.5
41.1
43.1
42.8
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.70
1.73
1.74
1.75
1.76
1.76
1.77
1.77
1.76
1.77
1.77
1.78
1.79
1.81
1.83
Paper and allied products
Screens, blinds, and
miscellaneous fur
niture and fixtures
42.1
41.3
41.4
41.4
41.0
42.6
41.0
41.4
41.5
41.6
41.4
41.9
40.9
41.7
41.1
Total: Paper and
allied products
$1.48 $72.67
1.56 74.03
1.57 75.40
1.58 76.01
1.58 76.18
1.60 76.01
1.59 75.72
1.59 76.08
1.61 77. 04
1.60 76.93
1.56 77. 65
1. 59 78. 69
1.58 79.30
1.59 79. 92
1.59 81.10
Paper and allied products—Continued
Paperboard con
tainers and boxes 4
39.9
39.8
41.4
40.8
39.4
39.7
40.3
40.8
39.9
39.8
39.9
40.9
40.9
42.0
43.6
Office, public-build
ing, and p r o f e s
sional furniture4
43.0
42.3
42.6
42.7
42.8
42.7
42.3
42.5
42.8
42.5
42.9
43.0
43.1
43.2
43.6
Pulp, paper, and
paperboard mills
$1.69 $78. 76
1. 75 80.04
1.77 81.97
1.78 82.16
1.78 81.91
1.78 82.34
1.79 82.16
1.79 82. 34
1.80 83.16
1.81 83. 47
1. 81 83.60
1.83 85.11
1.84 86.78
1.85 87.02
1.86 87. 67
44.0
43.5
43.6
43.7
43.8
43.8
43.7
43.8
44.0
43.7
44.0
44.1
44.5
44.4
44.5
$1.79
1.84
1.88
1.88
1.87
1.88
1.88
1.88
1.89
1.91
1.90
1.93
1.95
1.96
1.97
Printing, publishing, and allied industries
Other paper and
allied products
$1.71 $65.31
1.83 66. 67
1.90 66.67
1.87 67.65
1.85 68.23
1.86 68,39
1.86 67.73
1.85 68.23
1.85 69.14
1. 88 68. 47
1.86 69. 38
1.89 69.80
1.91 69.97
1.89 70.14
1.93 71.23
41.6
40.9
40.9
41.0
41.1
41.2
40.8
41.1
41.4
41.0
41.3
41.3
41.4
41.5
41.9
$1.57 $85. 58
1.63 87.17
1.63 88.39
1.65 87.94
1.66 88. 55
1.66 90. 09
1.66 88.24
1.66 89.47
1.67 90.79
1.67 89. 71
1.68 90. 95
1.69 90. 95
1. 69 90. 95
1.69 91.42
1.70 93. 62
Lithographing
$2.10 $85. 26
2.17 87.20
2.18 89.98
2.19 88.00
2.20 88.00
2. 21 87.16
2. 21 86.58
2.21 88. 70
2.23 89.38
2. 22 87.19
2.24 90. 57
2.25 92.75
2. 26 94. 42
2.25 93.79
2. 27 95. 58
40.6
40.0
40.9
40.0
40.0
39.8
39.0
39.6
39.9
39.1
39.9
40.5
40.7
40.6
41.2
T o ta l: P r in tin g ,
publishing, and
allied industries
38.9
38.4
38.6
38.4
38.5
39.0
38.2
38.4
38.8
38.5
38.7
38.7
38.7
38.9
39.5
$2.20 $91.22
2. 27 92.98
2.29 94.68
2. 29 94.32
2.30 94.32
2.31 97. 52
2.31 91.52
2.33 93.01
2.34 94.15
2.33 95.67
2.35 97. 46
2.35 97.19
2.35 95. 76
2. 35 95.49
2. 37 99.19
Greeting cards
$2.10 $48.50
2.18 53.06
2.20 53.34
2.20 52.68
2.20 55. 91
2.19 54. 34
2.22 56.39
2.24 55.94
2. 24 58.14
2.23 57. 75
2.27 57.38
2.29 55.63
2.32 54.60
2.31 54.81
2. 32 57.81
37.6
37.9
38.1
37.9
39.1
38.0
38.1
37.8
38.0
38.5
38.0
38.1
37.4
37.8
38.8
Newspapers
36.2
35.9
36.0
36.0
36.0
36.8
35.2
35.5
35.8
36.1
36.5
36.4
36.0
35.9
36.6
$2. 52
2. 59
2.63
2.62
2.62
2. 65
2. 60
2.62
2.63
2.65
2. 67
2. 67
2. 66
2. 66
2. 71
Bookbinding and
related industries
$1.29 $66.30
1.40 67.82
1.40 67.47
1.39 68.38
1.43 68.95
1.43 69. 87
1.48 68.29
1.48 67. 79
1.53 69.70
1.50 69. 56
1.51 69.38
1.46 69.70
1.46 69.70
1.45 69.87
1.49 70. 05
39.7
39.2
39.0
39.3
39.4
39.7
38.8
38.3
39.6
39.3
39.2
39.6
39.6
39.7
39.8
$1.67
1.73
1.73
1.74
1.75
1. 76
1.76
1.77
1.76
1. 77
1.77
1.76
1.76
1.76
1.76
1525
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able C-l : Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
M anufacturing—Contlnued
Printing, publishing,
and allied indus
tries—Continued
Year and month
Miscellaneous pub
lishing and print
ing services
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average_____
1954: Average^.........
September___
October_____
November___
December.......
1955: January...........
February........
March______
April....... ........
M ay...... ........ .
June........ ........
July— ............
August______
September___
$104.15
104. 91
105.84
104.99
106.11
106.77
107.32
111. 35
111.76
108.11
107.59
107. 29
107.96
106.90
112. 07
39.6
39.0
39.2
38.6
39.3
39.4
39.6
40.2
40.2
39.6
39.7
39.3
39.4
39.3
40.9
40.6
40.7
42.0
40.8
41.1
40.7
40.8
41.0
41.1
42.9
41.4
41.6
41.5
42.0
41.7
$2.63 $75. 58
2.69 78.50
2.70 79. 52
2.72 78.69
2.70 79. 71
2. 71 79.90
2.71 79.73
2. 77 80.34
2.78 80.32
2.73 81.36
2. 71 81.77
2. 73 82.80
2.74 83. 22
2. 72 82.81
2.74 84. 25
$2.15
2.23
2.26
2.24
2.26
2.28
2.28
2.27
2.29
2.32
2.30
2.32
2.35
2.38
2. 40
Paints, pigments,
and fillers 4
1953: Average-------- $76.08
1954: Average........... 77.87
September___ 77.93
77.90
October_____
November___ 79.27
79.68
December___
1955: January-------- 78.72
February____ 79. 71
M arch______ 81. 71
April------------ 83.13
M ay________ 84.74
June......... ...... 87.20
July____ ____ 85.60
August______ 85.40
September___ 84.82
41.8
41.2
40.8
41.0
41.5
41.5
41.0
41.3
41.9
42.2
42.8
43.6
42.8
42.7
42.2
T o ta l: C hem icals
and allied prod
ucts
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
Synthetic rubber
1953: Average........... $87.29
1954: Average........... 90.76
September___ 94.92
91.39
October_____
November___ 92.89
92.80
December___
1955: January-------- 93.02
February____ 93.07
94.12
March______
April------------ 99.53
M ay________ 95.22
June________ 96.51
July................. 97. 53
August______ 99. 96
September___ 100. 08
Chemicals and allied products
41.3
41.1
41.2
41.2
41.3
41.4
41.1
41.2
41.4
41.3
41.3
41.4
41.2
41.2
41.5
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$1.83 $82.81
1.91 86.09
1.93 88.32
1.91 87.31
1.93 87.53
1.93 87.53
1.94 87.29
1.95 88.15
1.94 88.34
1.97 89.54
1.98 88.94
2.00 88.94
2.02 90.80
2.01 90.17
2.03 92. 25
Synthetic fibers
$69.87
72.98
75.52
72.40
73.12
73.31
72.76
74. 52
74.89
77.11
74.93
75.36
76. 57
74. 21
76.78
39.7
40.1
40.6
40.0
40.4
40.5
40.2
40.5
40.7
40.8
40.5
40.3
40.3
39.9
40.2
41.7
41.0
40.5
40.7
41.3
41.2
40.8
41.2
41.8
42.1
42.9
43.6
42.7
42.7
41.9
41.2
40,8
40.7
40.8
40.9
40.9
40.6
41.0
40.9
40.7
40.8
40.8
40.9
40.8
41.0
39.6
39.8
39.9
39.6
40.0
40.1
40.3
39.7
39.6
39.4
39.8
40.5
39.6
40.0
41.1
41.7
42.2
42.0
42.1
42.2
42.4
42.3
42.0
42.6
43.0
43.7
42.5
43.9
43.8
44.2
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
41.4
40.1
39.7
40.5
40.5
40.1
39.6
40.6
40.3
40.0
40.3
40.5
40.4
40.2
40.3
$1.89 $68. 71
1.96 72.16
1.97 72.34
1.97 73.34
1.98 72.80
1.97 73.39
2.00 73.21
2.00 74.93
2.00 73.62
2.00 73.12
2.02 73.16
2.03 74.34
2.03 74. 56
2.05 74. 56
2.04 76.07
40.9
41.0
41.1
41.2
40.9
41.0
40.9
41.4
40.9
40.4
40.2
40.4
40.3
40.3
40.9
1953: Average.......... $74. 29
1954: Average-------- 77.46
September___ 78.43
77.63
October.........
November___ 80.08
December....... 78.32
1955: January_____ 78.26
February........ 78.75
M arch............. 79. 55
April........ ...... 78.67
M ay________ 79. 55
June________ 81. 77
July------------- 80.96
82.06
August_____
82. 9C
September__
45.3 $1.64 $69.94
45.3
1.71 71.51
1.72 71.73
45.6
45.4
1.71 72. OS
1.76 72.54
45.5
1.71 73.4S
45.8
1.72 73.53
45.5
1.75 74.07
45.0
1. 76 74. 48
45.2
1.76 72.94
44.7
45.2
1. 76 73.67
74. 66
46.2
i. r
46. C 1.76 74.15
1.76 74. 3C
46.1
1.85 76. 04
45.2
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Miscellaneous
chemicals4
40.9
40.4
40.3
40.5
40.3
40.6
40.4
40.7
40.7
40.3
40.7
40.8
40.3
40.6
41.1
E ssential oils, p er
fu m e s, cosmetics
$1.71 $57.66
1.77 60.37
1.78 60.14
1.78 60. 76
1.80 60.76
1.81 62.09
1.82 61.60
1.82 63.50
1.83 63.50
1. 81 62.63
1.81 62.08
1.83 63.34
1.84 61.02
1.83 61.44
1.85 63. 5C
38.7
38.7
38.8
39.2
39.2
39.3
38.5
39.2
39.2
38.9
38.8
39.1
37.9
38.
39.2
Plastics, except s y n
thetic rubber
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
42.4
42.4
41.6
41.8
41.7
41.8
41.5
40.8
45.3
43.4
43.5
42.1
41.5
41.1
42.0
$1.90 $85.90
1.99 89.19
2.01 91.74
2.01 89.54
2.02 89. 98
2.03 91.91
2.04 91.02
2.04 91.46
2.02 78.59
2.08 94.81
2.07 91.71
2. 08 92.80
2.08 92.11
2.10 94. 76
2.13 96.88
Vegetable and animal
oils and fats4
Fertilizers
$1.54 $59.36
1.60 61.48
1.67 62.40
1.60 60.19
1.64 60.88
1.60 61.86
1.64 61.01
1.62 59.16
1.62 64.78
1.65 63.80
1.66 66.12
1.67 63. 57
1.66 63.50
1.67 62. 47
1.69 65.10
41.3
41.1
41.5
40.8
41.0
41.5
41.3
41.3
38.0
41.4
40.7
41.2
41.0
41.6
41.7
$1.68 $78.47
1.76 81.79
1.76 83.42
1.78 82.01
1.78 82. 82
1.79 84.25
1.79 84.25
1.81 84.25
1.80 76.76
1.81 86.11
1.82 84. 25
1.84 85.70
1.85 85.28
1.85 87. 36
1.86 88.82
$1.40
1.45
1.50
1.44
1.46
1.48
1.47
1.45
1.43
1.47
1.52
1. 51
1.53
1.52
1. 55
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
45.7
45.8
46.4
47.0
46.9
46.5
45.8
45.4
44.9
44.0
43.7
45.1
44.7
44.4
46.1
$64.89
68.24
67.74
67.68
69.41
68.36
68.24
69.46
69.60
69. 96
70.36
73.96
74.20
72.82
70.99
41.1
41.1
41.7
40.7
40.9
41.4
41.0
41.2
35.4
41.4
40.4
40.7
40.4
41.2
41.4
$2.09
2.17
2.20
2.20
2.20
2.22
2.22
2.22
2.22
2. 29
2.27
2. 28
2.28
2.30
2.34
Vegetable oils
$1.42 $59.67
1.49 63.16
1.46 62.38
1.44 63.10
1.48 64.74
1.47 63.32
1.49 62.88
1.53 63.84
1. 55 63. 62
1.59 63.95
1.61 63.47
1.64 68.07
1. 66 69. 05
1.64 66.10
1.54 63.84
45.9
46.1
46.9
47.8
47.6
46.9
45.9
45.6
44.8
43.5
42.6
44.2
43.7
43.2
46.6
$1.30
1.37
1.33
1.32
1.36
1.35
1 37
1.40
1. 42
1. 47
1.49
1.54
1.58
1.53
1.37
Products of petroleum and coal
Chemicals and allied products—Continued
A n im a l oils and fats
Industrial organic
chemicals 4
42.5 $1.95
40.7 $1.97 $82.88
$1.99 $80.18
41.9
2.00
2.05 83.80
40.6
2.09 83.23
42.2
2.02
2.08 85.24
40.9
2.15 85.07
2.03
42.3
2.06
85.
87
83.64
40.6
2.14
2.02
2.07 85.85
42.5
40.9
2.12 84.66
2.02
2.06 85.45
42.3
41.0
2.11 84.46
2.02
2.07 84.23
41.7
40.7
2.13 84.25
2.03
2.08
84.85
41.8
40.8
2.12 84.86
2.05
2.09 86. 92 42.4
41.0
2.12 85.69
42.4
2.05
86.
92
40.9
2.13
87.12
2.14
2.07
42.3
2.11 87. 56
2.15 86. 51 41.0
2.08
42.2
87.
78
41.1
2.13
2.14 87. 54
2.09
40.9
2.15 86. 53 41.4
2.18 87.94
2.08
42.0
2.13 87. 36
2.20 86.90: 40.8
2.16
42.5
41.1
2.18 91.80
2. 21 89. 60
Soap, cleaning and
Soap and glycerin
polishing prepara
Drugs and medicines
tions 4
$2.01 $82. 39
2.11 83.81
2.17 85.36
2.14 86.67
2.14 85.86
2.14 84.61
2.15 84.35
2.15 86.07
2.16 85. 44
2.20 85.60
2.18 86. 65
2.18 86.67
2. 22 88.07
2. 21 88.44
2. 25 89.06
Gum and wood
chemicals
$1.79 $64.22
1.86 67.52
1.87 70.14
1.87 67.36
1.88 69.21
1.89 67.84
1.89 69.37
1.89 68.04
1.91 69.01
1. 93 70. 95
1.95 72. 54
1.96 70.98
1.96 72. 87
1.97 73.15
1.97 74. 70
A lka lies and chlorine
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Explosives
$1.76 $74.84
1.82 78.01
1.86 78.60
1.81 78.01
1.81 79.20
1.81 79.00
1.81 80.60
1.84 79.40
1.84 79.20
1.89 78. 80
1.85 80. 40
1.87 82. 22
1.90 80.39
1.86 82. 00
1.91 83.84
P a in ts, varnishes,
lacquers, and enam els
$1.82 $74.64
1.89 76.26
1.91 75.74
1.90 76.11
1.91 77.64
1.92 77.87
1.92 77.11
1.93 77.87
1.95 79. 84
1.97 81.25
19.8 83.66
2.00 85.46
2.00 83.69
2.00 84.12
2. 01 82. 54
Industrial inorganic
chemicals4
Compressed and
liquefied gases
$1.49 $80.37
1.56 82.32
1.55 83.13
1.55 82.74
1.55 83.60
1.58 84.60
1.60 84.40
1.62 84.60
1.62 85.43
1.61 85.45
1.60 85.65
1.62 87.29
1.61 88. 7
1.6C 88. 54
1.62 89. 2C
42.3
42.0
42.2
42.0
41.8
42.3
42.2
42.3
42.5
42.3
42.4
43.0
43.5
43.4
43.3
Total: Products of
petroleum and coal
$1.90 $90.17
1.96 92.62
1.97 95.58
1.97 92. 57
2.00 93.66
2.00 92.57
2.00 93.02
2.00 91.25
2.01 93.61
2.02 95.94
2.02 97.70
2.03 97.23
2.04 99.53
2. 04 97. 58
2.0C1 100.19
40.8
40.8
41.2
40.6
40.9
40.6
40.8
40.2
40.7
41.0
41.4
41.2
41.3
41.
41.4
$2.21
2.27
2.32
2.28
2.29
2.28
2.28
2.27
2.30
2.34
2.36
2.36
2. 41
2.38
2. 42
Petroleum refining
$94.19
96.22
97.85
95.75
97.10
96.22
96.93
94.87
96.96
99.72
101. 27
100.28
102. 41
99. 79
102. 66
40.6 $2.32
2.37
40.6
2.41
40.6
2.37
40.4
2.38
40.8
2.37
40.6
2.37
40.9
2.36
40.2
2.40
40.4
2. 45
40.7
2.47
41.0
2. 47
40.6
2. 51
40.8
40.4
2.47
40.9 ! 2.51
1526
T able
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
C 1 : Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Products of petro
leum and CoalContinued
Coke, other petro
leum and coal
products
Year and month
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Averasre
$78.81
1954: Average........... 80.73
September___ 87. 67
October........__ 82.17
November___ 81.79
December___
79. 58
1955: January_____ 79.79
February____ 79. 00
March______
83.38
April_______
83.18
M ay________ 85. 63
June________ 88.13
July________
91.16
August______ 89.88
September___ 92.88
41.7
41.4
43.4
41.5
41.1
40.6
40.5
40.1
41.9
41.8
42.6
43.2
43.0
42.8
43.0
1953: Average_____ $68. 23
1954: Average_____ 69.17
September___ 68.32
October_____ 69.60
November___ 71.64
December___
72.18
1955: January_____ 71. 46
February____ 71.42
March.........
71.60
April_______
72.18
M ay________ 72. 54
June________ 72.58
July------------- 69.84
August____
71.86
September___ 72.98
39.9
39.3
38.6
39.1
39.8
40.1
39.7
39.9
40.0
40.1
40.3
40.1
38.8
39.7
40.1
Total: Rubber
products
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.89 $77.78
1. 95 78. 21
2.02 77.42
1.98 81.26
1.99 83.02
1.96 84. 85
1.97 83.84
1. 97 84. 25
1.99 83. 64
1.99 86.53
2. 01 87. 36
2.04 88.83
2.12 86.32
2.10 86. 32
2.16 87. 57
Leather: tanned,
curried, and finished
$1. 71
1. 76
1.77
1. 78
1.80
1.80
1.80
1. 79
1.79
1.80
1.80
1.81
1.80
1.81
1.82
40.3
39.7
39.3
40.4
41.
41.8
41.3
41.3
41.0
41.8
42.0
42.3
41.3
41.3
41.7
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.93
1.97
1.97
2.01
2. 02
2.03
2.03
2.04
2.04
2.07
2. 08
2.10
2.09
2.09
2.10
Industrial leather
belting and packing
$67.97
66.30
66.63
66. 53
68.68
69. 02
68. 06
67. 77
68. 80
72. 92
74. 87
72. 45
67. 82
70.00
70. 93
41.7
39.7
39.9
39.6
40.4
40.6
39.8
39.4
40.0
41.2
42.3
41.4
39.2
40.0
40.3
Tires and inner
tubes
$88.31
87.85
86.18
90.39
94. 54
98.18
97.41
96. 46
95. 51
102.18
101.88
105. 60
103.33
102. 72
103. 39
39.6
38.7
38.3
39.3
40.4
41.6
41.1
40.7
40.3
42.4
42.1
43.1
42.7
42.1
42.2
$2.23 $65. 6C
2.27 67.43
2.25 66.08
2.30 71.34
2.34 71. 51
2.36 71. 69
2. 37 68. 97
2. 37 69. 72
2.37 69. 72
2.41 70. 82
2. 42 70. 07
2. 45 71.34
2.42 70. 99
2. 44 67. 25
2. 45 67. 60
Boot and shoe cut
stock and findings
$1.63 $50.16
1.67 49. 71
1. 67 49. 68
1.68 47.66
1. 70 50. 05
1. 70 52. 52
1.71 52.39
1.72 52. 52
1.72 51.44
1. 77 49.64
1.77 50.14
1. 75 51.82
1.73 51.99
1. 75 52.11
1. 76 51.14
38.0
37.1
36.8
35.3
36.8
38.9
39.1
38.9
38.1
36.5
36.6
38.1
38.8
38.6
37.6
$1. 32
1.34
1. 35
1. 35
1. 36
1.35
1.34
1.35
1.35
1.36
1. 37
1.36
1.34
1. 35
1.36
1953: Average_____ $44.04
1954: Average......... . 44.64
September___ 45.14
October.......... 45. 38
November___ 46.50
December___
45.00
1955: January_____ 45.38
February____ 46.00
March...........
45. 63
April............. . 42. 68
M ay________ 45.38
June________ 46.13
July________
45.13
August______ 46.50
September___ 45. 63
36.4
36.0
36.7
36.6
37.5
36.0
36.6
37.1
36.5
34.7
36.3
36.9
36.1
37.5
36.8
1953: Average____ $60.01
1954: Average......... . 70.75
September___ 62.47
O cto b er____
63. 72
November___ 63. 57
December___
64.30
1955: January____
61.56
February___
60.74
March______ 62.06
April_______
62.22
M ay________ 64.53
June________ 63.83
July............... . 63. 60
August____ _ 66. 72
September___ 67.14
41.1
40.5
41.1
42.2
42.1
42.3
40. 5
39.7
40.3
40.4
41.1
40.4
40.0
41.7
41.7
See footnotesnt end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$49.10
48.15
46. 68
45. 62
47. 39
49.10
49.88
51. 59
51.05
48.24
48. 24
50. 63
49. 74
50. 67
49. 01
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
40.0 $1. 64 $70.93
41. C
39.9
1.69 71.91
40.4
39.1
1.69 72.36
40.2
41.0
1.74 74.98
41.2
41.1
1. 74 75.71
41.6
41.2
1. 74 76.44
42.0
40.1
1. 72 76.08
41.8
40.3
1.73 76. 86
42.0
40.3
1.73 76.49
41.8
40.7
1.74 76.54 1 41.6 1
40.5
1.73 78. 68 ! 42.3
41.0
1.74 77. 93
41.9 !
40.8
1.74 74. 37
40.2
39.1 ! 1.72 75.85
41.0
39.3
1. 72 78.58
41.8
Footwear (except
rubber)
37.2
36.2
35.1
34.3
35.9
37.2
37.5
38.5
38.1
36.0
36.0
37.5
37.4
38.1
36.3
$1.32
1. 33
1.33
1. 33
1. 32
1. 32
1.33
1.34
1.34
1.34
1.34
1.35
1. 33
1. 33
1. 35
$1.73 $51. 65
1.78 50. 92
1.80 49. 96
1. 82 49. 62
1.82 51. 43
1.82 52.16
1.82 52. 68
1.83 53.93
1.83 53. 52
1.84 51.24
1.86 51. 75
1.86 53. 44
1.85 52. 40
1.85 53. 24 !
1.88 52. 45
39.1
37.7
38.8
40.0
39.2
36.2
37.0
40.7
40.0
39.8
39.0
38.4
38.0
37.9
39.8
37.7
36.9
36.2
35.7
37.0
37.8
37.9
38.8
38.5
36.6
36.7
37.9
37.7
38.3
37.2
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.37
1. 38
1.38
1.39
1.39
1.38
1. 39
1. 39
1.39
1.40
1.41
1. 41
1. 39
1.39
1.41
Handbags and small
leather goods
Luggage
$57. 09
56.93
59.36
61.20
59. 58
54. 66
55. 50
62.68
61.60
60.50
58.11
56.83
56. 62
56. 47
62. 09
Total: Leather and
leather products
$1. 46 $46.99
1.51 48.00
1.53 48.09
1.53 48. 63
1. 52 50. 02
1. 51 49. 88
1. 50 47.85
1. 54 48.83
1.54 49.88
1.52 44.10
1.49 45. 09
1.48 47. 63
1.49 48. 01
1.49 47.88
1.56 49.28
38.2
38.4
39. 1
38.9
39.7
39.9
38.9
39.7
39.9
35.0
35.5
37. 5
38.1
38.0
38.2
$1. 23
1. 25
1.23
1. 25
1.26
1. 25
1.23
1. 23
1.25
1.26
1.27
1.27
1.26
1.26
1.29
Stone, clay, and glass products
Total: Stone, clay,
and glass products
$1.21 $70.35
1.24 71.86
1.23 72.85
1.24 73.34
1.24 74. 57
1.25 73.98
1. 24 73. 49
1.24 73.49
1.25 74. 75
1.23 75.17
1.25 76.91
1.25 77. 52
1. 25 77. 23
1.24 77. 93
1.24 78. 77
Glass products made
of pin-chased glass
Other rubber
products*
Rubber footwear
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Leather and leather
products—Continued
Gloves and miscella
neous leather goods
Leather and leather
products
Rubber products
40.9
40.6
40.7
41.2
41.2
41.1
40.6
40.6
41.3
41.3
41.8
41.9
41.3
41.9
41.9
$1. 72
1.77
1. 79
1.78
1.81
1.80
1.81
1.81
1.81
1.82
1.84
1.85
1.87
1.86
1.88
Cement, hydraulic
$1.46 $73.39
1.50 75. 71
1.52 80.22
1. 51 76.91
1.51 76.13
1.52 75.53
1.52 76. 59
1.53 75. 95
1.54 75. 95
1.54 76. 78
1. 57 78. 06
1.58 80.48
1.59 81.93
1.60 79.49
1.61 82. 54
41.7
41.6
42.0
41.8
41.6
41.5
41.4
41.5
41.5
41. 5
41.3
41.7
41.8
41.4
41.9
Glass and glassware,
pressed or blown *
Flat glass
$97.34
100.61
100. 44
102.12
111.11
109.04
114.04
110.34
111.02
110. 08
115. 62
111.94
111. 10
112.83
113. 67
40.9
40.9
40.5
42.2
42.9
43.1
44.2
43.1
43.2
43.0
44.3
42.4
41.3
42.1
42.1
$2.38 $67.89
2.46 70.77
2.48 71.53
2.42 72.25
2. 59 72.91
2.53 73.08
2.58 72.31
2. 56 72. 47
2.57 74. 21
2.56 74. 05
2.61 74. 05
2.64 75. 36
2.69 73. 91
2.68 75.17
2.70 75.60
Structural clay
products 1
$1.76 $64. 06
1.82 66.26
1.91 67.49
1.84 67. 40
1.83 67.65
1.82 67.57
1.85 66.26
1.83 66.09
1. 83 68. 39
1.85 67. 89
1.89 70. 22
1.93 71. 15
1.96 70. 30
1.92 70.89
1.97 71. 55
40.8
40.9
40.9
41.1
41.0
41.2
40.4
40.3
41.2
40.9
41.8
42.1
41.6
41.7
41.6
$1.57
1.62
1.65
1.64
1.65
1.64
1.64
1.64
1.66
1.66
1.68
1.69
1. 69:
1.70!
1. 72
39.7
39.1
39.3
39.7
39.2
39.5
39.3
39.6
39.9
39.6
39.6
40.3
38.9
40.2
40.0
$1.71 $69.60
1.81 72.47
1.82 71.41
1.82 73.63
1.86 73.63
1.85 73.84
1.84 72. 71
1.83 74. 21
1.86 76.40
1.87 76.61
1.87 76. 97
1.87 77. 55
1.90 76. 21
1.87 77.16
1.89 76. 02
B rick and hollow tile
$61.77
64.63
65.76
65.79
66.19
65.79
63. 54
63. 54
66. 77
66.30
69.17
69. 92
69. 76
69. 32
70. 79
42.6
42.8
42.7
43.0
42.7
43.0
41.8
41.8
42. 8
42.5
43.5
43.7
43.6
43.6
43.7
Glass containers
40.0
39.6
38.6
39.8
39.8
39.7
39.3
39.9
40.0
39.9
40.3
40.6
39.9
40.4
39.8
$1.74 $65.46
1.83 63.15
1.85 71.96
1.85 70.31
1.85 72.19
1.86 71. 92
1.85 71.92
1.86 70. 74
1.91 71.46
1.92 70.38
1.91 69. 87
1.91 72.44
1.91 70.12
1.91 72. 04
1.91 75.17
Floor and w all tile
$1.45 $67.47
1.51 68.17
1.54 69.08
1.53 68.28
1.55 67.26
1.53 68. 74
1.52 68.80
1.52 67.42
1. 56 67. 55
1.56 64. 73
1. 59 70. 24
1.60 71.10
1.60 70. 41
1.59 69. 43
1. 62 68.40
40.4
40.1
40.4
40.4
39.8
40.2
40.0
39.2
39.5
38.3
40.6
41.1
40.7
40.6
40.0
Pressed and blown
glass
39.2
38.5
40.2
39.5
38.4
39.3
39.3
39.3
39.7
39.1
38.6
39.8
37.3
39.8
40.2
$1.67
1.77
1.79
1.78
1.88
1.83
1.83
1.80
1.80
1.80
1.81
1.82
1.88
1.81
1.87
Sewer p ip e
$1.67 $64. 56
1.70 66.99
1.71 68.45
1.69 69.19
1.69 68.95
1.71 66.23
1.72 64.52
1.72 64.02
1.71 68.54
1.69 68.17
1.73 69. 43
1. 73 72. 49
1.73 69. 66
1.71 71. 51
1. 71 71.98
1
40.1
40.6
40.5
40.7
40.8
39.9
39.1
38.8
40.8
40.1
40.6
41.9
40.5
41.1
40.9
$1.61
1.65
1.69
1, 70
1. 69
1. 66
1.65
1.65
1.68
1.70
1.71
1. 73
1.72
1.74
1.76
1527
0 : EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able C -l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1 Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Stone, clay, and glass products—Continued
Year and month
Clay refractories
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average........... $66.47
1954: Average........... 67.16
September___ 69.33
October.......... 68.63
November----- 70.13
72.00
December___
1955: January_____ 71.62
February........ 72. 37
73.32
M arch______
April________ 73.32
M ay________ 73.88
June________ 73. 33
Ju ly ................ 72.96
A u g u st_____ 76.02
September___ 76.98
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
40.6
38.8
37.9
39.1
40.0
41.3
40.9
41.4
41.6
41.8
41.7
42.0
38.7
41.1
41.3
41.0
40.1
40.6
40.4
40.4
40.6
40.9
41.7
41.4
41.8
41.2
41.5
41.4
41.2
41.
$80.41
76. 61
74.69
76.43
77. 6C
77.9"
79.3"
78.13
78.5'
78. It
79. 9’
80.1*
80. 6(
75.9
85.4'
42.1
39.9
38.3
39.
40.
40.
40.'
40.:
40.
40.
40.
40..
39.'
37.
41.
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
40.6
38.9
38.8
39.2
39.4
40.2
40.4
41.4
41.5
42.0
42.8
42.0
41.3
41.5
42.3
$1.88
1. 91
1.91
1.93
1.93
1.94
1. 95
1.97
1. 98
2.00
2.01
2.00
2.02
2.02
2. 06
P rim a ry refining of
a lu m in u m
$1.91 $81.81
1.92 85.05
1. 95 85.01
1.9? 86. 4C
1.91 86.9C
1.9? 86.4
1.9. 86.21
1.94 86. o:
1.9' 86.21
1.9' 86.4?
1.9Í 87. 2
1.95 86.6,
2.0‘ 87.4
89.4
2.0
2.0
92. 0(
40.5
40.5
40.1
40.4
40.
40.4
40.
40.
40.:
40.:
40.'
40.:
40.:
40.
40..
36.3
310
34.7
36.0
37.4
37.2
37.3
36.4
38.5
37.6
36.2
38.0
38.8
38.7
39.2
Concrete products
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$1.66 $71. 56
1.68 71. 88
1. 70 72.86
1. 71 74.09
1.71 72. 27
1.70 70. 58
1.69 68.69
1.70 68.85
1.71 72. 49
1. 72 73. 76
1.75 77. 62
1.76 78. 59
1.78 78.88
1. 77 78.20
1.78 79. 34
N onclay refractories
42.7 $1. 79 $71.51
1. 87 67.66
41.4
1.89 68. 71
42.1
1.90 72.00
41.4
1.90 75. 55
41.6
1.90 75.89
42.1
1. 91 76.09
42.4
1.90 74.98
42.4
1.91 77. 77
43.1
1.96 76.33
43.7
1.96 73.49
43.9
44. 5 1.96 79. 04
1.97 81.48
43.9
1.97 84. 37
43.2
1.98 92. 51
43.9
Iron and steel
foundries 4
$1.96 $76.33
1. 99 74.30
2.04 74.11
2.03 75.66
2.04 76.04
2. 03 77. 99
2.04 78. 78
2.07 81. 56
2.05 82.17
2.07 84.00
2.09 86.03
2.09 84.00
2.13 83.43
2.13 83.83
2.15 87.14
P rim ary sm elting and
refining of copper,
lead, and zinc
1953: Average------1954: Average..........
September___
October____
N ovem ber...
December__
1955: January____
February.......
March_____
April—....... .
M a y ..........
June_______
J u ly ..............
August-------September__ J
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Asbestos products
$1.97 $76. 43
1.97 77.42
1.98 79. 57
2.00 78. 66
2.01 79.04
2.03 79. 99
2. 03 80.98
2. 04 80. 56
2.03 82.32
2.07 85.65
2.08 86.04
2.10 87. 22
2.08 86.48
2.09 85.10
2.14 86. 92
Electrometallurgical
products
1953: Average-------- $80.36
1954: Average........... 79. 80
September___ 82.82
October_____ 82.01
November___ 82.42
82.42
December___
83. 44
1955: January____
February........ 86. 32
M arch______ 84.87
86.53
April_______
M ay________ 86.11
June________ 86.74
July— ............ 88.18
August______ 87. 76
September___ 88. 37
Concrete, gypsum,
and plaster prod
ucts 4
43.9
37.6 $1.65 $72.87
38.2 $1. 74 $62.04
1.69 73. 92 44.0
36.5
36.9
1. 82 61.69
1.70 75. 82 44.6
35.8
1.91 60.86
36.3
44.6
1.70 76.27
37.8
36.9
1. 86 64.26
44.0
1.70 75.24
38.3
1.87 65.11
37.5
43.6
1. 71 74.12
36.9
38.5
1. 87 63.10
1.73 72. 50 42.9
35.3
38.3
1. 87 61.07
1. 72 72. 59 42.7
36.3
38.7
1. 87 62.44
1.73 75. 41 44.1
37.4
39.0
1. 88 64.70
44.5
1. 74 76.54
36.8
1.88 64.03
39.0
45.6
1.75 79.80
36.9
39.3
1.88 64.58
45.8
1.77 80.61
1.89 64. 61 36.5
38.8
81.35
45.7
35.5
1.77
1.92 62.84
38.0
45.6
1.77 80. 71
38.2
1.99 67. 26
38.0
45.9
1.77 81.70
37.7
38.3
2. 01 66. 73
Stone, clay, and glass products—Continued
Abrasive products
1953: Average-------- $79.98
1954: Average........... 76.44
September___ 75. 04
O ctober.......... 78.20
November----- 80. 40
83. 84
December___
1955: January.......... 83.03
February........ 84. 46
M arch______
84.45
86. 53
April_______
M ay________ 86.74
June________ 88.20
Ju ly------------- 80.50
85.90
August_____
September---- 88 '38
Pottery and related
products
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
40.9
38.7
38.5
38.9
39.5
40.0
40.4
40.6
40.9
41.2
41.6
41.5
40.6
40.5
41.9
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Blast furnaces, steel
works, and rolling
mills 4
$2.06 $87.48
2.09 83.38
2.14 84.90
2.13 84.45
2.14 87.30
2.14 87.98
2.16 90.12
2.15 89. 95
2.16 91.25
2.17 92.34
2.18 93. 66
2.20 95.12
2. 28 98.65
2. 27 96.96
2. 33 103. 75
M alleable-iron
foundries
40.5
37.9
37.4
37.7
38.8
39.1
39.7
39.8
40.2
40.5
40.9
41.0
40.1
39.9
41.5
$2.16
2. 20
2.27
2. 24
2. 25
2.25
2.27
2.26
2. 27
2.28
2.29
2. 32
2. 46
2.43
2. 50
Steel foundries
40.6 $1.97
40.5 $1.90 $79.98
$74. 89 40.7 $1. 84 $76.95
1.99
38.1
1.92 75.82
38.5
1. 88 73.92
73. 70 39.2
1.99
38.0
1.94 75.62
38.2
1.88 74.11
73. 51 39.1
2.00
38.0
76.00
1.94
39.7
1.90 77.02
75.05 39.5
2.00
37.8
1.96 75.60
40.1
1.91 78.60
76.02 39.8
2.02
38.8
78.38
1.95
40.6
1.92 79.17
40.5
77.76
2.02
39.5
1.97 79.79
1.93 79. 79 40.5
40.6
78.36
2.05
40.7
83.44
1.98
41.8
41.6
1.95 82. 76
81.12
2.06
41.0
1.98 84.46
41.9
1. 96 82.96
41.6
81.54
2. 07
41.1
85.08
2.00
42.3
84.60
1.98
83. 56 42.2
2.08
41.7
2.02 86.74
1.99 87. 47 43.3
85. 77 43.1
2.10
41.7
87.
57
2.00
42.6
85.20
1.97
82. 74 42.0
2.07
41.0
1.98 84.87
40.6
41.5
2.01 80.39
83.42
2.11
42.0
88.
62
1.99
41.0
81.59
1.99
82.59
41.5
2.17
42.1
2.03 91.36
41.6
2.02 84.45
42.5
85. 85
Secondary smelting Bolling, drawing, and Rolling, drawing, and
alloying of nonfer
a n d refining of
alloying of copper
rous m etals4
nonferrous metals
$2.02 $73.63
2.10 74.80
2.12 75.95
2.14 77.15
2.13 77. 5f
2.14 78.31
2.14 77.70
2.14 79. 50
2.1' 79.95
2.15 81.51
2. If 78.2
2.1, 79. 7'
2 .r 79. 5'
82.7
2.2
86.3
2.2
41.6
41.1
41.3
41.7
41.7
42.1
41.6
42.3
42.:
42.'
41.
42.1
42.1
42.
43. i
$1. 77
1.82
1. 84
1.85
1.86
1.86
1.87
1. 88
1. 8C
1.9C
1. 88
1.8'
1.8Í
l. 9e
1.95
$82.29
80.80
83.23
83.03
85.49
85.69
87.35
86. 94
87.95
87.15
89.6'
89. 85
85.0,
84.8'
92.2
42.2
40.4
41.0
40.7
41.7
41.
42.2
42.
42.£
41.9
42.'
42.5
40.,
40.'
42.'
Miscel aneous nonmineral
meta llic
prod ic ts 4
41.5 $1. 54 $74.07
$1.63 $63.91
1.57 73.66
41.1
1.63 64.53
1. 59 74.64
41.1
1.63 65.35
1. 58 75.58
41.8
1.65 66.04
1. 58 76.33
42.0
1.65 66.36
1.60 77.30
41.6
1.63 66. 56
1. 57 78.09
40.9
1.62 64. 21
1.58 78.09
40.3
1.62 63.67
1.59 77. 87
41.3
1.64 65.67
1.61 80.87
41.1
1.65 66.17
1.59 80.45
1.68 67. 73 42.6
1.60 81.87
1.69 68. 32 42.7
1.61 79.15
43.0
1.70 69.23
1.61 81.93
1.70 69. 39 43.1
1.63 83.80
43.0
1.71 70.09
Primary metal industries
Total: Primary
metal industries
$1.97 $84.25
1.99 80.88
1. 98 82. 39
2.00 82. 86
2.02 84.53
2.04 85.60
2.04 87.26
2.06 87.29
2. 02 88.34
2.03 89. 40
2. 03 90.69
2.08 91.30
2.10 92. 57
2.18 91. 94
2. 36 97. 63
Gray-iron foundries
43.9
44.1
44.7
44.9
43.8
43.3
42.4
42.5
44.2
44.7
46.2
46.5
46.4
46.0
46.4
Cut-stone and stone
products
$1. 95 $85.37
2.00 81. 2C
2.03 84. 46
2.04 83.64
2.05 88. 4C
2.05 87. 56
2.07 89.0?
2.07 89.45
2.05 91. 7t
2.05 90. 9'
2.1C 93.9Í
2.1( 94. 7'
2.1C 86.9Í
2.1C 83.6
2.15 96.1
42.9
40.2
41.4
40.6
42.5
42.3
42.6
42.5
43.5
43.1
44.1
44.,
41.
40.
43.'
40.7
39.6
39.7
40.2
40.6
40.9
41.1
41.1
41.2
41.9
41.9
42.2
40.8
41.8
41.9
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.82
1. 86
1.88
1. 88
1.88
1.89
1.90
1.90
1.89
1.93
1.92
1.94
1.94
1.96
2.00
B last furnace , steelworks, and rolling
m ills, except electrometallurgical products
40.5 $2.16
$87. 48
2.20
37.8
83.16
2.27
37.4
84.90
2.24
84. 45 37.7
2. 25
38.8
87.30
2. 25
39.1
87.98
2. 27
39.7
90.12
2.26
39.8
89.95
2. 27
40.2
91. 25
2.28
40.5
92.34
2. 29
40.9
93.66
2. 32
95. 12 41.0
2. 47
40.1
99.05
2.44
39.9
97.36
2. 51
41.5
104.17
Primary smelt ing and
refining of nonferrous metals 4
$80.93
80.00
79.59
80.40
80.60
81.00
81.61
81.20
81.41
81. 61
82. 62
82. 62
84.65
81. 48
88.15
41.5
40.2
39.4
40.0
40.3
40.5
40.6
40.4
40.5
40.6
40.7
40.5
40.5
38.8
41.0
$1.95
1.99
2.02
2.01
2.00
2.00
2.01
2.01
2.01
2.01
2.03
2.04
2.09
2.10
2.15
Rolling, drawing, and
alloying of a lu m in u m
$1.99 $77. 74
2.02 79.79
2.04 82.22
2.06 81.61
2.08 81.81
2.07 82. 82
2.09 85.07
2.09 84. Of
2.11 83. 64
2.11 82.8:
2. i: 84.4(
2. i; 84. 2.
83.15
2. 1:
2.05 84.8(
2.1C 88.9
40.7 $1. 91
1.98
40.3
2.03
40.5
2.02
40.4
2.02
40.5
2.03
40.8
2.04
41.7
2.04
41.2
2.04
41.
2.04
40.
41. C 2.06
2.06
40.
2.09
39.5
2.12
40.
2.19
40.
1528
T able
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
C 1 : Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
F a b r ic a te d m etal
products (except
ordnance, machin
ery, and transpor
tation equipment)
Primary metal Industries—Continued
Year and month
Nonferrous foundries
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average___ - $80.97
1954: Average___ - 80.6C
September. - 80.3£
October___ - 84.2£
November. - 84.8£
December.. - 84.6C
1955: January___ . 84. o:
February... - 84.45
March____ . 85.28
April..........
83.8<
M ay_____ - 85.07
June_____ - 84.03
July--------82. 81
August___ - 84. o;
September..
87. 77
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
41.1 $1.97 $87. 5'
39. £ 2.02 84.7l
39.1
2 . o;
85. 7£
40. £ 2 . oe 86.18
40. £ 2.0£ 86.8C
40. £ 2.07 90. 4£
40.4
2.08 91.94
40.
2. 08 92. 57
41. C 2. 08 94.11
2. 07 95.85
40.5
40.9
2.08 96.53
40. 4 2.08 96. 50
40.2
2.06 93.98
40.4
2.08 95. 72
41.4
2.12 99.76
Tin cans and other
tinware
1953: Average___
1954: Average___
September..
October___
November..
December...
1955: January.......
F ebruary.. .
March____
April______
M ay______
June.........
July______
August____
Septem ber..
$75.71
80. 93
81.34
80.0C
79.20
83.21
81. OC
81.00
80.60
82.01
84.23
87. 31
89.59
90.23
86. 72
41.6
41.3
41.5
40.2
39.8
41.4
40.3
40.3
40.3
40.8
41.7
42.8
43.7
43.8
42.3
1953: Average___
1954: Average___
September.
October___
November.
December..
1955: January___
F ebruary..
March____
April_____
M ay_____
June_____
July............
August___
September.
$75.64
77.42
76.44
79.59
81.39
81.00
80.40
80.00
80.80
80.60
81.40
81. 61
77.62
79.60
84. 46
41.
39.
39.7
39. £
40.
41.3
41.
41.7
42.2
42.6
42.9
42.7
41.4
41.8
43.0
41.6
40.3
40.6
40.7
40.9
41.6
41.7
41.9
41.6
40.4
41.2
40.0
40.6
41.1
41.1
Iron and steel forg
ings
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$2.11
2.14
2.1C
2.16
2.17
2.19
2. 21
2. 22
2.23
2.25
2. 25
2. 26
2.27
2. 29
2. 32
Cutlery, handtools,
and hardw are4
$1.82 $74.05
1.96 74.15
1.96 75.11
1.99 75.70
1.99 76.48
2.01 78.62
2.01 79.23
2.01 80.03
2.00 79.46
2.01 75. 95
2.02 78.69
2.04 74.80
2.05 77.95
2. 06 79. 32
2.05 79. 73
Sanitary ware and
plu m b ers’ supplies
1953: Average___
1954: Average___
September.
October___
November .
December..
1955: January___
F ebruary..
March____
April_____
M ay...........
June_____
July--------August___
September.
Miscellaneous pri
mary metal indus
tries 4
$91.12
86. 75
85.79
87.46
88. 76
91.88
94.25
96.00
98.70
101. 20
100.91
101.81
97.23
100. 38
104. 37
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$2.18
2.23
2. 24
2. 26
2.27
2.28
2.31
2.3c
2. 35
2. 37
2.38
2. 39
2.36
2.39
2. 45
41.3
40.0
40.3
40.6
41.4
41.2
40.4
40.0
40.4
40.3
41.0
41.6
40.5
40.7
41.6
O T See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$1.91 $78.81
1.94 80.57
1.95 80. 78
1.95 82.98
1.95 85.02
1.97 85.43
1.95 85.87
1.96 85.87
1.97 86.07
1.97 84.44
1.99 86.50
2.00 82.82
2.03 86. 74
2.05 85.28
2. 07 85.08
41.7
40.9
40.8
41.7
42.3
42.5
42.3
42.3
42.4
41.8
42.4
41.0
41.7
41.6
41. 5
$1.89
1.97
1.98
1.99
2.01
2.01
2.03
2.03
2.03
2.02
2.04
2. 02
2.08
2. 05
2. 05!
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
$2.07 $84.45
2.F 84.40
2.14 86.03
2.13 85.22
2. 14 82.89
2.16 87.53
2.17 89.60
2.18 87.31
2.19 88. 48
2.20 90.27
2. 21 91.12
2. 21 88.34
2.24 86.94
2.24 89. 33
2. 26 93. 34
41.5
39.6
39.6
39.3
39.9
40.1
40.5
40.4
40.4
40.0
40.4
40.7
39.8
40.3
41.4
$59.06
61.18
61.24
63.18
63.34
63.43
64.31
62.95
64.88
61.18
61.85
62. 86
66.58
68.80
70.14
38.6
38.0
37.8
39.0
39.1
39.4
39.7
39.1
40.3
38.0
38.9
38.8
41.1
41.2
41.5
$81.27
80.45
79.30
79.90
80.10
79.52
77.38
77.20
77.97
79.15
80. 54
82. 74
85.46
85.68
87.76
43.0
41.9
41.3
41.4
41.5
41.2
40.3
40.0
40.4
40.8
41.3
42.0
42.1
42.0
42.6
$1.80
1.85
1. 85
1.86
1.86
1.86
1.86
1.87
1.88
1.88
1.89
1. 89
1.89
1.91
1.97
42.0
41.1
41.1
41.9
42.5
42.6
42.8
42.7
42.8
42.2
42.8
41.1
42.3
42.0
41.5
$75.89
77.52
78.50
79.30
79. 52
83.10
83.92
85. 77
83.95
78. 36
81.95
74. 87
82.41
84. 03
81. 60
$2.08 $77.15
2.11 77.33
2.14 77.74
2.12 78.53
2.12 79. 52
2.14 80.70
2.18 80.15
2.14 80.34
2.13 80.73
2.17 80.34
2.18 81.54
2.16 80. 95
2.19 81.99
2. 25 82.78
2. 26 83.40
41.7
40.8
41.1
41.3
41.2
42.4
42.6
43.1
42.4
40.6
41.6
39.2
41.0
41.6
40.8
41.5
40.4
40.5
40.5
40.3
41.7
40.1
40.3
41.1
41.1
41.4
42.2
40.6
40.9
40.9
$1.82
1.90
1. 91
1.92
1.93
1.96
1.97
1.99
1.98
1.93
1.97
1. 91
2.01
2.02
2.00
40.5
40.1
40.4
40.9
41.5
41.5
40.7
40.9
40.5
40.1
40.6
40.0
39.3
40.9
41.1
$73.57
74. 24
75.20
76.92
75.79
76.78
75.06
76.02
76. 78
76.40
77.38
77. 57
74.84
77.97
81.56
$1.85
1.90
1.91
1.92
1.93
1.94
1.95
1.95
1.95
1.95
1.96
1.96
1.99
1.99
2.00
$1.79
1.83
1.79
1.87
1.92
1.94
1.94
1.92
1.90
1.89
1.90
1. 90:
40.2
39.7
40.0
40.7
40.1
40.2
39.3
39.8
40.2
40.0
40.3
40.4
39.6
40.4
41.4
$1.83
1.87
1.88
1.89
1.89
1.91
1.91
1.91
1.91
1.91
1.92
1.92
1.89
1.93
1.97
Boiler-shop products
$1.89 $80.94
1.94 79.35
1.97 79.15
1.98 78.39
1.98 79.17
2.00 79. 77
1.98 79.59
1.97 78.20
1.98 78.20
2.00 79.98
2. 00 81.18
2.00 81. 79
2.04 77.97
2. 03 82. 41
2.05 83. 43
Lighting fixtures
$1.95 $72.50
2.02 73.38
2.04 72.32
2.05 76.48
2.07 79.68
2.07 80.51
2.09 78.96
2.09 78.53
2.09 76.95
2.08 75. 79
2.10 77.14
2.08 76.00
2.15 73.88
2.12 78. 53
2.11 78. 50
41.7
40.7
40.7
40.9
41.2
41.6
41.1
41.2
41.4
41.2
41.6
41.3
41.2
41.6
41.7
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
Heating a p p a r a t u s
(except electric) and
plumbers’ supplies1
M eta l doors, sash,
fra m es,
m olding,
and trim
$1.89 $78.44
1.92 78.38
1.92 79. 79
1.93 80.19
1.93 79. 79
1.93 83.40
1.92 79.40
1. 93 79.39
1.93 81.38
1. 94 82.20
1.95 82.80
1.97 84.40
2.03 82.82
2. 04 83. 03
2. 06 83. 85
S ta m p ed and pressed
m etal products
$1.53 $81. 90
1.61 83.02
1.62 83.84
1.62 85.90
1.62 87.98
1.61 88.18
1.62 89.45
1.61 89.24
1.61 89. 45
1. 61 87.78
1.59 89.88
1. 62 85. 49
1.62 90.95
1.67 89.04
1.69 87. 57
40.6
40.0
40.2
40.2
39.1
40.9
41.1
40.8
40.6
41.6
41.8
40.9
39.7
39.7
41.3
Total: Fabricated
metal products
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn
ings
ings hours
Hardw are
Fabricated structural S tru ctu ra l steel and
ornam ental metal
metal products 4
work
39.6
39.7
39.2
40.4
40.9
40.5
40.2
40.0
40.2
40.3
40.7
40.4
39.6
39.6
41. 0
42.0
40.6
40.6
40.4
40.1
40.9
40.1
40.4
41.1
40.7
42.1
42.6
42.8
42.1
42.1
41.0
40.1
40.7
41.0
41.0
42.2
42.1
42. E
42.0
42.7
43.4
43.5
42.0
42. E
43.5
W elded and heavyriveted p ip e
Handtools
$1.63 $74. 70
1.66 73.26
1.66 73. 26
1.68 73.10
1.69 74.21
1.70 74. 59
1.69 75.33
1.69 75. 55
1.69 75.95
1. 66 75. 20
1.68 76.36
1.70 76. 92
1.66 75.22
1. 67 76.97
1. 70 81. 56
$1.91 $72.32
40.4 $1.79 $80.75
42.5 $1.90
1.95 73.05
1.84 79.52
39.7
41.2
1.93
1.95 74.56
40.3
1.85 79.35
40.9
1.94
1.97 75.89
40.8
1.86 79.56
40.8
1. 95
1.99 73.63
39.8
1.85 79. 56 40.8
1.95
2.00 74.80
40.0
1.87 80.15
41.1
1.95
2.00 72.74
38.9
1.87 78.59
40.3
1.95
2.00 73.84
39.7
1.86 78.20
40.1
1.95
2. 01 74.77
40.2
1.86 79.17
40.6
1.95
2.00 74. 43 39.8
1.87 79.97
40.8
1.96
2.00 75.39
40.1
1.88 81.56
41.4
1.97
2. 02 75.95
40.4
1.88 83. 38 41.9
1.99
1.96 73. 66 39.6
1.86 83. 64 41.2
2.03
2. 01 77.11
40.8
1.89 84. 65 41.7
2. 03
2. 06 80.10
41.5
1.93 86.10
42.0
2. 05
M etal stam ping.
Vitreous enameled
bheet-metal work
coating, and enproducts
graving 4
$80.22
78. 76
79.17
78.78
78.20
80.57
78.20
79.18
80. 97
80.18
83. 78
85.20
86.88
86. 31
87.15
$84.87
85.03
87.1(
87.3£
87. 74
91.15
91. 36
92.21
93. 29
93.94
95. 91
96.14
94.08
94. 75
98. 31
C utlery and edge
tools
$1.78 $67.32
1.84 66. 40
1.85 66.90
1. 86 68. 21
1.87 69.97
1.89 70.04
1.90 68.28
1.91 67.60
1.91 68.28
1.88 66.90
1.91 68.88
1.87 70. 72
1.92 67.23
1.93 67.97
1. 94 70. 72
Oil burners, nonelectrie heating and
cooking apparatus,
not elsewhere classified
41.8
38.9
38.3
38.7
39.1
40.3
40.8
41.2
42.0
42.7
42.4
42. 6
41.2
42.0
42.6
W ire drawing
42.6
40.9
40.8
40.2
40.6
40.7
40.4
39.9
40.1
40.6
41.0
41.1
38.6
41.0
41.3
$1.90
1.94
1.94
1.95
1.95
1.96
1.97
1.96
1.95
1.97
1.98
1.99
2.02
2.01
2.02
Fabricated wire prod
ucts
$72.62
73. 53
72. 76
73.89
76.18
77. 93
75.48
76.26
77.61
78.81
77.64
75. 36
1. 88
75. 55
1.92 76. 89
1. 91i 77.87
40.8
40.4
40.2
40.6
41.4
41.9
40.8
41.0
41.5
41.7
41.3
40.3
40.4
40.9
41.2
$1.78
1.82
1.81
1.82
1.84
1.86
1.85
1.86
1.87
1.89
1.88
1.87
1.87
1.88
1.89
1529
O: EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able C -l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Machinery (except
electrical)
Fabricated metal products (except ordnance, machinery, and transportation equipment)—Continued
Year and month
Miscellaneous fabri M etal shipping barrels,
cated metal products 4 drums, kegs, and pails
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average........... $78. 51
1954: Average_____ 75.70
September___ 75.70
October........... 77.08
November___ 79.38
December....... 80. 75
1955: January_____ 81.22
February........ 81.98
March............. 82.60
83. 42
A p ril-....... —
M ay________ 83.61
June________ 84.83
Ju ly ......... ...... 83.30
83.73
A u g u s t.____
September___ 85.17
42.9
40.7
40.7
41.0
42.0
42.5
42.3
42.7
42.8
43.0
43.1
43.5
42.5
42.5
42.8
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$1.83 $82.35
1.86 83.03
1.86 83.44
1.88 83.64
1.89 83.22
1.90 84.86
1. 92 85.90
1. 92 86.53
1.93 86.74
1.94 91.59
1.94 91.16
1.95 93.26
1.96 95.26
1.97 93.74
1.99 94. 57
41.8
40.7
40.7
40.6
40.4
40.8
41.3
41.8
41.7
43.0
43.0
44.2
44.1
43.4
42.6
Bolts, nuts, washers,
and rivets
Steel springs
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$1.97 $83.13
2.04 78.21
2.05 73.30
2.06 77.01
2.06 85.49
2.08 85.08
2.08 88.41
2.07 90.95
2.08 89.04
2.13 90.31
2.12 90.53
2.11 92.88
2.16 85.48
2.16 85.05
2.22 82.47
42.2
39.3
37.4
38.7
41.5
41.1
42.1
42.9
42.2
42.4
42.5
43.0
40.9
40.5
38.9
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$1.97 $79.18
1.99 76.17
1.96 77.52
1.99 78.91
2.06 80.87
2.07 83.42
2.10 85. 50
2.12 85.10
2.11 86.33
2.13 87.12
2.13 86.13
2.16 87.56
2.09 86.20
2.10 87.70
2.12 89.40
42.8
40.3
40.8
41.1
41.9
43.0
43.4
43.2
43.6
44.0
43.5
44.0
43.1
43.2
43.4
Screw-machine
products
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
Diesel and other inter
nal combustion en Agricultural machin
Steam engines, tur
Engines and turbines 4 bines, and water wheels gines, not elsewhere
ery and tractors 4
classified
1953: Average_____ $85.28
1954: Average........... 86.05
September___ 85.84
October........... 85.97
November___ 86.86
December....... 90.03
88.99
1955: January___ February____ 89. 42
March............. 88.13
April..............- 87.29
M ay................ 91.54
91.96
Juno............. .
July— ............ 88.94
August--------- 88. 51
September___ 93.66
41.2
40.4
40.3
39.8
40.4
41.3
41.2
41.4
40.8
40.6
41.8
41.8
40.8
40.6
42.0
$2.07 $93.66
2.13 94.94
2.13 93.94
2.16 97.34
2.15 100.67
2.18 97.75
2.16 94. 71
2.16 90.78
2.16 89. 55
2.15 87.32
2.19 90.79
2.20 92.43
2.18 87.55
2.18 91.25
2.23 98. 77
Construction and
mining machinery 4
1953: Average........... $79.42
1954: Average........... 79.17
September___ 77.62
78.01
October_____
November___ 79.00
80.78
December___
1955: January_____ 80.39
February____ 81.79
83.82
M arch______
April________ 85.45
M ay................ 86.46
June...... .......... 87.52
July— ............ 86.50
88.80
A u g u st-____
September___ 90.51
41.8
40.6
39.6
39.8
40.1
40.8
40.6
41.1
41.7
42.3
42.8
42.9
42.4
42.9
43.1
1953: Average.........
1954: Average_____
September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January-------February____
March.............
April................
M ay................
June________
J u ly - ..............
August--------September___
$100.93
98.72
98.18
98.60
97.29
97.55
96.28
95.85
97.16
100.74
104.62
106.91
104. 58
102.93
101.15
46.3
43.3
42.5
42.5
42.3
42.6
42.6
42.6
42.8
43.8
44.9
45.3
44.5
43.8
43.6
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$2.23 $82.41
2.31 82. 41
2.28 82. 59
2.38 81.56
2.42 81.40
2.39 86.94
2.35 86.74
2.31 89.04
2.32 87.36
2.31 87.15
2.34 92.02
2.34 91.80
2.28 89.23
2.31 87.74
2.38 92.00
C o n stru ctio n and
mining machinery,
except for oilfields
$1.90 $78.85
1.95 77.99
1.96 77.42
1.96 77.22
1.97 78.01
1.98 79.98
1.98 80.39
1.99 81.59
2.01 84.02
2. 02 85.65
2.02 86.48
2.04 87.95
2.04 86.93
2.07 88.39
2.10 90.09
Machine-tool
accessories
42.0
41.1
41.2
40.9
41.6
40.9
40.3
39.3
38.6
37.8
38.8
39.5
38.4
39.5
41.5
41.5
40.2
39.7
39.6
39.8
40.6
40.6
41.0
41.8
42.4
42.6
42.9
42.2
42.7
42.9
$2.18 $81.32
2.28 79. 54
2.31 78.98
2.32 79.37
2.30 79.95
2.29 80.93
2.26 80.16
2.25 80.56
2.27 82.35
2.30 81.54
2.33 82. 74
2.36 83.56
2.35 81.97
2.35 82.17
2. 32 84.38
42.8
41.0
40.5
40.7
41.0
41.5
40.9
41.1
41.8
41.6
42.0
42.2
41.4
41.5
42.4
$2.01 $77.21
2.05 78.21
2.07 78.80
2.07 76.81
2.04 78.40
2.10 80.40
2.09 82.01
2.11 82.82
2.10 84.05
2.10 83.44
2.15 83.44
2.16 83.03
2.15 81.20
2.14 82.61
2.18 83.43
Oilfield machinery
and tools
$1.90 $80.98
1.94 82.17
1.95 78.01
1.95 79.79
1.96 81.40
1.97 81.79
1.98 80.19
1.99 82.60
2.01 83.00
2.02 84.42
2.03 86.63
2.05 86.66
2.06 85.40
2.07 89.61
2.10 91.35
Special-industry ma
chinery
(except
metalworking ma
chinery)4
41.0
40.2
39.9
39.4
39.9
41.4
41.5
42.2
41.6
41.5
42.8
42.5
41.5
41.0
42.2
42.4
41.5
39.4
40.3
40.7
41.1
40.5
41.3
41.5
42.0
43.1
42.9
42.7
43.5
43.5
$1.90 $81.56
1.94 81.36
1.95 80.18
1.95 79.59
1.95 79.99
1.95 81.79
1.96 80.79
1.96 81.80
1.97 83. 22
1.96 83.63
1.97 83.63
1.98 84.03
1.98 83.43
1.98 84.66
1.99 87.34
42.7
41.3
40.7
40.4
40.4
41.1
40.6
40.9
41.2
41.4
41.4
41.6
41.1
41.5
42.4
45.8
42.6
41.8
41.7
41.5
41.9
42.0
42.1
42.3
43.1
44.0
44.5
43.7
43.7
43.3
$1.91 $71.93
1.97 70.22
1.97 68.64
1.97 70.18
1.98 71.63
1.99 72.86
1.99 72.39
2.00 73.28
2.02 74.40
2.02 73.63
2.02 73.87
2.02 74.46
2.03 73.57
2.04 73.16
2.06 73.93
41.1
39.9
39.0
40.1
40.7
41.4
40.9
41.4
41.8
41.6
41.5
41.6
41.1
41.1
41.3
$1.83 $82.91
1.84 81.61
1.84 81.81
1.86 81.61
1.87 82.01
1.87 83.44
1.87 82.82
1.89 83.64
1.89 84.87
1.90 85.70
1.90 87.15
1.90 87. 57
1.89 86.11
1.91 86.94
1.92 88.62
39.6
39.4
39.8
38.6
39.6
40.4
41.1
41.0
41.3
41.0
41.0
41.2
40.1
41.0
40.7
46.3
42.6
41.6
41.7
41.1
41.8
41.8
42.0
42.4
43.1
44.0
44.8
43.5
44.1
42.8
$2.00 $75.20
2.05 76.03
2.07 75.46
2. 06 73.73
2.07 74.69
2.08 77.02
2.10 77.42
2.11 79.19
2.11 81.19
2.11 80.60
2.12 80.19
2.11 79.19
2.08 78.41
2.16 75.85
2.17 77.99
44.3
43.2
42.7
42.1
42.7
43.7
42.5
43.1
43.6
43.9
44.3
45.1
43.8
44.9
45.0
$1.96
2. 01
2.03
2.03
2.03
2.04
2.03
2.04
2.05
2.06
2.07
2.08
2.08
2.09
2.11
40.0
39.6
39.1
38.6
38.9
39.7
39.7
40.2
40.8
40.5
40.5
40.2
39.8
39.1
40.2
$1.88
1.92
1.93
1.91
1.92
1.94
1.95
1.97
1.99
1.99
1.98
1. 97
1.97
1.94
1.94
Metalworking machin
ery (except machine
tools)
$2.05 $89. 52
2.09 85.08
2.10 84.45
2.11 83. 41
2.10 83.21
2.11 85.06
2.10 85.28
2.11 85.69
2.13 86. 32
2.13 87.99
2.16 88.20
2.18 90.74
2.17 90.94
2.18 93.95
2.19 94.82
Paper-industries
machinery
$1.75 $82.84
1.76 82.94
1.76 83.27
1.75 82.10
1.76 83.27
1.76 86. 53
1.77 83.30
1.77 84.91
1. 78 85.89
1. 77 87.36
1.78 88.16
1.79 89.75
1.79 87.60
1.78 89.80
1.79 90.45
42.3
40.6
40.3
40.2
40.4
40.9
40.8
41.0
41.4
41.6
42.1
42.1
41.4
41.6
42.0
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
Agricultural machinery
0except tractors)
Machine tools
$2.11 $94.92
2.18 89.03
2.20 87.36
2.21 87.99
2.19 86.31
2.19 88.20
2.17 87. 78
2.18 88.62
2.19 90.31
2.21 91.80
2.24 95.04
2.26 97.66
2.26 94.40
2.27 96.14
2.26 93.73
Textile machinery
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
Tractors
$1.94 $79. 20
1.98 80. 77
2.00 82.39
1.99 79.52
2.00 81.97
2.01 84.03
2.03 86.31
2.04 86. 51
2.05 87.14
2.05 86.51
2.05 86.92
2.04 86.93
2.03 83.41
2.06 88. 56
2.06 88. 32
Metalworking ma
chinery 4
$1.91 $96.64
1.98 92.87
1.98 91.96
1.98 92.16
2.00 90.89
1.99 91.76
1.98 91.14
2.00 91.78
2.00 92.64
2.01 95.25
98.56
2.01 100.57
2.02
2.00 98. 76
2.06 99.20
2.10 97.86
Food-products
machinery
39.8
39.5
39.4
38.6
39.2
40.0
40.4
40.6
41.0
40.7
40.7
40.7
40.0
40.1
40.5
44.3
40.9
40.9
41.1
42.3
42.9
41.9
42.9
43.0
42.9
43.4
43.6
42.3
42.3
43.1
$1.85 $81.07
1.89 75.26
1.90 75.2b
1.92 76.45
1.93 79.10
1.94 80. 22
1.97 78.35
1.97 81.08
1. 98 81.27
1.98 81.51
1.98 82.46
1.99 82.84
2.00 79.95
2.03 80.79
2.06 82.75
Total: Machinery
(except electrical)
44.1
41.1
40.6
40.1
40.2
40.7
41.0
41.0
41.3
41.7
41.8
42.4
42.1
42.9
43.1
$2.03
2.07
2.08
2.08
2.07
2.09
2.08
2.09
2.09
2.11
2.11
2.14
2.16
2.19
2.20
Printing-trades ma
chinery and equipment
$1.87 $94. 59
1.92 89. 01
1.95 87.72
1.95 88.32
1.95 88. 56
1.98 88.34
1.96 87.67
1.97 90.03
1.97 91.96
1.99 91.32
1.99 91.98
1.99 91.54
2.00 90.64
2.00 90.45
2.01! 92.60
44.2
41.4
40.8
40.7
41.0
40.9
40.4
41.3
41.8
41.7
42.0
41.8
41.2
41.3
41.9
$2.14
2.15
2.15
2.17
2.16
2.16
2.17
2.18
2.20
2.19
2.19
2.19
2.20
2.19
2.21
1530
T
able
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
C-l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
M anufacturing—C ontinued
M achinery (except electrical)—Continued
Year and month
General Industrial
machinery 4
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn- hours
iugs
1953: Average_____
1954: Average_____
September___
October......... .
November___
December___
1955: January..........
February........
March______
April_______
M ay________
June...... .........
July------------August______
September___
$ 83.42
43.0
40.5
40.4
40.4
40.0
40.5
40.4
40.6
41.0
41.3
42.0
42.3
41.4
41.6
42.1
80.19
80.80
81.20
80.00
81.41
81.20
81.61
82.82
84.25
86.10
87.14
84.46
85.70
88.41
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$ 1.94
$ 81.98
1.98
2.00
2. 01
2.00
2.01
2.01
2.01
2.02
2.04
2. 05
2.06
2.04
2.06
2.10
78.99
80.19
80. 39
78.40
79.98
79.79
80. 99
80.16
83.01
85.67
85. 46
80. 59
82.19
85.49
M echanical stokers
and industrial fu r
naces and ovens
1953: Average_____
1954: Average_____
September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
March______
April_______
M ay________
June________
July------------August______
September___
$ 81.
02
81.00
82.01
81.41
80.20
81.00
80. 20
84.04
84.05
83.23
83.23
84.67
84.44
85.08
86. 53
42.2
40.5
40.8
40.3
39.9
40.3
40.1
41.4
41.2
40.8
41.0
41.3
41.8
41.3
41.6
$ 1.92
2.00
2.01
2.02
2.01
2.01
2.00
2.03
2.04
2.04
2. 03
2.05
2.02
2.06
2.08
Commercial laundry,
dry-cleaning, and
pressing machines
1953: Average_____
1954: Average. ___
September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February___
March______
April________
M ay________
June________
July------------August______
September___
$ 76.38
74. 74
73.42
74.59
74.15
74. 93
72. 50
74. 37
77.19
77. 27
78. 58
78.81
78.66
78.81
82.51
42.2
40.4
39.9
40.1
40.3
40.5
39.4
40.2
41.5
41.1
41.8
41.7
41.4
41.7
43.2
P u m p s, air and gas
compressors
$ 1.81
1. 85
1.84
1.86
1.84
1. 85
1.84
1. 85
1.86
1.88
1.88
1.89
1.90
1.89
1.91
42.7
40.3
40.5
40.6
40.0
40.6
40.5
40.7
40.9
41.3
42.2
42.1
40.7
41.3
41.5
Conveyors and con
veying equipment
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$ 1.92
1. 96
1.98
1.98
1.96
1.97
1.97
1.99
1.96
2.01
2.03
2.03
1.98
1.99
2.06
$ 84.44
81.40
80.80
81.20
78.38
81.81
80. 57
80.98
82. 61
82.80
85.28
87. 99
86.94
86.48
90.30
43.3
40.7
40.0
40.0
38.8
40.3
39.3
39.5
40.1
40.0
41.0
41.9
41.4
40.6
42.0
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$ 1.95
2.00
2.02
2.03
2.02
2.03
2.05
2.05
2.06
2.07
2.08
2.10
2.10
2.13
2.15
Office and store ma
chines and devices4
Computing machines
and cash registers
$ 77.38
79. 20
$ 1.92
$ 83.21
1.99
2.00
2.00
2.02
2.01
2.02
2.01
2.02
2.01
2.02
2. 03
2.07
2.07
2.08
85.17
86. 97
85.93
87.64
87.64
87.85
86.15
86. 58
85.72
86.33
86. 76
92.93
90.90
90.09
80.00
79.80
81.20
80.60
81.00
79.60
80.80
80.00
80.19
80.39
82.80
82.39
84.45
40.3
39.8
40.0
39.9
40.2
40.1
40.1
39.6
40.0
39.8
39.7
39.6
40.0
39.8
40.6
Sewing machines
$ 77.01
79.60
79.20
80.40
81. 41
81. 81
80.00
80. 59
80.79
80.78
81.80
82. 21
82. 21
82.19
84.42
39.9
39.8
39.6
40.2
40.5
40.5
39.8
39.7
39.8
39.6
39.9
40.1
40.1
39.9
40.2
$ 1.93
2.00
2.00
2.00
2 . 01
2.02
2.01
2.03
2.03
2.04
2.05
2.05
2.05
2.06
2.10
40.2
39.8
39.8
39.6
40.2
40.2
40.3
39.7
39.9
39.5
39.6
39.8
41.3
40.4
40.4
76
77.81
78.21
79.40
78.80
80.40
80. 20
83.23
83.23
84.05
87.14
83.43
81.40
82.00
81.06
40.9
39.3
39.3
39.7
39.4
40.2
39.9
40.8
40.8
41.2
42.3
41.1
39.9
40.0
38.6
1953: Average_____
1954: Average_____
September___
October_____
November___
December.......
1955: January_____
February____
M arch______
A p ril_______
M ay________
June________
July________
August______
September___
$ 80.
79.
79.
79.
79.
81.
82.
82.
28
32
38
54
95
95
35
96
84.15
83.78
83. 78
83.60
83.18
84.03
87.31
42.7
41.1
40.5
41.0
41.0
41.6
41.8
41.9
42.5
42.1
42.1
41.8
41.8
41.6
42.8
See footnotes a t end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$ 1.
1.
88
93
1.96
1. 94
1.95
1. 97
1. 97
1.98
1.98
1.99
1.99
2.00
1.99
2.02
2.04
50
74.59
75.62
76.40
75.22
75.43
74.64
75.81
75.60
77.33
77.33
78.14
80. 38
84.20
84.80
$ 70.93
73.23
75.48
74. 70
76.89
76.52
75.41
74.26
75.01
74.82
74.43
75. 03
73.71
74.47
77.95
$ 1.95
1.98
1.99
2. 00
2.00
2. 00
2 . 01
2.04
2.04
2.04
2.06
2.03
2.04
2.05
2.10
42.5
40.1
39.8
40.0
39.8
39.7
39.7
39.9
40.0
40.7
40.7
40.7
40.8
42.1
42.4
40.3
39.8
40.8
40.6
40.9
40.7
39.9
39.5
39.9
39.8
39.8
39.7
39.0
39.4
40.6
$ 1.80
1.86
1.90
1.91
1.89
1.90
1.88
1.90
1.89
1.90
1. 90
1.92
1.97
2.00
2.00
85
78.00
78.80
78. 61
79.99
80.99
81. 59
82.40
83.82
84.02
85.04
84.85
84. 45
85.28
88.18
41.5
40.0
39.8
39.7
40.4
40.7
41.0
41.2
41.7
41.8
42.1
41.8
41.6
41.6
42.6
$ 83.50
77. 42
78.41
81.41
78.61
79.40
80.60
80.60
84. 46
84.04
85.67
86. 50
81.40
85.90
88.19
42.6
39.5
39.4
40.5
39.5
39.9
40.3
40.1
41.4
41.4
42.2
42.4
40.1
41.9
42.4
$ 1.76
$ 79.15
1.84
1.85
1.84
1.88
1.88
1.89
1.88
1.88
1.88
1. 87
1.89
1.89
1. 89
1.92
77.82
78.80
79.80
78.80
80.00
79.20
81.61
82.42
82.62
84. 85
82. 62
80.79
81.81
82.99
$ 1.90
1.95
1.98
1. 98
1.98
1.99
1.99
2.00
2.01
2.01
2.02
2.03
2.03
2.05
2.07
40.8
39.5
39.8
40.1
39.6
40.2
39.8
40.6
40.8
40.9
41.8
40.9
39.8
40.3
39.9
$ 1.96
$ 85.93
1.96
1.99
2.01
1.99
1.99
2.00
2.01
2.04
2.03
2.03
2.04
2.03
2.05
2.08
81.00
80.80
82.62
83.03
83.44
83.85
84.05
85.28
87.15
89.65
91.12
88.61
88.83
92.02
$ 1.94
1.97
1.98
1.99
1.99
1.99
1.99
2.01
2.02
2.02
2.03
2.02
2.03
2.03
2.08
Fabricated pipe,
fittings, and valves
$ 77.
90
78.60
80.20
78.20
81.20
80.60
80.00
80.20
81.00
80.80
81. 61
82. 42
80.20
81.81
84.05
41.0
39.9
40.1
39.1
40.4
40.3
40.2
40.1
40.5
40.4
40.6
40.8
39.9
40.5
41.2
Mechanical powertransmission equip
ment
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Service-industry and
household machines4
Miscellaneous
machinery parts 4
$ 78.
Industrial trucks,
tractors, etc.
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Typewriters
2.14
2.16
2.17
2.18
2.18
2.18
2.17
2.17
2.17
2.18
2.18
2. 25
2.25
2.23
Machinery (except
electrical)—Con.
Machine shops (Job
and repair)
$ 76.
$ 2.07
Refrigerators and
air-conditioning units
$ 79.
Blowers, exhaust and
ventilating fans
$ 1.90
1.97
2.00
2.00
2.01
2.00
1.99
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.01
2.02
2.01
2.02
2.04
43.4
40.5
40.2
40.7
40.7
40.9
40.9
41.2
41.6
42.1
43.1
43.6
42.6
42.3
43.0
Avg.
hrly
earn
ings
$ 1.98
2.00
2.01
2.03
2.04
2.04
2.05
2.04
2.05
2.07
2.08
2.09
2.08
2.10
2.14
Domestic laundry
equipment
$ 78.
57
79.80
85.90
87.35
84.26
81.81
80.00
81.61
84.87
82.62
82.62
82. 62
78. 28
81.59
91.16
40.5
39.9
41.7
42.2
41.1
40.5
39.8
40.4
41.4
40.7
40.9
40.3
38.0
39.8
42.8
$ 1.94
2.00
2.06
2.07
2.05
2.02
2.01
2.02
2.05
2.03
2.02
2.05
2.06
2.05
2.13
Ball and roller
bearings
$ 77.
76.
71
25
75.66
77. 42
78. 61
80.60
83.01
85.04
86.70
89.18
91.70
89.40
91.54
90.94
94.79
40.9
39.1
38.6
39.1
39.7
40.5
41.3
42.1
42.5
43.5
44.3
43.4
43.8
43.1
44.5
$ 1.90
1.95
1.96
1.98
1. 98
1.99
2. 01
2. 02
2.04
2.05
2.07
2.06
2.09
2.11
2.13
Electrical machinery
Total: Electrical
machinery
$ 71.81
72.44
72. 98
74. 34
74. 89
74. 52
74. 56
74. 74
75.33
75. 52
76. 30
75.92
74.82
75. 92
76.17
40.8
39.8
40.1
40.4
40.7
40.5
40.3
40.4
40.5
40.6
40.8
40.6
39.8
40.6
40.3
$ 1.
76
1.82
1.82
1.84
1.84
1.84
1. 85
1. 85
1.86
1.86
1. 87
1. 87
1.88
1.87
1.89
Electrical generating,
transmission, distri
bution, and indus
trial apparatus4
$ 77.83
77.59
78. 76
78. 76
79.15
79. 56
78.38
79.17
79. 56
79.76
80.75
80. 95
79.99
80.18
78. 59
41.4
40.2
40.6
40.6
40.8
40.8
40.4
40.6
40.8
40.9
41.2
41.3
40.4
40.7
39.1
$ 1.88
1. 93
1.94
1. 94
1. 94
1. 95
1.94
1. 95
1. 95
1.95
1.96
1. 96
1.98
1.97
2.01
Wiring devices and
supplies
$ 68.
67.
68.
54
72
85
69.89
70. 58
71.17
69.03
69.08
69.95
69.83
70.18
70.93
69.38
70.09
71.96
40.8
39.6
39.8
40.4
40.8
40.9
39.9
39.7
40.2
39.9
40. 1
40.3
39.2
39.6
40.2
$ 1.68
1. 71
1.73
1.73
1. 73
1.74
1. 73
1.74
1.74
1.75
1.75
1. 76
1.77
1.77
1.79
Carbon and graphite
products (electrical)
$ 77.
83
74.80
74.80
74.96
74.34
76. 07
76.67
76.73
77. 30
77. 52
78.12
77.36
77.59
79.73
80.10
41.4
40.0
40.0
40.3
40.4
40.9
41.0
40.6
40.9
40.8
40.9
40.5
40.2
41.1
41.5
$ 1.88
1.87
1. 87
1. 86
1.84
1.86
1. 87
1.89
1.89
1.90
1.91
1.91
1.93
1.94
1.93
Electrical indicating,
measuring, and re
cording instruments
$ 73.
57
72.80
74. 52
74.89
74.15
71.89
72. 62
73. 05
74.00
73.42
74.89
74.52
72.40
74.30
71.23
41.1
40.0
40.5
40.7
40.3
39.5
39.9
39.7
40.0
39.9
40.7
40.5
40.0
40.6
38.5
$ 1.
79
1.82
1.84
1.84
1.84
1.82
1.82
1.84
1.85
1.84
1.84
1.84
1.81
1.83
1.85
O: EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able
1531
C-l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
M anuíacturing—Continued
Electrical machinery—Continued
Year and month
M otors, generators, and Pow er and distribution Switchgear, switchboard,
transform ers
and industrial controls
motor-generator sets
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average........... $84.03
1954: Average.......... 82.82
September___ 85.08
October........... 84. 87
November___ 84.05
83.84
December___
1955: January......... . 84.25
February____ 84.87
March______
84. 67
April............... 84.46
M ay......... ...... 85. 70
June________ 84. 67
84.23
July____
August.......... - 84.85
September----- 84.71
41.6
40.4
41.1
41.0
40.8
40.5
40.7
41.2
41.3
41.2
41.6
41.3
40.3
40.6
39.4
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$2.02 $76.33
2.05 78. 59
2. 07 76.14
2. 07 79. 76
2.06 80.77
2.07 84.58
2.07 81.95
2.06 82. 59
2.05 82.17
2.05 84.40
2.06 84.20
2.05 86. 23
2. 09 84.04
2.09 82.81
2.15 86.92
Electric equipment
for vehicles
1953: Average.......... $76. 70
1954: Average........... 75. 84
September___ 74.50
October........... 81.18
November___ 79. 59
December___
79.38
1955: January.......... 80. 78
February____ 84. 82
March______
84.80
April....... ........ 82.78
M ay................ 86.05
June________ 78. 01
July— ........... 82. 42
August............ 85.08
September___ 82.82
40.8
39.5
38.8
41.0
40.4
40.5
40.8
42.2
42.4
41.6
42.6
39.6
40.4
41.3
40.4
40.6
40.3
40.5
40.9
41.0
42.5
41.6
41.5
41.5
42.2
42.1
42.9
41.4
41.2
42.4
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.88 $75.84
1.95 75.95
1.88 76. 76
1.95 76.78
1.97 79.32
1.99 79.13
1.97 76.40
1.99 76.99
1.98 77.38
2.00 77.97
2.00 79. 35
2.01 80. 56
2.03 80.39
2.01 78. 72
2.05 70.13
Electric lamps
$1.88 $65.21
1.92 64. 91
1.92 65.63
1.98 67. 77
1.97 68.51
1.96 68. 51
1.98 68.17
2.01 68.91
2.00 69. 60
1. 99 69.60
2. 02 69.66
1.97 69. 26
2.04 66.81
2.06 67.32
2.05 59.34
40.5
39.1
39.3
40.1
40.3
40.3
40.1
40.3
40.7
40.7
40.5
40.5
39.3
39.6
34.7
41.9
40.4
40.4
40.2
41.1
41.0
40.0
40.1
40.3
40.4
40.9
41.1
40.6
41.0
35.6
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$1.81 $85.20
1.88 83. 21
1.90 87. 55
1.91 83.64
1.93 83.64
1.93 84.84
1.91 83.02
1.92 84.66
1.92 86.72
1.93 89. 22
1.94 93.68
1.96 95.97
1.98 93.29
1.92 95.82
1.97 93.93
Communication
equipm ent4
$1.61 $66.66
1.66 68.68
1.67 69.55
1.69 70.88
1.70 71.23
1.70 70. 53
1.70 70. 53
1.71 70.40
1.71 70.80
1.71 70.98
1.72 70.98
1.71 71. 96
1.70 69.78
1.70 72. 32
1.71 74.34
Electrical welding
apparatus
40.4
39.7
40.2
40.5
40.7
40.3
40.3
40.0
40.0
40.1
40.1
40.2
39.2
40.4
41.3
42.6
41.4
42.5
41.0
41.2
42.0
41.1
41.5
42.3
43.1
44.4
45.7
43.8
45.2
44.1
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$2.00 $76. 92
2.01 75. 84
2.06 76.43
2.04 73. 73
2.03 79.17
2.02 78.38
2. 02 77. 81
2.04 77.01
2.05 79.15
2.07 79.54
2.11 79.35
2.10 79. 37
2.13 77. 62
2.12 78. 57
2.13 78. 21
Radios, phonographs,
television sets, and
equipm ent
$1.65 $64.64
1.73 67. 49
1.73 68. 34
1.75 69. 32
1.75 69.26
1.75 69.32
1.75 69.32
1.76 68.11
1.77 68.68
1.77 68. 68
1.77 68.85
1. 79 69.43
1.78 68.60
1.79 69.43
1.80 70.30
39.9
39.7
40.2
40.3
40.5
40.3
40.3
39.6
39.7
39.7
39.8
39.9
39.2
39.9
40.4
Electrical appliances
1953: Average_____ $67.94
1954: Average.......... 68.95
September---- 67.82
October-------- 69. 48
November___ 70. 98
December....... 70.53
1955: January_____ 70.17
February.......- 72. 58
M arch---------- 71.06
April_______
73.12
M a y ............... 73.12
June________ 72.36
72. 83
July________
August--------- 73. 75
September----- 76.26
40.2
39.4
39.2
39.7
40.1
39.4
39.2
40.1
39.7
40.4
40.4
40.2
39.8
40.3
41.0
$1. 69
1.75
1.73
1.75
1. 77
1. 79
1.79
1.81
1.79
1.81
1.81
1. 8C
1.83
1.83
1.86
M otor vehicles, bodies,
parts, and accessories
1953: Average....... ... $88. 78
1954: Average-------- 89. 95
September___ 89. 95
October........ . 91.35
November___ 97.18
December___ 100.11
1955: January........... 97. 63
February........ 99. 65
M arch.........
101.23
April............... 98.31
M ay................ 101.68
June________ 89. 38
J u ly ............ 98.83
August______ 96.28
September___ 98.00
$76. 67
76.82
75. 66
78.60
81. 80
77. 62
76.64
81.80
78.80
80.80
83. 22
81.19
82.00
86.31
90.90
41.0
39.6
39.0
39.9
40.9
39.4
39.1
40.9
39.6
40.4
41.2
40.8
40.0
42.1
43.7
$1. 87
1.94
1.94
1.97
2.00
1.97
1.96
2. 0C
1.99
2. OC
2.02
1.99
2.05
2.05
2.08
T ruck and bus bodies
$2.16 $74. 26
2.21 75.98
2. 26 76. 22
2. 25 75.83
2. 26 76. 80
2. 27 78.38
2. 26 76. 82
2. 27 80.93
2. 28 91.43
2. 26 85.70
44.4
2.29 85.37
2.24
39. Ç
82.59
2 . 32 80. 77
42.6
2.32 81.18
41.5
41.7
2.35 79.79
41.1
40.7
39.8
40.6
43.0
44.1
43.2
43.9
44.4
43.5
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Storage batteries
40.8
40.2
39.7
39.7
40.0
40.4
39.6
41.5
44.6
43.5
42.9
41.5
41.0
41.0
40.3
P rim a ry batteries
(dry and wet)
$59.20
59.04
58. 26
58. 35
58.20
59.13
59.74
60.83
60.28
62.22
61.6C
60. 37
60.19
61.62
61.00
40.7
39.4
39.5
40.6
40.9
39.6
39.3
40.0
39.6
39.9
39.2
38.8
37.7
39.6
41.3
$1.82 $73. 60
1.89 76.19
1.92 74. 5C
1.91 79. 9C
1.92 82.32
1. 94 82. 68
1. 94 78. 38
1.95 80. 77
2.05 84.15
1.97 83.5C
1.99 84.55
1.99 84.82
1. 97 83.,01
1.98 83.43
1.98 85.91
42.0
40.5
41.7
40.9
41.8
41.4
41.2
41.3
41.1
41.7
41.8
42.0
40.8
41.3
42.5
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$1.72
1.74
1.76
1.77
1.79
1.78
1.78
1.79
1.79
1.79
1.80
1. 82
1.81
1.81
1.85
Telephone, telegraph,
and related equipm ent
$1.53 $82. 49
1.61 80. 40
1.62 81.60
1.65 83.43
1.65 84.66
1.64 83.64
1.63 85.90
1.64 86.53
1.63 86. 53
1.63 87.15
1.64 88.41
1.65 90.30
1.65 84.46
1.66 92.63
1.68 95.42
42.3
40.4
40.8
41.1
41.5
41.2
41.7
41.8
41.8
41.9
42.3
43.0
41.2
43.9
44.8
$1.95
1.99
2.00
2.03
2.04
2.03
2.06
2. 07
2. 07
2.08
2.09
2.10
2.05
2.11
2.13
Transportation equipment
X -ra y and non-radio
electronic tubes
40.0 $1.48 $72. 36
39.1
1.51 78.18
1. 49 78. 41
39.1
38.9
1.50 79.00
1.50 78. 98
38.8
38.9
1.52 81.16
39.3
1. 52 77. 03
1.54 78.60
39.5
39.4
1.53 77.81
40.4
1.54 79.40
40. C 1. 54 78.41
39.2
1.54 80.80
39.6
1.52 84.87
39.5
1.56 80.80
39.1
1.56 85.28
Trailers (truck and
automobile)
$1.89 $72.24
1.92 70. 47
1.93 73.39
1.93 72.39
1.95 74.82
1.94 73.69
1.95 73.34
1.93 73.93
1.94 73.57
1.94 74.64
1. 94 75.24
1. 95 76.44
1. 96 73.85
1.94 74.75
1.97 78.63
Radio tubes
Electrical machinery—Continued
Miscellaneous elec
trical products 4
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
40.7
39.5
39.6
38.2
40.6
40.4
39.9
39.9
40.8
41.0
40.9
40.7
39.6
40.5
39.7
$1.62 $62. 27
1.70 63. 43
1.70 63.99
1.72 68.99
1.71 67. 49
1.72 64. 94
1.72 64.06
1.72 65.60
1. 73 64. 55
1.73 65.04
1.73 64.29
1. 74 64.02
1.75 62. 21
1.74 65.74
1.74 69.38
Insulated wire and
cable
40.2
40.3
39.8
40.1
40.5
41.2
39.3
40.1
39.7
39.9
39.8
40.4
41.4
40.2
41.4
$1.80 $85. 28
1.94 86. 67
1. 97 86.40
1.97 87. 26
1. 95 91.12
1.97 93.08
1.96 92. 62
1.96 93. 28
1.96 94.37
1.99 92. 62
1.97 94. 79
2. 00 88.26
2. 05 92. 99
2.01 92.06
2.06 93.56
Aircraft and parts 4
40.0 $1. 84 $83. 80
40. 1 1. 91 85.07
1.93 85. 68
38.6
1.93 85.47
41.4
42. C 1.96 87. 34
42.4
1.95 87. 77
1.94 88.81
40.1
41. C 1.97 87. 95
42.5
1.98 88.38
42.6
1.90 87.10
1.98 88.15
42.7
42.2
2.01 88.15
2. 01 89. 40
41.3
2.02 88.97
41.3
2.07 90.89
41.5
Total: Transporta
tion equipment
41.2
40.5
40.0
40.4
41.8
42.5
42.1
42.4
42.7
42.1
42.7
40.3
41.7
41.1
41.4
A irc ra ft
$2.00 $82.19
2.08 85.07
2.10 85. 89
2.1C 85.47
2.12 87. 77
41.4
2.12 87. 56
41.5
2.14 89. 44
41.1
2.14 88.80
41. a
2.14 89.23
40.7
2.14 87.72
41. C 2.15 88. 56
41. C 2.15 88.15
41.2
2.17 89.19
41. C 2.17 89.19
41.5
2.19 90.47
41.9
40.9
40.8
40.7
41.2
41.3
40.9
40.9
40.7
41.4
$2.07
2.14
2.16
2.16
2.18
2.19
2. 20
2. 20
2. 21
2.2C
2.22
2.19
2. 23
2.24
2.26
Automobiles4
$87. 95
89. 32
89.15
90. 54
96. 53
99. 44
96. 75
98.99
100. 56
97.88
101.00
89.20
97.75
95.45
97.16
41.1
40.6
39.8
40.6
42.9
44.0
43.0
43.8
44.3
43.5
44.3
40.0
42.5
41.5
41.7
$2.14
2.20
2. 24
2. 23
2.25
2. 26
2.25
2. 26
2.27
2.25
2.28
2.23
2.30
2.30
2.33
A irc ra ft engines and
parts
$1. 99 $87. 29
2.08 85.06
2.1C 84. 6a
2.1C 84. 6a
2.12 85. 46
41. a
2.12 87. 31
41.6
2.15 87. 51
4 i. a
2.15 86. 6Í
41.5
2.15 87.71
2.15 85.65
40.8
41. C 2.16 87.1C
41. C 2.15 86.67
41.1
2.17 89. 62
41.1
2.17 86.37
41.5
2.18 89.76
43.0
40.7
40. a
40. a
40.5
41.2
41.1
40.7
41.0
40.4
40.7
40.5
41. a
39.8
40.8
N*'
$2. 03
2.09
2.10
2.10
2.11
2.12
2.13
2.13
2.14
2.12
2.14
2.14
2.17
2.17
2.20
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1532
T able
C-l: Honrs and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing—Continued
Transportation equipment—Continued
Year and month
A irc ra ft propellers
and parts
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1953: Average_____ $85.90
1954: Average........... 82.35
September___ 83.35
O ctober......... 83.37
November___ 84.21
December....... 84.21
1955: January........... 83.60
February____ 84.38
M arch______
84. 77
A pril.............. 84.99
M a y ............... 84.38
Ju n e............... 87. 91
J u ly ................ 88. 70
Augusts.......... 95.67
September___ 97.01
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Ship and boat build
ing and repairing 4
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
41.9 $2.05 $85.17
42.8 $1.99 $79.37
39.4
2.09 85.70
41.2
2.08 80.70
39.5
2.11 86.10
2.10 78.83
41.0
41.2
2.12 81.02
39.7
2.10 87.34
40.1
2.10 87.98
41.5
2.12 80.22
2.14 83.10
2.10 90.09
42.1
40.1
40.0
2.09 88. 40 41.5
2.13 82.74
2.12 86. 71
40.9
2.12 82.95
39.8
2.12 82.76
39.8
2.13 86. 71
40.9
39.9
2.13 85.86
2.12 83.16
40.5
2.12 87. 76 41.2
39.8
2.13 83.39
40.7
2.16 89.64
2.16 83.18
41.5
40.5
2.19 90.06
41.5
2.17 81.72
42.9
2.23 90.91
41.7
2.18 83.67
2. 21 84.93
43.5
2.23 93.26
42.2
Transportation equipment—Continued
Locomotives and parts
1953: Average_____ $82.00
1954: Average_____ 84.16
September___ 78.81
October.......... 83. 71
November___ 86.40
December....... 89.38
1955: January_____ 88. 51
February........ 88.26
March.........
86. 71
April_______
90.20
M ay________ 96.30
J u n e _______ 96.53
Ju ly .. ......... 95.60
August______ 98.47
September___ 100.42
Other aircraft parts
and equipm ent
40.0
39.7
37.0
39.3
40.0
41.0
40.6
40.3
40.9
41.0
42.8
42.9
42.3
43.0
43.1
Railroad and street cars
$2.05 $79.19
2.12 81.20
2.13 77.23
2.13 81.38
2.16 87.38
2.18 88.40
2.18 87.34
2.19 84.80
2.12 83.03
2.20 86.68
2. 25 84.32
2. 25 85.85
2.26 86. 85
2. 29 89.44
2. 33 90.46
39.4
38.3
36.6
37.5
39.9
40.0
39.7
38.9
38.8
39.4
38.5
39.2
39.3
39.4
39.5
39.1
38.8
37.9
38.4
38.2
39.2
39.4
39.5
39.6
39.6
39.9
39.8
39.1
39.1
39.5
S h ipbuilding and
repairing
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
$2.03 $80.91
2.08 82.39
2.08 80.09
2.11 82. 51
2.10 81.86
2.12 85.36
2.10 85.46
2.10 85.85
2.09 85.63
2.10 86.24
2.09 86.51
2. 09 86. 51
2. 09 84.63
2.14 87. 47
2.15 88.31
38.9
38.5
37.6
38.2
37.9
38.8
39.2
39.2
39.1
39.2
39.5
39.5
39.0
39.4
39.6
Avg, Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
40.6
39.3
40.0
38.5
38.3
38.9
40.4
40.3
40.8
40.1
40.3
40.8
40.1
41.6
42.5
$1.81 $73.69
1.84 73.20
1. 86 73.82
1. 85 74.19
1.85 74. 56
1.83 75.33
1.86 75.17
1.85 76.14
1.87 76.14
1.82 75.76
1.85 75.92
1.87 77. 93
1.88 76.38
1.92 77. 55
1.93 79. 52
41.4
40.0
39.9
40.1
40.3
40.5
40.2
40.5
40.5
40.3
40.6
40.8
40.2
40.6
41.2
Surgical, medical, and
dental instruments
Ophthalmic goods
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Laboratory, scien
tific, and engineer
ing instruments
$1.78 $89.25
1.83 83.20
1.85 84.63
1. 85 84.63
1.85 86.30
1.86 87.97
1.87 86.92
1.88 88.81
1.88 88.17
1.88 87.94
1.87 90. 72
1.91 88.99
1.90 88.29
1.91 89.19
1.93 91.12
42.5
40.0
40.3
40.3
40.9
41.3
41.0
41.5
41.2
40.9
42.0
41.2
40.5
41.1
41.8
Instruments and related products—Continued
Optical instruments
and lenses
Railroad
equipm ent4
$2.08 $70. 58 40.1 $1.76 $80.39
2.14 71.15
40.2
1.77 82.26
2.13 71.06
39.7
1.79 78.02
2.16 71.82
39.9
1.80 82.13
2.16 70.49
1.78 86.98
39.6
2.20 71.51
41.1
1. 74 88.88
1.76 87.82
2.18 70. 75 40.2
2.19 70.07
40.5
1.73 85.89
2.19 71.38
1.72 84.14
41.5
41.2
1.72 88.00
2.20 70.86
2.19 71. 55 41.6
1.72 88.62
2.19 71.04
41.3
1.72 90.35
2.17 68. 38 39.3
1. 74 90. 32
2.22 66.50
1.75 93.25
38.0
2.23 69.03
39.0
1.77 94.48
Instruments and related products
Other transportation Total: Instruments
and related products
equipment
$2.01 $73. 49
2.12 72.31
2.11 74.40
2.17 71.23
2.19 70.86
2.21 71.19
2.20 75.14
2.18 74. 56
2.14 76.30
2.20 72.98
2.19 74. 56
2.19 76.30
2.21 75.39
2. 27 79.87
2.29 82.03
Boatbuilding and
repairing
Photographic appa
ratus
39.6
38.8
36.8
38.2
39.9
40.4
40.1
39.4
39.5
40.0
40.1
40.7
40.5
40.9
40.9
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$2.03
2.12
2.12
2.15
2.18
2.20
2.19
2.18
2.13
2.20
2.21
2.22
2.23
2. 28
2.31
Mechanical measur
ing and controlling
instruments
41.2 $1.80
$2.10 $74.16
2.08 74.59
1.86
40.1
39.5
2.10 74.26
1.88
2.10 75.39
40.1
1.88
40.2
2.11 75.58
1.88
41.0
2.13 77.49
1.89
2.12 75. 79 40.1
1.89
40.7
2.14 77. 74
1.91
40.6
2.14 77.55
1.91
40.2
2.15 76.38
1.90
2.16 77. 36
40.5
1.91
2.16 78. 74 40.8
1.93
2.18 77.20
40.0
1.93
2.17 78. 57 40.5
1.94
41.2
2.18 81.16
1.97
Miscellaneous man
ufacturing industries
Watches and clocks
Total: Miscellaneous
manufacturing in
dustries
1953: Average_____ $79. 00 42.7 $1.85 $66.74
41.2 $1.62 $58.69
40.2 $1.46 $77. 49
41.0 $1.89 $66.98
41.6 $1.61 $64.06
40.8 $1.57
1954: Average_____ 75.17
40.2
1.87 66.80
39.2
40.0
1.67 58.80
1.50 80.39
40.6
39.9
1.65 64.24
1.98 64.35
1.61
39.0
September___ 76.73
40.6
1.89 67.13
40.2
40.3
1.67 59. 65 39.5
1.51 80.60
39.5
2.00 65.97
40.0
1.61
1.67 64.40
October_____
40.2
39.2
76.78
1.91 65.46
39.1
1.67 59.04
1.51 81.20
40.6
2.00 67.06
40.5
40.4
1. 61
1. 66 65.21
November___ 78.31
41.0
1.91 66.47
39.8
1.67 59.70
1.50 81.60
39.8
40.8
40.5
39.6
2.00 65.74
1.61
1.66 65.21
December___
78.09
41.1
40.2
1. 67 59.10
39.4
1. 90 67.13
1. 50 82. 01
40.8
39.3
2.01 65.63
40.6
1.67 66.18
1.63
1955: January_____ 76.38
40.2
40.3
39.1
2.02 66.42
1.90 67.30
1.67 58.65
40.2
41.0
39.3
1.50 82. 82
1.69 65.93
1.64
February____ 76.97
1.91 67.54
40.3
40.2
2.02 67.66
1. 68 59.80
1.51 82.21
39.6
40.7
40.5
39.8
1. 70 66.42
1.64
March............. 76.40
1.91 68.45
40.0
40.5
1.69 59.70
39.8
40.9
2.02 67.15
1.50 82.62
39.5
40.6
1.64
1.70 66.58
April_______
76. 59 40.1
1.91 67.94
40.2
1.69 60.65
39.9
39.4
1. 52 83.23
41.0
2.03 67.37
1.64
1.71 65. 76 40.1
M ay......... ...... 77.18
40.2
1.92 69.19
40.2
40.7
1. 52 83.03
39.4
1.70 61.10
40.9
2.03 66.98
40.5
1.70 66.83
1.65
June________ 78.36
40.6
1.93 70.04
41.2
40.2
1.70 61.10
1.52 86.31
41.1
2.10 68. 85 39.8
1.73 66. 42 40.5
1.64
J u ly ............ .
77. 78 40.3
1.93 67.60
40.0
1.69 60.89
2. 08 56.64
39.2
39.8
1.53 85.28
41.0
1. 65
1.70 65. 51 39.7
August______ 76.78
40.2
1.91 69. 53 40.9
1.70 62. 22 40.4
1.54 85.48
40.9
40.3
1.74 66.50
2.09 68.90
1.65
39.6
September___ 77. 57 40.4
1.92 70.28
41.1
1.71 65. 25 41.3
41.3
2.12 70.88
40.5
1.58 87. 56
1.75 68.30
40.9
1.67
ti' 'A
Jewelry, silverware, Jew elry and findings Silverware and plated Musical instruments
Toys and sporting G am es, toys, dolls, and
and plated ware 4
ware
and parts
goods 4
children’s vehicles
1953: Average_____ $68. 85
1954: Average_____ 68.15
September___ 70.05
October_____
71. 71
November___ 71.81
December___
71.48
1955: January_____ 67.82
February____ 68.81
M arch______
69.47
April_______
69.22
M ay________ 69.63
June________ 70.64
Ju ly ________
67.66
A u g u st_____ 70.89
September___ 74.30
42.5
41.3
42.2
43.2
43.0
42.8
41.1
41.7
41.6
41.2
41.2
41.8
39.8
41.7
43.2
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$1.62 $65.41
1.65 65.00
1.66 66.99
1.66 68.89
1.67 68.37
1. 67 67.58
1.65 64.53
1. 65 65. 36
1.67 65. 99
1.68 65. 76
1. 69 66.17
1.69 66. 88
1.70 62.88
1.70 66. 56
1.72 69.07
42.2
41.4
42.4
43.6
43.0
42.5
41.1
41.9
41.5
41.1
41.1
41.8
39.3
41.6
42.9
$1. 55 $75.86
1.57 73.98
1.58 76.68
1.58 77. 65
1.59 78. 87
1.59 79. 67
1.57 74. 57
1.56 75. 76
1.59 77.10
1.60 75.58
1. 61 76.18
1.60 77. 75
1.60 77.30
1.60 79.84
1.61 85. 22
43.1
41.1
41.9
42.2
43.1
43.3
41.2
41.4
41.9
41.3
41.4
41.8
40.9
41.8
43.7
$1.76 $71.81
1.80 72.14
1.83 74. 98
1.84 77.65
1.83 77.04
1.84 76.49
1.81 73.08
1.83 74.07
1.84 74.66
1.83 73. 53
1.84 73. 71
K 86 73.35
1.89 72.00
1.91 73.16
1.95 77.98
40.8
40.3
41.2
42.2
42.1
41.8
40.6
40.7
40.8
40.4
40.5
40.3
40.0
40.2
41.7
$1. 76 $60. 70
1.79 58. 74
1.82 58.50
1.84 59.40
1.83 58.50
1.83 58. 74
1.80 59. 52
1.82 60. 06
1.83 60. 92
1.82 59.91
1.82 59.43
1.82 58. 29
1.80 59. 21
1.82 60.04
1.87 61.85
40.2
38.9
39.0
39.6
39.0
38.9
38.9
39.0
39.3
38.9
39.1
38.6
38.7
39.5
39.9
$1.51 $61.35
1. 51 58.82
1. 50 58.26
1.50 59. 45
1.50 58.50
1. 51 57.68
1.53 59.75
1.54 59.91
1. 55 60.92
1.54 59.91
1.52 59.43
1. 51 56. 77
1.53 58. 67
1.52 59.40
1.55 62.47
40.1
38.7
39.1
39.9
39.0
38.2
38.8
38.9
39.3
38.9
39.1
38.1
38.6
39.6
40.3
$1.53
1. 52
1. 49
1.49
1.50
1. 51
1.54
1.64
1.55
1.54
1. 52
1.49
1.52
1.50
1.55
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
1533
T able C -l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Manufacturing— Continued
Transportation and
public utilities
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries— Continued
Year and month
S p o r t i n g a n d a th le tic
goods
Avg. Avg.wkly. wkly.
earn- hours
mgs
1953: Average_____ $60. 35
1954: Average_____ 59. 04
September___ 58.98
59. 58
October. ___
November . . . 59. 04
59.80
December___
1955: January_____ 59. 28
February____ 59. 98
60. 52
M arch______
59. 67
April_______
M ay ______ 59. 58
June___ ___ 60. 52
J u l y ________ 60.14
60.52
August ____
September___ 61.00
40.5
39.1
38.8
39.2
39.1
39.6
39.0
39.2
39.3
39.0
39.2
39.3
38.8
39.3
39.1
Avg.
hrly.
earnmgs
Pens, pencils, other
office supplies
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn- hours
mgs
$1.49 $58. 98
1. 51 60. 90
1. 52 60. 45
1. 52 62.58
1. 51 63.76
1.51 61. 50
1.52 61. 46
1.53 62. 97
1.54 63. 54
1.53 62.78
1. 52 61.71
1. 54 62.78
1. 55 61.41
1.54 61.56
1.56 61.29
40.4
40.6
40.3
40.9
41.4
41.0
40. 7
41.7
41.8
41.3
40.6
41.3
40.4
40.5
39.8
Costume jewelry,
buttons, notions
Avg.
hrly.
earnings
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn- earn- wkly.
tags hours
mgs
Fabricated plastic
products
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn- hours
ings
Avg.
hrly.
earnings
Other manufacturing
industries
Avg.
hrly.
earnings
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn- hours
ings
40.2 $1.47 $67. 97 41.7 $1.63 $64. 80
$1.46 $59.09
1.46 67. 87 40.4
1.68 66. 47
1. 50 57. 09 39.1
1.46 69.36
40.8
1. 70 66.23
1. 50 56. 50 38.7
1.47 69. 53 40.9
1.70 66. 57
1.53 57. 77 39.3
41.4
1.70 66.40
1. 54 57. 82 39.6
1.46 70.38
1. 45 71.04
41.3
1. 72 68. 51
1. 50 58. 58 40.4
1.47 70.76
40.9
1.73 68.63
1. 51 59. 54 40.5
1. 46 72. 56 41.7
1.74 68. 97
1. 51 58. 84 40.3
1.46 71.45
41.3
1. 52 59.28
40.6
1.73 68. 51
41.1
1.74 67. 72
39.8
1.49 71.51
1. 52 59.30
1.52 60.40
1.51 72.14
1.73 70.24
40.0
41.7
1.49 72. 21
1. 52 60. 05 40.3
41.5
1. 74 70. 58
1.74 69.48
1.52 56.60
38.5
1.47 72. 04 41.4
1.52 58. 56 39.3
1.49 71.75
41.0
1.75 70.30
1.54 61.00
40.4' 1.51 73.74
41.9
1.76 71.05
Transportation and public utilities— Continued
40.5
39.8
39.9
40.1
40.0
40.3
39.9
40.1
40.3
39.6
40.6
40.8
39.7
40.4
40.6
$1.60 $76.33
1.67 78. 74
1. 66 80.32
1.66 78.38
1.66 80. 90
1.70 81.64
1.72 78. 78
1.72 83. 36
1. 70 80. 64
1.71 79.93
1.73 80.12
1.73 82. 84
1. 75 81.14
1.74 83. 61
1. 75
Communication
Local railways and
bus lines
1953: Average_____ $77.12
1954: A v erag e.____ 78.19
September___ 78.14
78. 32
October_____
77. 78
November
79. 49
December___
78.63
1955: J a n u a ry .___
February____ 79. 37
79.18
M arch______
79.98
April
M a y ............ . 80. 54
82.09
June______
J u ly ................ 81. 22
August.. ___ 81.40
September___ 81.03
Telephone
Switchboard operating employees 9
38.7 $1.68 $54. 39 37.0
45.1 $1. 71 $65.02
1.76 56. 61 37.0
43.2
1.81 68. 46 38.9
40.0
1.79 58. 90 38.0
1.83 71.60
42.7
39.8
1.81 60. 04 38.0
42.8
1.83 72.04
37.8
1.83 60.86
1.83 72. 65 39.7
42.5
36.9
1.80 56.83
43.2
1.84 70. 74 39.3
38.9
1. 79 56. 89 36.7
42.5
1.85 69.63
1.82 58.62
37.1
42.9
1.85 70. 98 39.0
42.8
1.85 70. 20 39.0
1.80 56. 98 37.0
39.4
1.82 59.03
37.6
1.86 71.71
43.0
38.2
1.83 61.12
1.86 72. 83
39.8
43.3
39.4
1. 80 59. 28 38.0
43.9
1.87 70.92
40.0
1.80 60. 06 38.5
43.2
1.88 72. 00
38.4
40.2
1.81 59.52
43.3
1.88 72.76
38.4
1.81 60.29
1.88 72. 76 40.2
43.1
Transportation and public utilities —Continued
$1. 47
1.53
1. 55
1.58
1.61
1. 54
1.55
1.58
1. 54
1. 57
1.60
1.56
1. 56
1.55
1.57
1953: Average_____ $81. 56
84.67
1954: A verage____
September___ 87. 57
87. 36
O c to b e r.___
November___ 86. 73
85. 90
December___
1955: January_____ 85. 06
February____ 85.05
85. 47
M arch______
86.51
April_______
May _______ 86. 72
87. 77
June____
July ______ 89.66
August
___ 89.45
September___ 89.64
Gas utilities
41.4 $1. 97 $76. 41
41.3
2.05 79.13
2.09 80. 36
41.9
41.6
2.10 81.36
2.10 80. 95
41.3
41.3
2.08 80. 97
2.09 81.18
40.7
2.1C 82. 61
40.5
40. 7 2.10 80. 39
2. 11 80.40
41.0
41.1
2.11 80. 40
41.4
2.12 80.80
2.15 81.81
41.7
2.14 80.80
41.8
41.5
2.16 83. 84
41.3 $1.85
41.0
1.93
41.0
1.96
41.3
1.97
41.3
1. 96
41.1
1. 97
41.0
1.98
41. 1 2. 01
40.6
1.98
40.4
1.99
40.2
2.0C
40.4
2.00
40.7
2.01
40.4
2.00
41.1
2.04
40.6
40.8
41.4
40.4
41.7
42.3
40.4
42.1
42.0
41.2
41.3
42.7
41.4
43.1
Avg.
hrly.
earnings
$1. 88
1. 93
1.94
1.94
1.94
1.93
1.95
1.98
1. 92
1.94
1.94
1.94
1.96
1.94
Other public utilities
L in e construction,
installation, a n d
Total: Gas and
Telegraph
maintenance em
electric utilities
ployees 7
$92. 23
42.5 $2.17 $74. 23 41.7 $1. 78 $80. 51
41.5 $1.94
41.6
1.83 83.01
41.3
2. 01
97. 61
43.0
2. 27 76.13
41.9
1.86 85. 49 41.7
2.05
105. 77
45.2
2.34 77.93
42.1
104.13
44.5
2.34 78.31
1. 86 86. 94
42.0
2.07
104.08
41.4
2. 06
44. 1 2. 36 76.78
41.5
1. 85 85.28
41.4
103. 66 44.3
2.34 77.00
1.86 84. 87 41.4
2.05
98.41
41.3
1.86 84.25
40.9
2.06
42.6
2.31 76.82
2. 07
2.33 76.82
41.3
1.86 84. 66 40.9
100. 42 43.1
41.5
2. 06
99. 56
43.1
2. 31 77.19
1.86 84.05
40.8
1.87 84. 66 40.9
2. 07
100.46
43.3
2. 32 78.54
42.0
43.6
2.32 79. 52
42.3
2. 08
101.15
1.88 85. 28 41.0
2.08
99. 36 43.2
2. 30 79. 52 42.3
1.88 85. 49 41.1
42.2
44.1
41.4
101.87
2.31 79. 34
1.88 86.94
2.10
2.11
105.08
45.1
2. 33 79.71
42.4
1.88 87.78
41.6
2. 31 79.71
42.4
41.5
2.12
103.03
44.6
1.88 87.98
Wholesale and retail trade
Other public utilities—Continued
Electric light and
power utilities
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn- hours
ings
Retail trade
Electric light and gas
utilities combined
Wholesale trade
$82.15
41.7 $1.97 $71. 69 40.5 $1. 77
41.5
2.03 73.93
40.4
84.25
1. 83
2. 07 74. 74 40.4
41.9
86. 73
1. 85
2.1C 74.93
40.5
89. 88 42.8
1.85
41.3
2. 07 74. 74
85.49
40.4
1.85
41.4
2. 06 75.89
85.28
40.8
1. 86
41.2
85.28
2.07 75. 14 40.4
1. 86
41.4
85.28
2.06 74. 96 40.3
1.86
2. 07 75. 76 40.3
85. 28 41.2
1.88
2.08 76.17
40.3
1.89
85. 70 41.2
2.09 77.14
40.6
86. 53 41.4
1.90
41.3
86. 32
2.0C 77. 55 40.6
1.91
2.11 78. 53 40.9
87. 78 41.6
1.92
42.2
90.31
2.14 77.95
40.6
1.92
89.24
41.7
2.14 78. 74 40.8
1.93
Wholesale and retail trade—Continued
Retail trade (except
eating and drink
ing places)
$54. 88 39.2 $1. 40
39.2
56.84
1. 45
1.46
57. 09 39.1
38.9
1. 47
57.18
56. 50 38.7
1.46
1.44
56.88
39.5
57. 57 38.9
1.48
1.48
57. 57 38.9
57. 42 38.8
1.48
38.6
1. 49
57.51
58.20
38.8
1.50
1. 51
59. 04 39.1
60. 34 39.7
1. 52
39.6
1.52
60.19
59.82 ! 39.1
1.53
General merchandise
stores 9
$38.96
40.71
40.83
40. 48
40.14
41. 92
41.65
41. 07
41.18
40. 60
40.82
42.13
43.08
42.48
42.00
35.1
35.4
35.2
34.9
34.6
37.1
35.3
35.1
35.2
34.7
34.6
35.4
35.9
35.7
35.0
$1.11
1.15
1.16
1.16
1.16
1.13
1.18
1.17
1.17
1.17
1.18
1.19
1. 20
1.19
1.20
Retail trade—Continued
Other retail trade
D e v a r tm e n t s to r e s a n d
stores
1953: Average_____ $44. 88 35.9 $1.25 $58.89
1. 21 60.83
36. Í
1954: Average_____ 46. 83
36. 1 1. 30 61. 53
September___ 46.93
1. 3( 60. 8C
35.7
October_____ 46.41
1. 29 61. 34
35.7
November___ 46. 05
1.25 61.44
38.
4
49.15
December___
35. Í
1.3] 61.18
4 7 . o;
1955: Ja n u a ry ____
1.30 61. 02
35.6
46.28
February____
35.7
1.3: 60. 54
46. 77
March ' ____
1.
32 60. 54
35.3
46. 60
April_______
1.32 61.07
May ______ 46. 6C 35.3
1.
33 62.43
36.0
47.
88
June . . ____
36.3
1.33 63. 73
July____ ____ 48.28
1.33
63.73
36.0
47. 88
August ____
1.34 63.14
36.0
September___ 48.24
See footnotes at end of table.
366804— 55----- 13
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
A u iu m o u v e a u u
A L y p a re i a n a
accessories dealers
accessories stores
39.0 $1.51 $73. 92
38.5
1. 55 74.42
38.7
1.5£ 74. 7C
1. 6( 74. 7C
38. (
38.1 1.61 74. 70
1. 6( 76. 37
38. 4
38. (
1. 6] 75. 68
37. Í
1.6] 76.91
37.6
1.6] 78. 68
37. f
1.61 80. 00
1.62 81. 14
37.7
38.3
1. 63 81. 77
39.1
1.63 81. 14
39.]
1.63 81. o;
1.65 80.96
38.5
44.8 $1.65 $44.96
44.3
1. 68 46. 5i
44. 2 1.69 46. 51
44.2
1.69 46.95
44.2
1. 69 46. 68
44.4
1. 72 47.92
1. 72 47. 08
44.0
44.2
1. 7‘ 46. 2'
44.2
1. 78 45. 5(
44. 2
1.8: 46.1(
44. Ï
1.8' 46. 55
44.2
1. 85 46. 73
4 4 .:
1.8' 47. 6:
43.8
1.85 46.77
44.0
1.84 46.68
35.4 $1.27
35.5
1.31
1.31
35.5
35. Í
1.35
35. ]
l. 3 ;
1. 32
36. f
35. < l. 3 ;
1.3]
35.Í
35. (
1. 3(
34. 4
1. 3¿
35. C 1.3!
1.32
35. 4
35.8
1.3 ;
35.7
1.3:
35.1
1.33
Lumber and hardFurniture and
ware supply stores
appliance stores
$62. 31
42.1 $1.48 $64. 65
43.1 $1.50
42.2
1. 51 67.24
43.1
63. 72
1. 56
42.1
63.99
1. 52 67.98
43.3
1. 57
43.2
64. 99
42.2
1.54 68. 85
1. 59
42.2
43.0
64.99
1. 54 67.94
1. 58
42.9
43.1
1. 55 67. 78
1.58
66. 81
42.4
1.54 66.41
42.3
1. 57
65. 30
42.3
63. 87
42.3
1. 51 66.83
1. 58
1.52 67. 62
42.8
42.2
1. 58
64. V.
42.9
41.9
1. 54 68.64
1.60
64.5Í
43. 4
1.61
65.9'
42. C 1.57 69. 87
1.59 69. 87
43.4
1.61
67.1(
42.2
41.9
1.61 71.39
43.8
1.63
67. 46
43.
41.9
1.6: 71.5(
1.64
67.46
41.6
1.62 71.94
43. 6
1.65
67.39
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1534
T able
C-l: Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory employees 1—Continued
Finance, insurance, and real estate *
Year and month
Banks and Security
trust
dealers and
companies exchanges
Avg.
wkly.
earnings
1953: Average.............. ..........
1954: Average........................
September........... ........
October..___ ______
November ________
December__________
1955: January____________
February___________
March_______ _____
April_________ . _
M ay_______________
June_______________
July----------------------A u g u st____________
September---------------
$54.84
57.39
57.71
58.02
58.11
58.51
58.97
59.02
59.08
59. 00
58.69
58. 50
58.77
58.67
58.50
Avg.
wkly.
earnings
$82. 94
95.02
96. 75
97.24
100.09
111.75
110. 82
108.37
107.97
106.08
102.04
100. 97
101. 69
97.16
95.58
Service and miscellaneous
Personal services
Insurance
carriers
Avg.
wkly.
earnings
$67.29
70.08
70.68
70-90
70. 79
71.29
72.22
71.79
71.90
72. 36
72. 89
73.13
74.13
74.22
74. 51
Hotels, year-round 9
Avg.
Avg.
Avg.
Avg.
Avg.
Avg.
Avg.
Avg.
Avg.
wkly. wkly.
hrly.
wkly. wkly.
hrly.
wkly. wkly.
hrly.
earnings hours earnings earnings hours earnings earnings hours earnings
$38. 40
40.13
40.64
40.87
41.16
41.38
41.26
40.96
40. 45
40.35
40.79
40. 47
40.89
40.77
40.69
i Data are based upon reports from cooperating establishments covering
both full- and part-time employees who worked during, or received pay for,
any part of the pay period ending nearest the 15th of the month. For mining,
manufacturing, laundries, and cleaning and dyeing plants, data refer to pro
duction and related workers only. For the remaining industries, unless
otherwise noted, data relate to nonsupervisory employees and working
supervisors.
Data for the most recent month are subject to revision without notation;
revised figures for earlier months will be identified by asterisks the first month
they are published.
3 See footnote 2, table A-2.
1 See footnote 3, table A-2.
4 Italicized titles which follow are components of this industry.
s Figures for class I railroads (excluding switching and terminal companies)
are based upon monthly data summarized in the M-300 report by the Inter
state Commerce Commission and relate to all employees who received pay
during the month, except executives, officials, and staff assistants (ICC
Group I).
4 Data relate to employees in such occupations in the telephone industry as
switchboard operators, service assistants, operating-room instructors, and
pay-station attendants. During 1954 such employees made up 43 percent of
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cleaning and dyeing
plants
Laundries
42.2
41.8
41.9
41.7
42.0
41.8
42.1
41.8
41.7
41.6
41.2
41.3
41.3
41.6
41.1
$0.91
.96
.97
.98
.98
.99
.98
.98
.97
.97
.99
.98
.99
.98
.99
$39. 69
40.10
40. 50
40.50
40.40
40.70
40. 40
40.20
40.60
40.70
41.62
40.80
41.01
40.40
40.70
40.5
40.1
40.1
40.5
40.0
40.3
40.0
39.8
40.2
40.3
40.8
40.4
40.6
40.0
40.3
$0.98
1.00
1.01
1.00
1.01
1.01
1.01
1.01
1.01
1.01
1.02
1.01
1.01
1.01
1.01
$45.71
47.12
47.24
47.72
46. 77
47.01
46.41
45.22
47.04
47.24
49.61
48.12
47.04
45.82
48.36
40.1
39.6
39.7
40.1
39.3
39.5
39.0
38.0
39.2
39.7
41.0
40.1
9.2
38.5
40.3
$1.14
1.19
1.19
1.19
1.19
1.19
1.19
1.19
1.20
1.19
1.21
1.20
1.20
1.19
1.20
Motion
picture
production
and distri
bution 8
Avg.
wkly.
earnings
$81.52
89.09
89. 81
92.95
89.44
92.74
93.98
90. 54
93.36
92.66
94.22
93.11
95.94
92. 93
94.94
the total number of nonsupervisory employees in telephone establishments
reporting hours and earnings data.
7 Data relate to employees in such occupations in the telephone industry as
central office craftsmen; installation and exchange repair craftsmen; line,
cable, and conduit craftsmen; and laborers. During 1954 such employees
made up 25 percent of the total number of nonsupervisory employees in
telephone establishments reporting hours and earnings data.
8 Data on average weekly hours and average hourly earnings are not avail
able.
9 Money payments only; additional value of board, room, uniforms, and
tips not included.
*August 1954—Average weekly earnings for other rubber products shown
previously as $77.15 should have read $71.15.
See footnote 1 on p. 1502.
N o t e .— Information on concepts, methodology, etc., is
given in a technical note on Hours and Earnings in Nonagricultural Industries, which appeared in the April 1954
Monthly Labor Review.
0 : EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able
1535
C-2: Gross average weekly earnings of production workers in selected industries, in current and
1947-49 dollars1
Manufacturing
Bituminouscoal mining
Laundries
Year
1939:
1940:
1941:
1942:
1943:
1944:
1945:
1946:
1947:
1948:
1949:
1950:
1951:
1952:
1953:
1954:
Bituminouscoal mining
Laundries
Year and month
Cur
rent
1947-49
Cur
rent
1947-49
Cur
rent
1947-49
Cur
rent
1947-49
Cur
rent
1947-49
Cur
rent
1947-49
Average_________ $23.86
Average_________
25.20
Average_________
29.58
Average___ _____
36. 65
Average_________
43.14
Average.—......... .
46.08
Average_____ ____ 44. 39
Average_________
43.82
Average_________
49.97
Average....... ........... 54.14
Average_________
54. 92
Average_________
59.33
Average_________
64. 71
Average_________
67. 97
Average_________
71.69
Average_________
71.86
$40.17
42. 07
47.03
52.58
58.30
61.28
57.72
52. 54
52. 32
52. 67
53.95
57. 71
58.30
59.89
62. 67
62. 60
$23. 88
24. 71
30.86
35.02
41.62
51.27
52. 25
58.03
66. 59
72.12
63. 28
70. 35
77. 79
78. 09
85.31
80.85
$40. 20
41. 25
49.06
50. 24
56.24
68.18
67. 95
69. 58
69. 73
70.16
62.16
68.43
70. 08
68.80
74. 57
70.43
$17.64
17 93
18. 69
20. 34
23.08
25. 95
27.73
30.20
32. 71
34.23
34.98
35.47
37. 81
38. 63
39.69
40.10
$29. 70
29 93
29. 71
29.18
31.19
34.51
36.06
36. 21
34.25
33. 30
34.36
34.50
34.06
34.04
34.69
34.93
1954: September___ ____ $71.86
October_________
72. 22
November ............ 73. 57
December,.______
74.12
1955: January_________
73. 97
February..... ........... 74. 74
March__________
75.11
April_________ .
74. 96
M a y .. _________
76.30
June____________
76.11
Ju ly ------------------- 76. 36
August___ ______
76.33
September2______
77.71
62.65
63.07
64. 20
64. 85
64. 72
65.39
65. 71
65. 64
66.81
66. 53
66.57
66.66
67.63
$81.17
87. 54
88. 29
92.01
92. 01
94. 50
91.88
93 no
93.87
98. 28
95. 50
94. 50
96.99
$70. 77
76. 45
77. 04
80. 50
80. 50
82.68
80.38
SI 44
82.20
85.91
3.26
82. 53
84.41
$40. 50
40.50
40. 40
40.70
40.40
40.20
40.60
$35.31
35.37
35.25
35.61
35.35
35.17
35. 52
41.62
40.80
41.01
40.40
40.70
36.44
35. 66
35.75
35.28
35.42
1 These series indicate changes in the level of average weekly earnings prior
to and after adjustment for changes in purchasing power as measured by
the Bureau’s Consumer Price Index, the years 1947-49 being the base period.
T able
» Preliminary,
See footnote 1 on p. 1502.
C-3: Average weekly earnings, gross and net spendable, of production workers in manufacturing
industries, in current and 1947^49 dollars 1
Gross average
weekly earnings
Year
Index
A(1947mount 49=100)
1939:
1940:
1941:
1942:
1943:
1944:
1945:
1946:
1947:
1948:
1949:
1950:
1951:
1952:
1953:
1954:
Manufacturing
Average_____ ____ $23. 86
Average___ ____
25. 20
29. 58
Average_________
Average_________
36.65
Average_________
43.14
Average_________
46.08
Average.......... ........ 44.39
43.82
A verage________
Average....... ..........- 49.97
Average_________
54.14
54. 92
Average_________
Average....... .........._ 59.33
Average_________
64.71
Average_________
67.97
Average_________
71.69
Average_________
71.86
45.1
47.6
55.9
69.2
81.5
87.0
83.8
82.8
94.4
102.2
103.7
112.0
122.2
128.4
135.4
135.7
Net spendable average weekly
earr ings
Worker with no
dependents
Worker with 3
dependents
Cur
rent
1947-49
Cur
rent
1947-49
$23. 58
24. 69
28. 05
31.77
36.01
38. 29
36. 97
37. 72
42. 76
47.43
48.09
51.09
54.04
55.66
58. 54
59.55
$39. 70
41.22
44. 59
45. 58
48. 66
50. 92
48. 08
45.23
44. 77
46.14
47.24
49. 70
48.68
49. 04
51.17
51.87
$23. 62
24.95
29. 28
36. 28
41.39
44.06
42.74
43.20
48.24
53.17
53. 83
57. 21
61.28
63. 62
66. 58
66. 78
$39. 76
41.65
46. 55
52.05
55.93
58. 59
55.58
51.80
50.51
51.72
52. 88
55. 65
55. 21
56. 05
58.20
58.17
1 Net spendable average weekly earnings are obtained by deducting from
gross average weekly earnings, Federal social security and income taxes for
which the worker is liable. The amount of income tax liability depends,
of course, on the number of dependents supported by the worker as well as
on the level of his gross income. Net spendable earnings have, therefore,
been computed for 2 types of income-receivers: (1) A worker with no depend
ents; (2) A worker with 3 dependents. See footnote 1. table C-2.
The computations of net spendable earnings for both the worker with no
dependents and the worker with 3 dependents are based upon the gross
average weekly earnings for all production workers in manufacturing indus
tries without direct regard to marital status and family composition. The
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Gross average
weekly earnings
Year and month
Index
A(1947mount 49=100)
1954: September.
October___
November.
December..
1955: January__
February...
M arch____
April_____
M ay......... .
June_____
July--------August___
September2.
$71.86
72. 22
73. 57
74.12
73.97
74.74
75.11
74. 96
76.30
76.11
76.36
76.33
77.71
135.7
136.4
138.9
140.0
139.7
141.2
141.9
141.6
144.1
143.7
144.2
144.2
146.8
Net spendable average weekly
earnings
Worker with no Worker with 3
dependents
dependents
Cur
rent
1947-49
Cur
rent
1947-49
$59. 55
59.84
60.92
61.36
61.15
61.76
62.05
61.93
62.98
62.83
63.02
63.00
64.08
$51.92
52.26
53.16
53.68
53. 50
54. 03
54.29
54.23
55.15
54. 92
54.94
55.02
55. 77
$66. 78
67.07
68.18
68.63
68.41
69.02
69. 32
69. 20
70. 27
70.12
70.32
70.29
71.40
$58. 22
58.58
59. 49
60.04
59.85
60.38
60. 65
60.60
61.53
61.29
61.31
61.39
62.14
primary value of the spendable series is that of measuring relative changes
in disposable earnings for 2 types of income-receivers.
2 Preliminary.
See footnote 1 on p. 1502.
N o t e .— Information on concepts, methodology, etc., is
contained in a technical note on the Calculation and Uses
of the Net Spendable Earnings Series (Revised May 1954),
which is available upon request to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1536
T able C-4: Average hourly earnings, gross and excluding overtime, of production workers in manu
facturing industries1
Durable
goods
Manufacturing
Excluding
overtime
Year
Gross
amount
Amount
1941:
1942’
1943:
1944:
1945:
1946:
1947*
1948*
1949*
19fi0*
1951:
1952:
1953:
1954:
Average___
Average
Average___
Average.......
Average___
Average___
Average
Ave,rage.
Average
Average
Average___
Average___
Average___
Average___
$0. 729
.853
.961
1.019
1.023
1.086
1. 237
1.350
1.401
1. 465
1.59
1.67
1.77
1.81
$0.702
.805
.894
.947
» .963
1.051
1.198
1.31Ó
1.367
1.415
1.53
1.61
1.71
1. 76
Nondurable
goods
Excluding
overtime
Ex
clud
Gross ing Gross
over
time
Ex
clud
ing
over
time
Year and month
54.5 $0. 808 $0. 770 $0.640
.723
.881
62.5
.947
.803
69.4 1.059
.976
.861
73.5 1.117 1.029
.904
» 74.8 1.111 *1.042
81.6 1.156 1.122 1.015
93.0 1.292 1.250 1.171
101.7 1.410 1.366 1.278
106.1 1.469 1.434 1.325
109.9 1.537 1.480 1.378
1.60
1.48
118.8 1.67
1.54
125.0 1.77
1.70
1.80
1.61
132.8 1.87
1.66
1.86
136.6 1.92
$0. 625
.698
.763
.814
».858
.981
1.133
1.241
1.292
1.337
1. 43
1. 49
1.56
1.61
1954: September-October____
November..December...
1955: January___
February__
March_____
April......... .
M ay.............
June—.
Ju ly _______
A ugust... September
Index
(194749 = 100)
Durable
goods
Manufacturing
Gross
amount
1 Overtime is defined as work in excess of 40 hours per week and paid for
at time and one-half. The computation of average hourly earnings excluding
overtime makes no allowance for special rates of pay for work done on holidays.
These data are based on the application of adjustment factors to gross average
hourly earnings, as described in Eliminating Premium Overtime From
Amount
Index
(194749=100)
$1.76
1.76
1.77
1.77
1.78
1.78
1.79
1.80
1.80
1.80
1.82
1.81
1.83
136.6
136.6
137.4
137.4
138.2
138.2
139.0
139.8
139.8
139.8
141.3
140.5
142.1
$1.81
1.81
1.83
1.83
1.84
1.85
1.85
1.86
1.87
1.87
1.89
1.88
1.90
N ondurable
goods
Gross
Ex
clud
ing Gross
over
time
$1.93
1.93
1.94
1.95
1.96
1.96
1.97
1.98
1.99
1.99
2.02
2.01
2. 03
$1.87
1.87
1.88
1.88
1.89
1.89
1.89
1.90
1.91
1.91
1.94
1.94
1.95
$1.66
1.66
1.67
1.67
1.68
1.68
1.68
1.69
1.70
1.70
1.71
1.70
1. 72
Ex
clud
ing
over
time
$1.61
1.61
1.62
1.62
1.63
1.63
1.63
1.65
1.65
1.65
1.66
1.65
1.66
Hourly Earnings in Manufacturing, Monthly Labor Review, May 1950;
reprint Serial No. R. 2020.
211-month average; August 1945 excluded because of V-J holiday period.
* Preliminary.
See footnote 1 on p. 1502.
T able C-5: Indexes of aggregate weekly man-hours in industrial and construction activity1
[1947-49= 100]
1955
Annual
average
1954
Industry
Sept .2 Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
1954
1953
T o ta l!----------------------------------- ---------
111.7
109.8
107.2
108.0
106.1
103.1
103.0
100.8
99.9
102.9
103.5
103.0
102.3
101.5
113.3
Mining division______ _______ ________
78.4
78.7
78.6
80.4
77.7
75.7
76.0
76.4
76.8
77.4
76.5
75.8
73.5
76.6
87.5
Contract construction division________
132.4
129.3
128.7
122.3
117.2
106.1
100.6
92.4
96.0
108.9
118.2
123.5
123.8
115.9
123.1
Manufacturing division_______________
111.0
109.1
106.0
107.8
106.4
104.5
105.2
103.6
102.0
103.8
103.2
101.9
101.2
101.1
113.6
Durable goods______________________
Ordnance and accessories----- -.
Lumber and wood products (except
furniture)___ - -------- ---------------Furniture and fixtures--------------------Stone, clay, and glass products_______
Primary metal industries - _- --------Fabricated metal products (except
ordnance, machinery, and transpor
tation equipment)------ ------- ---Machinery (except electrical) ---------Electrical machinery----------------------Transportation equipment------- ------Instruments and related products___
Miscellaneous manufacturing indus
tries------------------------------------------
117.9
385.3
115.8
383.9
114.2
386.5
117.2
395.2
116.7
399.1
114.3
400.8
113.6
410.8
111.5
411.6
109.4
415. 6
110.5
429.0
109.4
431.7
106. 6
437.9
103.9
441.8
107.5
502.2
125.2
798.5
97.8
111.7
113.9
117.2
99.3
108.6
112.1
110.9
95.6
100.0
107.6
109.7
99.5
103. 3
110.6
114.0
91.7
100.1
108.0
112.4
86.2
99.2
105.1
109.0
84.6
102.0
103.3
106.5
85.5
101.3
99.8
103.2
84.2
98.0
98.9
100.7
88.4
101.7
101.6
98.7
92.2
102.0
102.1
96.2
94.0
102.6
102.2
92.8
89.2
100.7
100. 7
91.5
85.0
96.5
99.0
94.5
93.0
108.5
106.6
113.9
118.6
104.1
134.8
140.4
117.7
116.0
103.6
129.5
141.6
114.9
113.2
103.7
124.3
147.9
113. 1
116.2 116.0
107. 3 106.6
129.1 128.6
145.8 155.2
115. 5 110.4
113.6
104. 4
127.3
153.7
113.1
113.2
102.2
127.0
154.4
114.2
110.6
99.6
126. 6
150.9
112.9
109.1
97.6
125. 7
147.1
112.2
111.5
97.5
127.7
146.0
113.7
110.6
95.1
128. 7
139 2
112.9
107.9
94.8
125.9
125. 9
112.3
106.2
95.4
122. 9
118.1
111.9
108.3
100.6
123. 4
135.0
114.9
123. 4
119.0
147.1
158. 6
129.9
106.1
101.5
95.6
101. 1
99.4
97.7
99.3
97.4
93.9
98.3
102.4
103.2
100.3
98.0
109.5
Nondurable goods------- --------------------Food and kindred products. _ _Tobacco manufactures_____________
Textile-mill products______________
Apparel and other finished textile
products. -. - --------------------Paper and allied products ...................
Printing, publishing, and allied indus
tries_________________ _________
Chemicals and allied products________
Products of petroleum and coal______
Rubber products_______ - ....... ........
Leather and leather products________
102.7
104.3
114.2
84.3
101.2
102.8
102.6
83.6
96.2
96.4
75.2
79.6
96.6
90.4
79.7
81. 7
94.0
85.1
76.9
80.4
92.8
81.6
72.0
80.2
95.2
80.4
77.2
83.0
94.2
79.8
81.4
83.0
93.2
82.3
85.4
81.4
95.8
88.0
95.4
83.2
95.8
91.7
94.0
82.4
96.3
96.7
111.0
80.9
97.9
105.2
107. 9
79.5
93.5
90.3
87.8
78.7
99.7
93.7
90.1
89.8
109.4
118.1
108.1
116.4
98.1
113.5
102.9
113.8
100.5
111.7
100.1
110.1
109.5
110.5
107.6
109.3
102.4
108.7
103.6
110.7
101.8
111.7
100.3
111.4
101.1
111. 1
99.0
109.2
106.9
111.6
110.7
108.9
95.6
116.9
94.8
106. 8
105.9
95.8
112.4
99.1
106.0
105.7
97.0
112.0
94.8
106.7
106.9
96.1
116.4
95. 5
105.5
107.6
95.7
114.0
89.6
105.1
107.7
93.7
110.9
90.9
105.7
107.4
92.7
109.1
98.4
104.0
104.4
90.3
108.6
98.6
103.3
103.9
91.2
108.3
94.0
107.0
104.7
92.2
108.5
93.3
105.4
104.3
93.8
104. 3
90.6
105.4
104.1
94.0
102.3
86.8
105. 6
103.3
96.7
96. 9
88.3
104.4
103.5
95.7
97.0
89.9
105.4
108.1
100.9
111.6
96.5
1Aggregate man-hours are for the weekly pay period ending nearest the
15th of the month and do not represent totals for the month. For mining and
manufacturing industries, data refer to production and related workers. For
contract construction, the data relate to construction workers.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
5 Preliminary.
8 Includes only the divisions shown.
See footnote 1 on p. 1502.
1537
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able
C -6 :
Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries for selected
States and areas 1
Birmingham
State
Arkansas
Arizona
Alabama
State
Phoenix
State
Mobile
Year and month
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
hourly wkly wkly hourly wkly wkly hourly wkly wkly hourly wkly wkly hourly wkly wkly hourly
wkly wkly
earn earn hours earn earn hours earn earn hours earn earn hours earn
earn hours earn earn hours
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
39.8
39.1
1953: Average_____ $55. 32
1954: Average-......... 55. 91
1954: September___
O cto b er___
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February. _ ..
March . . . .
April. _ .
M ay________
June____
July________
A ugust..........
September___
$1.39 $69. 20
1.43 71.68
1. 45
57. 28 39.5
1.44
57. 60 40.0
1. 45
58. 44 40.3
1. 45
40.2
58.29
1.45
57. 42 39. 6
1. 46
58. 55 40.1
1. 46
40.4
58. 98
1.48
59.05
39. 9
1.48
60. 09 40. 6
1.49
40. 6
60. 49
1. 52
60. 50 39.8
1. 43
58. 63 41.0
62. 88 41. 1 1.53
Arkansas—C on.
41.0
40.6
1954: September___
October __
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
March
___
A p ril.______
M ay____
June________
July________
August______
September___
40.7
41. 1
40.5
41.4
41.1
40.7
41.1
40.4
40. 9
40.8
41.0
41.0
41.3
49.65
50. 55
49. 82
51. 34
50. 96
50.88
51.38
51.31
51. 94
51.82
52. 07
52.89
53. 69
39.1
39.8
1954: September___ 80. 87
October.......... 81.37
November___ 83. 25
December___ 85.16
1955: January_____ 83. 75
February____ 87.05
March _
87.69
April.- .
85. 67
M ay____ __ 85.98
June________ 88.12
July________ 86. 59
August-. __ 85.43
September___ 85. 68
39.2
39.5
40.2
40.7
39.8
41.1
41.3
40.4
40.6
41.5
40.5
40.1
40.0
42.3
40.2
40.4
1954: September___ 73.12
October ____ 73. 57 40.4
November___ 75. 03 41.0
December___ 75. 38 41.3
1955: Ja n u a ry ____ 75. 67 40.9
February____ 75. 85 41.0
41.4
M arch______ 77. 00
April______ _ 76. 04 41.1
M ay________ 76. 82 41.3
41.5
June________ 77.19
July________ 76. 26 41.0
40.9
A u g u st_____ 76.48
September___ 79. 00 41.8
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
81. 56
81.98
82.09
83. 27
83. 47
83. 95
84. 25
84.34
84. 70
85. 30
84. 93
85.00
86. 25
$1.93 $80. 30
2.04 82.90
2. 06
2. 06
2. 07
2. 09
2.10
2. 12
2.13
2.12
2.12
2.12
2.14
2.13
2.14
39.7
40.1
40.3
41.3
39.9
39.5
40.5
38.9
40.4
40.3
39.6
40.0
40.7
40.1
39.9
$1.97 $67.37
2.03 70.37
83.16
83.85
83. 46
84. 89
83. 77
84. 83
85. 27
85. 44
86.68
87.29
88.13
88.05
89.60
37.4
37.8
2. 03 68. 47 37.0
40.2
38.8
40.2
2.04 71.33
36.5
2.05 67.65
40.0
2.06 72.93
38.1
40.3
37.0
2.08 71.15
40.0
2.08 70. 52 36.7
40.3
69.44
36.6
2.08
40.4
2. 09 70. 50 36.6
40.3
37.5
2.10 72.19
40.3
38.2
2.11 73.91
40.5
38.4
74.
51
2.12
40.1
2.10 75. 52 39.6
40.5
38.0
2.11 73.50
40.9
California--Continued
39.2
39.1
1.81
75.17
41.6
40.2
1.81
1.82
1.83
1.83
1.85
1. 85
1.86
1.85
1.86
1.86
1.86
1.87
1. 89
75. 58
75.79
77. 30
77. 90
77. 55
78. 55
80. 32
80.12
81. 70
81.90
81.29
80. 70
82.32
40.2
40. 1
40.9
41.0
40.6
40.7
41.4
41.3
41.9
42.0
41.9
41. 6
42.0
1. 71
1. 68
1. 72
1.75
1. 67
1.69
1. 71
1.81
1.72
1. 76
1. 75
1.75
1.80
42.0
41.5
$1.80 $79. 03
1. 86 81. 03
40.7
40.3
81.41
81. 51
82.50
83.78
84.12
83. 99
84. 65
84. 50
84.96
84. 48
85. 47
85. 47
86. 49
40.2
40.3
40.6
41.1
40.7
40.7
41.0
40.8
40.9
40.7
40.8
40.8
40.9
1. 85
1.84
1. 85
1. 91
1.92
1. 92
1.90
1.93
1. 93
1. 94
1. 94
1.91
1.94
$1. 88 $74.17
1.92 75.48
39.4
39.1
76.60
76. 97
74.79
79. 32
79. 35
82.29
81. 71
87. 06
86. 85
86.10
76. 89
78. 89
82. 20
42.2
40.4
37.9
39.1
38.5
39.8
39.9
41.9
41.5
41.3
37.4
41.3
43.0
1.81 76. 01
1.91 76.38
1.97 74.70
2. 03 76. 85
2. 06 78. 06
2. 07 78. 56
2.05 78. 53
2.08 74. 57
2. 09 76.97
2.08 79. 76
2. 06 79. 90
1.91 71.43
1.91 77. 65
Connecticut
40.5
40.3
38.1
38.8
38.3
38.8
39.2
37.8
38.9
40. 1
40.2
37.7
77. 64
77.23
78. 81
79.80
81. 06
80. 87
80.45
80.06
80.29
79. 90
79. 54
78.38
81.99
41.3
41.3
41.7
42.0
42.0
41.9
41.9
41.7
41.6
41.4
41.0
40.4
41.9
1.88
1.89
1.89
1.90
1.91
1.93
1.94
1.94
1.95
1.95
1. 94
1. 94
1. 96
41.1
$1.84 $73. 95
1.87 70. 84
1.88
1.87
1.89
1.90
1.93
1.93
1.92
1.92
1.93
1.93
1.94
1.94
1.96
68. 71
69. 60
71.42
71. 42
72. 00
72. 22
74.48
75. 99
75.99
78.68
79.10
77.30
80. 51
42.5
39.8
38.6
39.1
39.9
39.9
40.0
39.9
40.7
41.3
41. 3
42. 3
42. 3
40.9
42. 6
41.1
40.6
$1.86 $49.49
1.95 51. 00
40.9
40.8
$1. 21
1. 25
51.53
52.20
51.69
52.48
51.73
51. 97
52. 86
52.48
54.02
53. 66
52. 74
53. 63
54.86
40.9
41.1
40. 7
41.0
40.1
40. 6
41.3
41.0
42. 2
41. 6
41.2
41. 9
42.2
1.26
1.27
1. 27
1. 28
1.29
1. 28
1. 28
1. 28
1.28
1. 29
1.28
1.28
1. 30
2. 00
2.01
1.99
1. 98
2. 00
1.95
1. 92
1.91
1.93
1. 94
1.95
2. 02
2. 07
41.6
41.2
40.5
40.3
41.0
40.2
40.7
40.2
40.1
40.5
40.1
40.3
41.4
San BernardinoRiverside-Ontario
Sacramento
$1.94 $74. 77
2.01 77. 07
39.0
38.5
$1. 92 $76. 78
2. 00 78. 52
40.3
40.0
$1.91
1.96
85.23
81.11
77. 51
79.14
78.47
78. 73
79.97
77.53
76.19
81. 34
80. 01
72. 37
96.45
42.6
40.4
37.7
38.4
37.8
37.8
38.1
38.8
38.4
40.3
38.2
35.4
45.8
2. 00 80. 47
2. 01 80. 47
2. 06 80.68
2. 06 78. 31
2. 08 79. 63
2.08 80.71
2.10 81.08
2. 00 80. 31
1.99 81. 60
2.02 82. 34
2. 09 80.98
2. 04 80. 67
2.11 84.00
Colorado
40.4
40.4
40.6
39.3
39.8
40. 2
40.5
40.0
40.5
40. 5
40.3
40.2
40.7
1.99
1.99
1.99
1.99
2.00
2.01
2. 00
2. 01
2. 02
2. 03
2. 01
2. 01
2.06
2.02
2.02
2. 03
2. 04
2. 06
2. 06
2.06
2. 07
2. 08
2. 08
2. 09
2.09
2.11
Denver
State
$1.88 $71.34
1.93 72.94
1.87
1.89
1. 96
1. 98
2.04
2. 03
2. 00
1.97
1. 98
1.99
1.99
1.90
1.89
71. 82
70.23
75.03
73.23
75.17
75.17
75. 55
75.92
77. 46
77. 61
78.44
76. 48
77. 93
41.0
40.3
$1. 74 $71. 28
1.81 73.16
41.2
40.2
$1.73
1.82
72. 83
74.15
74. 96
73. 45
74.00
74. 37
75.14
75.17
77.68
77.11
79. 49
76.38
79. 73
39.8
40.3
40.3
39.7
40.0
40.2
40.4
40.2
41.1
40.8
41.4
40.2
41.1
1.83
1. 84
1.86
1.85
1.85
1. 85
1. 86
1. 87
1. 89
1.89
1. 92
1.90
1.94
1.80
1.81
1.83
1. 84
1.87
1.87
1.87
1. 87
1. 88
1.87
1. 89
1.87
1.91
39.9
38.8
41.0
39.8
40.2
40.2
40.4
40. 6
41. 2
41. 5
41. 5
40. 9
40. 8
Stamford
New Haven
New Britain
Hartford
44.0
41.3
83. 20
82. 81
80. 60
79.79
82. 00
78. 39
78.14
76. 78
77.39
78. 57
78.20
81.41
85.70
Stockton
San Jose
$1. 82 $80. 96
1.87 77.23
1.99
1.99
1.97
1.97
1.99
1.96
1. 94
1.95
1.98
1.98
1.98
2. 03
2. 05
Los Angeles
40.2
40.1
2.10
2. 13
2. 15
2.16
2. 16
2.17
2. 17
2. 19
2. 19
2. 20
2. 23
2. 18
2. 21
$1.88 $76. 45
1.95 79.17
83. 38 41.9
41.6
82.78
81. 56 41.4
80. 77 41.0
82.19
41.3
40.9
80.16
41.3
80.12
40.6
79.17
41.5
82.17
82. 76 41.8
40.6
80. 39
84. 65 41.7
42.5
87.13
California
$2. 05 $75.36
2.12 76. 85
39.7
39.4
38.8
39.4
38.8
39.2
39.2
39.1
39.6
39.8
39.6
40.4
40.7
$1. 77 $75. 71
$1. 58 $78.96
1.66 80. 93
Fresno
Bridgeport
State
1953: Average_____ $74. 87
1954: Average_____ 72. 76
67.89
67. 37
69.32
72. 28
66.63
66. 76
69. 26
70.41
69.49
70. 93
69.30
70.00
73.26
1.85
1.82
1.83
1.83
1.83
1.85
1.86
1.86
1. 88
1.91
2.00
1. 78
2.02
San FranciscoOakland
San Diego
1953: Average_____ $75. 59
1954: Average_____ 81.31
39.9
40.3
State
$1.18 $78. 82
1. 21 81. 05
1.22
1.23
1.23
1.24
1. 24
1. 25
1.25
1.27
1. 27
1.27
1. 27
1.29
1. 30
$1.73 $63. 04
1.81 66.90
39.5
39.6
39.6
39.6
39.6
40.0
40.2
40.3
41.1
41.3
40.8
41.5
41.2
73.08
72. 07
72.47
72.47
72. 47
74.00
74. 77
74. 96
77. 27
78. 88
81.60
73. 87
83.22
Little Rock-North
Little Rock
1953: Average_____ $48. 38
1954: Average_____ 49.13
40.0
39.6
$1.74 $70. 64
1. 78 69.03
41.8
39.9
69.60
70. 30
70. 53
71. 63
70.75
69. 83
70.93
70. 05
70. 84
71.73
70.40
70. 98
72. 85
40.0
40.4
40.3
40.7
40.2
39.9
40.3
39.8
39.8
40.3
40.0
40.1
40.7
1.78
1.78
1. 79
1. 79
1.80
1. 81
1.83
1. 84
1. 84
1.86
1.87
1. 89
1.89
$1. 69 $80. 45
1. 73 79. 98
41.9
40.6
$1.92
1.97
81.16
82. 81
82.42
81.40
79.99
80.60
81.40
79.00
78. 38
79.19
78.79
81.80
82.01
41.2
41.2
40.8
40.7
-39.6
40.1
40.1
39.5
38.8
39.4
39.2
40.1
40.2
1.97
2.01
2.02
2. 00
2. 02
2.01
2.03
2. 00
2.02
2. 01
2.01
2.04
2.04
1. 74
1.74
1.75
1. 76
1. 76
1. 75
1. 76
1.76
1. 78
1. 78
1. 76
1. 77
1.79
1538
T able
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
C 6. Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries for selected
States and areas 1—Continued
Maryland—Con.
Massachusetts
Baltimore
State
Boston
Year and month
Fall River
New Bedford
Springfleld-Holyoke
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
Avg.
wkly wkly
Avg. Avg. wkly
hourly wkly Avg. hourly wkly Avg. hourly
hourly wkly Avg. hourly
earn hours earn earn wkly earn earn wkly earn wkly
wkly hourly
earn hours
earn earn wkly earn earn wkly earn
hours
hours
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings hours ings
ings hours ings
1953: Average.......... $71. 73
1954: Average_____ 72. 71
1954: September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
M arch______
April...............
M ay________
June________
July------------August______
September___
40.9
40.1
$1. 76 $66. 60
1.82 65.55
73. 48 40.2
1.83
73.07
39.8
1.83
74.66
40.4
1.85
40.9
76.26
1.87
75. 57 40.7
1.86
75.22
40.4
1.86
75.99
40.7
1.87
40.4
76.13
1.88
77. 72
41.1
1.89
77. 50
41.2
1.88
80.80
41.5
1.95
80. 47 41.3
1.95
41. 6 1.96
81.52
M assachusetts—Con.
65.24
65.13
65.80
67.20
66. 80
67.13
67.87
67. 43
68.74
69. 43
68. 23
68. 91
70.52
Worcester
1953: Average1954: Average.
$71. 81
70. 65
1954: September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
M arch______
April_______
M ay________
June________
July________
August_____
September__
70.20
71.49
70. 59
74.34
72. 07
73.97
74. 74
76.30
76.70
78.62
77. 87
79. 30
81.18
1954: September__
October____
November__
December__
1955: January____
February___
M arch_____
April_______
M ay_______
June...............
Ju ly ...............
August......... .
September__
$82. 76
81.15
40.9
39.4
$1.76 $86. 65
1.79 87.84
41.5
40.8
39.0
1.80 87. 85
40.3
39.5
1.81 89.72
41.1
39.0
1.81 91.98
42.0
40.4
1. 84 95.26
43.2
39.6
1.82 93. 76 42.6
40.2
1.84 94.64
42.9
40.4
1.85 95.60
43.1
40.8
1.87 94. 63
42.8
40.8
1.88 96.70
43.4
41.6
1.89 91.07
41.3
41.2
1.89 93.72
41.8
41.3
1.92 94.05
41.8
42.5
1.91 94. 41
41.5
Michigan—Continued
40.0
38.9
40.1
39.3
69.30
68.29
68.82
69. 87
69.30
70. 05
70.22
70.09
71.38
71. 73
70.13
71.20
73. 08
39.6
38.8
39.1
39.7
39.6
39.8
39.9
39.6
40.1
40.3
39.4
40.0
40.6
1.66
1. 67
1.67
1.68
1.67
1.67
1.68
1. 69
1.71
1.71
1. 71
1.71
1.72
$2. 09 $89.18
2.15 91.85
2.18
2.18
2.19
2.21
2.20
2.21
2.22
2.21
2.23
2.21
2. 24
2.25
2.28
43.2
40.7
$2.00
81.38
39.2
2.08 84.19
83.17
39.7
2.10
88. 54
83. 37 39.7
2.10 86.44
84.96
40.4
2.10
87.19
86.47
41.0
2.11
88.33
88.83
41.8
2.13 90.14
41.1
87.26
2.12
89. 38
87.82
41.0
2.14 95.04
88.42
41.2
2.15 100. 77
88. 50 41.2
2.15 84. 44
84.73
39.8
2.13 93. 81
84. 73 39.5
2.15 91.04
87.03
40.5
2.15 90. 84
Mississippi—Con.
40.3
42.2
41. 6
41.7
41.9
42.2
42.0
43.9
45.7
40.0
42.7
41.8
41.5
2.09
>49.44
50.90
41.2
40.4
1954: September___ 51. 71 40.4
October_____ 52.50
42.0
November___ 53. 85
42.4
December___ 51.18
40.3
1955: January_____ 50.18
38.6
February____ 50. 59 40.8
M arch______ 52.12
40.4
April_______ 50. 04
38.2
M ay________ 53.73
40.1
June________ 52. 67 39.9
July________ 54.26
40.8
August______ 54.94
40.4
September___ 57. 68
41.8
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$1.20 $67. 56
1.75
1.76
1. 76
1.76
1.75
1.76
1.76
1.77
1.78
1. 78
1.78
1.78
1.80
50.46
53. 93
54.60
54. 32
54.49
53. 79
53.65
54.74
55.41
54. 99
53.68
55. 55
55.94
92. 57
94. 96
96.89
101. 30
96.05
97.05
97. 89
97. 29
98.28
93.68
95.62
97. 31
97.88
41.0
40.5
2.05
$2.18 $99.19
2.27 94. 79
39.8
41.0
42.0
43.7
42.0
42.4
42.6
42.3
42.6
40.8
40.9
41.2
40.8
2.10
2.08
2. 09
2.11
2.14
2.13
2.17
2.21
2.11
2.20
2.18
2.19
$72. 56
74.03
41.2
40.6
73. 50
74. 73
77.15
76.38
76. 44
75. 94
76.24
76. 51
76. 49
76.65
77. 34
79.16
80. 25
40.6
40.7
41.4
41.1
40.9
40.6
40.6
40.7
40.8
40.9
41.3
41.6
41.8
Missouri
2.33
2. 32
2.31
2.32
2.29
2.29
2.30
2. 30
2.31
2.30
2.34
2. 36
2. 40
67.63
39.9
39.0
$1.69 $74. 53
1.73 75.02
40.5
39.8
1.28
1.25
1.27
1.27
1.30
1.24
1.29
1.31
1.34
1.32
1.33
1.36
1.38
67.58
67. 75
68.92
69.50
69.36
69 32
70.09
69. 81
70.44
69.20
70.93
71.75
72.01
39.0
39.1
39.3
39.6
39.4
39.5
39.9
39.5
39.6
39.2
40.0
40.2
39.8
1.74 75.07
1. 74 76. 32
1. 75 78. 61
1. 76 78. 26
1.76 79. 68
1.76 78. 03
1.76 79. 53
1.77 79.18
1.78 80.18
1.76 77. 76
1. 77 81.28
1.78 81.14
1.81 81.42
39.9
40.2
40.7
40.5
41.1
40.3
40.9
40.5
40.8
39.8
41.0
40.9
40.7
$1.37 $55. 55
1.38 55.01
37.1
38.8
39.0
38.8
39.2
38.7
38.6
39.1
39.3
39.0
37.8
39.4
39.4
Michigan
1. 36
1.39
1.40
1.40
1.39
1.39
1.39
1.40
1.41
1.41
1.42
1.41
1.42
44.8
42.6
$2. 21 $80. 54
2.23 81.37
2. 28
2.25
2.24
2.25
2.31
2.31
2.35
2.29
2. 37
2.28
2. 41
2. 42
2.42
Duluth
$1. 76 $71.16
1.82 74.62
1. 81
1.84
1.86
1.86
1.87
1.87
1.88
1.88
1.88
1.87
1.87
1. 90
1. 92
75. 59
75. 97
77. 76
75. 66
75.60
75.17
75. 07
76.22
76.66
78.19
78. 38
81.19
82.73
39.3
38.2
38.8
39.4
39.0
38.9
38.7
39.2
39.2
39.3
39.3
39.5
40.1
81.13
82.01
81.87
84. 34
83. 47
84.19
86.37
84.93
85.02
82. 66
82.95
83. 63
85. 78
73. 71
74. 32
74. 47
75. 78
75.51
76.26
76. 51
76.15
77.35
77.07
78. 43
78.92
79.62
40.1
39.3
39.3
39.5
39.4
40.1
39.8
40.0
40.1
39.7
39.9
39.7
40.3
40.3
40.1
$1.42 $70. 38
1.44 71.33
40.0
38.7
38.3
39.6
39.1
39.6
39.5
39.1
39.4
39.6
39. 5
40.3
40.1
1.46
1.48
1. 48
1.45
1.45
1.46
1.45
1.47
1.49
1.48
1.48
1.48
1.49
42.1
41.2
41.1
41.4
41.1
41.9
41.3
41.7
42.4
41.9
41.9
40.9
40.7
41.4
41.6
70.62
70.80
71.73
72.85
72. 50
72.67
74.70
74.07
75.21
75.03
73. 93
74.52
77. 70
$1.83 $74.42
1.90 76.14
1.92
1.99
2.01
1.92
1.94
1.93
1 94
1.94
1.96
1.99
1.99
2.06
2. 06
76. 30
78. 29
79.26
77. 98
77. 78
77.40
78. 03
78.30
78. 35
79. 57
80. 09
81.05
83. 76
41.0
40.2
39.9
40.7
40.9
40.5
40.4
40.2
40.4
40.6
40.5
40.9
40.9
41.1
41.8
Montana
$1.91 $94. 87
1.98 92. 85
1.97
1.98
1.99
2.01
2.02
2.02
2. 04
2. 03
2.03
2.02
2.04
2.02
2.06
1.88
1.88
1.89
1.89
1.90
1.91
1.91
1.92
1.94
1.94
1.95
1. 96
1.99
80. 73
82.25
80.20
79.82
83. 05
82.96
82. 50
80. 78
82.23
82. 95
86.57
86.62
85.62
41.4
39.9
39.8
41.3
40.0
39.9
40.9
40.5
40.7
39.9
40.2
40.2
41.5
41.1
40.9
$1.72
1.77
39.9
40.0
40.3
40.7
40.5
40.6
41.5
40.7
41.1
41.0
40.4
40.5
42.0
1.77
1. 77
1. 78
1. 79
1.79
1.79
1.80
1.82
1.83
1.83
1.83
1.84
1.85
40.1
40.0
94. 40
41.9
42.4
94. 55
43.7
99. 59
46.0
107. 46
45.8
106.07
105. 66 45.8
46.5
108. 35
44.9
103.36
45.4
107.96
44.7
106.30
42.3
99.83
Mississippi
88.20
$2.18
2.23
2.22
2.21
2.25
2.23
2.28
2.34
2.32
2.31
2.33
2.30
2.38
2.38
2.36
State
$1.82 $46. 63
1.89 48.14
1.91
1.92
1.94
1.93
1.93
1.92
1.93
1.93
1.94
1.95
1.96
1.97
2.00
43.5
41.9
88. 82
50. 09
48. 38
48. 43
48. 96
47. 88
48.14
49.68
50. 31
49. 97
50. 58
49. 92
50.58
50. 94
State
$1.79 $79. 76
1.86 79.20
40.9
40.2
Lansing
Minneapolis-St.Paul
St. Louis
$1.84 $71. 60
1.88 73.13
1.88
1.91
1.93
1.93
1. 94
1. 93
1.95
1. 96
1. 96
1.94
1.97
1.97
1.98
39.0
39.2
58.40
57.27
56. 68
57. 42
56.70
57.82
57.28
57. 48
58. 71
58. 61
58. 46
59.64
59. 75
39.3
38.3
Grand Rapids
95.20
41.7
92. 56
41.1
99. 05
44.2
98. 73
43.8
106. 86 46.2
106.17
45.9
108. 29
46.1
103. 01
45.0
114. 09
48.2
95.84
42.0
111.97
46.5
109.25
45.2
104. 46 43.2
Minnesota
Kansas City
1.26
39.0
37.7
Flint
State
$2.07 $86. 40
2.09 83.23
State
$1.70 $53. 46
1.74 52.06
Detroit
Saginaw
Jackson
1953: Average1954: Average.
39.3
39.0
39.4
40.0
40.0
40.2
40.4
39.9
40.2
40.6
39.9
40.3
41.0
$1.65 $68. 09
1.67 68.54
State
Muskegon
1953: Average____
1954: Average____
40.4
39.4
40.9
40.8
41.4
41.0
40.7
40.8
39.9
40.8
41.4
40.9
41.3
42.5
41.6
41.8
42.1
Nebraska
$1.14
1.18
1.21
1.18
1.19
1.20
1.20
1.18
1.20
1.23
1.21
1.19
1.20
1.21
1.21
State
$1.93 $65.40
1.99 67.70
2.03
1.99
2. 01
2.00
2.03
2.05
2.03
2. 02
2. 05
2.07
2.09
2.11
2.09
67. 89
68.46
70.85
70. 65
68.60
67.10
67.53
68.14
71.34
71.43
71.70
73. 01
74.27
41.7
41.7
41.7
41.8
42.1
42.3
40.7
40.4
40.6
40.9
42.7
42.8
43.1
43.0
43.1
$1.57
1.62
1.63
1.64
1.68
1.67
1.69
1.66
1. 66
1.67
1.67
1.67
1. 67
1.70
1.72
1539
O: EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able C-6: Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries for selected
States and areas 1—Continued
Avg.
wkly
earnings
Avg. Avg. Avg.
wkly
wkly hourly
earnhours earnings
ings
1953: Average. . . . . $75. 93
1954: Average_____ 72. 36
42.9
40.2
74.03
74. 44
76. 36
74. 30
75.11
77. 42
78. 77
77.46
79. 38
79. 90
80. 32
75. 55
81.89
40.9
40.9
41.5
40.6
40.6
41.4
41.9
41.2
42.0
42.5
42.5
40.4
43.1
1954: September___
October_____
November
December___
1955: January. . . .
February____
M arch. .. .
April..
M a y .. . . .
June_______
July------------August . . .
September___
Wilmington
State
Waterbury
Year and month
Avg. Avg. Avg.
wkly
wkly hourly
earnhours earnings
ings
$1. 77 $69.89
1.80 70.90
1.81
1.82
1.84
1.83
1.85
1.87
1.88
1.88
1.89
1.88
1.89
1.87
1. 90
69.29
70.84
73.77
74. 44
73.36
75.36
78.09
76. 96
79.04
76.53
76. 53
72. 44
77.23
40.8
39.9
$1.71 $82. 28
1.78 84.23
1.74
1.78
1.84
1.83
1.83
1.87
1.90
1.89
1.87
1.85
1.92
1.85
1.89
39.8
39.8
40.2
40.7
40.0
40.3
41. 1
40. 7
42.2
41.3
39.9
39.2
40.8
83. 33
84. 22
86. 99
88.86
85. 73
88. 01
90.91
90. 39
91.43
91.53
91.48
86.24
90. 34
1953: Average.
$62.83
1954: Average_____ 63.04
40.8
39.9
1954: September__
October_____
November. _.
December___
1955: January. .
February . . .
M arch______
April.. . . . .
M ay________
June___. . .
July_______
August_____
September___
39.5
39.9
40.6
40.7
40.1
40.3
40.5
40.7
40.8
40.1
41.7
40.6
40.6
62.02
63. 04
65. 77
65.93
64. 56
64.88
66. 42
67. 56
68.14
65.76
71. 72
68. 61
68.61
$1.54 $63. 57
1. 58 66. 04
42.1
41.8
65.85
66.82
69. 21
69.93
67.20
68. 26
68. 32
68. 53
69.01
69.54
72. 50
70.90
72.76
40.9
41.5
42.2
42.9
42.0
42.4
42.7
42.3
42.6
42.4
42.9
42.2
42.3
1.57
1.58
1.62
1.62
1.61
1.61
1.64
1.66
1.67
1.64
1.72
1.69
1.69
$1. 51 $76. 48
1.58 78.28
1. 61
1.61
1.64
1.63
1.60
1.61
1.60
1.62
1.62
1.64
1.61
1.68
1.72
82.26
79. 46
78.35
79.15
80.10
76.40
77.11
78. 36
80.59
86.96
81.81
84.97
84.97
41.2
40.3
$2.00 $55. 36
2.09 56. 44
42.2
41.5
39.7
39.8
40.9
41.6
40.4
40.8
41.7
41.2
42.0
41.7
41.3
40.0
40.6
2.10
2.12
2.13
2.14
2.12
2.16
2.18
2.19
2.18
2. 20
2.22
2.16
2.23
56.17
56. 30
57.13
58. 23
57. 95
57.12
57. 39
56.86
57.82
58.10
57.25
57. 39
57.92
40.7
40.8
41.7
42.5
42.3
42.0
42.2
41.5
41.6
41.5
40.6
40.7
40.5
40.9
41.2
42.4
41.6
41.9
42.1
41.5
40.0
40.8
40.6
40.7
43.7
40.7
42.7
42.7
1953: Average___ _ $69.08
1954: Average_____ 71.01
40.8
40.4
1954: September___
October___ _
November ..
December___
1955: January____
February____
March ____
April.. ____
M a y .. ______
June _ . ___
Ju ly _______
A u g u st___ .
September___
40.6
41.2
40.6
41.6
41.3
40.5
41.1
40.6
41.0
40.8
40.3
41.2
41.7
72.45
73.04
72.24
74.99
74. 41
73.05
74.88
73.24
74.58
74.22
73. 76
76.23
78.15
$1.69 $73.98
1.76 75.50
1953: Average_____ $63.80
1954: Average_____ 65.25
41.7
41.3
41.6
1954: September___ 65. 73
41.2
October_____ 64.27
42.6
November___ 64.75
December___ 65. 72 42.4
1955: J a n u a ry ____ 66. 75 40.7
41.1
F e b r u a r y .__ 66.99
M arch. ’____ 68. 72 41.9
April_______ 69. 72 41.5
M ay________ 69. 22 41.7
Ju n e________ 69. 47 42.1
41.7
July.........
70.47
August ____ 68. 97 41.8
42.1
September___ 70. 31
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
77.20
77. 73
73. 50
78. 44
78.49
79. 34
80.90
78.49
81.02
80.86
78.43
81.83
83.97
40.0
39.2
39.2
39.7
38.4
39.3
39.4
39.2
39.9
39.5
40.4
40.0
39.1
40.4
40.4
Louisiana
$1.85 $74.18
1.93 78.47
41.3
41.8
80.06
80. 35
81. 66
81.52
81. 66
80.29
81.63
80. 74
80. 42
78.19
79.58
80. 21
81.16
42.2
42.1
42.4
42.4
42.2
41.7
42.4
42.1
42.3
41.6
41.9
41.6
41.7
1.97
1. 96
1.91
2.00
1.99
2.03
2. 03
1.99
2. 01
2.02
2.01
2.03
2.08
$1.87 $76.39
1.90 76.34
1.94
1.91
1.87
1.88
1.93
1.91
1. 89
1.93
1.98
1.99
2. 01
1.99
1.99
77. 49
76. 76
78. 03
78.87
79.05
79. 60
80. 36
80. 48
81.17
81.98
81.10
82.25
84.35
39.9
39.1
$1.26
1.27
55.48
56.98
59. 50
59.50
58.10
57.96
55. 89
56. 99
57. 51
57.95
56.28
55.88
57.08
40.2
40.7
41.9
42.5
41.5
41.4
40.5
41.0
40.5
41.1
40.2
40.2
40.2
1.38
1.40
1.42
1.40
1.40
1.40
1.38
1.39
1.42
1.41
1.40
1.39
1.42
49. 27
50.93
52.65
52.53
51. 61
51.74
52. 53
52. 40
52.80
52.93
54. 41
53.87
55.08
39.1
40.1
40.5
40.1
39.7
39.8
40.1
39.7
40.0
40.1
40.3
40.5
40.5
1.26
1.27
1.30
1.31
1.30
1.30
1.31
1.32
1.32
1.32
1. 35
1.33
1.36
1.38
1.38
1.37
1.37
1.37
1.36
1.36
1. 37
1.39
1.40
1.41
1.41
1.43
Indiana
41.1
40.0
40.4
40.0
40.5
40.7
40.5
40.7
40.9
40.9
41.0
41.3
40.7
41.3
41.7
State
Chicago
$1.86 $79.84
1.91 78.92
41.3
39.8
79. 79
78. 36
80.94
82. 01
82.01
82.56
83.13
83. 26
84.20
85.77
84. 66
86. 39
89.20
40.1
39.2
40.4
40.7
40.4
40.6
40.8
40.7
40.9
41.4
40.6
41.2
42.0
1.92
1.92
1.93
1.94
1.95
1.96
1.97
1.97
1.98
1.98
1.99
1.99
2. 02
$1. 93 $76. 96
1.98 76. 27
40.6
39.6
$1.89
1.93
75.29
77.54
79. 37
80.43
80.35
81.88
81.85
81.55
83. 02
82.29
81.98
82.75
85.18
39.7
40.1
40.5
40.8
40.6
41.2
41.0
40.8
41.4
41.1
40.4
40.7
41.8
1.89
1.93
1.96
1.97
1.98
1.99
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.03
2.03
2.04
1.99
2.00
2.00
2.01
2.03
2. 03
2.04
2. 05
2.06
2.07
2.09
2.10
2.12
Kentucky
$1.79 $66.62
1.88 71.90
41.1
41.8
$1.62 $76. 33
1.72 82. 36
40.9
41.9
78.84
78. 79
80.20
83. 31
85.11
72.27
79. 38
80.08
80. 56
79. 41
78. 42
80.14
75.50
43.1
42.8
43.8
45.0
44.8
39.6
42.3
43.4
43.7
43.1
43.2
43.6
40.7
1.83 85.40
1.84 83.06
1.83 84.66
1.85 86.28
1.90 85.27
1.82 84.35
1.88 85.68
1.84 82.79
1.84 83.25
1.84 82.70
1.82 83. 52
1.84 84.70
1.86 84. 42
Maine
42.8
41.8
42.7
43.1
42. 7
42.3
43.1
41.8
42.0
41.6
41.7
41.4
41.4
1.90
1.91
1.93
1.92
1.93
1.93
1.92
1.92
1.90
1.88
1.90
1.93
1.95
41.6
41.0
$2.14 $62. 56
2.24 65.60
40.1
40.0
93. 56
90. 76
92.75
90. 54
91.17
90. 76
93. 66
95. 35
92.80
93.38
97. 34
95. 63
98.88
40.5
40.7
40.5
40.6
40.7
40.7
40.9
41.1
40.7
40.6
40.9
41.4
41.2
2.31 66.66
2.23 66.73
2.29 65. 57
2.23 65.90
2. 24 65.07
2.23 65.40
2.29 67.56
2.32 67. 94
2.28 67.83
2.30 70. 21
2.38 69.08
2. 31 67.94
2.40 68.91
40.4
40.2
39.5
39.7
39.2
39.4
40.7
40.2
39.9
41.3
40.4
40.2
40.3
1. 65
1.66
1.66
1.66
1.66
1.66
1.66
1.69
1.70
1.70
1.71
1. 69
1.71
55.38
56. 34
57. 55
59.06
59.26
58.50
58. 52
57. 39
58.09
58.71
57. 67
58.29
59.18
40.6
39.9
38.8
39.2
39.7
40.8
41.0
40.9
40.7
39.8
40.3
41.0
40.2
40.3
40.6
41.9
$1. 86 $68.00
1.97 266. 17 2 39.8
2.00
1.99
1.98
2.00
2.00
1.99
1.99
1.98
1.98
1.99
2.00
2.05
2.05
39.8
67.63
68. 07 40. 4
68. 43 40.1
40. 6
67.66
67. 30 40.4
40. 7
68.43
69. 07 40. 6
69.64
40.4
40. 7
70.29
41. 5
72.52
40. 9
71.31
71. 51 40.9
41. 2
73. 41
Maryland
$1.40 $59.57
1.42 60.91
41.6
40. 6
61.33
61.56
61.16
61.10
63. 02
61.72
61.34
61.05
61.97
59.38
64.21
64.00
62. 61
40.5
40.3
39.6
40.2
41.3
40.7
40.1
39.7
40.9
40.1
42.1
41.8
40.7
1.43
1.44
1.45
1. 45
1.44
1.43
1.44
1.44
1.44
1.43
1.44
1.45
1.46
$1. 62
>1. 66
1.70
1. 68
1.71
1.67
1.66
1.68
1. 70
1. 72
1.73
1. 75
1.75
1.75
1.78
State
Portland
State
$1.56 $56.88
1. 64 56.52
State
Wichita
Topeka
New Orleans
$1.53 $89.02
1.58 91.84
1.58
1.56
1.52
1.55
1. 64
1. 63
1.64
1. 68
1.66
1.65
1.69
1.65
1.67
$1.30 $50. 27
1.36 49. 66
State
State
Baton Rouge
State
42.0
41.2
Kansas
Des Moines
1.79
1.77
1.78
1.80
1.80
1.81
1.82
1.80
1.82
1.82
1.83
1.85
1.88
$1.31 $54. 53
1.36 56.03
Illinois
Iowa
State
State
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg. wkly
wkly wkly hourly wkly wkly hourly
wkly hourly
wkly hourly
earn- earn- hours earn
earn- earn- hours
earnearnhours ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
mgs hours ings
State
Savannah
Tampa-St. Peters-
State
Idaho
Georgia—Continued
Atlanta
Georgia
Florida
Delaware
Connecticut--C on.
$1.43 $67.35
1. 50 68. 58
40.7
39.8
$1.66
1.72
68.28
68.48
71.00
72. 30
71.77
72.06
72. 49
72.63
73.95
73.66
75.33
74. 25
76.67
39.9
39. 7
40.3
40.6
40. 3
40.4
40. 5
40.3
40.9
41.1
41.1
40. 6
41.5
1.71
1. 73
1.76
1.78
1.52
1. Ö3
1. 54
1. 52
1. 53
1. 52
1. 53
1. 54
1. 52
1.48
1. 53
1. 63
1. 54
1.78
1.79
1.80
1.81
1.79
1.84
1.85
1540
T
able
M O N T H L Y L A B O R R E V IE W , D E C E M B E R 1955
C-6: Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries for selected
States and areas 1—Continued
Nebraska—Con.
Nevada
Omaha
State 3
Year and month
New Hampshire
S tate3
New Jersey
Manchester 3
State
Newark-Jersey City
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
wkly wkly
hourly wkly Avg. hourly wkly Avg. hourly wkly Avg. hourly wkly Avg. hourly- wkly
earn hours earn earn wkly earn earn wkly earn earn wkly earn earn wkly earn earn
hours
hours
hours
hours
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
1953: Average_____ $67.85
1954: Average_____ 70.64
41.6
41.4
1954: September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January. . . . .
February____
M arch. .
April_______
M ay____
Ju n e________
Ju ly ------------AugustSeptember___
40.3
41.8
42.0
42.8
41.7
40.8
41.0
41.5
42.7
42.6
42.2
42.3
43.8
70.07
71.67
75.72
74.91
72. 74
70. 31
70. 51
71.50
74.94
74.83
74.22
76. 26
79.96
$1.63 $86. 74
1.71 86.43
1.74
1.72
1.80
1.75
1.74
1.72
1.72
1.72
1.76
1.76
1.76
1.80
1.82
90.80
86. 76
86.37
87.02
87.05
85.10
85.28
83.11
83.44
84.37
91.20
91.03
91.96
41.7
40.2
$2.08 $57.37
2.15 57.46
40.4
39.9
40.9
39.8
39.8
40.1
40.3
39.4
39.3
38.3
38.1
38.7
40.0
40.1
39.3
2.22 56. 45
2.18 57.13
2.17 58.84
2.17 59.62
2.16 59.60
2.16 59.89
2.17 60.30
2.17 58.40
2.19 59. 28
2.18 60.71
2.28 58. 29
2. 27 59.28
2.34 60.09
39.2
39.4
40.3
41.4
41.1
41.3
41.3
40.0
40.6
41.3
40.2
40.6
40.6
$1.42 $54. 53
1.44 53.68
1.44
1.45
1.46
1.44
1.45
1.45
1.46
1.46
1.46
1.47
1.45
1.46
1.48
50.34
52. 77
54.00
56.77
56.63
57.46
57.71
54.09
55.15
56.70
53.96
55.48
55.30
38.4
37.8
35.7
36.9
37.5
39.7
39.6
39.9
39.8
37.3
38.3
39.1
38.0
38.8
38.4
New Jersey—Continued
Paterson
1953: Average_____ $74.66
1954: Average_____ 75.05
41.0
40. 5
1954: September___
OctoberNovember___
December___
1955: January .
February____
M arch__
April_______
M av. . _
June________
July------------August-- . . September___
41.0
40.8
41.3
41.7
41.1
41.2
41.4
40.4
41.3
41. 7
40.9
41.2
41. 7
75.97
75.85
77.11
78.31
76. 82
77.09
77.63
75. 71
78.14
79.48
78.08
78. Ò7
80. 36
1.85
1.86
1.87
1.88
1.87
1.87
1.87
1.87
1.89
1.91
1.91
1.91
1.93
Albany-SchenectadyTroy
1953: Average....... . $76. 57
1954: Average____
76.08
40.4
39. 6
77.72
77. 39
78.78
78. 50
77.47
78. 39
78. 75
78.31
80. 21
81.46
80. 57
82.37
84. 93
40.5
40.0
40. 4
40.1
39. 5
39.8
40. 3
39.6
40. 2
40. 7
40. 2
40. 8
41. 2
1954: September__
October____
November__
December___
1955: January____
February___
March_____
April_______
M ay_______
June........... .
Ju ly _______
August_____
September__
76.50
75.74
76.50
78.07
77.91
78.27
78. 88
79. 74
80.04
81.48
79.04
82.43
82. 57
Trenton
$1.83 $73. 78
1.89 72.03
40.5
39.8
40.2
40.6
40.6
40.7
40.7
40.5
40.9
41.3
39.6
41.3
41.1
1.89
1.90
1.90
1.92
1.92
1.92
1.94
1.97
1.96
1.97
2.00
2.00
2. 01
73.67
73.85
73.70
76.01
76.08
78.29
76. 56
74.05
79. 57
73. 52
78.90
76. 98
78. 43
Binghamton
$1.90 $67.08
1.92 65.62
1.92
1.94
1.95
1.96
1.96
1.97
1.96
1.98
1.99
2.00
2.01
2.02
2.06
41.1
40.0
64. 58
65.86
66.97
68.14
65.77
68. 73
69.93
68. 34
68.63
70.49
69.71
70.93
70. 73
39.4
37.7
36.9
37.5
38.2
39.0
37.5
38.8
39.4
38.4
38.6
39.5
39.2
39.8
39.4
State
74.85
74.70
76.05
76.95
76.46
77.30
77.11
77.10
78. 70
78.68
79.14
78. 58
79.57
39.9
39.8
40.3
40.5
40.2
40.6
40.5
40.2
40.8
40.6
40.5
40.4
40.7
1953: Average___
1954: Average___
1954: September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
M arch______
April_______
M ay________
June________
July------------A u g u st..........
September___
See footnotes at end
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Syracuse
41.6
40.0
42.2
40.3
$76. 54
76. 51
77.05
76.84
77. 62
77.23
77. 54
78.04
79.03
79.03
79.67
81.10
81. 25
81. 73
82.44
of table,
40.2
40.0
40. 3
40.0
40.1
40. 2
40.4
40.3
40. 5
40.6
40.4
40. 6
41.0
$1.84 $77.02
1.91 74.43
1.92
1. 92
1.93
1.93
1.93
1. 94
1.96
1.96
1.97
2.00
2.01
2.01
2.01
75.14
77.01
75. 94
76.92
76.80
76. 23
78.31
78.35
79.07
78.86
79.26
79. 75
82.76
40.5
40.9
40.6
40.8
40.7
40.4
41.0
41.0
41.1
41.1
41.0
41.2
42.2
$1.80 $74.16
1.82 78.91
40.3
40.2
39.9
40.8
40.6
41.4
40.9
39.9
41.9
39.4
40.9
40.2
40.7
New
1.83 81.32
41.7
1.95
1.84 81.36
41.3
1.97
1.85 82.01
40.8
2.01
1.86 82.20
41.1
2.00
1.87 85.28
41.4
2.06
1.89 81.80
40.9
2.00
1.87 80.20
40.1
2.00
1.86 81.61
40.4
2.02
1.90 80.80
40.2
2.01
1.87 278. 72 2 41.0 2 1.92
1.93 79.80
39.9
2.00
1.92 80.99
40.7
1.99
1.93 83.85
40.9
2.05
York—Continued
82. 77
84. 26
87.62
88.36
86.98
87.71
86.65
86.88
88.61
87.60
89.40
89.45
90.07
41.6
40.3
41.2
41.1
$1.80 $71.10
1.92 74.39
$1.99 $72.05
2.06 73.67
39.7
40.5
41.3
41.8
41.2
41.4
41.0
40.8
41.4
40.9
41.0
40.9
41.0
2.08
2.08
2.12
2.11
2.11
2.12
2.11
2.13
2.14
2.14
2.18
2.19
2.20
74.36
75.38
74.87
75.43
74. 59
73.68
74.52
73.79
74.16
76.37
76. 54
75.39
77.41
40.6
40.4
40.5
40.8
40.5
40.5
39.9
39.9
40.2
40.0
40.0
40.8
40.6
40.5
41.0
75.85
76.67
74.96
78.02
76.48
75. 30
73.82
71.94
71.74
74.15
75.95
77.08
78. 36
41.1
41.1
$1.83 $69. 21
1.85 69.03
69.67
70. 27
71.10
70.88
71.75
70.92
71.01
70.44
70.61
72.94
73. 34
71.09
74. 54
40.8
39.5
39.4
40.0
40.3
40.1
40.1
39.9
40.2
39.9
39.9
40.6
40.7
39.9
41.2
75.93
76.24
76.38
77. 51
77.36
78.32
77.27
78.15
79.18
79.42
79. 83
79. 75
80.62
$1.78 $83.77
1.82 83.21
1.84
1.85
1.85
1.86
1.87
1.85
1.85
1.85
1.85
1.87
1.88
1.86
1.89
84.32
86.83
86. 27
85.56
84.04
84.24
84.88
82.69
82.46
82.84
81.55
79. 76
84.44
$1.84
1.90
39.9
40.0
39.8
40.2
40.0
40.6
40.1
40.1
40.4
40.5
40.3
40.3
40.8
1.90
1.91
1.92
1.93
1.93
1.93
1.93
1.95
1.96
1.96
1.98
1.98
1.98
41.0
41.0
40.3
41.5
40.9
40.7
39.9
39.1
39.2
40.3
40.4
41.0
40.6
42.5
41.0
41.5
42.0
41.8
41.4
40.9
41.2
41.3
40.1
40.7
40.5
39.9
39.0
40.5
State
$1.73 $71.12
1.81 71.50
1.85
1.87
1.86
1.88
1.87
1.85
1.85
1.84
1.83
1.84
1.88
1.88
1.93
Nassau and Suffolk
Counties
Elmira
71.84
72.06
73.12
73.61
73. 52
74.26
74.26
73.08
74.13
74.60
74.87
74.79
76.05
$1.79
1.84
39.0
39.0
39.4
39. 5
39.0
39.3
39.4
38.8
39.3
39.5
39.1
39.3
39.7
1. 84
1.85
1.86
1.87
1.88
1.89
1.88
1.88
1.89
1.89
1.91
1.90
1.92
New York City
$1.97 $67.49
2.03 68.66
2.03
2.07
2.07
2.07
2.05
2.04
2.06
2.06
2.03
2.04
2.04
2.05
2.09
39.7
38.8
69.31
68.96
69. 73
70.23
70.63
71.68
71.74
69. 29
70.48
71.10
71.47
71.22
72.06
37.9
37.4
$1.78
1.84
37.7
37.5
38.0
38.0
37.5
37.9
38.1
37.2
37.8
38.0
37.7
37.7
38.1
1.84
1. 84
1. 83
1. 85
1. 88
1.89
1. 88
1.86
1.87
1. 87
1.90
1. 89
1.89
North Carolina
Utica-Rome
1.85
1.89
1.87
1.89
1.89
1.89
1.91
1.91
1.92
1.92
1.93
1.94
1.96
1.88
1.88
1.89
1.90
1.90
1.90
1.90
1.92
1.93
1.94
1.95
1.94
1.95
41.1
39.7
New York
New York--Continued
Rochester
$1.82 $75.83
1.87 75. 55
Albuquerque
40.9
39.6
Buffalo
$1.70 $83.04
1.74 82.96
1.75
1.76
1.75
1.75
1.75
1.77
1.78
1.78
1.78
1.79
1.78
1.78
1.79
1.41
1.43
1.44
1.43
1.43
1.44
1.45
1.45
1.44
1.45
1.42
1.43
1.44
40.9
39.8
New Mexico
Perth Amboy
$1.82 $75. 30
1.85 75.48
$1.42 $74. 32
1.42 74.43
Avg. Avg.
wkly hourly
hours earn
ings
Westchester County
$1.70 $70.11
1.75 71.58
1.77
1.76
1.76
1.77
1.79
1.78
1.77
1.76
1.77
1.79
1.80
1.78
1.81
71.70
70.64
75.45
75. 21
71.52
72.67
73.39
73. 59
75. 53
72.29
76.04
73.47
76.13
40.0
39.2
39.6
39.3
40.7
40.5
39.0
39.7
40.0
39.9
40.4
39.4
40.2
39.7
40.7
State
$1. 76 $48.34
1.82 47.88
1.81
1.80
1.85
1.86
1.83
1.83
1.84
1.84
1.87
1.84
1.89
1.85
1.87
48.75
49.75
50.27
50.93
49.78
50.29
51.05
48.38
50.94
51.20
50.82
50.93
52.35
39.3
38.3
39.0
39.8
39.9
40.1
39.2
39.6
40.2
37.8
39.8
40.0
39.7
40.1
40.9
Charlotte
$1.23 $51.33
1.25 52.66
1.25
1.25
1.26
1.27
1.27
1.27
1.27
1.28
1.28
1.28
1.28
1.27
1.28
53.06
53.84
54.52
54.10
53.06
55.46
54.93
54.27
55.88
56.57
54.68
55.08
57. 27
40.1
40.2
$1.28
1.31
40.5
41.1
41.3
41.3
40. 5
41. 7
41. 3
40.5
41.7
41.9
40.5
40.8
41.8
1.31
1.31
1.32
1.32
1.31
1.33
1.33
1.34
1.34
1.35
1.35
1.35
1.37
1541
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
T able C—6: Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries for selected
States and areas ^C ontinued
Greensboro-High
Point
Year and month
37.0
49.01
50.44
50. 57
50. 96
49.66
50. 05
50. 31
44.93
49. 78
49. 27
49. 26
50. 67
51.99
37.7
38.8
38.9
39.2
38.2
38.5
38.7
34.3
38.0
37.9
37.6
38.1
38.8
$1.29
44. 2
44.3
$65. 26
1.52
1. 55
1.54
1.53
1.55
1.55
1.53
1. 56
1.54
1. 56
1.56
1.60
1.61
43.7
45.9
45.4
43.9
43.0
44.2
43.8
43.9
45.4
46.2
45.7
43.2
45.0
66. 36
1.30
1.30
1.30
1.30
1.31
1.31
1.30
1.31
1.33
1.34
$1.48 $63. 79 42.2
1.52 269.70 2 41.9
66. 94
65.68
68.54
67.07
68.63
69. 76
71.96
71.42
69. 29
72.50
68. 36
76.35
76.43
74.60
74.64
73.08
69. 95
72. 32
72.44
77. 65
75. 36
75.54
79.93
40.5
44.7
42.8
43.7
45.3
44.9
43.8
44.8
44.9
46.3
44.3
43.2
46.1
1.69
1.71
1.78
1.71
1.65
1.63
1.62
1.62
1.61
1.68
1.70
1.75
1.73
$84. 87
81.70
41. 6
39. 8
1954: September----- 79. 96
82.65
November___ 84.12
December___ 86.12
1955: January_____ 86. 59
February____ 86. 27
March ____ 87.05
__ 86. 36
April . .
M ay ___ .. 89.74
J u n e __ __ 86.66
July ______ 90.41
August______ 90. 67
September___ 90.54
38.9
40.0
40.6
41.3
41.2
41.1
41.4
41.0
42.1
40.8
41.6
41.6
41.3
41.0
42.2
42.1
42.0
43.1
41.8
41.8
41.5
41.5
$2.17
2.19
2.19
2.18
2.21
2.18
2. 28
2. 25
2. 27
$70.14
72.04
41.5
41.4
72.69
71.69
72. 73
71.86
72.04
70. 52
71.86
73.04
74.58
72.92
73.93
73.93
75.48
41.3
41.2
41.8
41.3
41.4
41.0
41.3
41.5
41.9
41.2
41.3
41.3
41.7
$1.69 $67.82
1.74 69. 76
1.76
1.74
1.74
1.74
1.74
1.72
1.74
1.76
1.78
1.77
1.79
1.79
1.81
75.34
78.66
78.03
80. 23
81.81
80. 56
79. 81
80.52
82.49
81.37
80.31
83.74
83.15
37.5
38.9
38.1
38.7
39.2
38.9
38.5
38.6
39.3
38.4
38.5
39.8
39.0
$1.98 $71.38
2. 02 70.10
39.9
38.4
70.33
70. 52
71.53
72.16
72. 20
72.60
73. 65
73. 43
75.70
76.31
76. 54
76.53
79. 34
38.5
38.5
38.9
39.1
38.9
39.1
39.5
39.0
39.9
40.1
39.4
39.5
40.1
2.01
2.02
2.05
2.07
2.09
2.07
2.07
2.09
2.10
2.12
2.09
2.10
2.13
1953: Average. __ $73. 91
1954: Average.. _ __ 74.12
40.5
39.3
74. 89
75. 33
76.13
76. 97
75.37
75.63
76. 25
75.42
77. 86
78. 25
77. 57
79.02
80.10
39.5
39.5
39.9
40.3
39.5
39.7
39.9
39.2
40.3
40.4
39.8
40.4
40.7
1954: September---October .
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
M arch______
Anril
M ay ___
June . ..
July ______
August __
September___
See footnotes at end of table.
366804— 55------ 14
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$1.79 $67.05
1.82 64.11
1.83
1.83
1.84
1.85
1.86
1.86
1.87
1.88
1.90
1.90
1.94
1.94
1.98
65.10
65.20
65.69
63.68
65. 73
66. 59
67. 99
69. 36
71.94
70.19
71.52
70. 61
75. 62
$1.83 $81.89
1.89 80. 37
40.4
38.6
82.10
80.47
82. 26
84. 21
85. 52
84.70
85. 92
86.04
88.13
90. 22
91.85
89. 97
95.84
38.8
38.3
38.8
39.5
40.0
39.6
40.0
40.0
40.8
41.5
40.5
39.9
41.4
1.90
1.91
1.91
1.91
1.91
1.91
1.91
1.92
1.93
1.94
1.95
1.96
1.97
$1.78
1. 85
75. 78
77.07
77.84
78. 67
$2."22 76. 78
2. 23 77. 44
2. 23 79.14
2.25 78.60
2. 25 79. 97
2. 25 79. 77
2.27 78. 78
2. 27 80. 85
2. 29 83.12
40.8
41.0
41.1
41.4
40.2
40.6
41.2
40.9
41.3
40.9
40.5
41.4
42.1
1.86
1.88
1.89
1.90
1.91
1.91
1.92
1.92
1.94
1.95
1.95
1.95
1. 97
38~9
38.9
39.1
39.0
39.1
39.4
37.7
39.6
39.6
Oregon
43.2
42.8
43.0
42.3
42.5
42.7
41.9
41.4
41.7
41.8
42.6
42.5
42. 2
41. 8
42.7
40.9
40.9
77. 71
77.71
79.42
78.12
78.12
77. 52
79.49
80.54
81.58
81.54
81.12
82. 94
83. 56
40.9
40.9
41.8
40.9
40.9
40.8
41.4
41.3
41.2
41.6
41.6
42.1
42.2
1. 65
1.62
1.63
1.62
1.63
1.61
1.62
1. 63
1. 64
1. 64
1. 65
1.68
1.68
State
Tulsa
$1.57 $75.26
1.63 78.12
$1.84 $82.04
1.91 83. 81
38.7
38.8
$2.12
2.16
80.13
85. 42
86. 64
86. 76
87. 95
86. 45
86.12
86. 65
90. 27
90. 96
88. 23
90. 82
86. 97
37.2
39. 2
39.4
39. 6
39.6
39.1
38.9
38.7
39.4
39.6
38.8
40.8
38.5
2.15
2.18
2.20
2.19
2. 22
2.21
2. 21
2.24
2. 29
2.30
2. 27
2. 23
2. 26
1.90
1.90
1.90
1.91
1.91
1.90
1.92
1.95
1.98
1.96
1.95
1.97
1.98
38.8
36.8
$1. 73 $75.21
1.74 74. 49
37.2
1.75 75. 25 40.5
1. 75 75. 77 41.0
37.3
1. 75 74. 77 39.9
37.6
40.4
1.74 76.44
36.6
1.77 78. 43 41.0
37.2
41.0
1. 76 78.80
37.9
41.5
1.77 80.30
38.5
40.9
1.80 78.94
38.6
41.9
1.84 81.45
39.1
42.3
1.82 82.15
38.5
1.88 79. 23 41.7
38.0
41. 2
1.87 79.10
37.8
42.4
1.90 83.10
39.8
Pennsylvania—Continued
$2.03 $66.15
2.08 63.31
39.9
38.0
62.80
62. 23
64. 94
65.03
64.74
65.05
66.82
66.11
68.02
68.10
68.50
69.35
68.50
37.9
37.4
39.0
38.8
38.4
38.7
39.4
39.0
39.8
39.5
39.8
40.2
39.1
2.12
2.10
2.12
2.13
2.14
2.14
2.15
2.15
2.16
2.17
2. 27
2. 26
2.32
41.1
39.9
$1.83 $63.80
1.87 59.45
39.6
37.2
57.52
58.08
58.95
58.73
59.73
61.65
63.19
63. 71
66.31
64. 67
66.18
66. 59
68.68
36.5
36.3
36.8
37.1
37.1
38.1
38.6
38.4
39.9
39.1
39.3
39.4
40.0
1.86
1.85
1.87
1.89
1.91
1.92
1.94
1.93
1.94
1.94
1.90
1.92
1.96
39.1
37.8
54.63
54. 61
54. 52
53.78
54. 52
55. 35
54.48
52.13
54.17
55.39
54.00
55. 79
56. 67
38.2
38.0
38.1
37.4
38.1
38.6
38.1
36.1
37.7
38.2
37.5
38.5
38.5
1.66
1.66
1.67
1. 68
1.69
1.68
1.70
1.70
1.71
1.72
1. 72
1.73
1. 75
$1.61 $62. 50
1.60 63.07
41.2
40.2
$1.52
1. 57
65.24
64.07
64. 55
63. 55
64.00
63.91
65.07
64.96
66. 70
66.76
66.22
67.03
68. 39
40.9
40.6
40.6
40.4
40.3
40.4
41.0
40.4
41.3
41.7
41.0
41.4
41.5
1. 60
1.58
1.59
1.57
1. 59
1. 58
1.59
1.61
1.62
1.60
1.62
1.62
1.65
1.58
1.60
1.60
1.58
1.61
1.62
1.64
1.66
1.66
1.65
1.68
1.69
1.72
Wilkes-BarreHazelton
Scranton
$1.66 $54. 62
1.67 54.13
Lancaster
Harrisbu rg
Erie
Reading
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
70. 95
68. 53
69. 28
69.17
68. 30
66. 65
67. 55
68.13
69. 86
69.70
69. 63
70.22
71.74
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
State
Portland
38.4
38.3
41.5
40.4
Pennsylvania
Oregon—Continued
1953: Average-------- $76.19
1954: Average-------- 77. 44
2.00
2.01
2.03
2.03
2.05 $86~48~
2.05 86.64
2.06 87.24
2.06 87.94
2.08 88.13
2.08 88. 81
2.13 85.44
2.12 89. 89
2.13 90. 87
Oklahoma City
State
$2.04
2.05
2.06
2.07
2.07
2.09
2.10 $88. 98
2.10 92. 32
2.10 92. 28
2.11 91.76
2.13 95.15
2.12 91.31
2.17 95.11
2.18 93.49
2.19 94.40
39.7
40.1
40.2
40.7
40.7
40.7
41.0
40.7
41.3
40.8
40. 6
41.2
41.4
79. 29
80.54
81.47
82. 72
83.40
83. 56
84. 34
83. 98
85.98
85.02
86.40
87.18
88. 23
$73. 86
74. 78
$1.95
1.99
Oklahoma
Dayton
Cleveland
41.0
39.6
$1.51 $79. 86
1.66 78. 88
2
Ohio—Continued
1954: September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January_____
February____
M arch---------April_______
M ay________
June________
July
___
August______
September___
Cincinnati
Akron
State
Fargo
State
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. hourly
hourly
hourly wkly. wkly. hourly wkly. wkly. hourly wkly. wkly. hourly wkly. wkly. earn wkly.
wkly. wkly.
earn
earn wkly.
earn
earn
earn
earn
earn
earn
earn
earn hours earn
hours ings
hours
hours
hours
hours
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
1954: Average _ _ __ $47. 73
1954: September___
October. ___
November___
December. ..
1955: January_____
February. __
March _____
__
April
M ay________
Ju n e .. _ ___
July ______
August
September___
Ohio
North Dakota
North Carolina—Con.
$1.40 $51.14
1.43 50.44
37.6
36.9
50.78
50.19
51.40
52.06
50.94
51.33
52. 37
49.17
52. 27
53.05
51.15
52.66
52. 52
37.5
36.5
37.6
38.0
37.4
37.8
38.2
35.5
38.1
38.5
37.2
37.8
37.3
1.43
1.44
1.43
1.44
1.43
1.43
1.43
1.44
1.44
1.45
1.44
1.45
1.47
York
$1.36 $63.08
1.37 62.11
41.8
40.1
$1.51
1. 55
61.12
62.30
62.20
62.85
62.26
63. 21
63.68
63. 91
65.15
66.05
63.39
65. 54
64.40
40.0
40.3
40.1
40.6
40.3
40.6
40.9
40.5
41.0
41.7
40.4
41.4
39.9
1.53
1.55
1.55
1. 55
1. 55
1.56
1. 56
1.58
1.59
1.58
1.57
1. 58
1.61
1.35
1.38
1.37
1.37
1.36
1.36
1.37
1.39
1.37
1.38
1.38
1.39
1.41
1542
T able
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
C-6: Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries for selected
States and areas 1—Continued
Rhode Island
State
South Carolina
Providence
State
South Dakota
Charleston
State
Year and month
Sioux Falls
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
Avg.
wkly. wkly.
hourly wkly. Avg. hourly wkly. Avg. hourly wkly. Avg. hourly
Avg. hourly
hourly wkly. wkly.
earn hours earn earn wkly. earn earn wkly. earn earn wkly. earn wkly.
earn wkly.
earn earn hours earn
hours
hours
hours
ings
hours
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
1953:
1954:
Average_____
Average_____
1954:
September___
October_____
November___
December___
January_____
February........
M arch......... .
April................
M ay________
June................
July________
August______
September___
1955:
$60. 50
60. 44
3 9 .8
3 9 .5
$ 1 .5 2
1 .5 3
$ 6 0 .4 5
4 0 .3
4 0 .2
$ 1 .5 0
1 .5 2
$49. 60
4 9 .6 4
4 0 .0
3 9 .4
$ 1 .2 4
6 1 .1 0
6 1 .4 5
5 9 .8 3
60. 53
3 9 .9
3 8 .6
1 .5 4
1. 55
6 2 .1 2
6 1 .3 5
4 0 .6
4 0 .1
1 .5 3
1 .5 3
50. 29
5 0 .9 3
3 9 .6
4 0 .1
1 .2 7
1 .2 7
3 8 .8
4 0 .7
4 0 .4
4 0 .4
1 .5 6
1 .5 2
1 .5 2
1. 52
1. 5 1
6 1 .0 5
3 9 .9
4 1 .3
1 .5 3
1 .5 2
1 .5 2
1 .5 3
1. 5 2
4 0 .8
4 0 .9
4 0 .7
4 1 .1
1 .2 7
1. 2 7
4 0 .8
4 0 .7
5 1 .8 2
5 1 .9 4
5 2 .1 0
52. 61
5 2 .8 6
5 2 .3 9
4 1 .3
4 0 .3
1 .2 8
1 .3 0
6 1 .8 6
6 1 .2 9
6 1 .4 8
6 1 .3 0
6 1 .3 3
6 2 .2 2
6 3 .1 3
6 1 .3 3
6 0 .3 5
6 3 .0 0
4 0 .6
4 0 .1
4 0 .4
4 0 .7
3 9 .4
3 9 .2
4 0 .3
1 .5 3
1. 54
1 .5 5
1 .5 6
1. 5 4
1 .5 6
6 2 .7 8
6 2 .0 2
62. 27
6 1 . 71
62. 22
6 3 .0 9
4 0 .7
6 3 .2 4
6 2 .3 1
6 2 .0 0
6 4 .3 7
4 0 .8
4 0 .2
4 0 .0
4 1 .0
4 0 .6
4 0 .4
1.26
1 .2 8
1 .2 8
$50. 27
3 9 .9
3 9 .1
$ 1 .2 6
$63. 95
4 3 .5
1 .3 3
6 7 .3 9
4 3 .8
$ 1 .4 7
1 .5 4
$ 7 1 .1 0
7 3 .8 4
4 5 .0
4 5 .3
$ 1 .5 8
5 2 .0 0
5 4 .1 4
4 0 .1
1 .3 5
3 8 .6
3 9 .6
3 9 .1
1 .3 7
1 .3 5
1 .3 5
4 2 .8
4 8 .0
4 7 .2
1 .5 7
1 .5 5
1. 59
7 7 .4 8
8 3 .9 5
3 9 .8
3 9 .6
4 0 .3
1 .3 7
1 .3 6
1 .3 6
1 .5 7
1 .5 6
5 0 .2
7 1 .7 4
6 7 .4 2
4 5 .0
4 7 .0
4 5 .9
4 7 .6
5 1 .3
5 0 .1
4 9 .4
1 .6 3
5 2 .8 8
53. 46
6 7 .2 5
74. 56
5 2 .7 8
54. 53
53. 86
5 4 .8 1
7 5 .0 0
70. 47
73. 37
1 .5 6
1 .5 7
1 .5 4
1 .5 5
5 5 .0 7
4 0 .2
1 .3 7
6 6 .2 3
4 2 .9
4 2 .5
5 2 .1 2
4 0 .4
1 .2 9
5 6 .4 3
4 0 .6
4 4 .2
1 .5 6
1 .5 5
5 2 .2 2
4 0 .8
57. 41
1 .5 5
1 .5 5
1 .5 7
5 2 .3 7
5 2 .2 2
54. 93
4 0 .6
4 0 .8
4 1 .3
1 .2 8
1 .2 9
1 .2 8
1 .3 3
4 1 .6
4 0 .5
4 0 .5
4 1 .2
1 .3 8
1 .3 8
1 .3 9
1 .4 1
1 .4 4
6 8 .3 1
1 .5 5
6 8 .6 9
7 0 .0 9
72. 63
7 8 .1 5
4 3 .7
4 4 .7
4 5 .8
4 7 .7
1. 5 7
1 .5 7
1 .5 9
1 .6 4
5 6 .3 0
5 7 .1 0
59. 33
1953:
1954:
Average_____
Average_____
1954:
September___
October_____
November___
December___
January_____
February........
M arch______
April_______
M ay________
June________
July________
August______
September___
1955:
$56. 84
57. 71
5 8 .5 5
5 8 .1 8
57. 86
59. 54
Chattanooga
4 0 .6
3 9 .8
$ 1 .4 0
1 .4 5
$57. 49
4 8 .8
4 4 .2
1 .6 4
1 .6 3
1 .6 3
4 3 .1
1 .6 2
73. 4 2
4 5 .3
1 .6 2
7 5 .6 0
7 5 .3 4
80. 63
9 0 .1 5
4 5 .6
4 5 .9
4 7 .1
5 1 .2
1 .6 6
1 .6 4
4 0 .1
4 0 .4
3 9 .9
4 0 .5
3 9 .7
3 9 .8
4 0 .3
1 .4 6
1 .4 4
1 .4 5
1 .4 7
1 .4 8
1 .4 9
1 .4 8
1 .4 8
1 .4 7
1 .4 7
1 .4 9
1 .4 7
5 9 .1 5
1 .4 8
6 2 .5 6
5 8 .7 6
5 9 .3 0
59. 54
5 9 .6 4
5 9 .9 8
60. 4 2
4 0 .3
4 0 .8
4 1 .1
60. 94
6 0 .8 6
6 1 .2 7
4 0 .9
4 1 .4
4 1 .4
$ 1 .4 3
$65. 53
1 .4 7
66. 47
3 9 .7
4 0 .2
4 0 .0
3 9 .9
1 .4 9
1 .4 9
1 .4 9
1 .5 1
1 .5 2
1 .5 1
1 .5 1
1 .5 1
1 .5 1
6 7 .0 8
6 7 .9 4
69. 65
6 8 .8 5
6 7 .6 9
6 6 .9 9
6 8 .6 3
6 7 .7 7
1 .5 2
1 .5 2
1 .5 3
1 .5 6
6 8 .7 4
6 9 .0 8
5 7 .4 8
5 9 .9 0
5 9 .6 0
6 0 .2 5
6 0 .3 4
6 0 .2 5
6 0 .4 0
6 0 .2 5
60. 85
6 1 .7 1
6 1 .4 1
62. 4 2
3 9 .7
3 9 .9
4 0 .0
3 9 .9
4 0 .3
4 0 .6
4 0 .4
4 0 .8
4 0 .1
6 8 .0 6
6 9 .1 4
70. 41
Memphis
1953:
1954:
Average_____
Average_____
1954:
September___
O ctober.........
November___
December___
January_____
February____
M arch______
April______
M ay________
June________
July________
August........ .
September___
1955:
$72. 39
7 3 .4 2
6 9 .7 0
69. 52
75. 62
7 6 .1 4
7 5 . 81
7 5 .8 1
76. 78
77. 02
4 0 .5
3 9 .9
$ 1 .7 9
1 .8 4
$74. 05
74. 89
4 1 .6
4 0 .7
$ 1 .7 8
1 .8 4
3 9 .6
3 8 .2
4 1 .1
4 0 .5
3 9 .9
3 9 .9
4 0 .2
1 .7 6
1 .8 2
1 .8 4
1 .8 8
1. 9 0
7 2 .8 3
7 2 .9 4
7 4 .4 4
3 9 .8
4 0 .3
4 0 .9
1 .8 3
7 6 .7 3
7 4 .7 7
7 4 .0 0
74. 96
4 1 .7
4 0 .2
3 9 .7
7 6 .8 2
7 8 .1 8
7 3 .3 3
75. 26
3 9 .6
4 0 .3
3 8 .8
3 9 .2
7 6 .7 3
4 0 .6
1 .9 4
1 .9 4
1 .8 9
1 .9 2
1 .8 9
$ 1 .6 1
1 .7 0
$64. 57
6 4 .0 6
4 2 .2
4 1 .6
$ 1 .5 3
1 .5 4
$ 5 8 .1 8
5 9 .2 0
4 0 .4
4 0 .0
$ 1 .4 4
1 .4 8
$69. 99
72. 0 4
4 1 .8
4 1 .4
$ 1 .6 8
1 .7 4
3 9 .0
3 9 .5
1 .7 2
1 .7 2
1 .7 5
1 .7 3
1 .7 4
65. 83
6 6 .5 3
4 2 .2
4 3 .2
3 9 .1
4 3 .4
4 2 .3
4 2 .3
4 3 .0
4 2 .9
4 2 .9
4 3 .2
1 .5 6
1 .5 4
1 .5 0
1 .5 9
1 .6 0
1 .6 2
1 .6 1
1 .5 8
5 9 .4 0
5 9 .7 9
3 9 .6
4 0 .4
4 0 .8
4 0 .6
3 9 .9
3 9 .2
4 0 .7
1 .5 0
1 .4 8
1 .4 9
7 2 .2 8
7 2 .0 4
4 1 .3
4 1 .4
4 1 .7
1 .7 5
4 1 .9
4 1 .6
1 .7 5
1 .7 5
4 1 .7
4 2 .1
4 1 .5
1 .6 2
1 .6 3
4 2 .8
4 2 .6
4 1 .4
1 .6 3
1 .6 0
1 .5 4
6 2 .0 2
6 1 .8 0
6 1 .4 6
6 2 .3 2
6 3 .0 4
1 .7 6
1 .7 6
1 .7 8
1 .7 9
1 .7 7
3 9 .8
3 9 .8
3 8 .9
3 8 .5
3 9 .9
1 .7 4
1 .7 2
3 9 .4
3 9 .8
4 0 .2
4 0 .2
4 0 .4
4 0 .7
1 .7 2
1 .7 1
1 .7 2
1 .7 1
1 .7 1
1 .7 3
58. 65
6 9 .0 1
6 7 .6 8
68. 53
6 9 .2 3
67. 62
69. 50
70. 4 2
69. 76
6 8 .1 6
63. 76
7 5 .9 5
7 7 .1 4
7 7 .9 0
7 7 .4 9
7 8 .0 2
87. 27
1 .8 1
1 .8 2
1 .8 4
1 .8 6
1 .8 5
4 0 .0
4 0 .3
4 0 .4
1 .8 6
1 .8 8
4 0 .6
4 1 .0
1 .9 0
4 1 .0
4 1 .5
1 .8 9
1 .9 0
1 .8 8
1 .9 7
4 4 .3
State
N orfolk-Portsmouth
1954:
1954:
1955:
Average_____
Average....... .
September___
October_____
November___
December.......
January_____
February........
M arch______
April________
M ay________
June________
July.................
August______
September___
$59. 28
6 2 .1 2
6 0 .7 0
6 1 .2 4
65. 67
6 5 .5 7
64. 87
65. 83
6 8 .5 3
67. 42
$62. 49
5 9 .8 3
59.
59.
58.
59.
59.
26
44
75
26
94
6 0 .7 3
6 2 .2 0
6 2 .1 3
6 2 .6 0
6 3 .9 7
64. 06
63. 88
6 5 .6 8
$59. 39
4 0 .4
60. 25
3 9 .9
4 0 .2
4 1 .1
1 .5 1
1 .4 9
1 .5 9
6 1 .3 1
4 0 .6
3 9 .9
3 9 .4
4 1 .6
3 9 .3
4 0 .6
4 0 .9
4 0 .9
4 1 .0
4 1 .6
4 1 .8
4 0 .6
1 .5 8
1 .5 8
1. 5 8
1 .5 8
1. 5 6
8 2 .5 2
8 3 . 71
84. 47
8 4 .8 7
8 4 .7 3
8 4 .8 5
4 0 .8
1 .5 9
85. 57
66. 94
4 0 .8
4 1 .4
4 3 .1
4 2 .4
4 2 .1
66. 36
6 7 .8 4
62. 56
67. 32
4 2 .0
4 2 .4
3 9 .1
4 1 .3
1 .5 8
1 .6 0
1 .6 0
1 .6 3
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4 0 .3
4 0 .8
4 1 .2
1 .5 0
1 .5 2
1 .5 0
1 .5 1
1. 5 2
1 .5 3
4 0 .7
4 1 .0
4 1 .2
73. 87
7 5 .3 6
7 4 .8 7
7 6 .3 8
7 5 .8 4
78. 38
60. 25
6 0 .2 8
64. 06
6 0 .1 3
6 2 .5 2
63. 40
6 4 .6 2
6 4 .7 8
65. 73
6 6 .0 4
6 3 .3 4
64. 87
Springfield
$ 1 .4 6
1 .4 7
$ 5 8 .8 6
59. 25
3 9 .5
3 9 .5
$ 1 .4 9
1 .5 0
4 0 .6
4 0 .9
4 0 .3
4 0 .5
1 .4 6
1 .4 6
1 .4 6
1. 4 6
1 .4 7
5 8 .8 2
5 9 .9 8
5 9 .9 9
5 9 .5 1
5 9 .5 5
5 8 .6 5
5 8 .8 0
3 9 .1
3 9 .9
4 0 .2
3 9 .6
3 9 .4
3 9 .1
1 .5 0
1 .5 0
1 .4 9
1 .5 0
1 .5 1
1 .5 0
3 9 .7
5 8 .3 3
57. 89
59. 87
5 7 .3 4
3 9 .1
3 9 .3
1 .4 8
1 .4 9
4 0 .9
4 1 .1
1 .4 8
1 .4 9
4 1 .8
4 1 .7
4 1 .9
4 2 .3
1 .4 9
1 .5 1
4 2 .2
4 2 .4
4 3 .1
1 .5 2
1 .5 1
1. 52
1 .4 9
5 8 .9 5
58. 84
4 0 .7
3 9 .6
4 1 .1
4 0 .9
4 2 .1
4 2 .3
4 2 .2
4 1 .9
4 2 .6
1 .7 4
1 .7 5
1 .8 1
1 .8 1
1 .8 4
Virginia
4 2 .8
4 0 .7
State
$ 1 .4 6
1 .5 3
1 .5 8
1 .5 9
1 .5 9
1 .5 9
1 .5 9
1 .5 9
1 .4 8
1 .4 9
1 .5 0
1. 51
7 2 .9 8
7 3 .3 3
7 2 .8 0
7 3 .3 9
7 4 .1 0
1 .4 7
1 .4 7
1 .4 5
1 .4 4
1. 4 4
$80. 81
7 1 .6 3
4 5 .4
68. 47
3 9 .8
3 9 .5
6 7 .4 8
6 9 .1 3
70. 25
7 0 . 71
72. 56
73. 28
4 0 .7
3 9 .6
4 0 .3
4 0 .8
4 1 .6
4 1 .7
State
$ 1 .7 8
1. 7 6
$55. 58
1. 7 2
1 .7 1
1 .7 5
1 .7 5
1 .7 3
1 .7 4
5 7 .1 0
5 6 .4 2
5 7 .7 9
57. 92
1. 7 6
73. 74
7 5 .0 9
4 1 .8
4 2 .1
7 9 .1 8
79. 55
4 3 .6
4 4 .1
1 .7 7
1. 7 8
1 .8 2
1 .8 1
7 7 .8 9
8 1 .5 5
4 3 .1
4 4 .5
1 .8 1
1 .8 3
5 6 .6 6
5 7 .0 2
5 8 .3 2
5 8 .9 0
58. 25
5 9 .0 2
5 9 .4 5
6 0 .0 1
5 8 .5 8
59. 30
3 9 .7
3 9 .9
$ 1 .4 0
1 .4 2
4 0 .5
4 0 .3
1 .4 1
1 .4 0
1 .4 2
4 0 .7
4 0 .5
3 9 .6
4 0 .5
4 0 .9
3 9 .9
4 0 .7
4 1 .0
4 1 .1
4 0 .4
4 0 .9
1 .4 3
1.44
1 .4 4
1 .4 4
1 .4 6
1 .4 5
1 .4 5
1 .4 6
1 .4 5
1 .4 5
Washington
Richmond
4 0 .6
4 0 .6
4 1 .3
4 1 .5
6 0 .7 9
6 0 .0 9
5 9 .4 5
5 8 .8 0
6 1 .4 6
60. 45
Burlington
Virginia—Continued
1953:
State
Vermont
Salt Lake City
1 .9 0
1 .9 1
1 .9 4
Nashville
4 0 .7
3 9 .1
Utah
State
1 .7 1
1 .7 6
Texas
Knoxville
4 0 .2
3 9 .1
1 .6 4
1 .6 6
1 .6 4
8 3 .3 0
8 1 .1 7
8 2 .1 5
7 9 .3 9
7 2 .1 0
69. 91
Tennessee
State
1 .6 3
Seattle
$ 1 .4 7
1 .5 1
$78. 99
8 1 .3 1
3 8 .8
3 9 .0
$2. 04
1 .5 1
1 .5 1
1 .5 3
1 .5 4
1 .5 3
1 .5 4
1. 5 5
7 9 .1 0
8 2 .4 3
82. 29
8 3 .4 5
8 5 .0 9
8 4 .6 4
3 8 .3
3 9 .5
2 .0 7
2 .0 9
2 .1 3
2 .1 2
2 .1 5
2 .1 5
2 .1 4
2 .1 6
2 .1 6
2 .1 6
2 .1 8
2 .1 7
2 .1 8
3 8 .7
3 9 .3
3 9 .6
3 9 .4
3 8 .6
3 8 .8
3 9 .1
3 9 .2
3 8 .9
3 9 .0
3 9 .3
2 .0 9
Spokane
$76. 45
7 8 .5 3
3 8 .4
3 8 .4
$1. 99
2 .0 4
$77. 87
3 9 .4
8 1 .2 8
3 9 .9
78. 42
79. 53
7 9 .3 3
8 0 .3 8
8 1 .7 4
8 1 .8 3
8 0 .6 6
8 0 .0 7
3 8 .5
3 8 .6
3 8 .0
3 8 .6
3 8 .8
3 8 .8
3 8 .6
3 8 .0
3 8 .3
3 8 .4
3 8 .8
3 8 .5
3 8 .4
2 .0 4
83. 21
8 2 .6 3
8 3 .3 0
82. 62
8 7 .7 4
8 5 .5 2
8 5 .1 9
86. 59
86. 01
86. 89
89. 49
4 0 .0
3 9 .8
3 9 .8
4 0 .0
4 2 .1
8 1 .0 7
8 0 .8 3
8 2 .5 3
8 2 .0 3
82. 85
2 .0 6
2 .0 9
2 .0 8
2 .1 1
2 .1 1
2 .0 9
2 .1 1
2 .1 2
2 .1 1
2 .1 3
2 .1 3
2 .1 6
86. 50
88. 29
4 0 .9
4 0 .9
4 0 .9
4 0 .5
4 0 .9
4 1 .0
4 0 .2
3 9 .6
Tacoma
$ 1 .9 7
2 .0 4
$76. 67
8 0 .0 8
3 8 .5
3 9 .1
$ 1 .9 9
2 .0 5
2 .0 8
7 8 .6 2
8 1 .5 9
7 9 .4 1
3 9 .7
4 0 .1
1 .9 8
2 .0 3
3 7 .8
3 8 .7
3 9 .3
3 9 .2
2 .1 0
2 .1 0
2 .0 9
2 .0 8
2 .0 9
2 .0 6
2 .0 8
2 .0 9
2 .0 8
2 .1 1
2 .1 2
2 .1 3
2 .1 8
2 .1 5
2 .2 3
81. 2 2
8 2 .1 9
8 2 .3 1
8 1 .9 3
8 1 .0 0
83. 38
8 3 .6 2
8 4 .0 3
78. 2 6
8 3 .3 6
3 9 .0
3 8 .6
3 9 .1
3 9 .1
3 9 .1
3 6 .8
3 9 .6
2 .1 0
2 .1 0
2 .1 0
2 .1 3
2 .1 4
2 .1 5
2 .1 3
2 .1 1
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
1543
T able C-6: Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries for selected
States and areas1—Continued
Wisconsin
West Virginia
Charleston
State
La Crosse
Kenosha
State
Year and month
Avg.
hourly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
hours
Avg.
hourly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
hours
Avg.
hourly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
hours
Avg.
hourly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
hours
Avg.
hourly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly
hours
1953: Average________ - -- $70.84
1954: Average____________ 70.64
39.8
38.6
$1.78
1.83
$85.67
87.91
40.6
39.6
$2.11
2.22
$74. 73
74.79
41.9
40.8
$1.78
1.83
$76. 92
77.98
39.3
39.1
$1.96
1.99
$73.10
75. 58
39.6
40.0
$1.84
1.89
70.86
71.13
72. 25
72.52
71.80
72. 34
72.54
73.12
73. 87
74.86
75. 85
75.45
77.41
38.3
39.3
39.7
39.2
38.6
39.1
39.0
39.1
39.5
39.4
38.5
39.5
39.7
1.85
1.81
1. 82
1.85
1.86
1.85
1.86
1.87
1. 87
1.90
1.97
1.91
1.95
89.10
87. 86
88.09
90.85
89. 33
89. 60
91.20
92. 46
92. 34
93.26
95.06
93. 33
93. 60
39.6
39.4
39.5
40.2
39.7
40.0
40.0
40.2
40.5
40.2
40.8
40.4
40.0
2.25
2. 23
2. 23
2. 26
2.25
2. 24
2. 28
2. 30
2.28
2. 32
2. 33
2. 31
2. 34
73. 36
75.13
76.57
77.36
77.29
78. 03
79. 65
79. 34
80. 64
80. 35
79. 48
78.14
81.42
40.5
40.8
41.1
41.3
41.1
41.3
41.8
41.6
42.0
41.9
42.8
41.4
42.0
1.81
1.84
1.86
1.87
1.88
1. 89
1.91
1. 91
1.92
1.92
1.86
1.89
1.94
80.05
80. 58
80. 58
82. 91
88.63
89. 36
96. 58
83. 55
81.35
78. 55
81.67
77.85
94.29
39.9
40.2
39.9
40.4
41.8
42.2
44.3
40.1
39.5
38.2
39.6
36.9
43.5
2.01
2. 01
2.02
2.05
2.12
2.12
2.18
2. 08
2.06
2.05
2.06
2.11
2.17
76. 66
76.11
77.15
83.10
79. 56
76. 56
76. 98
77.85
77.67
76. 69
78.83
76. 61
80. 77
40.1
40.1
40.2
42.1
40.8
39.3
39.5
39.6
39.6
39.6
40.4
39.4
40.1
1.91
1.90
1.92
1.97
1.95
1.95
1.95
1.96
1.96
1.94
1.95
1.94
2.01
1954: September___ _
October______ .
N ovem ber________
December______ ____
1955: January____________
February___ - - ___
March____________
April__ _ _ _______
May_______________
June____ _ - ____
July___________ ____
August_____________
September__________
Wyoming
Wisconsin—Continued
Casper
State
Racine
Milwaukee
Madison
1953: Average_____ ______- $75.91
1954: Average____________ 78. 61
40.2
40.1
$1.89
1.96
$81.33
81.22
41.4
40.0
$1.96
2.03
$78. 59
78.64
41.0
39.9
$1.92
1.97
$80.20
84.03
40.3
40.4
$1.99
2.08
$92. 86
95.30
40.2
38.9
$2.31
2.45
76.05
80. 36
83. 84
79.82
77.44
77.42
76.47
77. 48
80. 58
84.18
82.29
84. 64
84. 43
39.3
40.6
41.6
40.0
38.8
38.9
38.7
38.9
40.0
41.0
40.2
1.93
1.98
2.01
2.00
2.00
1.99
1.98
1.99
2.01
2.05
2.05
39.9
2.12
81. 59
81.26
82.08
82. 50
82.18
83. 34
84. 84
84.93
87.35
87. 80
87. 77
86.69
90.12
40.0
39.9
40.2
40.3
40.0
40.3
40.8
40.7
41.3
41.4
41.2
40. 9
41.7
2. 04
2. 04
2. 04
2. 05
2. 06
2.07
2.08
2. 09
2.11
2.12
2.13
2.12
2.16
79.15
79.74
79. 85
81.72
82. 71
85.15
85.41
84. 74
84.92
83.72
80.12
82.26
84.46
40.1
40.2
40.0
40.5
40.8
41.6
41.7
41.5
41.5
41.1
39.7
40.6
41.0
1.97
1.98
2.00
2.02
2. 03
2.05
2.05
2.04
2. 05
2.04
2.02
2. 03
2. 06
84. 66
81.20
85. 45
85.90
82.37
81.59
82.01
83.64
82.42
80. 95
84. 67
84. 45
84. 87
40.7
40.2
42.3
41.9
39.6
39.8
40.4
41.2
40.6
41.3
41.3
41.6
41.0
2.08
2.02
2.02
2.05
2. 08
2. 05
2.03
2.03
2.03
1.96
2.05
2.03
2.07
97.23
95.18
95.44
94.80
95. 82
95. 58
98. 49
100. 45
98.65
103.17
103.49
100.45
103. 49
41.2
40. 5
40.1
40.0
40.6
40. 5
40.2
41.0
40.1
41.6
41.9
41.0
41.9
2.36
2.35
2.38
2.37
2. 36
2. 36
2.45
2. 45
2. 46
2. 48
2. 47
2.45
2. 47
1954: September___ _ - -October _ _______ _
November__________
December________ . .
1955: January^ _ ________
February___________
March ________ A p ril_____________
M ay_______________
June_______________
July
. ________
A u g u st
__
__ __
September__________
4 0 .4
2.10
i D ata for earlier years are available upon request to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics or to the cooperating State agency. State agencies also make
available more detailed industry data. See table A-7 for address of cooper
ating State agencies.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2 Not comparable with preceding data shown.
3 Revised series; not comparable with data previously published,
1-544
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
D : Consumer and W holesale Prices
T able D -l: Consumer Price Index 1—United States average, all items and commodity groups
[1947-49=100]
Housing 3
Year and month
All
items
Total
food *
Total
apparel
T o ta l3
Rent
Gas and Solid
House House
electric fuels and furnish hold op
fuel oil
ings
ity
eration
Other
Trans Medical Personal Reading
and
goods
porta
care
care
recrea
and
tion
tion services *
Average........ ......
Average_______
Average______
Average.......... .
Average_______
Average...........
Average...........
Average_____ ..
95.5
102.8
101.8
102.8
111.0
113.5
114.4
114.8
95.9
104.1
100.0
101.2
112.6
114.6
112.8
112.6
97.1
103.5
99.4
98.1
106.9
105.8
104.8
104.3
95.0
101.7
103.3
106.1
112.4
114.6
117.7
119.1
94.4
100.7
105.0
108 8
113.1
117.9
124.1
128.5
97.6
100.0
102.5
102.7
103.1
104.5
106.6
107.9
88.8
104.4
106.8
110.5
116.4
118.7
123. 9
123.5
97.2
103.2
99.6
100.3
111.2
108.5
107.9
106.1
97.2
102.6
100.1
101.2
109.0
111.8
115.3
117.4
90.6
100.9
108.5
111.3
118.4
126.2
129.7
128.0
94.9
100. 9
104.1
106.0
111. 1
117.2
121.3
125.2
97.6
101.3
101.1
101.1
110.5
111.8
112.8
113.4
95.5
100. 4
104.1
103.4
106. 5
107.0
108.0
107.0
96 1
100 5
103 4
105.2
109. 7
115.4
118 2
120.1
1952: January_______
F eb ru ary ...........
March_________
April__________
M ay. . _______
J u n e .___ _____
July---------------August________
September_____
October_______
November_____
December............
113.1
112.4
112.4
112.9
113.0
113.4
114.1
114.3
114.1
114.2
114.3
114.1
115.0
112.6
112.7
113.9
114.3
114. 6
116.3
116.6
115.4
115.0
115.0
113.8
107.0
106.8
106.4
106.0
105.8
105.6
105.3
105.1
105.8
105.6
105.2
105.1
113.9
114.0
114.0
114.0
114.0
114.0
114.4
114.6
114.8
115.2
115.7
116.4
116.0
116.4
116.7
116.9
117.4
117.6
117.9
118.2
118.3
118.8
119.5
120.7
103.5
103.8
103.8
103.9
104.1
104.3
104.2
105.0
105.0
105.0
105.4
105.6
117.7
117.6
117.7
117.3
115.6
115.8
118.6
119.0
119.6
121.1
121.6
123.2
110.2
110.0
109.4
108.7
108.3
107.7
107.6
107.6
108.1
107.9
108.0
108.2
110.9
110.8
111.0
111.0
111.2
111.2
111.8
111.9
112.1
112.8
113.3
113.4
122.8
123.7
124.4
124.8
125.1
126.3
126.8
127.0
127.7
128.4
128.9
128.9
114.7
114.8
115.7
115.9
116.1
117.8
118.0
118.1
118.8
118.9
118.9
119.3
111.0
111.1
111.0
111.3
111.6
111. 7
111.9
112.1
112.1
112. 3
112. 4
112.5
107.2
106.6
106.3
106.2
106.2
106.8
107.0
107.0
107.3
107.6
107.4
108.0
113.2
114. 4
114.8
115. 2
115.8
115 7
116.0
115 9
115. 9
115.8
115.8
115.9
1953: January_______
February______
M arch_________
April...... .............
M a y _________
June. ________
July.....................
August________
September_____
October...............
November___i__
December........ .
113. 9
113.4
113.6
113. 7
114.0
114. 5
114. 7
115.0
115.2
115. 4
115.0
114.9
113.1
111.5
111.7
111.5
112.1
113.7
113.8
114.1
113.8
113.6
112.0
112.3
104.6
104.6
104.7
104.6
104.7
104.6
104.4
104.3
105.3
105.5
105.5
105.3
116.4
116.6
116.8
117.0
117.1
117.4
117.8
118.0
118.4
118.7
118.9
118.9
121. 1
121.5
121.7
122.1
123.0
123.3
123.8
125.1
126.0
126.8
127.3
127.6
105.9
106.1
106.5
106.5
106.6
106.4
106.4
106.9
106.9
107.0
107.3
107.2
123.3
123.3
124.4
123.6
121.8
121.8
123.7
123.9
124.6
125.7
125.9
125.3
107.7
108.0
108.0
107.8
107.6
108.0
108.1
107.4
108.1
108.1
108.3
108.1
113.4
113.5
114.0
114.3
114.7
115.4
115.7
115.8
116.0
116.6
116.9
117.0
129.3
129.1
129.3
129.4
129.4
129.4
129.7
130.6
130.7
130.7
130.1
128.9
119. 4
119.3
119.5
120.2
120. 7
121.1
121.5
121.8
122.6
122.8
123.3
123.6
112.4
112. 5
112.4
112.5
112.8
112.6
112.6
112.7
112.9
113.2
113.4
113.6
107.8
107.5
107.7
107.9
108.0
107.8
107.4
107.6
107.8
108. 6
108. 9
108.9
115. 9
115.8
117. 5
117.9
118.0
118. 2
118.3
118. 4
118. 5
119. 7
120.2
120.3
1954: January______
February.............
March_________
April...... ........... .
M ay__________
June__________
July---------------August________
Septem ber____
October_______
November_____
December______
115.2
115.0
114.8
114.6
115.0
115.1
115.2
115.0
114.7
114. 5
114. 6
114.3
113.1
112.6
112.1
112.4
113.3
113.8
114.6
113.9
112.4
111.8
111. 1
110.4
104.9
104.7
104.3
104.1
104.2
104.2
104.0
103. 7
104.3
104.6
104.6
104.3
118.8
118.9
119.0
118.5
118.9
118.9
119.0
119.2
119.5
119.5
119.5
119.7
127.8
127.9
128.0
128.2
128.3
128.3
128.5
128.6
128.8
129.0
129.2
129.4
107.1
107.5
107.6
107.6
107.7
107.6
107.8
107.8
107.9
108.5
108.7
109.1
125.7
126.2
125.8
123.9
120.9
120. 9
121.1
121.9
122.4
123.8
124.2
125.5
107.2
107.2
107.2
106.1
105. 9
105.8
105.7
105. 4
106.0
105.6
105.4
105.4
117.2
117.3
117.5
116.9
117.2
117.2
117.2
117.3
117.4
117.6
117.8
117.7
130.5
129.4
129.0
129.1
129.1
128.9
126.7
126.6
126.4
125.0
127.6
127.3
123. 7
124.1
124.4
124.9
125.1
125.1
125.2
125.5
125.7
125. 9
126.1
126.3
113. 7
113.9
114.1
112.9
113.0
112. 7
113.3
113.4
113. 5
113.4
113.8
113.6
108. 7
108.0
108.2
106.5
106.4
106.4
107.0
106.6
106. 5
106. 9
106.8
106.6
120.3
120.2
120.1
120.2
120.1
120.1
120.3
120 2
120 1
120 1
120 0
119.9
1955: January_______
F eb ru ary ..___
March ________
April___
___
M ay__________
June__________
J uly---------------August_______
September...........
October__ _____
114.3
114.3
114.3
114. 2
114.2
114. 4
114. 7
114. 5
114.9
114. 9
110.6
110.8
110.8
111.2
111. 1
111.3
112.1
111. 2
111.6
110.8
103.3
103.4
103.2
103.1
103.3
103.2
103.2
103.4
104.6
104.6
119.6
119.6
119.6
119.5
119.4
119.7
119.9
120.0
120.4
120.8
129.5
129.7
130.0
129.9
130.3
130.4
130.4
130. 5
130.5
130.8
109.4
109.9
110.3
110.3
110.9
110. 7
110.8
110.8
111.2
111.2
126.1
126.2
126.2
125.7
122.5
122.7
123.2
123.8
125.2
126.3
104.6
104.8
104.6
104.5
103.7
103.8
103.6
103.2
103.6
104.4
117.7
117.7
117.9
118.1
119.0
119.2
119.4
119.5
119.8
120.1
127.6
127.4
127.3
125.3
125.5
125.8
125.4
125.4
125.3
126.6
126.5
126.8
127.0
127.3
127.5
127.6
127.9
128.0
128.2
128.7
113.7
113. 5
113.5
113.7
113.9
114.7
115. 5
115.8
116.6
117.0
106. 9
106.4
106. 6
106.6
106.5
106.2
106. 3
106. 3
106.7
106.7
119.9
119.8
119.8
119.8
119.9
119.9
120 3
120.4
120 6
120.6
1947:
1948:
1949:
1950:
1951:
1952:
1953:
1954:
1A major revision was incorporated in the Consumer Price Index beginning
January 1953. The revised index, based on 46 cities, has been linked to the
previously published “ interim adjusted” indexes for 34 cities and rebased on
1947-49=100 to form a continuous series. For the convenience of users, the
“ All-items” indexes are also shown on the 1935-39=100 base in table D-4.
Phe revised Consumer Price Index measures the average change in prices
of goods and services purchased by urban wage-earner and clerical-worker
families. Data for 46 large, medium, and small cities are combined for the
united States average.
For a history and description of the index, see: The Consumer Price Index—
A Layman’s Guide, BLS Bull. 1140; The Consumer Price Index, in the Feb
ruary 1953 Monthly Labor Review; The Interim Adjustment of Consumers’
Price Index, in the April 1951 Monthly Labor Review; Interim Adjustment
of Consumers’ Price Index, BLS Bull. 1039; and the following reports: Con
sumers’ Price Index, Report of a Special Subcommittee of the House Com
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
mittee on Education and Labor (1951); and Report of the President’s Com
mittee on the Cost of Living (1945).
Mimeographed tables are available upon request showing indexes for the
United States and 20 individual cities regularly surveyed by the Bureau for
“ All items” and 8 major components from 1947 to date. Indexes are also
available from 1913 for “ All items,” food, apparel, and rent, for all large cities
combined, and from varying dates for individual cities.
3
Includes “ Food away from home” (restaurant meals and other food
bought and eaten away from home); prior to January 1953, prices for this
category were estimated to move like prices for “ Food at home” but, since
that date, have been measured by prices of restaurant meals.
3 Includes “ Other shelter.”
4 Includes tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and “ miscellaneous services” (such
as legal services, banking fees, and burial services).
1545
D: CONSUMER AND WHOLESALE PRICES
T able D-2: Consumer Price Index ^ U n ite d States average, food and its subgroups
[1947—
49= 100]
Food at home
Food at home
Total
Year and month food
3
1947:
1948:
1949:
1950:
1951:
1952:
1953:
1954:
1953:
Avg—.......
Avg............
Avg______
Avg_____
Avg_____
Avg_____
Avg_____
A v g - ----Jan-----Feb_____
M ar_____
Apr_____
M ay.........
June_____
July-------Aug_____
Sept-------Oct______
Nov_____
Dec...........
Total
food
at
home
Cereals Meats,
and
poul
bakery
try,
and
prod
fish
ucts
Dairy
prod
ucts
Fruits
and
vege
tables
Other
foods 3
93,5
106.1
100.5
104.9
117.2
116.2
109.9
108.0
110.9
107.7
107.4
106.8
109.2
111.3
112.0
114.1
113.5
111.1
107.0
107.8
96.7
106.3
96.9
95.9
107.0
111.5
109.6
106.1
111.6
110.7
110.3
109.0
107.8
107.5
108.3
109.1
109.6
110.1
110.5
110.3
97.6
100.5
101.9
97.6
106.7
117.2
113.5
111.9
116.7
115.9
115.5
115.0
115.2
121.7
118.2
112.7
106.6
107.7
107.4
109.2
100.1
102.5
97.5
101.2
114.6
109.3
112.2
114.8
109.7
107.3
109.1
110.4
110.3
110.9
112.3
114.4
116.7
117.4
114.8
113.5
95.9
104.1
100.0
101.2
112.6
114.6
112.5
111.9
112.9
111.1
111.3
111.1
111.7
113.7
113.8
114.1
113.5
113.3
111.4
111.7
95.9
104.1
100.0
101.2
112.6
114.6
112.8
112.6
113.1
111.5
111.7
111.5
112.1
113. 7
113.8
114.1
113.8
113.6
112.0
112.3
94.0
103.4
102.7
104.5
114.0
116.8
119.1
121.9
117.7
117.6
117.7
118.0
118.4
118.9
119.1
119.5
120.3
120.4
120.6
120.9
) See footnote 1 to table D -l. Indexes for 18 food subgroups (1935-39=
100) from 1923 to December 1952 were published in the March 1953 Monthly
Labor Review and in previous issues.
Year and month
Total
food 3
1954: Jan______
Feb_____
M ar_____
Apr_____
M ay____
June...... -July_____
Aug_.........
Sept— ---Oct______
Nov_____
Dec___-1955: Jan______
Feb_____
M ar_____
A pr_____
M ay........ June_____
July......... Aug-------Sept--. —
Oct______
113.1
112.6
112.1
112.4
113.3
113.8
114.6
113.9
112.4
111.8
111.1
110.4
110.6
110.8
110.8
111.2
111.1
111.3
112.1
111.2
111.6
110.8
Total
food
at
home
112.6
112.0
111.4
111.8
112.8
113.3
114.2
113.3
111.6
110.9
110.1
109.2
109.4
109.6
109.7
110.1
110.0
110.3
111. 1
110.0
110.4
109. 4
Cereals Meats,
and
poul
bakery
try,
and
prod
fish
ucts
121.2
121.3
121.2
121.1
121.3
121.3
121.6
122.3
122.6
122.7
123.1
123.3
123.4
123.8
123.9
123.9
123.8
124.0
124.2
124. 1
124.0
123.9
110.2
109.7
109.5
110. 5
111.0
111.1
109.7
107.6
106.7
103.9
103. 5
102.2
102.4
102.5
102.3
103.0
102.1
103.8
103.7
102. 9
103.5
100.9
Fruits
and
vege
tables
Dairy
prod
ucts
109.7
109.0
108.0
104.6
103.5
102.9
104.3
105.1
105.8
106.7
106.6
106.8
106.4
106.1
105.4
104.6
104.0
104.1
104. 7
105. 7
106.5
107.5
110.8
108.0
107.8
110.0
114.6
117.1
120.1
114.7
110.5
111.1
109.6
108.4
110.6
110.7
112.0
117.5
120.2
119. 5
121.9
111.3
110.2
108.5
Other
foods 3
113.5
114.0
112.3
113.6
114.5
115.2
117.3
119.6
116.0
115.7
113.7
112.0
111.3
112.1
111.9
109.4
108. 4
107.7
109.2
112.6
114.1
113.9
3 See footnote 2 to table D -l.
3 Includes eggs, fats and oils, sugar and sweets, beverages (nonalcoholic),
and other miscellaneous foods
T able D -3: Consumer Price Index l—United States average, apparel and its subgroups
[1947-49=100]
Year and month
Total
apparel
Avp
Avp
AVP
1
Avp
l QVD
you. A
v g .. .. —---------------iqki* Avp
Avp
Avp
1 ¡JOG . A
v g - . .. - --- -------1iyot,
QPLi* jv
AVP
v g ... —- - - - - - - 1953* Jan
Feb
1Q4.7*
Qlfi*
1Q4Q*
i
Vrvr
Tnne
Tnly
Aug ------------------Oct____________
PgP
97.1
103. 5
99. 4
98 1
106 9
105 8
104. 8
104.3
104 6
104 6
104. 7
104. 6
104. 7
104. 6
104. 4
104.3
105. 3
105. 5
105. 5
105.3
M en’s
and
boys’
97.3
102. 7
100.0
99. 5
107. 7
108. 2
107.4
106. 8
107.1
107.3
107.3
107.3
107. 4
107.2
107.4
107.3
107. 5
107.6
107.8
107.6
Women’s
and
girls’
98.0
103. 8
98.1
94.8
.2
100. 9
99. 7
98.9
99.7
99.3
99.6
99.4
99. 4
99.2
102
98.9
98.7
100. 5
100.8
100. 7
100.5
Foot
wear
94.5
103.2
102, 4
104.0
117.7
115.3
115.2
116.4
114.3
114.6
114. 5
114.8
115.1
115.3
115.0
115.0
115.3
115.8
116. 2
116.1
Other
apparel3
(3)
108.6
93.2
92.0
101.6
92.1
92.1
90.7
92.0
92.3
92.4
92.1
92.5
92.3
92.2
92.0
92.5
92.3
91.3
90.9
1954: Jan_____________
Feb____________
M a r..- ---------------- A p r ________ - - M ay ..............................
June -----------------------------July------- ----------A ug____________
Sept_________ _
O c t -----------------
Nov___________
D ec_____ _____
1955: Jan_____ _____
Feb____________
M ar___________
Apr________ - M ay ................ .
June......... - ........ .
July___________
Aug___________
Sept____________
Oct_________
i See footnote 1 to table D -l.
3Includes diapers, yard goods, and an unpriced group of items represented
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Total
apparel
Year and month
-
104.9
104.7
104.3
104.1
104.2
104.2
104.0
103.7
104.3
104.6
104.6
104.3
103.3
103.4
103.2
103.1
103.3
103.2
103.2
103.4
104.6
104.6
M en’s
and
boys’
107.4
107.4
107.2
107.1
107.3
107.0
106.6
106.4
106.4
106.4
106.5
106. 5
105.5
105.6
105.6
105.5
105.7
105.6
105.7
105.5
105.8
106.0
W omen’s
and
girls’
99.8
99.5
99.0
98.4
98.5
98.5
98.2
97.7
99.0
99.6
99.5
99.0
97.6
97.7
97.4
97.1
97.3
97.2
96.9
97.4
99.5
99.5
Foot
wear
116.2
116.1
116.1
116.1
115.9
116.3
116.5
116.9
116.5
116.7
117.0
116.9
116.7
116.6
116.7
116.9
117.4
117.4
117.5
117.6
118.1
118.4
Other
apparel3
90.4
90.4
90.0
90.4
90.9
91.0
90.8
90.7
90.9
91.1
91.2
91.1
90.5
90.6
90.4
90.2
90.3
90.1
90.5
90.5
91.0
91.0
in the index by the weighted average of prices for all priced items in the total
apparel group.
3 Not available.
1546
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T able D-4: Consumer Price Index ^ U n ite d States average, all items and food
1947-49=100
Year
All
items
Total
food 3
42.3
42.9
43.4
46.6
54.8
64.3
74.0
85.7
76.4
71.6
72.9
73.1
75.0
75.6
74.2
73.3
73.3
71.4
65.0
58.4
55.3
57.2
58.7
59.3
61.4
60.3
59.4
59.9
62.9
69.7
74.0
75.2
76.9
39.6
40.5
40.0
45.0
57.9
66.5
74.2
83.6
63.5
59.4
61.4
60.8
65.8
68.0
65.5
64.8
65.6
62.4
51.4
42.8
41.6
46.4
49.7
50.1
52.1
48.4
47.1
47.8
52.2
61.3
68.3
67.4
68.9
1913: Average_____
1914: Average_____
1915: Average_____
1916: Average_____
1917: Average........ .
1918: Average_____
1919: Average_____
1920: Average_____
1921: Average_____
1922: Average_____
1923: Average_____
1924: Average_____
1925: Average
1926: Average_____
1927: Average... . . .
1928: Average__. . .
1929: Average_____
1930: Average_____
1931: Average..........
1932: Average_____
1933: Average___ _
1934: Average____
1935: Average_____
1936: Average_____
1937: Average_____
1938: Average_____
1939: Average... . . .
1940: Average_____
1941: Average_____
1942: Average_____
1943: Average_____
1944: Average
1945: Average_____ |
1935-39=100
1947-49 = 100
Year and month
All items
70.7
71.8
72.5
77.9
91.6
107.5
123.8
143.3
127.7
119.7
121.9
122.2
125.4
126.4
124.0
122.6
122.5
119.4
108.7
97.6
92.4
95.7
98.1
99.1
102.7
100.8
99.4
100.2
105.2
116.6
123.7
125.7
128.6
1946: Average_____
1947: Average..........
1948: Average_____
1949: Average_____
1950: Average_____
1951: Average_____
1952: Average_____
1953: Average_____
1954: Average_____
1951: January_____
February____
M arch______
April..... ..........
M ay________
June................
July................
August______
September___
October_____
November___
December___
1952: January_____
February____
March______
April_______
M ay......... ......
J u n e ..............
July............. .
August______
September___
October_____
November___
December___
1935-39=100
All
items
Total
food 3
83.4
95.5
102.8
101.8
102.8
111.0
113. 5
114.4
114.8
108.6
109.9
110.3
110.4
110.9
110.8
110.9
110.9
111.6
112.1
112.8
113.1
113.1
112.4
112.4
112.9
113.0
113.4
114.1
114.3
114.1
114.2
114.3
114.1
79.0
95.9
104.1
100.0
101.2
112.6
114.6
112.8
112.6
109.9
111.9
112.0
111. 7
112.6
112.3
112.7
112.4
112.5
113.5
114.6
115.0
115.0
112.6
112.7
113.9
114.3
114.6
116.3
116.6
115.4
115.0
115.0
113.8
1947-49=100
Year and month
All items
139.5
159.6
171.9
170.2
171.9
185.6
189.8
191.3
191.9
181.5
183.8
184.5
184.6
185.4
185.2
185.5
185.5
186.6
187.4
188.6
189.1
189.1
187.9
188.0
188.7
189.0
189.6
190.8
191.1
190.8
190.9
191.1
190.7
1953: January_____
February____
M arch______
April_______
M ay________
June________
J u ly ............ .
August______
September___
O cto b er.___
November___
December___
1954: January... . . .
February. . . .
M arch_____
April_______
M ay________
June________
July_______
August______
September___
October_____
November___
December___
1955: January____
February ___
March_____
April_______
M ay________
June............
Julv________
August______
September___
October___
1935-39 = 100
All
items
Total
food 3
113.9
113.4
113.6
113.7
114.0
114.5
114.7
115.0
115.2
115.4
115.0
114.9
115.2
115.0
114.8
114.6
115.0
115. 1
115.2
115.0
114.7
114.5
114.6
114.3
114.3
114.3
114.3
114.2
114.2
114.4
114.7
114.5
114.9
114.9
113.1
111.5
111.7
111.5
112.1
113.7
113.8
114.1
113.8
113.6
112.0
112.3
113.1
112.6
112.1
112.4
113.3
113.8
114.6
113.9
112.4
111.8
111.1
110.4
110.6
110.8
110.8
111.2
111.1
111.3
112.1
111.2
111.6
110.8
All items
190.4
189.6
189.9
190.1
190.6
191.4
191.8
192.3
192.6
192.9
192.3
192.1
192.6
192.3
191.9
191.6
192.3
192.4
192.6
192.3
191.8
191.4
191.6
191.1
191.1
191.1
191.1
190.9
190.9
191.3
191.8
191.4
192.1
192.1
1 See footnote 1 to table D -i.
s See footnote 2 to table D -l.
T able D-5: Consumer Price Index 1—All items indexes for selected dates, by city
1935-39
= 100
1947-49=100
City
Oct.
1955
Sept.
1955
Aug.
1955
July
1955
June
1955
May
1955
Apr.
1955
Mar.
1955
Feb.
1955
Jan.
1955
114.3
U nited States average a.
114.9
114.9
114.5
114.7
114.4
114.2
114.2
114.3
A tlanta, G a______ ____
B altim ore, M d ________
B oston, M ass...................
Chicago, 111....................
C incinnati, Ohio______
0
0
114. 5
119.0
(3)
117.2
115.5
(3)
0
113.8
118.2
(3)
116.0
115.0
(3)
117.4
113.7
0
0
0
115.3
114.9
118.9
113.7
(3)
(3)
(3)
118.5
(3)
117.2
0
Cleveland, O hio..............
D etroit, M ich _________
H ouston, T ex_________
Kansas C ity, M o ______
Los Angeles, Calif...........
(3)
116. 5
(3)
116. 2
116.3
(3)
116.9
(3)
0
116.1
116.0
116.5
115.5
(3)
115.5
(3)
116.8
0
115.9
115.9
(3)
116.7
0
(3)
115.3
115.3
116.4
115.5
0
115.4
M inneapolis, M in n ____
New Y ork, N . Y ______
Philadelphia, P a .............
P ittsb u rg h , P a ________
P ortland, Oreg________
116.4
112. 4
115. 3
113. 8
116. 2
(3)
112.6
115. 2
(3)
(3)
(3)
111.9
115.8
(3)
(3)
117.5
111. 9
115.8
114.0
114.7
(3)
111.8
115. 5
(3)
(3)
0
111.8
115.5
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
116.5
115. 6
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
115.9
115.3
(3)
(3)
(3)
St. Louis, M o_________
San Francisco, Calif___
Scranton, P a _____ ____
Seattle, W ash_________
W ashington, D . C ..........
0
(3)
(3)
111.5
116.6
113.8
1 See footnote 1 to table D -l. Indexes are based on time-to-time changes
in the cost of goods and services purchased by urban wage-earner and clericalworker families. They do not indicate whether it costs more to live in one
city than in another.
3Average of 46 cities beginning January 1953. See footnote 1 to table D -l.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
0
0
0
0
0
111.4
116.8
113.5
0
0
0
113.4
116.9
0
117.0
113.4
117.1
0
0
116.2
0
116.3
114.9
116.3
115.7
0
115.2
114.5
117.0
112.3
115.8
113.8
114.2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
115.1
114.7
0
112.4
115.8
0
112.5
115.7
0
0
115. 6
115.6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
111.7
116.3
113.2
Revised
Dec.
1954
Nov.
1954
Oct.
1954
June
1950
114.3
114.3
114.6
114.5
101.8
192.1
0
115.7
114.8
0
117.0
113.3
0
0
0
117.6
0
0
0
113.5
117.1
0
0
101.6
102. 8
102.8
101.2
0
0
184.3
202.7
0
0
116.2
0
116.0
0
115.7
114.8
0
102.8
103.8
0
101.3
0
196.7
0
115.3
115.3
116.9
116.7
0
115.0
0
112.2
115.6
0
112.7
115.9
116.9
112.6
116.1
114.3
115.2
102.1
100.9
101.6
101.1
0
113.0
117.0
0
0
116.0
0
115.3
115.4
116.5
112.3
115.4
113.8
114.6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
115.4
115.7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
112.3
115.7
113.5
0
0
0
0
0
0
101.1
100. 9
0
Oct.
1955
(33)
187.1
194.3
192.8
186.0
191.9
193.5
201.3
0
0
0
0
0
«
0
8 Prior to January 1953, indexes were computed monthly for 9 of these cities
and once every 3 months for the remaining 11 cities on a rotating cycle.
Beginning in January 1953, indexes are computed monthly for 5 cities and
once every 3 months for the 15 remaining cities on a rotating cycle.
■t
D: CONSUMER AND WHOLESALE PRICES
1547
T able D-6: Consumer Price Index 1—All items and commodity groups, except food,2 by city
(1947-49=100)
All items
Personal care
Medical care
Reading and
recreation
Transportation
Other goods and
services
City and cycle of pricing
United States average..........
M onthly:
Chicago, TIL----------------Detroit, Mich__________
Los Angeles, Calif______
New York, N. Y _______
Philadelphia, P a_______
Jan., Apr., July, and Oct.:
Boston, Mass_________
Kansas City, M o-._ ---Minneapolis, M inn. ---Pittsburgh, P a_________
Portland, Oreg----- ---------
Mar., June, Sept., and Dec.:
Atlanta, Ga__. _________
Baltimore, M d_____
Cincinnati, Ohio____ . . .
St. Louis, Mo___ San Francisco, Calif........ .
Feb., May, Aug., and Nov.:
Cleveland, Ohio________
Houston, Tex.
______
Scranton, P a___________
Seattle, Wash________ .
Washington, D. C _____
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
114. 9
114.5
117.0
113.4
128.7
125.9
126.6
125.0
106.7
106.9
120.6
120.1
119.0
116.5
116.3
112.4
115.3
117.1
116.0
114.8
112.6
116.1
121.7
126.7
118.5
110.6
116.6
115. 0
119.1
117.5
107.6
117.2
128.7
132.7
124.5
126. 5
135.5
126.1
126.8
122.9
124.1
132.3
132.4
122.5
124.5
127.8
131.8
127.8
118.1
120.8
129.8
137.4
114.5
109.3
96.2
104.2
111.7
110. 5
109.2
99.3
104.9
113.8
117.8
124.4
116. 2
121.1
125.1
118.2
124.7
114.0
121.3
123.9
114.5
116.2
116.4
113.8
116.2
113.5
115.7
116.9
114.3
115.2
114.4
121.3
122.3
115.8
117.9
111.8
116.6
115.9
116.6
110.5
126.3
136.5
148.2
131.8
128.8
124.3
136.0
142.0
126.1
122.8
135.9
127.1
111.9
135.5
126.0
132.8
124.0
118.4
134.2
121.6
106.6
115.0
117.1
98.0
116.5
105.2
115.2
116.6
98.3
116.1
118.6
116.6
126.2
121.9
120.4
118.5
117.3
125.6
120.5
118.7
September 1955
September 1954
September 1955
September 1954
Septem
ber 1955
September 1954
September 1955
September 1954
September 1955
September 1954
September 1955
117.2
115.5
113.7
116.5
115.6
116.3
115.2
114.3
115.7
116.2
122.5
109.5
115.9
118.2
110.6
115. 5
107.4
109. 3
113.8
111.8
127.6
134.6
127.5
140.0
125.4
121.1
133.4
124.8
136.1
123.4
122.0
135.6
120.5
131.0
138.4
120.0
135.3
127.2
125.1
140.2
109.4
115. 8
99.5
91.7
106.4
108.6
117.9
98.3
93.3
106.1
125.0
123.3
116.2
117.1
117.3
August
1955
August
1954
August
1955
August
1954
August
1955
August
1954
August
1955
August
1954
August
1955
August
1954
August
1955
116.0
115.5
111.5
116.6
113.8
115.3
116.5
112.4
116.2
114.1
121.3
119.8
121.9
117.9
111.4
114.7
119.5
112.1
117.5
111.1
136.8
125.1
119.8
131.4
118.4
129.5
119.9
119.5
129.4
118.3
119.5
121.5
123.8
126.1
129.1
117.8
123.1
125.4
128.5
125.2
115. 4
108.7
120.5
107.9
106.0
116.8
108.5
116.5
109.7
104.9
119.6
118.9
115.1
128.2
130.1
October
1954
September 1954
118.1
123.1
117.9
113.8
115.8
August
1954
120.1
119.1
116.1
126.7
130.5
Apparel
Total
October
1955
United States average_______
Monthly:
Chicago, 111.
. .
Detroit, Mich.. .. ____
Los Angeles, Calif_____
New York, N. Y _______
Philadelphia, P a____ _
Jan., Apr., July, and Oct.:
Boston, Mass ________
Kansas City, Mo_______
Minneapolis, M inn...........
Pittsburgh, P a ________
Portland, Oreg...................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
Footwear
October
1955
Other apparel 3
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
104.6
106.0
106.4
99.5
99.6
118.4
116.7
91.0
91.1
108.0
101.3
104.6
104.1
105.7
106.6
102.7
104.8
104.1
106.4
112.2
107.3
108.2
105.9
103.4
111.3
108.5
108.5
105.3
104.8
100.2
92.9
98.0
98.4
105.0
99.1
95.3
98. 8
99.3
105.7
123.3
113.3
120.5
117.9
112.7
119.8
112.4
118.9
115.4
111.1
94.8
86.8
83.0
94.1
92.2
93.6
87. 5
82. 7
94.4
93. 3
102.8
104. 7
105.4
102.2
108.0
104.2
104.6
106.0
103.7
107.5
103.1
107.3
107.1
104.5
110.5
103.8
107.1
108.5
106.3
111.2
97.9
99.5
101.8
95.5
101.8
100.2
100.1
101.9
96.5
100.4
113.7
116.5
113.4
115.7
121.6
112.8
114.2
113.9
118.4
120.6
103.6
88.0
92.5
97.3
95.6
104.9
88.0
92.8
98.7
95.4
110.5
102.3
103.9
103.9
104.3
August
1955
Feb., May, Aug., and Nov.:
Cleveland, Ohio________
Houston, Tex__________
Scranton, Pa___________
Seattle, Wash__________
Washington, D. C ......... —
See footnotes at end of table.
October
1954
Women’s and girls’
104.6
September
1955
Mar., June, Sept., and Dec.:
Atlanta, Ga____________
Baltimore, M d ________
Cincinnati, Ohio_______
St. Louis, Mo.... --------San Francisco, Calif........ .
Men’s and boy’s
103.4
105.7
106.4
106.7
101.6
September September September September September September September September September
1954
1955
1955
1955
1954
1955
1954
1955
1954
110.3
103.1
104.1
103.9
103.1
August
1954
104.3
107.0
105.7
106.1
101.7
111.4
100.9
103.7
106.1
104.9
August
1955
10S.0
102.2
107.2
109.1
105.1
112.1
101.4
104.9
108.0
105.5
August
1954
108.5
106.7
107.1
108.8
104.9
105.5
98.6
98.8
97.0
99.9
August
1955
95.5
101.4
101.6
101.0
95.4
105.3
100.1
99.7
96.2
98.7
August
1954
97.0
101.1
100.5
100.9
95.8
124.9
117.8
125.5
119.7
120.6
August
1955
116.8
126.7
121.4
122.2
115.4
122.5
116.8
122.0
118.7
115.1
August
1954
117.6
127.2
120.8
118.5
115.4
91.9
94.2
87.9
95.8
88.7
August
1955
92.4
90.2
91.3
87.2
90.3
92.0
95.1
87.0
96.0
87.8
August
1954
92.7
90.4
92.1
86.7
90.4
1548
M O N T H L Y L A B O R R E V IE W , D E C E M B E R 19 5 5
T able D-6: Consumer Price Index 1—All items and commodity groups, except food,2 by city—Con.
(1947-49 = 100)
Housing
Total housing
United States average___
..
Monthly:
Chicago, I1L_ _ _____ . . .
Detroit, Mich
Los Angeles, Calif___
New York, N. Y __ _
Philadelphia, P a ... .. .
Jan., Apr., July, and Oct.:
Boston, Mass. . . . . . .
Kansas City, Mo . . .
Minneapolis, M inn_____
Pittsburgh, P a . . . ___ _
Portland, Oreg______ _
Mar., June, Sept., and Dec.:
Atlanta, G a____________
Baltimore, M d. .
Cincinnati, Ohio ___ ._
St. Louis, Mo .
San Francisco, Calif_____
Feb., May, Aug., and Nov.:
Cleveland, Ohio__ _ . .
Houston, Tex . ____
Scranton, P a__ _____ _
Seattle, Wash
. . .
Washington, D. C ___.
Gas and electricity
Solid fuels and fuel
oil
Housefurnishings
Household operation
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
October
1954
October
1955
120.8
119.5
130.8
129.0
111.2
108.5
126.3
123.8
104.4
105.6
120.1
117.6
132.1
122.6
127.3
116.3
114.8
128.2
122.3
124.3
115.9
114.3
(9
142.4
(9
110.3
114.0
116.2
108.9
101.8
106.3
108.8
109.5
108.2
102.3
131.6
120.0
(9
123.0
119.3
(9
125.6
120.0
107.6
107.9
104.0
104.7
105.7
108.4
108.8
107.0
105.5
109.4
124.0
114.0
125.0
119.4
114.0
121.1
110.2
108.1
118.9
113.8
121.8
122.0
121.3
116.4
119.6
119.6
120.6
122.1
117.0
120.1
(9
(9
(9
138.4
(9
125.1
(9
(9
138.9
(9
(9
(9
(9
137.0
(9
123.9
(9
112.1
122.0
118.8
123.4
107.8
108.4
118.0
110.0
118.8
107.8
126.4
116.1
118.8
119.4
132.1
124.6
112.1
113.9
119.7
128.0
105.3
102. 4
99.7
102.1
105.0
104.8
104.5
106.6
105.1
108.0
117.8
125.1
120.2
118.9
114.1
116.7
122. 5
121.1
120.0
112.0
September 1955
September 1954
September 1955
September 1954
September 1955
September 1954
September 1955
September 1954
September 1955
September 1954
September 1955
125.9
116.9
118.4
121.1
116.4
124.1
114.4
117.0
119.7
117.5
131.3
124.7
119.6
99.7
119.4
103.8
136.3
111.3
99.6
115.2
103.8
130.1
123.3
122.6
129.3
139.9
(9
117.7
121.1
123.1
136.8
(9
106.9
98.2
97.4
103.2
103.4
109.6
99.1
101.5
102.7
104.8
131.1
111.9
127.5
123.5
110.6
August
1955
August
1955
August
1954
August
1955
August
1954
August
1955
122.9
122.8
115.2
121.5
116.8
121.9
100.5
99.7
99.4
103.7
101.6
101.9
101.6
99.6
105.1
107.1
114.2
127.0
109.9
114.5
121.1
134.5
126.7
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
August
1954
August
1955
August
1954
August
1955
August
1954
120.1
124.1
115.2
119.4
117.0
(9
137.7
(9
141.6
138.9
109.1
106.8
119.4
88.8
123.1
106.8
106.5
112.2
88.5
115.9
1 See footnote 1 to table D -l.
2 See tables D-2, D-4, D-7 and D-8 for food.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Rent
144.6
137.6
(9
135.2
(9
126.6
121.0
122.4
(9
125.0
131.0
132.0
(9
130.3
127.3
127.3
3 See footnote 2 to table D-3.
1 Not available.
October
1954
September 1954
129.4
111.1
119.7
119.0
109.0
August
1954
110. 9
129.4
109.6
112.3
117.0
1549
D: CONSUMER AND WHOLESALE PRICES
T able D -7: Consumer Price Index 1—Food and its subgroups, by city
[1947-49=100]
Food at home
Total food J
Total food at home
City
Oct.
1955
Sept.
1955
Oct.
1954
Oct.
1955
Sept.
1955
Cereals and bakery products
Oct.
1954
Oct.
1955
Meats, poultry, and fish
Oct.
1954
Sept.
1955
Oct.
1955
Sept.
1955
Oct.
1954
United States average3--------
110.8
111.6
111.8
109.4
110.4
110.9
123.9
124.0
122.7
100.9
103.5
103.9
Atlanta, Ga______________
Baltimore, M d____________
Boston, Mass___________ ..
Chicago, 111.. ________ - Cincinnati, Ohio------ --------
110.1
111.4
109.9
109.1
112.1
111.6
111. 1
112.5
111.0
112.4
111.5
112.9
110.2
110.0
114.1
108.5
109.8
108.0
107.2
111.0
109.7
111.0
109.8
108.9
111.3
110.3
111.8
108.9
108.8
113.5
116.6
121.7
122.1
118.8
124.0
117.2
121.9
120.4
119.3
124.1
117.3
122.2
119.0
116.5
123.9
105.3
101.3
98.1
95.3
101.9
107.1
104.0
101.1
98.9
104.7
107.7
105.9
100.7
98.3
105.9
Cleveland, Ohio_______ —
Detroit, Mich-------------------Houston, Tex_____________
Kansas City, M o---------------Los Angeles, Calif------------ -
109.5
112.7
109.4
107.1
112.4
109.6
113.6
110.2
107.2
112.1
110.5
113.8
111.6
108.5
112.0
108.0
111.2
108.1
105.3
109.4
108.1
112.2
109.1
105.7
109.3
109.7
112.5
110.7
107.5
110.3
118.9
119.2
117.8
120.7
127.8
119.4
119.3
117.8
120.9
127.9
120.4
118.0
117.7
120.2
126.8
98.9
99.8
99.6
96.1
101.7
101.3
102.3
100.5
98.7
102.3
101.4
103.1
103.5
99.6
105.8
Minneapolis, M inn-----------New York, N. Y __ . - ----Philadelphia, P a___ - - - - _
Pittsburgh, P a____________
Portland, Oreg------ ---------
112.3
110.5
112.8
111.1
111.9
112.4
111.9
113.8
112.3
110.7
111.8
111.3
114.5
113.0
111.6
111.5
109.2
111.6
110.3
110.4
111.6
110.9
112.9
111.7
109.9
111.4
110.8
113.5
112.6
111.1
125.9
128.7
123.0
125.0
123.9
126.0
128.8
122.1
125.1
124.0
125.0
125.4
120.5
124.4
124.4
96.4
101.9
102.3
99.4
102.6
99.3
105.0
106.6
101.2
103.9
99.0
104.1
104.5
100.4
107.9
St. Louis, M o---------------- -San Francisco, Calif- --------Scranton, P a------------------ -Seattle, Wash---------- ---------Washington, D. C _______ —
112.8
112.7
107.5
111.6
111.3
113.7
113.0
109.1
111.9
112.7
115.2
113.7
109.9
111.4
111.4
110.5
111.8
107.0
110.9
109.6
111.6
112.0
108.8
111.3
111.3
113.6
113.0
109.7
111.0
109.9
119.0
130.6
119.2
127.9
122.1
119.1
130.8
119.6
128.0
122.0
118.9
131.0
118.1
126.0
120.2
100.9
105.7
98.9
102.4
97.1
102.9
107.4
103.1
103.8
101.1
104.1
108.2
102.1
104.9
99.9
F o o d a t h o m e — C o n tin u e d
Dairy products
City
Oct.
1955
Sept.
1955
Fruits and vegetables
Oct.
1954
Oct.
1955
Sept.
1955
Other foods at hom e4
Oct.
1954
Oct.
1955
Sept.
1955
Oct.
1954
107.5
106.5
106.7
108.5
110.2
111.1
113.9
114.1
115.7
Atlanta, Ga___________________________
Baltimore, M d________ - - - -----------■Boston, Mass____ _____ - ----- -------------Chicago, 111___________________________
Cincinnati, Ohio--- --- - --------------------
108.2
109. 1
114.2
106.2
109.1
108.3
109.0
111.6
106.0
106.1
108.2
108.9
110.0
105.5
108.7
111.0
109.6
103.8
108.6
110.0
112.8
111.0
111.3
111.7
109.9
112.8
108.4
110.1
111.1
112.9
105.4
113.0
108.2
119.7
118.8
106.3
113.7
109.4
119.8
118.7
107.9
116.1
108.9
122.4
122.7
Cleveland, Ohio-------------------- ------------Detroit, Mich------------------- ----------------Houston, Tex__ ___ ---- -----------------------Kansas City, M o------------------------- ------Los Angeles, Calif - - _
- - ------------------
104.7
105.5
109.8
107.4
103.0
101.5
105.5
109.7
104.2
103.0
103.7
103.7
106.3
108.5
103.1
106.1
118.0
109.6
103.0
107.7
104.3
118.2
113.2
103.0
107.9
106.7
119.4
115.9
106.2
106.8
117.2
116.5
110.0
107.4
113.5
117.7
116.9
110.5
107.4
112.3
120.4
118.6
113.9
109.2
113.3
Minneapolis, Minn,_
_- - ---------------New York, N. Y --------------- -------- -- _
Philadelphia, Pa_— --------------------- --Pittsburgh, P a------ ---------------------Portland, Oreg-------------- ------ -------------- -
110.9
106.9
111.3
109.4
108.1
110.8
105.9
108.9
109.4
103.2
102.6
107.4
111.4
109.9
105.3
115.2
103.8
113.9
103.4
107.3
111.7
107.0
115.5
108.5
107.5
116.1
108.8
118.3
111.3
106.9
122.7
115.5
113.8
123.4
115.8
121.8
116.9
114.3
123.2
115.3
125.7
116.6
117.1
126.2
114.6
St. Louis, M o---- ------- --------------------San Francisco, Calif------- --------------------Scranton, P a------- -------------------------------Seattle, Wash_______ - ----------- ---- -Washington, D. C ----------------------------- --
100.7
105.3
107.9
108.1
112.9
100.9
104.8
107.8
108.3
112.8
105.1
105.3
108.7
105.9
111.7
118.0
112.7
101.2
110.9
109.0
119.5
111.3
103.1
110.3
112.2
119.4
110.9
108.4
110.8
106.8
120.8
112.7
111.7
113.3
114.4
121.4
112.9
112.6
113.3
114.2
126.1
115.6
114.0
113.2
115.6
United States average - - —
--------------
i S e e fo o tn o te 1 to ta b le D - l . I n d e x e s for 56 c itie s for to ta l fo o d (1935—
3 9 = 1 0 0 or J u n e 1940= 100) w e r e p u b lis h e d in th e M a r c h 1953 M o n t h ly L ab o r
R e v ie w a n d in p r e v io u s is s u e s. S ee ta b le D - 8 for U . S . a v e r a g e p ric es for 46
c itie s c o m b in e d .
366804-55-
■14
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 S e e fo o tn o te 2 to ta b le D - l .
3 A v e r a g e o f 46 c itie s b e g in n in g J a n u a r y 1953.
* S ee fo o tn o te 3 to ta b le D - 2 .
S ee fo o tn o te 1 to ta b le D - l .
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
1550
T able D-8: Average retail prices of selected foods
Commodity
Oct.
1955
Cents
Cereals and bakery products:
53.4
Flour, wheat-................. ........ _____ 5 pounds..
20 ounces
27.1
pound
12 6
_ do _.
17.6
Rice *
20 on n pas
19 2
22.0
Cornflakes 4............................. ......... 12 ounces..
pound
17.8
Soda crackers
do _
27. 0
Vanilla cookies 8_.......... ......... ...........7 ounces..
23.7
Meats, poultry, and fish:
Beef and veal:
pound
"Round sfeakl
90 5
49.3
Chuck ro ast8__________ _________do___
.......
..........do___
69.6
Rib roast1____________
39.3
Hamburger_______ ____ ..................do___
Veal cutlets 1---------------- .............. __do___ 110.1
Pork:
Pork chops, center cut— ..................do----81.0
66.5
Bacon, sliced ................—________ do___
TTam, whole •
do
59. 8
68.1
Lamb, leg8........ ........... .......... _________do___
Other meats:
do___
53.2
Frankfurters__________ ___
42.5
Luncheon meat, canned-. ____ 12 ounces..
Poultry:
Frying chickens:
Dressed 7_ __ ____ ______ pound..
Ready-to-cook *____ _________do___
53.3
Fish:
42.2
Ocean perch fillet, frozen ------------- do___
________ do___
45.6
Haddock, fillet, frozen
58.1
Salmon, pink........ ........... . . . 16-ounce can..
Tuna fish, chunk 8 9.._ 6 - to 6V£-ounce can._ 35.4
Dairy products:
22.3
Milk, fresh (grocery)-............ ................quart-Milk, fresh (delivered)1.......... ................_do___
23.8
pint
28 9
71.2
Butter____________ ______ .............. pound..
57.7
Cheese, American process___ _________do___
Milk, evaporated. ------------- _14)i-ounce can..
13.7
All fruits and vegetables:
Frozen fruits and vegetables:
10 onnop.s
30. 5
18.9
Orange juice concentrate. _____ 6 ounces..
21.3
Peas, green-------------------.10 ounces..
24.0
-------- do___
Beans, green---------- -----Fresh fruits and vegetables:
12.3
Apples. ______________ .............. pound..
17.1
Bananas........ .............. . ............ ...d o ___
60.7
Oranges, size 200----------- ......... ...d o zen ..
17.5
Lemons______ ________ _______ pound..
Grapefruit*____________ ................ each..
Sept.
1955
Oct.
1954
Cents
Cents
53.6
27 2
12 6
17.8
19 2
22.0
17. 7
27.1
23.8
53.6
27.4
12.6
19.0
18.6
21.9
17.4
27.2
23.7
91 5
49.2
69.9
39.3
110.5
92.0
61.3
70.3
40.2
107.9
85.3
67.2
02 0
68! 4
80.2
75.2
64.6
69.1
53 3
42.6
54.7
49.1
46 4
57.6
40. 5
51.3
42.7
45.9
56.5
35.3
44.3
49.6
52.7
38.8
22.1
23.4
28 9
71.0
57.7
13.7
22.3
23.3
29. 6
71.5
56.8
13.8
30. 5
18.8
21.0
24.1
30. 6
19.0
19.2
24.2
14.3
17.2
59.2
17.8
12.9
16.8
68.9
18.5
I 45 cities.
542 cities.
* 39 cities.
844 cities.
• 33 cities.
7 5 cities.
837 cities.
535 cities.
9 Formerly solid pack tuna, 7-oz. can, change effective August 1955.
10 Specification changed from 12 ounces to 10 ounces, effective October 1954.
II Unit changed to 10 pounds, effective January 1955.
n Formerly No. 2Ys can, change effective April 1955.
11Specification changed from N o . 2 c a n to N o . 303 ca n , e ffe c tiv e O cto ber
954.
14 Formerly bulk tea, pound, change effective August 1955.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Commodity
Oct.
1955
All fruits and vegetables—Continued
Fresh fruits and vegetables—Continued
Cents
Peaches*-_ ___ ____ _____ _____ pound-_
Strawberries*___________ ......... . p in t..
Grapes, seedless*................. _____ pound-15.4
Watermelons*..................... ____ --do____
Potatoes u ......................... __ 10 pounds..
44.7
Sweetpotatoes.................... ...........pound..
10.8
O nions........................ ........ .............. do___
8.0
Carrots............................. . -----------do___
15.1
Lettuce................................ .............. head..
15.0
Celery....................... .......... _____ pound..
15.8
Cabbage................................ _______ do___
7.6
Tomatoes........................... . ----------- do___
22.8
Beans, green____________ --------- do____
20.8
Canned fruits and vegetables:
Orange juice.......................... .46-ounce can..
35.0
Peaches______ _______ _ ..N o . 2% can..
34.9
Pineapple IJ. ......................... ___No. 2 can..
33.2
Fruit cocktail13_. . ______ ..N o . 303 can..
26.7
Com, cream s t y l e ...... ........ _______ do___
17.2
Peas, green_______ ______ .............. do___
21.5
Tomatoes*13_______ ____ -----------do___
15.1
Baby foods_____________ _4J^-5 ounces..
9.7
Dried fruits and vegetables:
Prunes......... ........... ............ ..........p o u n d ..
34.6
Dried beans.......................... -----------do___
17.7
Other foods at home:
Partially prepared foods:
Vegetable soup__________ .11-ounce can..
14.1
Beans with po rk .________ .16-ounce can..
15.0
Condiments and sauces:
Pickles, sweet___________ — V 4 ounces..
27.2
Catsup, tomato.................... ---- 14 ounces..
22.7
Beverages, nonalcoholic:
Coffee__________________ _____ pound..
92.3
24.2
Tea bags 14______________ package of 16..
32.4
Cola drink___________ carton. 36 ounces
Fats and oils:
Shortening, hydrogenated18..3-pound can..
88.8
28.9
Margarine, colored6--------- ............ _do___
L a rd ... _______________ _______ do_
20.0
35.3
Salad dressing__________ ..............pint.
55.6
Peanut butter___________ _____ pound..
Sugar and sweets:
Sugar_________ ________ ....... 5 pounds..
52.0
Corn syrup........................... ___24 ounces..
23.7
26.3
Grape jelly______________ ___12 ounces..
4.2
Chocolate bar 18_________ ___ 76 ounce..
68.2
Eggs, fresh_________________ ............ dozen..
Miscellaneous foods:
8.5
Gelatin, flavored_________ — 3-4 ounces..
Sept.
1955
Oct.
1955
Cents
Cents
15.3
15.3
22.0
45.0
12.0
7.9
14.4
18.4
16.1
7.3
21.0
19.9
76.5
11.4
7.3
14.0
18.6
12.8
6.0
19.9
18.9
34.5
34.8
33.0
26.7
17.1
21.5
15.1
9.7
36.3
32.5
38.7
40.9
18.0
21.4
14.7
9.8
34.3
18.1
31.5
17.8
14.2
15.0
14.3
14.5
27.2
22.6
2 2 .2
90.5
24.2
32.4
110.0
34.8
32.4
90.1
28.9
20.0
35.2
55.9
35.9
30.1
25.9
36.3
49.3
52.0
23.7
26.3
4.6
68.5
52. 4
23.7
25.9
Ì5.1
59.7
8.5
8.5
29.4
18 U n it ch a n g ed to 3 -p o u n d c a n , e ffe c tiv e A u g u s t 1955.
19 S p e c ific a tio n c h a n g e d fro m 1-ou nce to % -ounce bar, e ffe c tiv e J a n u a r y 1955.
•P r ic e d o n ly in sea so n .
N o t e .— T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a v e r a g e r e t a i l f o o d p r i c e s a p p e a r i n g
in t a b le D - 8 a r e b a s e d o n p r ic e s c o lle c t e d m o n t h ly in 4 6 c i t ie s fo r
u s e i n t h e c a l c u l a t i o n o f t h e f o o d c o m p o n e n t o f t h e re v is e d C o n
s u m e r P r ic e I n d e x . A v e r a g e r e t a il fo o d p r ic e s fo r e a c h o f 2 0 la r g e
c i t ie s a r e p u b lis h e d m o n t h ly a n d a r e a v a ila b le u p o n r e q u e s t.
P r i c e s f o r t h e 2 6 m e d i u m - s i z e a n d s m a l l c i t i e s a r e n o t p u b l is h e d
o n a n in d iv id u a l c it y b a s is .
1551
D : CONSUMER AND WHOLESALE PRICES
T able D-9: Indexes of wholesale prices, by group and subgroup of commodities 1
[1947-49=100]
Commodity group
All commodities...... ..................................—
Aug.
1955
July
1955
June
1955
May
1955
Apr.
1955
Mar.
1955
Feb.
1955
Jan.
1955
Dec.
1954
Nov.
1954
Oct.
1954
*111.7 110.9
110.5
110.3
109.9
110.5
110.0
110.4
110.1
109.5
110.0
109.7
100.2
92.1
104.4
92.2
79.9
102.9
90.5
82.2
93.1
143.0
93.1
103.8
93.1
80.7
104.3
92.0
90.1
93.2
139.4
92.5
105.2
93.5
79.4
104.4
92.4
65.1
94.3
156.4
89.9
96.9
92.5
74.0
105.0
93.6
64.0
93.8
157.7
93.2
103.2
93.5
76.4
104.5
95.1
83.5
92.0
164.6
93.1
101.9
92.9
77.5
107.1
93.8
82.5
91.7
159.6
94.5
89.8
89.6
99.8
107.3
81.6
70.6
87.6
122.4
Oct. Sept.
1955 ! 1955
111.5
June
1950
89.3 88.1
102.1 99.5
81.4 78.6
75.5 75.5
100.8 102.9
*93.6 91.8
103.0 95.4
75.1 81.6
146.2 138.6
89.5
98.7
86.7
79.4
103.8
89.0
78.7
85.6
137.6
91.8
104.7
90.3
83.1
103.4
87.0
74.4
88.1
143.2
91.2
118.7
92.4
78.4
103.4
87.4
71.5
88.7
138.3
94.2
120.9
91.0
84.0
102.7
90.3
77.9
89.9
142.3
101.9
115.1
86.3
107.8
105.0
110.1
173.7
61.6
60.7
70.9
81.3
99.5
103.1
117.6
88.5
106.0
104. 6
110.7
171.9
69.8
64.4
74.9
83.8
100.5
103.9
117.6
91.4
104.6
104.5
110.4
171.9
69.0
68.9
77.1
83.7
101.4
102.1
118.3
85.7
104.0
104.1
110.3
179.8
69.5
66.9
73.2
82.2
101.2
102.5
116.8
86.0
106.9
104.7
110.8
180.2
72.9
63.7
71.1
82.1
100.9
101.6
116.5
83.3
107.2
104.8
110.8
180.4
68.0
63.5
70.9
82.1
100.8
103.2
116.3
86.9
107.2
104.4
112.6
186.4
69.2
65.1
73.7
83.6
100.7
103. 8
116.9
87.6
107.0
104.6
111.3
203.7
74.4
64.8
73.9
83.4
98.2
103.5
116.8
85.2
108.2
106.0
111.6
203.4
77.3
65.6
73.7
83.5
98.4
103.8
116.5
86.3
108.8
105.5
112.3
197.8
84.8
65.1
73.2
83.1
97.8
103.7
114. 5
85. 8
108.7
105. 5
112.0
206.3
84. 5
65.0
76.4
84. 5
99.8
96.8
96. 5
102.4
90.0
98.0
94. /
136.9
63.9
67.9
67.4
79. 2
106.6
119.0
*118. 5 117.5
116.5
115.6
115.5
115.7
115.6
115.7
115.2
114.9
114.8
114.5
102.2
Textile products and apparel...... ................
Cotton products----------------------------Wool products.......................................Synthetic textiles....... ................. ..........
Silk products................................. ..........
Apparel__________________ _____
Other textile products..........................-
95. 5
92.8
102.8
86.4
123.7
98.7
71.6
*95.4 95.3
*92.5 91.7
*103.0 103.9
86.7 86.7
126.8 128.7
*98.6 98.6
72.1 72.9
95.3
91.0
105.0
86.8
126.8
98.6
74.3
95.2
90.6
105.5
86.6
124.0
98.6
74.4
95.0
90.3
106.1
86.9
123.2
98.0
76.4
95.0
90.4
106.0
87.2
122.8
98.0
76.3
95.3
90.8
106.1
87.5
121.1
98.3
76.6
95.2
90.6
106.3
86.7
122.4
98.2
78.0
95.2
90.2
106.6
87.3
124.1
98.2
77.3
95.2
89.9
106.7
87.2
123.9
98.4
76.9
95.2
89.9
106.6
86.9
127.4
98.4
77.6
95.4
89.9
108. 4
86.1
127.0
98.6
80. 9
93.3
90.0
105.3
91.3
88. 8
92.7
96.3
Hides, skins, and leather products..............
Hides and s k in s ........... - ........... ...........
Leather__________________________
Footwear----- ------ ------------------------Other leather products...........................
95.3
62.3
86.1
113.4
96.0
94.0 93.8
60.9 58.9
85.1 85.0
111.4 111.4
96.0 96.3
93.7
58.2
85.1
111.4
96.5
92.9
55.7
83.8
111.4
95.0
92.9
53.3
85.0
111.4
95.0
93.2
56.9
83.6
111.5
95.9
92.2
50.7
82.1
111.5
95.7
92.3
51.6
82.2
111.5
95.8
91.9
49.5
81.2
111.6
95.8
91.8
47.4
81.5
111.6
95.9
92.8
52.7
82.0
111.7
96.0
92.4
49. 5
82.1
111.8
96.1
99.1
94.3
98.2
102. 7
95. 2
Fuel, power, and lighting materials............
Coal_____________________________
Coke____________________________
Gas_____________________________
Electricity-------------- ------------- ------Petroleum and products------------------
108.2
108. 6
138.8
107.8
95.5
114.2
*108.0
*108.1
*137. 2
*107.8
*95. 5
114.0
107.2
102.2
137.4
106.8
96.6
113.0
106.4
101.5
133.4
108.9
96.1
111.6
106.8
100.6
133.4
110.4
97.2
111.5
107.0
100.4
133.4
111.0
97.8
111.5
107.4
102.3
133.4
113.1
97.8
111.5
108.5
105.1
132.4
116.6
99.5
111.7
108.7
105.2
132.4
116.3
100.1
111.7
108.5
105.2
132.4
113.0
100.7
111.7
107.5
105.2
132.4
110.2
100.7
110.4
107.4
105.1
132.4
107.3
103.0
109.5
106.9
105.1
132.4
105. 8
101. 8
109.3
102.4
104. 8
115.6
94. 8
101.3
103.1
Chemicals and allied products---------------Industrial chemicals-----------------------Prepared paint......... .............................
Paint materials___________________
Drugs and pharmaceuticals.................
Fats and nils, inedible--------------------Mixed fertilizer-----------------------------Fertilizer materials------------- ---------Other chemicals and products----------
106.5
118. 9
115.0
97.4
92.3
58.4
108. 5
112.3
104.5
*106. 0
*118.2
114.8
97.6
92.4
*55.8
108.5
112.0
104.0
105.9
118.1
114.8
97.6
92.4
54.6
108.9
112.1
104.0
106.0
118. 2
114.8
97.1
92.8
55.9
108.9
111.7
103.9
106.8
117.8
114.8
96.9
93.0
53.8
108.8
111.0
107.6
106.8
117.6
114.8
97.0
93.2
53.2
108.8
113.1
107.6
107.1
118.0
114.8
96.2
93.2
55.2
108.8
113.5
107.6
106.8
117.5
114.0
95.9
93.1
55.4
108.9
113.6
107.6
107.1
117.4
113.1
96.1
93.3
61.0
109.0
113.5
108.0
107.1
117.3
112.8
95.8
93.6
61.8
108.8
113.6
107.7
107.0
117.4
112.8
96.2
93.6
59.3
108.9
113.3
107.9
107.0
117.7
112.8
96.6
93.6
57.8
109.1
112.2
107.6
106.9
117. 6
112.8
97.2
93. 6
56. 5
109. 2
112.1
107.6
92.1
96.3
98.0
86.8
91.3
48. 8
101. 2
98.5
91.1
Rubber and products....... - .........................
Crude rubber----------------------- ------- Tires and tubes----------------------------Other rubber products--------------------
147.9
164. 7
147. 2
138.3
*151.7
176.4
147.2
*141.4
148.7
170.3
147.2
137.1
143. 4
159.2
142.3
134.7
140.3
149.6
142.3
132.3
138.0
142.4
142.3
130.4
138.3
143.8
142.3
130.3
138.0
142.8
142.3
130.3
140.6
151.3
142.4
132.0
136.8
146.0
139.9
127.9
132.0
137.6
134.9
125.2
131.4
134.1
134.9
125.4
128.5
132.0
129.6
125. 2
109.5
129.0
106.1
103.6
Lumber and wood products-----------------Lumber_________________________
Millwork________________________
Plyw ood...................... ..................... —
125. 5
126. 9
128. 2
. 106.1
*125. 7
127.1
128.2
106.1
125.1
126.4
128.3
105.7
124.1
125.1
128.3
105.7
123.7
124.7
128.3
105.6
123.5
124.2
129.3
105.6
122.4
122.9
129.3
104.8
121.4
121.8
128.7
104.8
121.2
121.4
129.0
104.8
120.3
120.0
130.4
104.7
120.0
119.8
130.3
104.3
119.9
119.6
130.2
104.3
119.8
119. 5
130. 2
104.3
112.4
113. 5
110.9
101.7
Pulp, paper, and allied products-----------Woodpulp...................... - .....................
Wastepaper...........................- ...........
122.8
114. 2
120. 3
131. 2
129. 7
118. 9
. 132.7
*120. 5
113.8
129.1
131.0
*129. 5
*114.3
132.7
119.7
113.8
129.1
130.5
128.0
113.2
132.7
119.0
113.8
125.9
130. 7
126.1
112.3
129.7
118.3
113.8
104.7
129.2
126.0
112.3
129.7
117.7
113.8
92.7
128.9
126.0
111.7
129.7
117.4
113.8
89.4
128.0
126.0
111.5
129.7
116.8
110.0
89.4
12S.0
125.7
111.5
129.7
116.6
110.0
90.2
128.0
124.0
111.5
129.4
116.3
110.0
90.2
127.5
124.0
111.1
127.6
115.9
109.6
85. 5
126.9
124.1
111.0
127.6
116.0
109.6
87.3
126.5
124.1
111. 3
127.6
116.3
109. 6
83. 8
126. 5
124. 2
111. 9
127.6
95.9
90.6
79.0
103.3
97.2
93. 2
106.3
142 3
145. 6
153. 5
132 8
151 3
129 4
117 3
127 4
J 131.4
*141. S
*145.0
*154.2
132.8
*147.8
128.
117 2
127.0|
130.81
139.5
144.9
145.0
132.8
146.1
128.1
116.0
126.5
129 3
136.7
143.1
139.5
131.4
144.9
123.2
113.6
123.8
127.0
132.6
135.8
137.8
131.4
144.5
123.2
113.5
118.7
126.0
132.5
135.6
137.8
131.4
144.4
123.3
113.5
118.8
125.8
132.9
136.4
138.3
131.6
144.4
123.3
113.6
118.5
125.8
131.9
136.2
134.3
131.6
144.4
123.0
113.6
117.9
125.9
131.5
135.8
133.7
131.6
143.3
118.7
113.7
118.0
125.8
130.1
135.8
127.9
131.6
142.6
118.7
113.9
117.8
125.8
129.8 129.9
135.0 135. 5
127.6 127. 2
131.6 131. 6
142.3 142.0
118.7 118.7
114.3 114.3
117.8 117. 4
125.9 1 126.2
129.7
135.0
127. 4
131. 2
141. 6
118. 7
114.3
117.9
126.0
108.8
113.1
101.8
109.0
111. 1
103.2
102.0
100.1
113. 2
Farm products________________________
Fresh and dried produce------------------Grains...........................................- ...........
Livestock and poultry............................ •
Plant and animal fibers.......................... ■
Fluid m ilk...... ............. - ..........................
E g g s....................................................... .
Hay and seeds-------------------------------Other farm products...............................
86.7
92.9
82.4
71.8
99.1
95.2
92.6
75.9
143.2
Processed foods-----------------------------------Cereal and bakery products.................
Meats, poultry, fish................................
Dairy products and ice cream-----------Canned, frozen, fruits and vegetables...
Sugar and confectionery------------------Packaged beverage materials------------Animal fats and oils-----------------------Crude vegetable oils----------------- -----Refined vegetable oils---------------------Vegetable oil end products.— ..............
Other processed foods----------------------
100. 2
114.8
81.7
105.0
107. 4
110.1
183.8
69. 7
57.6
68.0
79.4
98.3
*101. 5
114.4
87.5
104.3
*106. 8
109.6
176.6
*63.7
*56.8
66.7
80.1
98.1
All commodities other than farm and foods
Paperboard........................................—
Converted paper and paperboard-----Building paper and board------- ------Metals and metal products........................
Iron and steel____________________
Nonferrous metals_________________
Metal containers..................................
Hardware_______________________
Plumbing equipment...........................
Heating equipment...............................
Structural metal products---------------Nonstructural metal products..............
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1552
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, DECEMBER 1955
T able D -9: Indexes of wholesale prices, by group and subgroup of commodities ^C ontinu ed
[1947-49=100]
Oct. Sept.
1955 2 1955
Aug.
1955
July
1955
June
1955
May
1955
April
1955
Mar.
1955
Feb.
1955
Jan.
1955
Dec.
1954
1954
1954
1950
Machinery and motive products_______________
Agricultural machinery and equipm ent___
Construction machinery and equipment__
Metalworking machinery and equipm ent........
General purpose machinery and equipment__
Miscellaneous machinery_________________
Electrical machinery and equipm ent- -III.III
Motor vehicles................ ............................
131.3
126. 8
141. 9
147. 2
138.3
133. 0
130.8
124.5
*130. 0
*126. 3
140. 5
146. 9
+13b. I
*132. 0
130. 6
122. 0
128.5
122.4
138. 2
146. 7
134.8
130. 2
127.7
122.0
127.5 127.1
121. 5 121.5
134.7 134.7
145.5 142.7
132.7 131.8
127.4 127.0
126.7 126.5
122.0 122.0
126.7
121.5
134.3
139.5
131.2
127.1
126.5
122.0
126.3
121.5
134.1
137.1
131.0
126.8
126. 4
121.9
126.1
121.5
133.8
136.9
130.4
126.8
126.4
121.5
126.1
121.6
133.8
136.6
130.3
126.4
126.7
121.5
125.8
121.5
133.2
135.1
128.6
126.4
126.8
121.7
125.7
121.2
132.6
134.7
128.2
126.0
126.8
121.7
125.3
121.3
131.8
134.0
128.1
126 0
126.7
121.0
124.3
122 0
131.6
134. 0
128.1
126.1
125 2
118.6
106 3
10« 3
108 1
108 8
107 0
105 0
102 1
106.7
Furniture and other household durables________
Household furniture__________________ ____
Commercial furniture_____________________
Floor covering..................................................... I
Household appliances_____________________
Television and radio receivers..... .......................
Other household durable goods........ ..................
116.9 116.4
115.4 *115. 2
13/. 1 *136. 2
128. 7 128.0
106.1 106. 2
92. 7 92. 6
135. 5 134.1
116.0
114.3
134.3
126.8
106.6
92.1
134.1
115.5
113.1
130.0
126.7
106.5
93.1
133.1
115.2
112.9
129.8
126.2
106.4
93.2
132.4
115.1
113.1
128.6
125.1
106.5
93.3
131.9
115.1
112.8
128.6
125.0
107.3
93.1
131.9
115.1 115.4
112.7 112.6
128.6 128.6
124.4 124.4
107.2 108.5
93. 1 93.2
132.0 132.0
115.5
112.5
128.6
124.2
108.7
93.5
131.9
115.7
112.9
128.6
124.0
109.4
(3)
131.5
115.6
112. 9
128.6
124.0
109.1
@FedFRASER