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UNITED ST'.A.Tl!S D'EP:ARTMENT 0 F LABOR
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PRANCE8 PEBlllN&. ·~
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1.,i$. WOMENtS, BUREAU
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~ MARY ANDERSON. 'l lnmcroa
SUMMARY OF 'LAB 0R LE,GI:SLAT ION FOR WOMEN
JANUARY TO JUN'E 1,93,31
A SUPPLEMENT TO BULLETIN ·n
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Br FLORENCE P,. ,SMITH.
Le.gislat.·ve sess1,ons, held, .i n .n early all S,~ tes, between J 'a nuary 1
and June ao.,I 1933,, have resulted in new labor law,s fo1
r ' women, or
an'lendments to old laws 1n at least 14 S,ta te&
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MINIMUM-W,AG'E LAWS
Outstan,d in,g among these law~. ar•e those passed in :& ev~ States
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P,J=Oriding for the se~~i~p of eff.e.c~1-v:e m.ae_h1nery for the investip.t1on of wa-ps an.d the
g of nnmmum-wage rates for women Dd
minors in ·selected •occupations or, mdustries•. - This is the .first Ie.gisla.tion looking toward Ebe establishment of ,a base wage. tor women
and m~.ors,to l;te passed i this coun,t ry in 10 years. . In only 1 yea~,
1918, when ei -h t ~Sta.tes pa,ssed sueh laws-has 1933~s record of seven
new ena.ctments been ,exceeded.
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ew York1 the 2 Central States of Illinois &lld Ohio, and 1 Western
State, Utab. These b~ing ~be total_num~r· ·Of ~bl_tef!i having mi~·•·
mum-wage laws to 16,,·t he other 9 States in the list be111,g· Califorma,
Colo,r.ado,2 :Massaehusetts, Minnesota,• :North Dakota, O.regon, So·uth
Dakota, Washington, &n.d WisconsiL
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· With the single exception. of Utah, wh.ose, new law is modeled on
the, Ca.tiforn.i~ act, the minimum-wage laws of l9'33 are1a new typ
ca·r e~l~y dra~d ~ e x ~, in an. effort to _meet the obj'ections of
a majority .of the. Unite.d States Sltpnme Court to ~e District of
~umbia law in 19~3. ~e~ six , laws are ~~tially ~e same)
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=~dTb~ ~:;;t,b~ :!,~lY!1:::~:~=~~
broad in :scope, their eovera~ 1ncloding practically all ,o ccupations.
They p~ovide that, ·when & ,sobstantiml number of women or -m1non
in any occupation a.re ieceivinc· oppre · ive and unreasonable !{&ges,
a wa,ge boa.rd. co·mpose of' representatives o,f .employees, em.plo.yers,
and the .pubbe shall be appomted to detm-m1~e and recommend a
. age fairly .a nd .r easonably oommensur~te ·. 1th the_yalue. of t~e
s-erviees rendered. An "' opp:r ~ive and unreasonable wa~. '' is
defined as a wage both less than the -air and reasonable 'Value of
'the services rendered and less t'h an sufticient to meet the minimum
cost of liv n,g necessary for bealth . . Fo lowin,g ~ublic· hearin.gs, the
industrial commissioner· may· put 't he recommended mini~um ates
into effect. For a specified _period. of·
e-3 .months in 0 hmo, 5 .in
New Hampshire, ancl 9 ~D the othe · 4: s,ta,00&-the ord.e r setting ·t he
minim.u~:wage ,,rate is d·i rectory ~n~y, that, :is, the only penal~ty . f~r
:noncompl1an ·e is newspaper publ1c1ty. A.f ter the trial period,. 1f
nonobse·r vanee of the d1.rectory order is so persistent as, to threaten.
the mai·n ten.ance of :m inimum fair-wage stanclards,,
eommi~ioner.,
aft-0r a P.ublic h~a'rl'ng,1.m ay make .t . e o~er ~ndatory and ·there~
after subJeet to .fine or 1rµpr.1sonm.ent for vtola.t ion.
The laws permi~ differentiation ·"n classes o~ service, a su"table.
scale of wages for ·1earners :a nd a'p•prentices,. and special licenses for
,employees. wbo~ eami :. ~ p~owe · has been im.:p aired 'by ege or p'hyaical
or mental defie e cy or tnJury.
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Minimum . . wage le,gisla ion was mtroduced but not passed in Jeg:isla·t ures in seveTal other St:ates, and in Massachusetts an effort was
made to, substitut~ __the. ne.w type of law fo,r tha't 1State's_present non.m andatory acL ·H owe ·er, two amendm,e nts to the existing M,usa..
chu:setts act,. to make it ·more etl'ective,_were p assed . , One ~me:ndment.
increases to $300 the penally (f'ormeirly $5_to $~0) for failure of any
emP,loyer ~ -k~ep• and. submit for inspection t~e req.uired record . of'
em;p.loyees, their wages, ano h.ours... The_second amendmen.t requires
m~ulacturers, paying less than a decr,eed ~inim~ wage to ,s4?1 label
t~ei r pro~.· ~~ts. ~taders also :m_!l,y
l'eqmred to _mfo_rm pnrchasers
that ·t he ,S"?Ods :~ ere :so ·~ de. Tb,e wa~ d.~
1nv!>lv@4, _h owever,
must be rein·. est1.~ated and affirmed,. m.odified, or ~esc1ndie d before .a.n
order eqnir.iog Jabeling is 1ssued ~y the minimum-wa.ge commission.
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BOUR :LA.WS
I.-!~isl~~ion., a:&eeting th! maximum number of h.· O·~ rs that women
~y be reqtnred or· peTm1tted to work was. :passed tn a. number of
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States. Connecticut am,e nded i.ts statutes by reducing, from. 58 a.
week to· 52 a week and 9 a day, the. hours o·f wom.en -employed JD
mercantile .esta~I.i s~ments,1 public. resta.uran.ts,. cafe.s, dini_ng rooms
{exce.p t in hotels) .,. bar~r shop~, b&irdnwsing or mani,c uring estab1 shments,, or photograph galler1est
. [.Minn!sota's hour law ·fo~ women ~as bee!) ~vised to provid~ .a
State.-w1de 54-bonr week with no daily l11n1tat10,n of bours. 'This
replaces ~b.e ol ·. a.ws, o·f 1909 .and 1913 and their amen.d ments, whic.h
,~lowed ,d iff~nt..hourly· an~ ·~ ,e e~y limits .~ccordmg to locality an~
~n_d of em·p loym,e ~. per.m1tt1ng~1n _som~ cases _10 h?urs a day and.
58, hours a week. ·1·ne new law JS expected to s1mpl1fy enforeeme.n t
,IIICROF'UED· i
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proble ms Unlike _he o d law, the new one fails to · ·ake specific
,p rovisio for meal per iotl1 •
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A new hour law :in New · 1,l ~co beca.m e ,effective .Jm1e 15. For
wom.e.n enip]oye.d in a •Y indust rial or m.e rcanti e es.t ablishm ent, hotel,
re~t~urant, cafe, eatin.g house, laun _ry,, pla~e ,o f amuse111enit, public
utility ,, or 1n ,any ofice ns stenog rapher , clerk,, bookke eper·, or .in . DJ'
other cle·n cal position the ma~imum hours :ee1:mit ted .are 8 a day ~n.d
48, in any week of 6 da.~. T~ ·w orking day must not be divided
into· ·m ore ·tllan three shifts~ ·Two, hours ,of· ov,ertime are allowe d
~eekly in emers.eJ!Cies if~ _ti~e .an.d. a ~alf is. paid,., D·?·m~stie emp,Joyo,,~~t, . hospita ls,, ,san1tar1u~~~ r,~ ,g1stere~ or practical urses,
and 1 ,d w, v·es are e em,pted.. . 1 his act p!.'ov1des a change in. .ome
cases from 5·6 hours a ~ · ·k ( althou g1h fhe old law nllowe o~y 8
hours a day) and a reduct-~on in other indus,t ries fro · ma imnm
hours of 9 .a day and 56 a w,eek. Hours in telephone and ·_. legrap b
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~Jllces,1exc pt where five or t ·e·w er o,p erators .a re employ ed, are 1~.gulated. also For a T-day week the. hours of ork between 7 a. I~ and
10 p.m . n1ust not e.xoeed 8 a day and ,4g ,. week;; bet een 10 p . 1n. an,d
a.m~, 8 a day and 54. a ·w eelt · _Ov·erti:me.,. howev .·r ,, is perm.ittecl in
the ,ea ... of extr "·me emerge cy . Not I ·ss than o e ho.If hour for meal
time mus _ be allow·ed.. 'T h e ,&ct dloes not. ap,p ly ·to person s eng,cged in
interst ate comm.e fce where the hours of labor are go ,•erned by an ct
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of· Congress~
Ma.xllllnn1 hours of 10 a day, 55 .a week,, becune effect1.v,e Jone 1 in
North. Caroli na for cler.ks or sales:wumen, and. W'aitresses and ot'her·
employ ees ,o f public, ,ea.t in.g places. Not more than 6 hours of continuou s work are allow,e d unless the exten.t of tbe day's, .:ork ia not
mO'h: than 6½. ho _· rs,: ' E·.X mption_is. ~ade for full~time bookke epers,
cashiers, o,r office ,asmstants,, for estaJ.?lishments .emJJ:loy ng fe ·· ·e r than
three ~person s.,, and for to . · ,s of less. th n 5,.000 inhabi ta · ts.
In Texas the law permit ting not mo re than 9 hours a · aJ , 54 hours
a w,eek1 has been amend ed 't o hr.mg be,a uty s·h ops an · roadsid e drink
or food vendin g esta Hsh:m nts u:nd -r its provis io .· ·, and to ·p lace
cleanin g and. p1essing establishme,n:ts on the same f'o oting ,as laun~
dries; that is, a ma_ximum l "eek of .M hours and a m. imum day of
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ll hours.
In Wyom ing the hour law w s a ended bv reducjng hours from
8½ & day ,a nd 66 a week to, 8 a day ,and 48 i. wee·k for wo.men e,m. .
plo . ed in any m· .n ufaetn rm;,, mechanical, ,n r m rcantil e e tablish '"'
ment,, laundr,y, hot.el., publi,c . odg~ng h.ouse, ~apartment ho~e., .place
of a:muse ent,. or restau -:antt As 1n the pre .1ous, law, overtim•e in an
emerge ncy is pe~mitted if ·t ime .a nd a half is paid. ...nl·ke the old
law, however, telepho ne or, teleJJrapb establishments or offices, ,o r ex..
p ress. or tr sporta·ti,on compa nu,s are ·ot covered.
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Nl'GBT-·w oBK. LAWS
_Indian a ~mend ed. ,its niiht-w or . ~aw p,r ohibtti ng the employm~,n t
of women m.~manufa1<:tur1ng' e~a.bltsbm.e n~ .he.tw'8n .1.0 p.m. and 6
a m.. t,o p~rn11t facto ·1es oferat1 ug t'wo sh1f~.. of .n ot more than. 8
hours eoch and not mo,r e ·t han 5 days a week. to employ women m
• . y capacity for t·h e purpose. of manuf acturin g unbl 12 o',clock at
.m cht.
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,Massachusetts, whose law . for many yean baa prohibited the employment ,o.f w,omen in textile .m anufacturing betwee~ 6 p.m.. and
6 am. and m ot er ~nufacturmg between 10 pm. and 6 &.m., this
y~ passed an ~!n~ent pro~b,1ting wo k in leat er m- ufaeturin,g
also between 6 pJD. and 6 a.m.
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WORKING OONDrt10N8
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~ a ~eans ,~f co- bating _s,v.:eats'
op evils, Conn~cticut ?JOW ~~
registration with t~e ~ o n ~ r of labo.. ,r ..and fa~ry _m s~.ctlon of
every manufaetunng ,o r mechamcal establishment, m. the State em
plCJP~s.::ree or )!lOre persons and forb~~ theopening o_f &DJ. such
establis , e t until 5 days, after the :m aibog of such registration to
the com1mism.one·r. Nor lS an·y registe·red. business allowed to chanr
its
.· oeatio~,._ wtthout permission, until 5 da.ya ·fter mR.Jling the rep
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tration of tne. new add·ress.
· . other Connecticu1t aet was amended 'i n 1983 •y_ a.d ~ manu-
facturi_ng establishments ,o the list of industries 1n whieb the commis
sioner of labor and factory inspection is authonzed to _investigate.
the wages, hours, an.d necessary expense.of livmg,,a~d health o,f women
and girl& Further r~gulation of home work in Connec icut, largely
done by_:w-omen, is provided in. a new law that, BIDong othe.r tb~ngs,
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makes all fa,c tory ~lat1ons, relatmg to, .hours of work :a nd sarutary
conditions &pp~cable to p]aees, w~ere such wo~~- •,s d!?ne.
In Rhode Island, where a. mtnunum-wage bill failed to pass, the
lagisJatnn approved a . resolution ~ ap,po!D·t . a .commi~ of &ve,
members of the ouse of representatllves 'to mvestigate working conditions ,generally in ·t!ie m.anuf~! ,ng plants ;-and •tie:rlile _m ills of:
the,State. Tb,e c;om~1t~ :11. auth.o nzed to ~old heanngs and compel
the attendance of witnesses and t e production 0 f ' boo,ks and papers.
Beoomro4'ndations are, t.o be made to the Govemo,r by Jann ry 15,
1984~
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• Since 1 11 t 1931 t e . uw:buldb ~ l a.t are bi eJD,oweNd ·t he eomml@lo er ol
lab.en· to au-,e·:ad tlle ~• ,o~elook law dllrbll' tbe He of ·the oodea ~ • nai r aatb.orH7 er
tbe Natkm·al bldU.trlal BNOl'UJ AGL
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@FedFRASER