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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
WOMEN'S BUREAU
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RA.TES
UNDER CORRESPONDING
CONDITIONS
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
FRANCES PERKINS, Secretary
WOMEN'S BUREAU
MARY ANDERSON, Director
BULLETIN OF THE WOMEN'S BUREAU, No.
122
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES
UNDER CORRESPONDING
CONDITIONS
By
MARY ELIZABETH PIDGEON
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1935
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CONTENTS
Page
Letter of transmi tta] _ _ __ ______ ______ ______________________________
Part 1.-Scope of report and summary of :findings_____________________
Lack of wage standards___________________ ____ ________ _________
Scope of material presented here_ ___________ ___ _____ ________ ____
Method of limiting materiaL ________ ___________________________
General summary of :findings__________ ___ _____ _______________ __
Plant-by-plant wages-all occupations in the plant_______ ____ _____
Earnings in same occupation in different plants and in same plant___
Earnings in same department in same plant_______ ___ _______ ____ _
Part II.-Detailed discussion of wage data presented from ·.eight industries_______ ___ _________________ ________ ___ ___ __ _______
Rates or earnings in power laundries in New York State, May 1933__
Weekly rates of timeworkers_ _ _ _ ________ __ __ ___ ____ ______ __
Variations in rates in the same occupation_____ ___ ____________
Variations in earnings of pieceworkers________________ _______
Hourly rates_______ _______________________________________
Hourly earnings of women in commercial power laundries in Ohio,
May and September 1933_ ______ ___ ____ _________ _________ ____
Earnings in 11 large plants in May 1933_____________ ______ __
Earnings in 12 large plants in September 1933 ____ ~----------Earnings in 24 smaller plants____ ___ _____ ______ _____________
Earnings in the same occupation____________________________
Earnings in the same occupation in the same plant_ ___________
Hourly rates of women in 66 laundries in New Hampshire, June and
September 1933______________ ___________ _________ ___________
Weekly rates of women on a 54-hour schedule in 12 Texas laundries,
1932______________ ____ ______ _______ _______________ _____ __ __
Week's earnings of women in cotton mills in South Caro1ina and
Maine, January and February of 1932_________________________
South Carolina______ ________ _____________________________
Variation in earnings though product is similar___________
Variation in earnings in the same department ____ ______ ___
11aine______ __________ ________ _____ ___ __ __ ____ ___ ___ _____
Week's
earnings in___________
six Kansas ___
City
clothing
firms, by hours
worked,
1933__________
______
_____________
____________
Week's earnings of women in New Hampshire shoe factories, spring
of 1933_______________________________ ___ _________ _____ ____
Occupations_________________________ ___ ____________ __ ____
Weekly earnings of women in 129 shirt factories in nine States, summer
of 1933_______________ ________ _____ _____ _______ _________ ___
Earnings in various plants_____ _____ _________________ ______ _
Range of earnings in various States_____ ___ ________________ __
Earnings in various occupations____________________ ___ ___ ___
Hourly earnings of women in certain occupations in hosiery and underwear mills, 1932_____ ___ ___ ____________________ __ ____ ___ ___ __
Loopers__ ____________ ___ _______________________________ __
Menders_____ ________ ___ _____________________________ ___ _
Seamers in New York underwear mills_____ ________________ ______
Weekly rates of saleswomen in 5 department stores in New Jersey
and in 3 in Denver, 1933______ _____________________________ __
Part III.-Supplementary wage material_ ____ ________________________
Minimum wage fixed in N. R. A. codes for seven industries_________
Median week's earnings of full-time workers in 13 States___________
Extent to which women's actual earnings fall below their full-time
earnings____________________________________________ ___ __ __
III
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CONTENTS
TEXT TABLES
1. Weekly rates of women time workers employed in power laundries in
New York State, week of May 8, 1933________ ______ __________
2. Weekly rates of women timeworkers in two occupations in power
laundries in New York State, week of May 8, 1933 ___ ___ ________
3. Hourly rates of women in seven power laundries in New York State,
week of May 8, 1933___ _____ _____ __ ____________ _____ ____ __ __ _
4. Hourly earnings of women in 12 large power laundries in Ohio, weeks
of May 8 and September 18, 1933 ___ _______________________ ___
5. Hourly earnings of women timeworkers in 24 smaller power laundries
in Ohio, weeks of May 8 and September 18, 1933____ __ ______ ____
6. Earnings in the same occupation in different plants, May 8 and
September 18, 1933_ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _
7. Weekly rate of women in 12 Texas laundries, 54-hour week schedule,
1932__ _____ ___ __ ____________________________ __ _____________
8. Week's earnings of women working 50 to 55 hours, inclusive, or
5 or 5½ days in 20 cotton mills in South Carolina, January and
February 1932_ ___ _____ __ ______________ _______ ______________
9. Week's earnings of women working 50· to 55 hours, inclusive, or 5
or 5 ½ days in 2 departments in 20 cotton mills in South Carolina,
January and February 1932__________ _____ ___ _____ ____________
10. Week's earnings of women working 50 to 54 hours in 6 cotton mills,
in Maine, February 1932____ ________ ______ _______ __ __________
11. Earnings distribution of women making cotton wash dresses who
worked 47 to 50 hours, or 57~ or 6 days, 4 firms, Kansas City, 1933_
12. Earnings distribution of women making men's work clothes who
worked 38 to 40 hours, 2 firms, Kansas City, 1933___ ___________
13. Week's earnings of women reported in 19 New Hampshire shoe factories, 1933 _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _
14. Basic rate as reported by firm for select ed skilled occupations in
shoe factories in New Hampshire, 1932-33__ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __
15. Average hourly earnings of women loopers and menders in hosiery
plants in Pennsylvania, 1932___________________________ _____ __
16. Average hourly earnings of women loopers and menders in hosiery
plants in North Carolina and Tennessee, 1932 _____________ ___.:_ __
17. Average hourly earnings of women seamers in underwear mills in
New York, 1932---- - - -----------------~----------- - --- - ----18. Weekly rates of pay of saleswomen in comparable department stores_
19. Range in median week's earnings of full-time workers in 13 States
surveyed by the Women's Bureau, 1920- 25, by industry__ ______
20. Earnings of all women reported and of women who worked full time
in certain cotton and clothing plants, 1932 and 1933 ____________
21. Earnings of all women reported and of women who worked 48 hours
or more a week in Texas industries, 1932 ____ _____________ ______
22. Relation of women's earnings to their rates in selected industries
in six States surveyed by the Women's Bureau, 1920-25__ _______
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CHARTS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Plant-by-plant comparisons-all occupations in the plant____ ______
Same occupation in different plants ________________ ______ _______
Same occupation in same plant_ _____ _______________ ____________
Minimum wage fixed in N. R. A. codes for seven industries, and
women receiving such amount or more prior to code____ __________
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53
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
WOMEN'S BUREAU,
Washington, August 6, 1934.
MADAM: I have the honor to transmit a report showing the wide
variations that exist in the standards of payment of women's wages
for similar work under similar conditions. The figures are for sample
plants in eight important woman-employing industries in 1932 and
1933.
This material was brought together for the purpose of setting forth
examples to indicate whether the wages paid under similar conditions
showed conformity to some standard relative to the character of the
work or were largely in a chaotic and unstandardized state.
The information given here shows the great need of continuing
the development of more adequate wage standards, at least to the
extent of establishing a :minimum wage or of maintaining such a
minimum where established, and also gives some indication of the
advances in wage rates that have accompanied the fixing of a :minimum
in one industry.
The planning and writing of the report, including the selection,
analysis, and summarizing of the material, are the work of Mary
Elizabeth Pidgeon, chief of the research division of the Women's
Bureau. Statistical tables that formed the basis of the tabular
material used in the text were prepared by Arcadia Near Phillips,
statistician.
Respectfully submitted.
MARY ANDERSON, Director.
Hon. FRANCES PERKINS,
Secretary of Labor.
V
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VARIA TIO NS IN WAGE RA TES UNDER
CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
Part 1.-SCOPE OF REPORT AND SUMMARY OF
FINDINGS
The pages following have been prepared for the purpose of bringing
t ogether in brief space certain of the available evidences as to the
extremely chaotic state of wage payments, especially those made to
women. These have been shown here by means of comparing wage
rates in different plants in the same industries and by citing instances
of the divergence of wages even in the same occupations in different
plants and also in the same plant.
In a number of comparable cases that give wide representation both
as t o the industry represented and as to geographic location the wages
in the highest-paying plant have been found to be considerably more
than twice as great as those in the lowest-paying.
Abundant material has shown the wide variation in women's actual
earnings as well as the uncertainty and inadequacy of such earnings;
but the material collected here indicates decisively that there also
are differences to all practical purposes quite as great in the rates of
wages fixed for essentially identical work. No doubt this may be
explained by the fact that wage rates are likely to be set with a
primary view to the calculation of labor cost in the elements to be
subtracted from plant profits, rather than to either the value of the
work done or a suitable distribution of purchasing power. But
whatever the explanation, the resultant unstandardized condition of
wage r ates, with its at tendant ill-effects both upon workers' lives and
upon industry's markets, is the same.
Lack of wage standards
T he lack of any sort of consistent or adequate standards in the
payment of wages for similar work is evident from the extreme variations shown in the following pages. At least some indication of the
value of the work done is shown in the amounts the better-paying
employers can afford to give for the job. For others to fall so far
below such a standard as frequently appears to be the case creates a
situation grossly unfair not only to those who are performing the
work but to the better-paying employers as well. This is particularly
true when efforts are being made toward fixing minimum selling prices
for the products.
Survey upon survey made and page after page of information compiled by the Women's Bureau have shown that amounts women have
t o live on are very meager; that their wage income is fluctuating and
uncertain; that in many cases it is totally inadequate as a basis for
decent living; and that the amounts actually received in the week
very frequently fall considerably below the rates fixed for the work.1
1 See, for example,list of Women's Bureau bulletins as follows: Wages of Women in 13 States; The Effects
on Women of Changing Conditions in the Cigar and Cigarette Industries; Hours, Earnings, and Employment in Cotton Mills. Also the following bulletins showing fluctuations in employment which would mean
also in wages: Variations in Employment Trends of Women and Men; Fluctuation of Employment in the
Radio Industry; The Employment of Women in Slaughtering and Meat Packing; and Employment
Fluctuations and Unemployment of Women, 1928 to 1931.
1
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2
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
The subject of wag~ levels is given a renewed importance in these
days when it has become realized more potently that the existence of
industries as they now are organized, and indeed the continuance of
their profit, depends quite definitely upon the ability of enough
people to buy. Hence it has become almost a self-evident axiom
that the wholesome economic development of society depends upon the
fixing of wage levels with some view to the assurance of a widely distributed purchasing power.
One method of approaching this, a method that recently has increased in favor and use, has been the fixing of a point below which
the wage for stated services cannot legally go, in consideration both
of a decent minimum standard of living and of a fair return for
services rendered. In the past, legislation of this type has applied
primarily to women, owing partly to certain legal technicalities but
also in no small measure to the fact that the wage for women's
services ordinarily has been at the lowest point in many of the industries where their labor has featured in greatest measure. Their
occupations, because engaged in by women, often have been termed
''unskilled" or "light tepetitive ", frequently with little regard to the
actual character of the performance, to the strain or hazard it involves,
or to the dexterity or rapidity it requires.
Scope of material presented here
The material brought together here, from Women's Bureau surveys
and other sources, constitutes a sampling made in 1932 or 1933 of
eight important woman-employing industries or groups of industries
. in 17 States scattered in all sections of the country. It includes 412
plarits and shows that even for essentially similar types of work there
is urgent need of the development of standards for wage payments
that shall assure adequate remuneration for the job done.
The following summary indicates the sources of the plant-by-plant
data and the occupational material that form the main basis of the
conclusions as to the chaotic state of wage payments:
Plant-by-plant material .(entire plant regardless of occupations)
Number
of plants
Industry
All industries_____ ____ ______ ___ __ __ ______ _________ ___
Laundries______ ______________ _______ _____ _____ ______ ______
Location (15 States)
Year (1932
and 1933)
318 ____ __ ____ __ __ __ __________ _______ _
1- ---------1
28
32
12
66
New York ____________
Ohio ____ ______________
Texas _____________ __ __
New Hampshire ___ ___
1933
1933
1932
1933
6
20
Maine ___ ______ _______
South Carolina___ _____
1932
1932
Work clothing:
Cotton wash dresses __ ____ _______ _______ ____ ___________
Men's work clothes ___ ______ ___________ ___ _____ __ _____ _
4 Kansas City, Mo_____
2 ____ _do_ _____ __ __ __ ____
1933
1933
Shoes:
McKay ___________ -- ------ ---------- -- -- ---- -- -- -- -- -Welt _________ --- --------- -- -- -- --- - --- --- --- - - -- --- -- -
12 New Hampshire___ __ _
7 _____ do___ _________ ___ _
1933
1933
9 States!_ _______ ______
1933
Cotton mills __ ___ __ ________ _______________________________ _
Shirts ___ ______________________ ----- --- --- - --- ----- - --- ___ _
129
1 Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and
Pennsylvania.
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SCOPE OF REPORT AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Occu pational material
Industry
Occupation
All indu stries ___ ----------- -- - -- 13__ ---- - - --- - -- --- ---L aundry ___________________ __________ _ Shakers ___________ ___ _
Press operators _______ _
F lat ironers __ ________ _
F inishers and hand
ironers.
Press operators ___ ____ _
Sorters ______ -- -- -- -- -M ark ers ___--- -- -- -- __
Hosiery __ ______ __ ________ ___ ________ __ Loopers __ -- _-- -- -- --- _
M enders ______ _______ _
1
Year
Total
number L ocation (8 States) (1932and
of plaI)tS
1933)
2136 ----- ------------- -- ---------22 New York ___ _____
1933
12 _____ do _______ _____
1933
Ohio ____ __ -- _--- - _ 1933
5 _____
do
_____
_______
7
1933
6 _____ do __ ________ __
3 ____ _do __ ___ -______
4 __ -- _do ______ ______
1933
1933
1933
Pennsylvania __ ___
N ort h Carolina ___
T ennessee _________
Pennsylvania _____
North Carolina ____
T ennessee _________
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
35
14
15
26
10
14
U nderwear -----~--- - --------_______ ___ Beamers ______ ________ _
22
ew York _______ _
Departnien t store ___ ________________ __ Saleswomen __________ _
New Jersey ____ __ _
Denver, Colo _____
Shoe _---------- --------- --- - --- --- - - __ Fancy stitchers ____ __ _
T op stitchers _________ _
Skivers ______________ _
11 New H am pshire __
11 _____ do ____________
10 _____ <lo __ ------ ----
1932
3
1933
1933
1933
1933
1933
1 See ch arts II and III, pp. 13 and 16.
~ Details aggregate more than total, as sam e plant is shown fo r more t)lan 1 occupation.
a 1 in December 1932.
Material by departments: Same department in same plant
Ind ustry
Department
•
Cotton mills ______________ ________ ____ Spin and spool_ ______ _
Weave __ __ ___________ _
T ota\
number of
plan ts
19
6
19
5
L ocation
South Carolina_ ___
Maine____ ____ ___ _
Sou th Carolina___ _
Maine____________
Year
1932
1!!32
1932
1932
I n the last section of the report a summary is given of the minimum
wages fixed in N.R.A codes for the industries discussed in the present
bulletin. In addition, the divergence of women's actual earnings
from the wages that would be paid them if on a full-time basis is shown
again by supplementary material giving summaries of wage data
taken from earlier studies of the Women's Bureau that sample 10
industries in 13 States and from similar more recent data from 4
State&.
Method of limiting material
Every effort has been made to assure that the material used in
making comparisons was comparable in every possible respect.
Wage rates have been used where these could be obtained since
they represent the standard fixed for payment, and this should eliminate
such variations in earnings as are due to personal loss of time or to
plant emergencies. Where weekly rates are used, plants having similar schedules of hours to be worked for the rate set are selected for the
comparisons so far as possible. In some cases hourly rates have been
used. Where wage rates were not available, the earnings used have
been those for weekly hours worked within as narrow a range as prac801410- 35-
2
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VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES tJNDER CORR:~SPONDING CONDITIONS
ticable, · or those for work on a specified number of days in the week
that approximate the same weekly hours. Such comparisons as have
just been outlined fall as near as identity can be arrived at, and should
produce similar earnings. Other differences that might have influenced the results (such as type of product or size of locality) also have
been taken into consideration. In a very few cases piecework earnings for the same hours worked have been used, and in one or two
instances earnings are used with no data as to time worked, but this
situation is indicated, and while these few data have not been omitted
the main argument is not based on such cases.
General summary of findings
In each industry examined the wage payments in the typical sample
establishments included showed striking differences from plant to
plant, even when other conditions were as nearly similar as is possible
with industrial data, and although in every part of the study all possible efforts were made to select only strictly comparable data. For
example, median 2 weekly earnings in the highest-paying wen~ more
than double those in the lowest-paying plant among 20 South Carolina cotton mills and among 11 large and 21 small laundries in Ohio.
Other cases are nearly as striking. Median weekly rates among 28
large New York laundries also shows a difference of 86.5 percent from
lowest- to highest-paying plant. Even where other factors, such as
type of product, size of city, or plant location, were taken into account,
comparisons made in plants under conditions as nearly identical as
obtainable showed differences in payment so marked as to be attributable only to lack of wage standards. Most of the comparisons made
in the study are based on rates or earnings of timeworkers working
practically the same hours.
Material applying to exactly the same occupation is scattering at
best. However, such as is available shows not only wide variations in
payment from plant to plant, as, for example, in the case of press
operators and shakers in New York laundries, loopers and menders in
hosiery mills in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Tennessee, saleswomen in stores in New Jersey and in Denver, and other occupations
given in detail in the text following. The data show also instances of
marked variations in the payments to those engaged in the same
occupation in the same plant, as is the case, for example, in a number of
occupations in laundries in Ohio, and in certain occupations in New
York laundries, and in hosiery plants in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and
North Carolina.
Great care has been taken to cite strictly comparable cases, and
comparisons in respect of much of the material originally examined
have been omitted because of too great divergence in work period, in
product, in size of locality, or in some other factor. The point may be
raised as to variation in capacity of individuals, but in actual practice
most employers have made no studies of individual capacity. Obviously, without such scientific study some other method of gaging the
value of the work must be relied upon, and such a method is provided
in the amounts the better-paying employers can afford. The divergence from this measure in so large a number of cases, in the same
State, industry, occupation, and even most frequently in the same
plant, gives a fair indication of the haphazard status of wage payments.
2 The
median means that half the women earned more, half less, than the figure given.
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SCOPE OF REPORT AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
5
Moreover, in the case of one of the industries used, data were available to show what conditions had obtained both before and after the
fixing of a minimum by the President's Reemployment Agreement in
the summer of 1933. Even though the minimum fixed was relatively
low, the result was a marked improvement in wage standards, applying
not alone to the lowest-paid but in some degree to the higher-paid
groups as well. A comparison of the minimum wage fixed in codes in
several of the industries discussed here with the proportions of workers
who were found prior to the code to be receiving at least as much as
(often considerably more than) the minimum later fixed, indicates that
in practice the amount provided for should be well within the possibilities of the industry to make as a minimum payment.
A general summary of the findings of the studies reviewed here is
given below. This summary cites the more extreme cases of high and
low payment in each industry shown. Further interpretation of
factors that may have influenced these payments and may have
explained some of the greater extremes will be found in the later text.
In the use of the summary following, care must be taken to understand
the interpretations and qualifications contained in the body of the
report. However, this does not invalidate the general findings as to
the wide variation in wages paid for essentially similar work.
PLANT-BY-PLANT WAGES-ALL OCCUPATIONS IN THE
PLANT
Chart I shows a comparison, plant by plant, of wages paid to all
workers in the plant. This includes samples of 4 industries taken in
7 States and of shirt making in 9 States. The text following here
affords a running analysis of the outst anding facts summarized in
the chart.
LAUNDRIES
New York-28 large plants (1,900 women on time rate, with weekly schedule
48 to 49½ hours, May 1933).
Median weekly rates in the various plants ranged from $8.15 to $15.20.
Highest median rate 86.5 percent above lowest.
In 1 plant none earned $12, in 4 others n one $15; in 1, 56 percent, in 1, 48
percent. and in 2 others 23 percent earned $15 or more.
In New York City alone highest median rate in 17 pla,1ts was 57.5 percent
above lowest.
·
Ohi~ll large plants (453 women timeworkers in May), 12 large plants (431
women in September) , 1933.
Range of median hourly earnings in the various plants·
May, 13 to 28 cents.
September, 26 to 30 cents.
Highest median in May was more than double the lowest; in September,
15 percent above lowest.
In May none earned as much as 30 cents in 6 plants, but in 1 plant in May,
44 percent, and in 1 in September, 56 percent, earned 30 cents or more; in
6 in the latter month none earned this amount.
Texas-12 plants (1,040 women on a 54-hour week, 1932).
Median week's earnings in the various plants ranged from $8.20 to $9.80.
The highest median was 19.5 percent above the lowest.
In 1 plant 28 percent earned $11 or over and in another only 6.5 percent
received this much.
All plants were in towns of 230,000-300,000, except 2 whose earnings were
neither highest nor lowest.
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VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
New Hampshire---66 plants (577 women, September 1933).
In 11 plants all, in 5 others over 60 percent, had hourly rates of 30 cents
or more.
In 19 plants no woman had rates so high; 6 of these plants paid the great
majority under 25 cents, and in the few institutional laundries some other
compensation, as a portion of the living, was the rule.
COTTON MILLS
Maine---6 plants (849 women who had worked 50 to 54 hours, 1932).
Median week's earnings in the various plants ranged from $13.40 to $11.65.
Highest median was 15 percent above lowest.
In 1 plant no woman earned as little as $10, in another 18 percent earned
so little; in 1 plant 21 percent and in another 8 percent received $16 or
more.
In 3 fine-goods mills medians ranged from $12 to $12.15.
South Carolina-20 plants (2,748 women who had worked 50 to 55 hours or 5
or 5½ days, 1932).
Median week's earnings in the various plants ranged from $6.15 to $13.45.
The highest median was more than double the lowest.
The median was below $9 in 9 mills and above $12 in 4.
In 5 mills no woman earned as much as $16, in 1 of these none as much as
$12; in 3 mills practically one-fifth earned $16 or more.
CLOTHING
Kansas City-39 plants (3,748 women reported, 3 1933).
Median week's earnings of all reported in the various plants ranged from
$4. 70 to $16. According to type of clothing made, the highest median
was as follows:
Women's moderately-priced dresses (14 plants)-more than three
times the lowest.
Men's work clothes (10 plants)-more than twice the lowest.
Millinery (4 plants)-more than one-fourth above the lowest.
Women's cloaks and suits (7 plants) -more than one-fifth above the
lowest.
· Men's underwear and women's lingerie (4 plants)-about one-tenth
above the lowest.
Kansas City-6 of the 39 plants (699 women with time worked reported, 1933).
Median week's earnings in the various plants ranged as follows:
Wash dresses, 4 plants, women working 4 7 to 50 hours, 5½ or 6 days,
$5.45 to $9.05, highest 66 percent above lowest.
Work clothes, 2 plants, women working 38 to 40 hours, $11.45 to
$18.35, highest 60 percent above lowest.
SHOES
New Hampshire---19 plants (all men and women reported, 3 1933) .
Median week's earnings in the various plants ranged as follows:
McKay (12 plants)-$13.25 to $5.90, highest more than double lowest.
Welt (7 plants)-$17.40 to $6.35, highest not far from 3 times the
lowest.
Practically 8 percent of the women in 1 welt plant, 5 percent of those in
another, and about 2 percent of those in 1 McKay plant had earned $25
or more, though in 5 welt and 8 McKay plants no woman had received as
much as $25.
a Note that time worked is not given here.
, Idem.
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SCOPE OF REPORT AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
7
SHIRTS
9 States-129 plants (all men and women in plants having 50 or more employees
reported, 4 1933).
Median week's earnings in the various plants ranged from $5.90 to $12.60.
In 7 States the lowest median was below $5, in 3 States the highest was
$10 or more.
EARNINGS IN SAME OCCUPATION IN DIFFERENT PLANTS
AND IN SAME PLANT
The occupational material is compared in two different ways:
Chart II shows variations in pay in the same occupation in different
plants; chart III shows such variations within the same plant. The
text that follows here presents the outstanding points for each
occupation as summarized in the two charts. Thirteen occupations
in 5 industries are included, and also 2 separate departments in a
sixth industry.
LAUNDRIES
New York
Shakers.-(403 in 22 plants, weekly rates of timeworkers, May 1933) .
Median rates ranged from $14.65 in one plant to $6.90 in another.
The highest median was more than twice the lowest.
In each of two individual plants the lowest earnings women received
were below $10 and the highest $15 or more for this operation.
In each of 8 plants weekly rates of women in this occupation i n
the same plant varied by as much as $5, and in one case by as much
as $12.
Press operators.-(102 in 12 plants, weekly rates of timeworkers, May 1933) .
· Median rates ranged from $15.25 to $10.65.
Weekly rates ranged from $8 to $19 in 1 plant, a difference of $11;
from $9 to $16 in 1 plant, a difference of $7; and showed a difference
as great as $5 in 6 other plants.
Rates ran as high as $19 in 2 plants, not so high as $14 in 2 others.
Rates ran below $9 in 2 plants, not so low as $12 in 3 others.
In each of 8 plants, weekly rates in this occupation varied by as
much as $5 in exactly the same plant.
Ohio
Median hourly earnings of timeworkers f1 'Jm low to high in the same
occupation in 9 different plants were as follows (May 1933):
75 flat ironers, 16½ to 27 cents.
63 finishers, 11½ to 34 cents.
50 press operat ors, 12½ to 28 cents.
22 sorters, 13 t o ·24 cents.
24 markers, 15½ to 32 cents.
The greatest range in hourly earnings of timeworkers in the same occupation in the same plant was as follows (May 1933):
In 1 of 5 plants-flat workers, 24 to 50 cents (40 women).
In 1 of 7 plants-finishers and hand ironers, 26 to 40 cents (5 women).
In 1 of 6 plants-press operators, 19 to 32½ cents (11 women).
In 1 of 3 plants-sorters, 11½ to 22 cents (5 women).
In 1 of 4 plants-markers, 22 to 32 cents (6 women).
'Idem.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
HOSIERY MILLS
Pennsylvania (average hourly earnings, in 35 plants, 1932).
Loopers.-(1,117 women in 35 mills) .
Median earnings an hour ranged from 16 to 55 cents, the highest being
more than three times the lowest.
In 4 mills the median was less than 20 cents, in 7 it was 45 cents and
more.
In 4 mills no woman earned as much as 30 cents; in 3, at least threefourths earned 45 cents or more.
In 6 mills over one-tenth earned less than 20 cents, in 1 of these all
having earnings so low; in 5 mills no woman earned less than 30 cents.
In 6 plants the highest-paid woman received at least 50 cents an hour
more than did the lowest-paid woman in the same plant.
Menders.-(588 women in 26 mills).
Median earnings an hour ranged from 20.8 to 45 cents, the highest
being more than twice as great as the lowest.
In 2 mills none earned as much as 30 cents, in 3 others over 40 percent earned 45 cents or more.
In 5 mills from 15 to 43 percent earned less than 20 cents, in 11 others
none earned less than 30 cents.
In 4 plants the highest-paid woman received at least 50 cents an hour
more than did the lowest paid in the same plant.
North Carolina and Tennessee (average hourly earnings in 14 North Carolina and
15 Tennessee plants, 1932).
Loopers.-(1,211 women in 29 plants).
Median earnings per hour ranged from 11.5 to 39.5 cents in Tennessee,
from 17.5 to 37.5 cents in North Carolina, the highest being respectively over three times and over twice as great as the lowest.
In 5 Tennessee plants and 1 North Carolina plant none earned as much
as 30 cents; in 1 plant in Tennessee more than one-fifth earned 45
cents or more and in 1 plant in North Carolina well over one-third
earned 40 cents or more.
In 1 plant in each State none earned under 25 cents; in 5 in Tennessee
and 1 in North Carolina, three-fourths or more earned less than 20
cents.
The highest-paid woman received 50 cents an hour more than did the
lowest paid in a single North Carolina plant; 40 cents an hour more
than the lowest in a single Tennessee plant, and this difference, for
women in the same plant, was as great as 30 cents in 9 North Carolina
and in 2 Tennessee plants.
Menders.-(280 women in 24 plants).
Median earnings an hour ranged from 11.5 to 32.5 cents in Tennessee,
from 13.3 to 28.1 cents in North Carolina, the highest being respectively 183 and 111 percent above the lowest.
In 1 Tennessee plant the highest-paid woman received 32 cents an
hour more than did the lowest-paid in the same plant, and in 1 North
Carolina plant the greatest difference was 21 cents; and such differences were as great as 20 cents for women in the same plant in each of
4 Tennessee and of 2 North Carolina establishments.
UNDERWEAR MILLS
New York (average hourly earnings in 22 mi1ls, 1932)
Seamers.-(497 women in 22 mills).
Median earnings an hour ranged from 17 .5 to 38.1 cents, the highest
being more than twice the lowest.
In 2 plants more than one-third earned 40 cents or more, in 2 none
earned as high as 30 cents.
In 4 plants practically one-third or more received less than 20 cents,
in 3 others none had earnings so low.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
SCOPE OF REPORT AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
9
New York-Continued.
Seamers.-Continued.
In 1 mill the highest-paid woman received 44 cents more than the
lowest paid in the same plant. A difference of at least 40 cents was
found in each of 3 plants, of at least 30 cents in each of 6 others.
SHOES
New Hampshire (12 plants making McKay, 7 making welt shoes, May 1933).
The yield of basic rates in three occupations that employ chiefly women has
been compared for two groups of McKay plants that make similar products.
These rates in plant 1 differ in these occupations from those for the same
occupation in plant 2 b.y from 4 to 19 percent. Such variations in plants
4 and 5 were from 3 to 23 percent.
Owing to the prevalence of piecework and lack of time records, the only
valid comparisons have to do with these basic rates, and comparisons as
to same occupation in same plant cannot be made, since the basic rate for
any one operation is the same throughout the plant. For different occupations in the same plant, a comparison based on 3 woman-employing
occupations shows that in each of 2 McKay plants the highest rate for 1
occupation was at least 11 percent above the lowest, in a third plant as
much as 37 percent. In each of 3 welt plants the highest rate for 1 occupation was 33 percent above the lowest.
DEPARTMENT STORES
Saleswomen (weekly rates of pay, 1933).
New Jersey.-(1,085 women in 5 comparable stores).
Median rates ranged from $12.85 to $17.70, the highest being 38 percent above the lowest.
In 1 store practically 30 percent earned less than $12, and in this and
in another over 60 percent earned less than $15; in a third store none
earned under $15 and over one-third earned $20 or more.
In each of 2 stores some women had rates below $12, while others in
the same store had rates of $20 or more.
Denver.-(533 women in 3 comparable stores).
Median rates ranged from $12.50 to $15.60, the highest being about
one-fifth more than the lowest.
In 1 store over one-tenth earned $20 or more, in another only about
3 percent had earnings so high.
In 1 store practically one-third earned less than $12, in another less
than 2 percent had earnings so low.
In everv store some women had rates of less than $12 while others in
the same store had rates of $20 or more.
EARNINGS IN SAME DEPARTMENT IN SAME PLANT
COTTON MILLS
Maine (median week's earnings of women who had worked 50 to 54 hours, 1932).
Spin and spool departments.-(413 women in 6 mills).
Median earnings ranged from $13.40 to $11.95, the highest being 12
percent above the lowest.
From none to 14 percent earned $16 and over.
From none to 16.4 percent earned less than $10.
Weave departments.-(270 women in 5 mills).
Median earnings ranged from $15.65 to $12. 70, the highest being 23
percent above the lowest.
From 16 to 46 percent earned $16 and over.
From 7 to 30 percent earned less than $10.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
10
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
South Carolina (Median week's earnings of women who had worked 50 to 55
hours or 5 or 5½ days a week, 1932).
Spin and spool departments.- (1,531 women in 19 mills).
Median earnings ranged from $13.50 to $6.35; in 9 of these making
print cloth, from $11.85 to $6.60, the highest being 80 percent above
the lowest.
In 4 mills none received as much as $12, in 4 mills some earned $16
or more.
From about 9 percent to 100 percent earned less than $10; in 6 mills
over 90 percent, in 4 less than 20 percent, had such low earnings.
Weave departments.-(122 women in 19 mills).
Median earnings ranged from $16.60 to $5.50; in mills making print
cloth they ranged from $16.20 to $7.95, the highest being well over
twice the lowest.
From none to 61 percent of those reported earned $16 or more.
From 5 to 91 percent earned less t han $10.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
CHART
1.-Plant-by-plant comparisons-all occupations in the plant
00
0
Median rate or earnings
....
....
Number of
women
1
~
i
Industry
r
~
Laundry
2__________
Location
Date of pay
roll
Number
of plants
New York ___ __ ___ May 1933 _____
Ohio_----- --- -- - - -
_____ do _________
28
$15. 20
$8.15
86. 5
'11
. 28
.13
116.4
.33½
.15¼
119. 7
6
Texas ____________ _ 1932 ____ _______
Percent
Highest Lowest highest
above
lowest
21
Comments
Type of data reported
Total
,._
In 5 plants no woman had a rate as
high as $15; in 5 plants over onefifth had rates $15 or more.
In 6 plants no woman earned as much
as 30 cents; in 1 plant 44 percent
earned 30 cents or more.
In 13 plants no woman earned as much
as 30 cents; in 1 plant all the women
earned 30 cents or more.
From 6.5 to 28.3 percent earned $11 or
more.
1,900
14-185
453
10-75
351
10-29
Weekly rate of timeworkers in 54-hour
week.
1, 040
53-166
9.80
8. 20
Cotton ___ ______ ___ _ Maine _________ ___ 1932 ___________
6
13.40
11.65
15.-0
South Carolina ____ 1932 __ ·--------
20
13. 45
6.15
118.7
In 5 plants no woman earned as much
Shoe:
McKay ________ New Hampshire __ Spring 1933____
12
13. 25
5. 90
124. 6
Welt_ __________ - _- __ do _____________ _____ do ____ _----
7
17.40
6. 35
174. 0
In 8 plants no woman earned as much Week's earnings _______
as $25. In 4 plants less than 40 percent, in 5 plants more than 60 percent earned less than $10.
In 5 plants no woman earned as much _____ do _________________
as $25; in 2 plants between 5 and 8
percent .e arned $25 or more. In 2
plants 4 percent, in 3 plants 49 percent or more earned less than $10.
In 3 plants 7 to 9 percent, in 3 plants Week's earnings for
14 to 22 percent, earned $16 or more.
as $16; in 3 about one-fifth earned $16
or more. Median was above $12 in
4, below $9 in 9 mills.
50- to 54-hour week.
Week's earnings for
50- to 55-hour week
or equivalent.
1 Weekly where given in dollars, hourly where in cents.
2 In a
ew Hampshire study of the laundry industry 66 plants were included (see p . 30).
ot included in this chart because no median computed.
a Three firms had shorter schedules, 1 each at 45, 47, and 47½ hours, and 1 had a longer schedule, 50½ hours. Rates of these were nei ther lowest nor highest
' Large plants.
6 See footnote 6, p. 23.
6 Small plants.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
---
Weekly rate of timeworkersfor48 to 49½
hours.3
Hourly earnings of
timeworkers. 5
____ _do 5________________
12
19. 5
Per
plant
849
58-231
2,748
62-394
1,794
52-277
889
56-213
j-o6
j-o6
CHART
....,.
I.-Plant-by-plant comparisons-all occupations in the plant-Continued
t...:>
Number of
women
Median rate or earnings
~
~
~
Industry
Location
Date of pay
roll
Number
of plants
Percent
Highest Lowest highest
above
lowest
Comments
>
t-3
Type of data reported
Total
Work clothing:
Cotton wash
dresses.
Kansas City, Mo __ April and May
1933.
_____
do ____ ______ ___ January and
Men's work
May 1933.
clothes.
4
$9. 05
$5. 45
2
18. 35
11.45
Shirt _______ ________ 9 States 1___ _______ Early summer
1933.
129
12. 60
5. 90
Per
plant
~
0
z
Ul
- --- z
~
66.1
In 1 plant 19 percent, in 1 none earned
$10 or more. 1n 1 plant none, in 1, 54
percent, earned less than $5.
60. 3 In 1 plant 33 percent, in 1, 1.8 percent
earned $20 or more. In 1 plant none,
in 1, 33.5 percent earned less than $10.
Week's earnings for 47t o 50-hour week or
equivalent.
Week's earnings for 38to 40-hour week.
378
67-151
321
151,170
113. 6 In 7 States the lowest median was be- Week's earnings ______ _ 18,378 8620-5,310
low $5; in 3 States the highest median
was at least $10.
~
>
~
t::.1
~t-3
t::.1
Ul
cl
Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, New J ersey, and Pennsylvania.
s Since this comparison is one among States, this is total number in each State, rather than in each plant.
1
~t::.1
~
C
0
~
~
._,
Ul
0
zt::,
z~
~
C
0
zt::,
~
t-3
~
0
z
Ul
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
\
CHART
II.-Same occupation in different plants
Median rate or earnings
Industry
Location
Occupation
Number of
women
1
HighASt
Date of pay Numabove lowest
ber of
roll
plants High- Lowest
est
Dol- PerJars or cent
cents
Laundry __ _________ New York ______ __ Shakers ___________ May 1933 __
22 $14. 65 $6. 90
$7. 75
15. 25 10. 65
4.60
Comments
Total Per plant
112. 3 In 5 plRnts medians were
less than $9; in 2 plants
medians were $12 or more;
in 5 others $11 or more.
43. 2 In 10 of the ::.2 plants medians were more than $11;
in 5 of them they were at
least $14.
63. 6 In 3 plants medians were
less than 20 cents; in 1
plant as high as 27 cents.
195. 7 In 3 plants medians were
less th1m 20 cents; in 1
plant more than 30 cents.
124. 0 In 2 plants medians were
less than 20 cents; in 2
plants more than 25 cent.~.
f\4. 6 The median in the third
plant was 16½ cents.
106. 5 In the remaining 2 plants
th?. medians were 21 and
26 cents.
Press operators. ___ _____ do_ - ---
12
Ohio __________ ___ . Flat ironers _____ __ _____ do _- ___
5
. 27
.16½
.10½
Finishers and hand __ ___ do __ - -ironers.
Press operators ____ _____ do _____
7
.34
.11½
. 22½
6
• 28
.12½
.15½
~orters __ --- -- ----- _____ do _____
Markers ________ __ _____ do __ -- -
3
. 24
.13
.11
4
. 32
. 15½
.16½
Cotton 3__________ _ • Maine ___ __ ______ _ Spin and spooL .. _ 1932 ______ __
6
13.40 11. 05
1. 45
12.1
Wrove _________ ___ 1932 ____ ____
5
15.65 12. 70
2.95
23. 2
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
5-47.
Weekly rate of
timeworkers,for
48- to 49½-hour
.do ______ _____ __
____week.
403
Hourly earnings
of timeworkers. 2
_____ do _______ . _____
75
7-40.
6:!
5-15.
_____ do _________ ____
50
6-11.
___ __ do _____________
22
5-12.
___ __ do __________ . __
24
5-7 .
From none to 14 percent Earnings for 50- to
earned $16 or more; from
54-hour week.
none to 16 percent earned
less than $10.
From 16 to 46 percent earned _____ do _____________
$16 or more; from 7 to 30
percent earned less than
413
37-117.
270
25-74.
$10.
Weekly where given in dollars, hourly where in cents.
See footnote 5, p. 23.
a Shows department, not occupation.
1
2
Type of data
reported
102 5-12.
CHART
IL-Same occupation in different plants-Continued
I-'~
Number of
women
Median rate or earnings
~
>
8
pj
1-1
Industry
Location
Occupation
D ate of pay
roll
Highest
above lowest
~~~f
plants High- Lowest
est
Comments
1- - - - - - 1
Dollars or
cents
P ercent
$7. 15
112. 6
H
Type of ds.ta
reported
0
Total Per plant
H
z
----
Cotton-Contd.
South Carolina _____ Spin and spool. ... 1932 _______ _
Weave ___________ .. 1932__ ______
Hosiery ____ ______ __ Pennsylvania
----
19 $13. 50
19
16. 60
Loopers ___________ 1932 ____ ____
35
. 55
Menders ______ __ __ 1932 ________
26
.45
Tennessee _________ Loopers __________ . 1932 ______ __
15
.39½
$6. 35
5. 50
--.16
. 2()¾
.11½
Menders __________ 1932 ________
14
.32½
.11½
North Carolina __ _ Loopers _______ ____ 1932 ________
14
.37½
.17½
Menders __________ 1932 ________
10
.28½0 . 13¾o
Underwear _________ New York _______ _ Beamers ___________ 1932 ________
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
22
. 38½o
.17½
11. 10
201.8
In 4 mills some earned $16 E arnings for 50- to
or more, in 4 no woman
55-hour week or
equivalent.
received as much as $12.
In 7 mills 90 percent or
more; in 4 less than 20 percent earned less than $10.
From none to Gl percent ____ .do _____________
earned $16 or more; from
5 to 91 percent in 17 mills
earned less than $10.
. 3!)
243. 7 In 7 mills median 45 cents
or more; in 4 mills less
than 20 cents.
. 24¾ 116. 3 In 7 mills median more
than 4.0 cents; in 5 mills
less than 25 cents.
243.
5
In
2 mills median more
.23
than 35 cents; in 6 mills
less than 20 cer.ts.
182.6 In 2 mills median more
. 21
than ::io cents; in 6 mills
less than 20 r.ents.
114.
3
In
3 mills median more
. 20
than 30 cents; in 2 mills
less than 20 cents .
.14¾ 111.3 In 2 mills median 20 cents
or more; in 5 mills less
than 20 cents.
. 20¾ 117. 7
zr,i
In 2 plants about one-third
earned at least 40 cents;
in 9 plants none earned
40 cents, in 2 of these
none as high as 30 cents.
153
~
Q
trJ
~
722
9-73.
~
r,i
cl
Average hourly 1,117
earnings.
_____ do. ___________
588
_____ (IQ _________ ----
34--281.
489
7-134.
5--69.
10-81.
~
trJ
l:d
0
0
l:d
l:d
trJ
r,i
"O
____ _do .. __ .-- --- ··-
168
5-27.
0
_____ do. ___ . _______
722
7- 132.
H
____ _do __ _____ ___ ___
zti
z
Q
112
5-32.
0
0
Average hourly
earnings.
497
10-71.
zti
H
8
H
0
z
r,i
In 3 plants none earned so
low as 20 cents; in 4 plants
about one-third or more
earned under 20 cents.
D epartment stores_ New Jersey ___ ____ Saleswomen _______ Late 1932
or early
5
17. 70
12. 85
4.85
37. 7
From 2.1 to 35 percent
earned $20 or more. In 3
stores none, in 1 store 30
percent earned less than
Denver, Colo ___ __ _____ do ____________ March 1933_
3
15. 60
12. 50
3.10
24.8
From 3.2 to 13 percent
earned $20 or more; from
1.9 to 32.6 per cent earned
less than $12.
Shoes:'
McKay ______ __ New Hampshire __ Fancy stitchers ___ Spring, 1933
Top stitchers ___ __ _ _____ do ____ _
Sk1vers ____ __ ___ __ ___ __ do _____
5
5
5
20. 00
20. 00
19. 20
12. 00
13. 44
13. 00
8. 00
6. 56
6. 20
66. 7
48.8
47. 7
6
6
5
25. 00
24. 00
25. 00
15.00
15. 00
15. 00
10. 00
9. 00
10.00
66. 7
60. 0
66. 7
Basic rate for the highest Basic rates for full --- ---- ---------paid in the various occuweek.
pations in the McKay
plants was from about
one-half to about twothirds higher than the
lowest.
Basic rate for the highest _____ do ___________ _ ----- -- ---------paid in the various occupations in the welt plants
was from three-filths to
two-thirds higher than
that for the lowest.
1933.
Welt _____ ______ _____ do. __________ _ Fancy stitchers ___ _____ do ___ __
Top stitchers ______ _____ do _____
Skivers ____________ _____ do _____
$12.
' Data are basic rates. It is a well-known fact that workers very frequen tly do not earn the equivalent of the basic rate. See p. 39.
Weekly rates for
46H- to 49%hour week.
1, OR5
Weekly rate for
4 -hour week.
533
95-327.
108-221.
I
0
lzj
lzj
§
~
z
i:'.j.)
Ul
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
CHART
Industry
Location
Occupation
III.-Same occupation in same plant
Date of
pay roll
Range of rates or earnings in same plant 1
Laundry ___________ New York ________ Shakers (22 plants) ____ May 1933 __ Greatest, $7 to $19; least,
$8 to $9, $9 to $11, $10
to $12.
Press operators (12 ___ do ______ _ Greatest, $8 to $19; least,
plants).
$11 to $14.
Ohio ______________ Flat ironers (5 plants) ____ do ______ _ Greatest, $0.24 to $0.50;
least, all $0.18 in 1
plant, all $0.16½ in 1
plant.
Finishers and hand ___ do ______ _ Greatest, $0.26 to $0.40;
least, $0.18 to $0.24.
ironers (7 plants).
Single plants showing greatest variations (dollars and cents)
Type of data
reported
Variation as great as $5 in each of 8
plants.
Weekly rate of timeworkers for 48- to
49½-hour week.
Variation as great as $11 in 1 plant, $7 _____ do _____________ _
in 1 plant, $5 in 6 other plants.
Variation as great as $0.26 in 1 plant, Hourly earnings of
$0. 05½ and $0.02, respectively, in
timeworkers.2
each of 2 others.
Variations of from $0.10 to $0.14 in 5 ___ __ do 2____________ _
plants, $0.06 and $0.08 in the remaining 2.
Press operators (6 ___ do ______ _ Greatest, $0.19 to $0.32½; Variations of $0.13½ in 1 plant; of from __ ___ do2 _______ _____ _
plants) .
$0.05 to $0.08 in the remaining 5.
least, $0.18 to $0.23.
Sorters (3 plants) ______ ___ do ______ _ Greatest, $0 11½ to $0.22; Variations of $0.10 and $0.10½ in 2 · ___ _do 2___ __ __ _____ _
plants, less than $0.01 in the other 1.
least, $0.16½ to $0.17.
Markers (4 plants) _______ do ______ _ Greatest, $0.22 to $0.32; Variations of from $0.01 to $0.10 ______________ do 2____________ _
least, $0.20 to $0.21.
Cotton a____________ Maine ________ ____ Spin and spool (6 1932______ __ Greatest, $5 to $19;
mills) .
least, $7 to $17.
Weave (5 mills) ___ ____ 1932 ____ ____ Greatest, $7 to $23, $5 to
$21, $4 to $20; least, $8
to $18.
South Carolina ____ Spin and spool (19 1932 _______ _ Greatest, $5 to $21; least,
mills).
$5 to $12.
Weave (19 mills) ______ 1932 ________ Greatest, $6to$24; least,
$7 to $13.
Hosiery ______ ____ __ Pennsylvania _____ Loopers (35 mills) _____ 1932 ___ _____ Greatest, $0.12 to $0.90;
least, $0.10 to $0.20.
Menders (26 mills) ____ 1932 ________ Greatest, $0.10 to $0.70;
least, $0.40 to $0.50,
$0.30 to $0.40.
Tennessee _________ Loopers (15 mills) _____ 1932 _______ _ Greatest, $0.20 to $0.60;
least, $0.10 to $0.20.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Number
of women
in occupation in
single
plant
5- 47
. 5- 12
7- 40
5- 15
7- 11
5- 12
5- 7
Variations of from $7 to $14 in the 6 Week's earnings 50mills.
to 54-hour week.
The variation in the fifth mill was $13 _______ do _____________ _
37-117
Variations of from $9 to $16 in each of Week's earnings 5016 mills reported; $12 or more in 6
to 55-hour week or
equivalent.
mills.
Variations of from $9 to $18 in each of 17 _____ do ______ _______ _
mills reported; $12 or more in 9 mills.
34-281
Variations of more than $0.50 in each of Average hourly earn6 mills; of more than $0.30 in each of 14
ings.
others.
Variations of more than $0.50 in each of ___ __ do _____________ _
3 mills; of more than $0.30 in each of 6
others.
Variations of more than $0.30 in 2 mills; _____ do ____ __ _______ _
of more than $0.20 in 5 others.
7-134
25- 74
21- 73
5- 69
10- 81
Menders (14 mills) ____ 1932 ________ Greatest, $0.18 to $0.50;
least, $0.08 to $0.16,
$0.25 to $0.33, $0.10 to
$0.18.
North Carolina ___ Loopers (14 mills) ___ __ 1932 ________ Greatest, $0.10 to $0.60;
least, $0.25 to $0.40.
Menders (10 mills) ____ 1932 ________ Greatest, $0.14 to $0.35;
least, $0.12 to $0.25.
Underwear ___ ______ New York (18 Seamers ___________ ____ 1932________ Greatest, $0.16 to $0.60;
plants).
least, $0.14 to $0.30.
Saleswomen___________ Late 1932 Greatest, $15 to $41;
or early
least, $9 to $23.
1933.
Denver (3 stores) __ _____ do __ -------------- March 1933 _ Greatest, $11 to $36;
least, $6 to $23.
Department stores __ New Jersey
stores).
(5
Variations of more than $0.30 in 1 mill; _____ do ______ ___ _____
of more than $0.20 in 3 others.
5- 27
Variations of more than $0.40 in 3 mills; _____ do ______________
of more than $0.30 in 4 others.
Variations of more than $0.15 in 5 mills ___ __do ________ _______
7-132
5- 32
Variations of $0.40 or more in each of 3
plants; of $0.30 or more in each of 8
others.
Average hourly
earnings.
5- 71
Variations were similar in the 3 remaining stores, being $16 or $17.
Weekly rates for
46½- to 49¾-hour
week.
Weekly rates for 48hour week.
95-327
Variation in the third store was from
$8 to $31.
108-221
1 Weekly where given in dollars, hourly where in cents. In the majority of cases the very small numbers of women in one occupation in a single plant makes it impossible to
present median or average satisfactorily.
2 See footnote 5, p . 23.
a These data refer to department, not specific occupation, hence wider variations would be expected.
1-----l
-l
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Part 11.-DETAILED DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA
PRESENTED FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
The foregoing general summary has indicated the more outstanding
facts found in examining representative samples of eight industrieslaundries, cotton mills, certain types of clothing manufacture, shoe
factories, shirt making, hosiery and underwear mills, and department
stores.
The more detailed analysis that follows takes into consideration
certain of the factors that may h ave accounted for the more extreme
variations in wages. Even when reduced to a basis of comparison
as strict as possible, the material shows very great differences in
wage payments under relatively similar conditions. This fact can
be explained only by the general chaotic status of wage practice and
the lack of establishment of any adequate standards of payment.
The result is not only that the compensation received by the worker
often is not commensurate with the value of the labor performed,.
but that the scrupulous employer who pays as well as he can afford
is subjected to unfair competition from undercutting competitors.
This situation becomes especially acute when efforts are made to
fix a bottom to selling prices.
RATES OR EARNINGS IN POWER LAUNDRIES IN NEW YORK
STATE, MAY 1933 1
Weekly rates of timeworkers
From a sample survey of laundries made in New York State in
May 1933, repor,ts are available as to rates for 1,900 women timeworkers in 28 of the larger plants. A summary of the data for these
women is shown in table 1. For three-fourths of them the rate
quoted was on a weekly basis, and a weekly rate has been computed
for those paid on a daily or hourly basis. The scheduled hours were
reported by the firm as 48 or 49 %hours in practically all these plants,2
so that the rates reported, whether for week, hour, or day, were
supposedly based on essentially similar time worked.
The median rate in these plants (one-half the women earning more,
one-half less) ranged from $8.15 at the lowest to $15.20 at the highest.
Thus the highest median was somewhat more than 85 percent above
the lowest. The highest median was in New York City, and the
1 Plants included here were those for which 50 or more women were reported . This covers only 3.1 percent of the plants in the State, and they employ 13.9 percent of the women so employed in New York in
1932. Furthermore, these plants include the greatest wage extremes, median weekly rates of all the smaller
plants surveyed in New York falling within these extremes. (New York State Department of Labor,
Report of the Industrial Commissioner to the Laundry Minimum Wage Board, July 1933, pp. 28, 45.)
The analysis on p. 26 shows that the wage data for the smaller Ohio plants showed nothing significantly
different from what data for the larger plants bad shown.
2 Three plants reported instead 5½ days as the weekly schedule; for a 9-bour day this would be 49½
hours. Three plants (employing 232 timeworkers) reported shorter schedules, 1 each at 45, 47, and 47½
hours, and 1 plant (employing 47 timeworkers) reported a longer schedule, of 50½ hours. The highest rates
did not correspond to longest hours, nor lowest to shortest.
18
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
19
lowest in the 17 laundries that were included from New York City
was $9.65, so that the highest median rate of those reported from
this city was well over 55 percent above the lowest.3 The scheduled
hours had little bearing on the amount of :median rates.
In 16 of the 28 laundries the mode (most usual rate) fell within a
single dollar range; in one of these plants the largest group of women
had a rate of only $6 and less than $7, in another (in New York
City) a rate of $9 and less than $10, while in 2 other plants the mode
was respectively $14 and less than $15 and $15 and less than $16
(the last named being in New York City). This most usual rate
was $10 and less than $11 in 7 plants and $12 and less than $13 in 3.
In 9 of the laundries under consideration, 6 of which were in New
York City, no woman had a rate of less than $10, in 1 of these none
was less than $14. The last named was in one of the smaller cities,
and nearly half the women had rates of $15 or more, though only one
was as high as $20. On the other hand, in 1 plant, not in New York
City but in a place of over 100,000 population, more than 90 percent
had rates under $10 and none had a rate as high as $12. In 1 New
York City plant practically three-fourths worked for a rate of less
than $10, and in 3 other laundries over 40 percent had rates so low. 4
At the upper end of the wage scale, in 1 New York City laundry,
nearly three-fifths (56.2 percent) had rates of $15 or higher, and in
4 other plants (in addition to that cited in the paragraph preceding)
between one-fifth and one-fourth had rates of $15 or over. In each
of 3 laundries, 1 woman had rates as high as $30. In 5 plants no
time rate was as high as $15, in 1 of these none as high as $12.
3 The New York laundry report cited in footnote 1 shows that median weekly rates did not vary consistently by size of community. On p. 44 these were reported as follows:
Communities 10,000, under 25,000 _____ ________ _____ _______________ -------- -----·-· ··-·-··------ ____ $11. 44
Communities 25,000, under 50,000_. _. --·--·-··-·····-·-·--····-··-------------------------·- ·-···· · 12. 91
Communities 50,000, under 100,000_________________________ _______________________________________ 14. 64
Communities 100,000, under 500,000_____ _____ _____________________ _____ ___ ______ ___________________ 12. 71
Communities 500,000, under 1,000,000__ ______ ___ ___ _______ ____ ______ ___ _______________________ _____ 10. 34
Communities 1,000,000 and over ___ ____ ________________________ -----------------------------·-·---- 12. 16
• Only the highest and lowest extremes are analyzed here, since the primary purpose is to indicate the
great variety in rates. However, table 1 shows those receiving under $11 and $13 and over, to make possible
an approximate comparison of conditions found at the time of the study with those later provided for by
fixing minimum wage rates at $11 and $12.40 per week, respectively, for the New York City area and other
parts of the State. See Minimum Wage Order of Sept. 22, 1933.
80141 °-35-4
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
20
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
TABLE
1.-Weekly rates 1 of women timeworkers employed in power laundries in
New York State, week of May 8, 1933
Women receiving--
Plant
MedNum- ian
Mean
of weekly
ber of weekly
women rates
rate
Range of Less than $10 Less than $11 $13 and more $15 and more
weekly
r ates
Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Perber
cent
ber
cent
ber
cent
ber
cent
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
---- -- 2L------______ __
3 ________
4 __ ____ __
5 ________
6 _____ __ _
------ - 87 ________
9 _____ __ _
10 __ ___ __
11 ___ ____
12 ___ ____
13 _____ __
14 _______
15 _______
16 _______
17
18 ------_____ __
19 ____ ___
20 _____ __
21. ______
22 _______
23 _____ __
24 _______
25 _______
26 _____ __
27 ___ ____
23 _______
1
2
89
92
144
55
77
47
127
41
32
106
57
27
52
185
51
14
56
109
52
14
57
48
59
77
82
33
63
54
$15. 20
14. 95
13. 25
12. 90
12. 85
12.80
12. 65
12. 60
12. 45
12. 35
12. 25
12. 15
12. 00
12. 00
11.90
11.80
11. 70
11. 60
11. 00
11.00
10. 75
10. 55
10. 45
10.40
10.15
10. 10
9. 65
8.15
$15. 65
15. 30
13. 25
12. 90
12. 75
13.10
13. 20
13. 15
12. 90
12. 30
11.85
12.15
12. 65
11.90
12.15
13.80
11. 95
12. 65
11. 80
10. 50
10. 85
10. 35
10. 50
10. 65
10.15
10. 40
10.45
7.90
$12 to
Hto
10 to
8 to
8 to
10 to
10 to
11 to
10 to
9 to
9 to
9 to
8 to
7 to
9 to
10 to
8 to
10 to
8 to
7 to
8 to
7 to
8 to
6 to
6 to
8 to
9 to
6 to
$31
21
21
17
19
19
28
25
18
16
18
15
28
19
19
32
20
26
26
14
14
15
18
18
18
16
33
12
0
0
0
2
13
0
0
0
0
4
20
1
4
27
9
0
18
0
14
5
14
16
13
32
38
16
47
50
------------3. 6
16.9
------------------3.8
35.1
3. 7
7. 7
14. 6
17. 6
""3iff
26.9
(2)
24. 6
33. 3
22. 0
41. 6
46. 3
48. 5
74. 6
92. 6
0
0
28
6
16
3
41
0
6
32
23
3
24
51
10
3
23
39
26
7
33
31
50
48
56
22
56
53
-------
------19.4
10. 9
20.8
6.4
32.3
------18. 8
30. 2
40.4
11. 1
46. 2
27. 6
19. 6
(2)
41.1
35. 8
50. 0
(2)
57. 9
64. 6
84. 7
62.3
68. 3
66. 7
88. 9
98. 2
84
92
78
26
36
20
94.4
100. 0
54. 2
47. 3
46. 8
42. 6
44.1
43. 9
34. 4
· 29. 2
26. 3
22. 2
30. 8
25. 4
19. 6
(2)
41.1
34. 9
26.9
(2)
5. 3
6. 3
5.1
15. 6
2. 4
6. 1
6. 3
56
18
11
31
15
6
16
47
10
4
23
38
14
2
3
3
3
12
2
2
4
0 ------ -
50
56. 2
44
47.8
33
22.9
6
10. 9
11
14. 3
4
8. 5
30
23. 6
12. 2
5
6
18.8
11
10. 4
2
3. 5
0 ---- --11
21. 2
7
3. 8
5
9.8
(2)
3
10
17. 9
10
9. 2
5
9. 6
0 ------0 ------0
2
3.4
4
5. 2
1
l. 2
2
6.1
2
3. 2
0 -------
In some cases computed from daily and hourly rate (for about one-fourth of the women).
Not computed; base less than 20.
Variations in rates in the same occupation
.
Shakers.-In 22 of the 28 laundries time rates were reported for 403
women shakers. Information as to their rates is summarized in
table 2. In 8 of the 22 plants the weekly rates of women in the same
plant varied by as much as $5, this difference being as great as $12
in the plant having the largest number of women shakers reported.
Median rates for the women in these 22 plants ranged from $6.90
to $14.65; they were less than $9 in 5 of the plants (3 of these being in
New York City), and were $12 or over in 2 and more than $11 in 3
other laundries (3 of these 5 being in New York City). Neither the
highest nor the lowest median was in New York City, but the next
in order in each case was so located.
Rates of $15 or more were reported in 4 plants, 1 woman having a
rate of at least $18, 2 in another plant of at least $17. In 10 plants
no woman had a rate as high as $12; in 4 of these none as high as $11,
and in 2 none even as high as $10.
·
In the lower ranges 1 plant paid shakers rates under $7; 2 others
had such rates under $8, and in 7 others the lowest rates were $8 but
under $9. The remaining 12 laundries, not all of which were in New
York City, fixed no rate so low for this operation. In 5 of these the
minimum rate was $9, and in 5 others $10; in 1 other it was $11 for
the small number of shakers reported; and in 1 plant outside New
York City no shaker had a rate of less than $14.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
21
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
Press operators.-Time rates were reported for 102 women press .
operators in 12 of the laundries under consideration, the number being
much smaller and the pay very much higher than was the case for the
shakers. Table 2 summarizes data on their rates. In these 12
plants the median rates ranged from $10.65 to $15.25. In 5 plants
the median rate was $14 or more. Weekly rates in this occupation
within the same plant varied by as much as $5 in 8 of the 12 plants,
in 1 of these by as much as $11.
Considering the upper rates for this occupation, those for 2 women
in different plants were as high as $18, and for 2 in still other laundries as high as $17. In the remaining 8 laundries, no woman had a
rate so high for this operation, 2 paying not so high as $13 for any
woman press operator on timework. In 8 of the 12 laundries some
women on this basis earned as much as $15.
The rates of 4 press operators in 4 plants were less than $10, the
rates of 1 operator in each of 2 of these plants being even less than $9.
The remaining 8 laundries had no rate so low for this operation, 2
having none below $14.
In 5 of the 12 laundries time rates were reported for as many as 10
to 12 women press operators. In one of these, 7 of the women had
rates under $12 and none so high as $14, while in the plant at the
other extreme no woman press operator had a rate less than $14,
and 1 earned as high as $17. The rates of the largest group of
women on this operation in these 5 plants were, respectively, as high
as the following: $11, $13 (2 laundries), $14, and $15.
TABLE
2.-Weekly rates 1 of women timeworkers in two occupations in power laundries in New York State, week of May 8, 1933
Press operators
Shakers
I>,
I>,
i:1
0)
Plant
s
0
-...
!:I:
0
0)
.0
s::i
z
----l_ __ ______
2_________
3____ _____
4_____ ____
5____ _____
6_________
7_________
8__ _______
9_________
10 ________
11__ __ ____
12____ ____
13 ________
14 ________
15 ________
16 ________
17 ____ ____
18____ __ __
19 ________
2() ________
21__ __ ____
22---- ---1
i
:;-;;
:;-;;
0)
0)
0)
0)
!:I:
ocl
!:I:
..... g3
_g3
;a
a:>
~
...
0)
~
25 $14. 65
46 12. 00
5 11. 65
11 11. 60
47 11. 05
6 11. 00
10 11. 00
5 10. 75
31 10. 60
16 10. 60
31 10. 60
11 10. 30
21
9.85
11
9. 80
23
9. 60
21
9. 55
9. 00
8
14
8. 80
24
8. 70
8
8. 55
8. 50
9
20
6. 90
os
bl)
ta
~
$14 to $18
10 to 15
11 to 14
10 to 15
7 to 19
9 to 14
9 to 16
8 to 12
10 to 16
10 to 13
10 to 12
7 to 13
8 to 14
9 to 13
9 to 12
9 to 11
8 to 11
8 to 11
8 to 12
8 to 11
8 to 9
6 to 10
I>,
Number receiv ing-
s
.....
i:1
.....
w
;l
:S"' :S
3
0
0
0
0
15
1
1
1
0
0
0
4
12
7
20
19
6
10
20
7
9
20
0)
0)
s s
'd
i:1
2
.....
0
15
0
2
25
13
1
1
4
1
2
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
-...
w
a:>
0~
z
1 (21)
2 (1)
3 (13)
4 (14)
5 (10)
6 (2)
7 (20)
8 (7)
9 (17)
10 (5)
11 (8)
12 (25)
!:I:
$
!:I:
_g3
.... g3
~
1a""
;a
0)
::s
5 $15. 25
10 15. 20
8 14. 80
6 14. 00
10 14. 00
9 13. 85
10 13. 75
12 13. 60
11 11. 80
8 11. 65
7 10. 85
6 10. 65
os
bl)
i:1
"'
~
$13 to $18
14 to 18
14 to 19
11 to 16
11 to 15
12 to 17
9 to 16
12 to 17
11 to 14
9 to 13
8 to 19
8 to 13
In some cases computed from daily and hourly rates.
The figures in parentheses are those corresponding to firm numbers used_for shakers.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Number
receiving-
:;;a
as
0
.0
"'
~
<17
0
I>,
:;-;;
!:I:
0)
'd
i:1
H
3
5
3
25
13
25
9
15
7
22
21
8
14
22
8
9
20
Plant
s s
~ ~"'
23
i:1
0)
s
s ......... s s
i:1
i:1
s s
0)
a:>
:S"' :S"'
'd
i:1
'd
~
~
H
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
,-;
~
H
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2
4
4
"'
w
5
10
8
4
7
7
8
9
1
0
2
0
;l
lO
,;;
3
6
3
1
0
4
3
3
0
0
2
0
22
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
Variations in earnings of pieceworkers
At least .20 pieceworkers were recorded for each of 11 plants, and
in 5 of these they formed the majority of those reported. For eight
of these plants time worked could be ascertained, and earnings have
been analyzed for those working 45 to 50 hours or on 5 or 5 ½ days.
Median weekly earnings of these ranged from $9.20 to $14.35, the
highest thus being more than 60 percent abpve the lowest. It
usually is found that pieceworkers' earnings show more spread than
those of timeworkers, and median rates of timeworkers on a 48- or
49}~-hour schedule in these same plants ranged from $10.10 to $13 .25.
In 4 of these plants at least seven-tenths of the pieceworkers under
discussion earned $12 or more, in 1 of the 4 nearly half earned $15 or
over; in 3 others none earned as much as $15, in 1 of these none as
high as $14, in another none as high as $13 . In the two plants last
mentioned, respectively over two-thirds (69.2 percent) and one-half
the pieceworkers under consideration earned less than $10. The following summarizes information in regard to these pieceworkers'
earnings and shows the comparison of these with rates of timeworkers
in the same plants.
Total number of pieceworkers reported
136
___ -_______
- - - - -- -___
- - -- -_________________________
- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_
40 ____
45 __________ ____ __________________________ _
95 ________________________________________ _
23_-- - --- - - -- -- --- - - --- - - -- - -- -- - - - -- -- - -- 5 1_ _ ---- -- -- -- ---- - -- -- - - - - -- ---- -- -- -- - -- 40
__ ______ - ____ - __________________________ _
44 _- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
None as much as $14.
Pieceworkers for 45 to 50 h ours or 5 or
5½ d ays
Timeworkers for 48
or 49½ hours
W orkers receivingNumber Median
w o~en earnings L ess than $15 and
$10
more
Number
wo~en
54
39
41
78
21
47
28
41
$11. 55
9. 20
13. 25
10. 00
13. 15
14. 85
12. 35
13.15
2
13
27
1
39
3
1
7
4
(1)
(2)
0
7
4
22
5
6
14
33
144
32
27
185
59
82
M edian
r ate
$11. 80
10. 10
13. 25
12. 45
12. 15
12. 00
10. 45
10.15
None as much as $13.
Hourly rates
Rates were reported by the hour for 356 timeworkers in seven of
the laundries that have just been discussed. D ata as to these are
shown in table 3. In one of these approximately three-fourths of the
workers had an hourly rate of 19 cents, while in one at the other end
of the wage scale about three-fourths had a rate of 26 cents or over.
Median earnings in one plant were 26 cents (the highest), in another
19 cents (the lowest), the highest being 36.8 percent above the lowest.
In the lowest-paying plant the hourly rates of over three-fourths of
the women were urider 20 cents, while 3 plants h ad no rate so low, 2
of these having none under 23 cents.
In 2 plants one-fifth of the women had rates of 30 cents or more,
while in 3 plants only one woman had a rate so high.
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23
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
TABLE
3.-Hourly rates of women in 7 power laundries in New York State, week
of May 8, 1933
Women receiving-
Plant
Range in
Number Median
hourly hourly
of
rate
rates
women (cents)
(cents)
Less than
20 cents
Number
P ercent
Less than
25 cents
Number
Percent
30 cents and
more
31 cents and
more
Number
Number
Percent
Percent
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- l_ - - ----- -- - - - --
2_--- -- -- --- ---3_-- -----------4__- -----------5_--- - -- - -- -- ---
6_
- - -----------7 _______________
55
51
41
18
82
48
61
26
25
25
23
22
22
19
18 to 34
20 to 40
24 to 50
23 to 31
14 to 36
16 to 30
19 to 31
1
1.8
0 -- --- -0 ---- - -0
25
11
22. 9
47 77.0
--ao:5-
14
10
17
12
77
41
59
25. 5
19. 6
41. 5
66. 7
93. 9
85. 4
96. 7
11
10
5
1
1
1
2
20. 0
19. 6
12. 2
5. 6
1. 2
2. I
3. 3
6
8
5
1
1
0
2
10. 9
15. 7
12. 2
5. 6
1. 2
----3:3
HOURLY EARNINGS 5 OF WOMEN IN COMMERCIAL POWER
LAUNDRIES IN OHIO, MAY AND SEPTEMBER 1933
Plant-by-plant information as to wages has been tabulated from
schedules taken for laundries by the Ohio Division of Minimum
Wage in 1933. This applies to the week of May 8, and it was reported
also for the same plants for the week of September 18, after the
President's Reemployment Agreement (modified for this industry)
was in effect, providing a minimum of 25 cents an hour in this part
of the country, and a maximum 45-hour week for production
employees.
Table 4 shows the hourly earnings in 11 larger plants employing
50 or more women. This is shown by plant for 453 timeworkers and
193 pieceworkers in May, and 431 timeworkers and 213 pieceworkers
in September. 6 In eight of these plants in May and in nine in September such earnings could be ascertained for at least 30 women
paid on a time basis, and in three plants in each pay roll for over 40
pieceworkers.
The size of city in which the plant is located has been given but
the earnings appear to show no decided variation according to size
of city.
Earnings in 11 large plants in May 1933
Timeworkers.-The May figures show that the median hourly
earnings of the timeworkers ranged from 13 cents to 28 cents, the
highest thus being over twice as great as the lowest. The median
was over 25 cents in 4 plants, but in 5 it was below 20 cents.
Over 10 percent of the women reported in 4 plants had earned 30
cents or more an hour, in 1 plant as high as 44 percent receiving
such amounts; on the other hand, in 6 plants no woman earned so
much as 30 cents, in 1 of these none so much as 18 cents, in another
none so much as 23 cents.
At the lower end of the scale, in 3 plants over 90 percent earned less
than 25 cents, in 2 of these all the women doing so; on the other hand,
a Where week's or day's earnings were given, these were divided by hours worked. Otherwise hourly
rates (reported for 57 percent of the timeworkers in May and 90.7 percent in September) are used.
e The Ohio schedules covered wage date for 1,549 women in commercial power laundries in May. The
present analysis of the same period includes hourly earnings for almost two-thirds of these, as follows:
In the larger laundries, 453 timeworkers, 193 pieceworkers; in t he smaller plants, 351 timeworkers. Since
earnings of only 26 pieceworkers were reported for these smaller firms they have not been discussed here.
For some women in these plants, basis of pay was not reported and hourly earnings could not be ascertained.
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24
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
in 2 plants no timeworker earned less than 26 cents, in another fewer
than one-third of those reported had received less than 25 cents.
Pieceworkers.-The median hourly earnings of pieceworkers were
higher than those of timeworkers in nearly every case. Though they
differed less extremely from plant to plant than was the case with
timeworkers, still there was a very wide variation. The medians
ranged from 21¾ to 32 ½ cents, the highest thus being 50 percent above
the lowest. In 1 plant no pieceworker had averaged over 26 cents
an hour, while in 2 others 59 and about 40 percent, respectively, had
earned 30 cents or more. At the lower end of the scale less than 25
cents had been received by 57 percent of the pieceworkers in 1 plant
and by 22 percent in another.
Earnings in 12 large plants in September 1933
A comparison of the earnings in September, after the plants were
operating under the President's Reemployment Agreement, with
those in May, shows strikingly how the fixing even of a relatively
low bottom below which wages cannot fall bas a beneficial effect in
insuring at least a subsistence wage. No time worker was earning
less than 25 cents an hour in any plant, with one exception. In the
earlier period only 2 plan ts had no woman earning less than 25 cents
and from two-fifths to all bad earnings so small in 8 of the plants.
Wherever medians could be computed it is not surprising to find
them increased beyond those of May. Moreover, the mode (or most
usual payment) had advanced.
The benefits of increased wages did not affect merely the lowest
paid women, and the minimum wage fixed bad not become the
maximum. In nearly all the plants for which such comparisons could
be made, the proportions of women receiving 30 cents and over were
greater in September than in May.7
1 See also findings in the New H ampshire laundry survey before and after t he President's Reemployment
Agreement, p. 30 post.
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TABLE
4.-Hourly earnings 1 of women in 12 large power laundries in Ohio, weeks of May 8 and Sept. 18, 1933
Week of September 18
Week of May 8
Plant
Num•
ber of
women
Median
hourly
earn
ings 2
(cents)
Percent earningModal hourly
earnings a (cents)
Less than 25
cents
30 cents and more
Number
of
women
I
Median
hourly
earn•
ings 2
(cents)
Percent earningModal hourly
earnings a (cents)
Less than 25
cents
I
Size
of
city'
30 cents and more
TIMEWORKERS
L__ ______
2_____ ____
3 ____ .. _._
4 ___ ._. _._
5---·- · -··
6 __ -· -····
7--- -- - ·-8---·-·--9 ___ ·- ·-··
10 __ ·-·-··
36
75
36
10
52
27
12
46
41
72
46
28
26
26
22½
22
193-i
19
26_._. _______ . __ ... Noneunder26.. _
24 ___ . _______ ._._ .. 32.0.......... ...
26_..... _... __ ..... 44.4 ...... _......
26 (7/10) . . . _. . . . . .. All26and28 .....
19-·-·· · · ··· ······· 69.2 ... -. .. ......
18.·-·· ·-···-······ 88.9 •.. ···· -·····
19_·-···-··· · · ·· -··
(6)
16_·-·· · · ·-····· · ·· 80.0 .. . . . . .. ·-·-·
18(87.8percent) ... 92.7 ... .. ·-··-···
16½ (93.1 percent) . 100.0 ... . . -.. -...
lOand 11½·- · ···· · 100.o .. _.... _....
44.4_·-·----------- -21.3 ... ............ _.
16.7 . .. .... _. .. __ ... .
Noneasmuchas29._
11.5.. · - · · ···· ·· · · ·· ··
None as much as 29 . .
(6)
None·-····-···- · · · ·Noneasmuchas29. _
Noneasmuchas18 ..
Noneasmuchas23. _
11--·-·-··
13
12--·- ·-·· -----·--- - --- -· --· ···-···--· ··· · ··- · ·· · · ··········· - ···- ·-·····-·-············
36
71
35
10
1--- ···· ··
7---· ·· · ··
59
68
24
42
32. 5 · - · ··- -··--·--···-··
28. 5 28.·- · ··-··-··--- ··
25¾ 26.·-···- - · - - ···-·21¾ 17½-···-···-···-··
6.8 . . · -· ···-·····
22.L .... . ·-·····
None under 24 .. _
57.L .. .. ..... -..
59.3 ..... ·--·· ·-- ·-··
39.7 . .. .. ·-··· · ···-··
None as much as 27 ·16.7............... _.
26
43
15
11
31
41
26
73
35
30
PIECEWORKERS
2 ___ . ··-··
4 __ - ······
30
59
96
16
42
28-- · ---·····-·-··· Noneunder26 ... 55.6_·-·--·-·-··----25(70.4percent) .. _ None---------··· 19.7 .. . ·--·-·--·----·
25.·- ······ ·- ·-···· __ . __ do------ -··· 17.L-·--·· --·· ·--·-26 (7/10) .. ... ...... None under 26. _ Noneasmuchas29._
25(72.lpercent) . .. None··· -· -- ···- 16.3. ·---- · -----·---25 (all)·- ·········- . .... do __ ·---·-·· Noneasmuchas26 ..
25 (½) .... ......... .. ___ do __···-·-·- 2women·-···- ·--·-·
25 (90.3 percent) . . . -·---do_-·-·-··-· None ..... ·-· ·- -··--·
26.·-·····-····-- ·· .. ___ do __ ··· ----· - ···-do - - .-·· ···-··-·
25 (all but l)_. ___ ..... _do __ ·- ·-··-· Noneasmuchas28..
24½ (51.4percent). 54.3... ·--·······
one-·····-·-·· ·-···
25 (83.3 percent)_ .. None-·--· ····-·· 3.3. ·---····-·- -·· ·- -
I
II
III
III
II
III
I
II
III
I
III
II
6
29½ 25-·-··- ··· ···-··-·
29½ - · · · ·-· -·- -··-·-····
26
25.·---- · - ··- ·· ·· ··
26½ 25 . . . -..... ........
1.7_·- ··-··--·- ··
None .... ·--··-··
1 woman·-··· ···
None.·-····· ·-·-
45.8_··· -· ··-·--·-··- I
47 .9_·- ·-···- ··---·-- II
3 women. ·-· ····-·-- III
40.5 .... .. ·--··· ·-·-- I
1 Where only the week's or day's earnings were given, these were divided by hours worked.
Otherwise the hourly rates (reported for 55.4 percent of the timeworkers in May and
88.7 percent in September) are used.
1 One•half the women earning more, one•half less. Where large proportions earned the mode, median not shown.
a Most usual rate. Where large proportions of women receive this rate, proportion is shown in parentheses.
' Roman numerals indicate size of city in which plant was located as follows : I- cities 900,000; II-cities 450,000; III-cities 200,000 to 300,000.
6 The entire r ange was 17 cents to at least 35 cents. 1 woman received at least 30 cents, 9 less than 25 cents.
e Firm numbers are the same as those used for timeworkers. In the case of the missing numbers, earnings were reported for fewer than 10 pieceworkers, in most of these cases for
none.
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26
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
Earnings in 24 smaller plants
The data as to timeworkers in smaller plants are shown for 351
women in 21 plants in May and for 426 women in 24 plants in September in table 5. The evidence from these plants merely corroborates
that from the larger plants, showing nothing significantly different.
All their medians for May (with the exception of the very high one of
33½ cents in 1 plant) fall within the range of 13 cents to 28 cents
shown in the larger plants. Medians in May were above 25 cents in
· 4 plants, below 20 cents in 7. Except for one each at 26, 27, and 37½
cents, all medians in September were 25 cents. Compared with the
earlier pay roll, this was higher in 16 firms, the same in 3, and lower
in only 2. The conclusions from the larger plants thus are fairly
representative of the more complete data. In cases where the most
usual hourly earnings in September could be compared with those in
May, these were from 4 to 10 cents higher in September after the fixing
of a minimum than they had been in May in 8 plants, in 6 of these at
least 5 cents higher; in 2 plants they were slightly lower, but never
by more than 2 cents.
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TABLE
5.-Hourly earnings 1 of women timeworkers in 24 smaller power laundries in Ohio, weeks of May 8 and Sept. 18, 1933
Week of May 8
Plant
Week of Sept. 18
Size
Women earningof
Number Median
Modal
Women earningNumber Modal
4
earninJ;!sa 1- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 city
of
earnings 2 earnings a 1 - - - - - - - - r- - - -- - - -- - - 1
of
(cents)
women
(cents)
(cents)
Less than
cents
30 cents and more
women
Less than 25 cents
30 cents and more
25
1____________________
2_______ ____________ _
3____________________
4____________________
. 18
33½
33½ None under 31_ ___ 18 __ __ ___________ _________ _
24
27 -------- ---- l_ ________ _____ ____ 3 ___________________ ______ _
12
27 ------ ------ 5 ___________ ______ _ 2 _____________ ____ ________ _
14
27
27
4 _________ __ _______ 2 _________________________ _
5____________________
11
25 ------------ 4__________________ l_ _____________ __ _________ _
6 ______ ______ ________
27
24
27
14 ______ ____ _______ 3 _________________________ _
25
25
5______ _____ ___ __ __ None as much as 26 ____ __ _
7 ____________________
12
8____ ___ ___________ __
14
22 ------ - ----- 12__ _____ __________ l_ _____ _________________ __ _
9__________________ __
27
21½ ____ ________ 23___________ ___ ___ None as much as 28 ______ _
10______ _________ ____
12
21½
20
7 __________________ 2 _________________________ _
lL_________ ____ ____ _
16
21½----- ------- 16 _____ ____ _____ ___ None as much as 25 ______ _
12__ _________________
17
21
21
13___________ ___ ___ None as much as 28 __ ____ _
13______ _____________
18
All 20
20
18 ____ ___ _______ ___ None as much as 21_ _____ _
14___ __________ _____ _
29
20
20
All under 23 ______ _ None as much as 23 ______ _
15___ ___ _________ ____
10
19½----- --- ---- 10 _________________ None as much as 24 ______ _
16___ ____________ ____
15
18
18
15 ____ _____________ None as much as 2L _____ _
17 ___________________
11
17½ ___ _________ 11_____ ____________ None as much as 19 ____ __ _
18___________________
21
17
14 and 17
21_ ________________ None as much as 23 ______ _
19_ _______ _______ ____
20
16 _____ _____ __ 20 __ ____ _________ __ None as much as 25 ______ _
2()__ ________ _________
11
15½ ____________ 10_________________ None as much as 27 ______ _
21_ ________________ __
12
15¼
15
12_______ __________ None as much as 22 ______ _
22 _____ __ __ _____________ _-- __ ____ -- -- ___ __ ___ -- -- _-- ___ - - ____ -- ____ ___ ____ ____ -- ---- -- ____ --- -- --- -- _
23 ___________ ________ ---------- -------- -- -- ---------- -------------------- --- -- ------------------- ---24 __________________ _ -- -------- ------- --- --- --------- -------------------- ---------- -- - ----------- ----
20
22
14
14
11
23
11
14
27
16
16
18
18
29
10
30
17
21
21
10
12
20
14
18
37½ None under 35 ____
None_________ _____
_____ do _____________
____ _do_____________
_____ do _____________
All 25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
All 25
All 25
25
All 25
25
25
25
25
All 25
All25
All 25
All25
l_ ___ ______________
AIL _______________ ______ _
2 ________ _______ __________ _
None as much as 26 ___ ___ _
2 _________________________ _
L _____________________ ___ _
2 ________ _. ----------- ----L __ --- -- - --- --- - --- ------L ______ _______ -- _________ _
L ___________ ____ __ - -- ----3 __________ _____ __________ _
None _____________________ _
4 _________________________ _
None ________________ _____ _
None as much as 26 ___ ___ _
None as much as 28 ______ _
None as much as 26 ______ _
None as much as 28 ______ _
L ________________________ _
None as much as 28 ______ _
None_______ ___ ____
- ____ do__ ___ _______ _
_____ do__ ________ ___
--- __ do ____________ _
_____ do______ _______
_____ do ___________ __
_____ do ______ _______
_____ do ____________ _
_____ do __ ___________
_____ do ____________ _
__ ___ do ____ _________
_____ do __ __ _________
_____ do ___________ __
_____ do __ ___________ 2 ______ _______ ____________ _
_____ do ___________ __ None as much as 26 ______ _
_____ do ______________ ____ do ______________ ______ _
____ _do _____ _____________ do _________ ___________ _
_____ do ____________ ______ do _______ ______ _______ _
III
III
V
V
V
III
II
V
III
V
V
I
V
III
III
III
III
[V
V
III
I
II
II
V
~
Where only the week's or day's earnings were given, these were divided by hours worked. Otherwise the hourly rates (reported for 87.8 percent of the timeworkers in May and
99.8 percent in September) are used.
2 One-half the women earned more, one-half less.
3 Most u sual earnings. Medians not computed for September since in this particular case the great majority of the women received the modal earnings.
4 Roman numerals indicate size of city in which plant was located, as follows: I-cities 900,000; II-cities 450,000; III-cities 200,000 to 300,000; IV-cities 100,000; V-cities 16,000
to 70,000.
1
zt:;
q
U1
8
~
~
t?=.1
U1
tv
-l
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
28
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
Earnings in the same occupation
In the 12 large plants earnings in May and September, respectively,
are shown for 145 and 152 flat ironers, 114 and 112 press operators
103 and 118 finishers or hand ironers, 51 and 52 sorters, and 43 and 40
markers. To eliminate any variations in earnings that may have
been due to method of payment, the hourly earnings in these occupations have been tabulated separately for timeworkers and pieceworkers,
both in May and in September. They are shown in table 6.
TABLE
6.-Earnings in the same occupation in different plants, May 8 and September 18, 1933
Week of May 8
Week of Sept. 18
Women earningOccupation
Number
of
wornen
Range of
hourly
earnings
(cents)
Women earning-
NumLess than 30 cents and ber
more
25 cents
of
wornen
Range of
hourly
earnin~s
(cents
Num-1
P,c- Num-1 P&ber cent ber cent
Less than 30 cents and
25 cents
more
Num-1
P&ber cent
Num-1 Perber cent
TIMEWORKERS
Flat ironers ______ __
Finishers and band
81
16Yr50
53
65. 4
9
11.1
80
25 -36
Press operators __ ___
Sorters _________ ---Markers __ _____ ____
68
61
36
30
10 -40
10 -34
47
40
23
19
69.1
65. 6
63. 9
63. 3
8
7
6
5
11. 8
11. 5
16. 7
16. 7
75
61
39
26
24½-36
24 -32½
25 -40
25 -34
ironers ___ ________
11½-38
12 -32
0
------
9
11. 3
11
4
0
2
14. 7
6. 6
6
6
8
8
8.0
9.8
20. 5
30. 8
-----7. 7
PIECEWORKERS
Flat ironers __ ____ __
Finishers and band
ironers __ _______ __
Press operators ____
Sorters _____________
Markers ___________
1
64
35
53
15
13
21½-45
16
25.0
30
46. 9
72
20 -56
1
1. 4
31
43.1
19 -40½
11 -35
21½-39½
25yr45
11
15
3
0
31. 4
28. 3
(1)
9
25. 7
18. 9
(1)
(1)
43
51
13
14
15½-54
23 --42
26 -38½
25 --49½
3
2
0
1
7. 0
3. 9
20
--(ly-
5
46. 5
37.3
(1)
(1)
------
10
8
6
.
19
10
Not computed; base less than 20.
Timeworkers, May.-In the foregoing the May figures for timeworkers show that there is a very wide range in the payments for the
same operation. For example, among flat ironers the highest-paid
finisher, receiving 40 cents, earned four times as much as the lowest
paid. The highest-paid timeworker earned 33 }~ cents (200 percent)
more per hour than did the lowest paid. Among markers, where the
least variation was shown, the highest paid received 20 cents, or 167
percent, more than the lowest. Over 60 percent of those in each occupation earned less than 25 cents, the proportion running above 69
percent for finishers. I n each occupation more than one-tenth of the
women received 30 cents or more, one-sixth of the sorters and markers
receiving this much.
Timeworkers, September.-September figures for timeworkers show
that payments in each occupation had a very much smaller range than
was the case in May. In September very few were earning less than
25 cents, only 17 of the 281 women, as compared to the more than 60
percent h aving such low earnings in May. In each period the proportion with such earnings was largest for finishers. The proportions
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
29
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
earning 30 cents and more were somewhat larger in September than in
May for flat ironers, sorters, and markers but somewhat smaller at the
later date for finishers and press opera tors.
Pieceworkers.-The earnings of pieceworkers have been kept separate from those of timeworkers, since their earnings may be considerably affected by variable factors not applying to timeworkers. The
earnings of pieceworkers in each occupation in May had a smaller
range than h ad those of timeworkers; very much smaller proportions of
the pieceworkers than of the timeworkers earned less than 25 cents,
and larger proportions of pieceworkers than of timeworkers received
30 cents or more. In September the range of pieceworkers' earnings,
except for the few sorters, was very much greater than that of timeworkers in the same occupation; except for sorters and press operators
this range was greater for pieceworkers in September than in May, and
in some occupations even was greater for pieceworkers in September
than for timeworkers in May. The decrease in September in payments of less than 25 cents was marked, and the September increase
in payments of 30 cents or more to pieceworkers in finishing and press
operating was great.
Earnings in the same occupation in the same plant
Timeworkers, May.-Few plants could be found that had a sufficient
number of persons on timework in any occupation to enable the making
of comparisons regarding a single occupation in one and the same
plant. However, there were a sufficient number of flat ironers for
comparison 8 in 2 plants, finishers in 2, press operators in 1, and sorters
in 1. D ata in regard to these workers are shown in the following
summary:
Weekof May8
Occupation
Number of
wornen
R ange of
hourly
earnin~s
(cents
Week of Sept. 18
Women
earning-
Number of
Less 30cents wornen
than
and
25 cents more
Range of
hourly
earnings
(cents)
Women
earningLess 30cents
than
and
25cents more
- -
--
Flat ironers:
Plan t L __ _____________ _____
Plant 2___ ______ _______ __ ___
24 - 50
18
15
11
9
11
0
35
11
25 -26
Finishers and han d ironers:
Plan t 2_____________________
Plan t 3__ ___ ___ ____ ___ ____ __
15
13
18 -28
10 -22
13
13
0
0
15
17
Press
operators:
Plant
4______ ________ _______
11
19 -32½
8
2
9
Sorters:
Plant 5_____ __ _______ ___ ____
12
16½-17
12
0
12
40
25 - 36
0
0
8
0
25 -29
24½-26½
0
11
0
0
25 -32½
0
25
0
0
The foregoing summary shows that fl.at ironers on timework in one
plant, numbering 40, ranged in hourly earnings from 24 to 50 cents,
three-eighths receiving less than 25 cents and more than one-fifth
earning 30 cents or more. In the other plant reported all women
(11) earned 18 cents an hour.
8
Only plants having 11 or m ore timeworkers in an occupation are discussed here, though those having
5 or m ore are included in chart III, p . 16.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
30
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
Earnings of finishers and hand ironers on timework ranged in 1
plant from 18 to 28 cents, in another from 10 to 22 cents, most women
in each case receiving less than 25 cents.
Press operators in 1 plant received from 19 to 32 1~ cents, 8 of the 11
reported earning less than 25 cents, 2 earning 30 cents or more.
Sorters in 1 plant received 161~ to 17 cents.
Timeworkers, September.-In all but one of the six cases cited, the
earnings of timeworkers in these plants showed less range in September
than in May. In September, while fewer women earned less than 25
cents (reported only in 1 instance), practically the same number
earned 30 cents or more, as was the case in May.
Pieceworkers, May.-Only in one plant were there enough pieceworkers and timeworkers on the same occupation to justify a comparison, and in this case (flat ironers) timeworkers' earnings showed
considerably the greater range. Even where the comparisons are
not on the basis of pieceworkers in the same plants as the timeworkers
shown, it may be said in general from the data available that pieceworkers generally had a greater range of hourly earnings than had
timeworkers. The data available for this comparison, from the May
figures, are shown in the following summary:
Pieceworkers
Timeworkers
Occupation
R ange of
Number
hourly
of women earnin gs
(cents)
R ange of
Number hourly
of women earnings
(cents)
Flat iro ners:
Plant!_ ____ ____________ __
Plan t 6___ __ ____ ____ __ ___ _
Plant 7_________ _________ _
24 21½ to38½
20 28½ to45
15 14½to32
Finishers and hand ironers:
Plan t 6___ __ _______ ___ __ ___ _
11 20
11 19 to32½
Press operators:
Plant 6_________ ______ ____
Plan t !_ __ _______ __ ______ _
Plant 7__ ___ _____________ _
19 20½to 35
14 20 to34½
11 11 to 26
12 16½ to 17
Sorters- Plant!_ ____________ _
15 21½to39½
Flat ironers:
Plant!_ __ _______ _____ __ __
Plant 2- ------ ------- -- --
11
Finishers and h and ironers:
Plant 2_____ _____ ____ ____ _
Plant 3--- - -- -------------
15 18 to 28
13 10 to22
Press operators-Plant 4_____ _
Sorters-- Plant 5_____ ___ ____ __
Occupation
40 24 to 50
18
to 40½
Pieceworkers, September.- A similar tabulation for September
shows that for each occupation the range in earnings is wider for
pieceworkers than for timeworkers-exactly the same situation as in
May.
HOURLY RATES OF WOMEN IN 66 LAUNDRIES IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE, JUNE AND SEPTEMBER 1933
In a survey made by the New Hampshire Minimum Wage Office,
hourly r ates were reported for June and September 1933, the latter
date being after the President's Reemployment Agreement had fixed
a minimum of 27 1~ cents. In June r ates were available for 394 9
women in 56 laundries. At the later date (September) rates were
available for 577 9 women in 66 plants, all but 8 of which were commercial.
g
This total includes n o minors under 16 and very few under 18 years of age.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
31
Hourly rates of 30 cents or more were received by all women in
12 plants in September, by over 60 percent in 5 others. No woman
had a rate so high in 19 plants, at least 11 of which were commercial
plants, so that no question arises as to whether additions were made
to the wage, as for example, in furnishing part of the living.
In June only 38 percent, as contrasted with 93 percent in September, had rates as high as 27}~ cents. Moreover, after the code became
effective 37 percent had rates of 30 cents or more, while in June only
26 percent had rates as high as 30 cents.
The code thus resulted in substantial increase in rates, which was
not confined to the lowest paid. The minimum wage fixed did not
become the maximum, nor is there evidence that higher-paid workers
suffered reduction as a result of the code. This bears out the indications shown in Ohio as to the benefits of setting a bottom to wages.
(Seep. 24.)
WEEKLY RATES OF WOMEN ON A 54-HOUR SCHEDULE IN
12 TEXAS LAUNDRIES, 1932
In 12 Texas laundries employing 50 or more women, surveyed by
the Women's Bureau in 1932, the rates of pay set for 1,040 women on
a 54-hour schedule were reported. The mode (most usual rate) was
as low as $5.94 in one plant, while in another it ran as high as $9.94.
The highest median of rates, $9.80, was nearly one-fifth (19.5 percent)
above that of $8.20, the lowest.
The distribution at various ranges of payment shows the great
differences among the firms. While in all the plants taken together
12.5 percent of the women on a 54-hour schedule had rates under $8,
in 7 firms none had rates so low, and in 2 plants over 40 percent of
the women on a 54-hour schedule had rates below $8. The proportions earning $11 or more ranged from 6.5 to 28.3 percent in the
various plants. In 4 plants over one-fifth of the women had rates
of $11 or more; in 3 (one of them in a smaller town) only one-tenth or
less had rates this high.
In a single plant nearly three-tenths of the women received less
than $8, more than one-tenth $11 or more; in another plant, nearly
one-half received less than $8, nearly one-fifth $11 or over.
Most of the plants reported were in cities of 230,000 but under
300,000 population. Two plants were in a city of about 50,000, but
that size of the place was not the primary factor influencing the pay
is shown in the fact that these fell at neither extreme so far as concerned their median rates or their proportion of women with rates
of $11 or more. The data discussed in the foregoing are shown in
table 7.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
32
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
TABLE
7.- Weekly rate 1 of women in 12 Texas laundries, 54-hour week schedule,1932
Number
of women
Plant
Modal
rat e 2
Median of
weekly
rate a
Percent of women
having weekly rate
ofLess than
$8
l _ - -- -- --- -- -- -- - - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ------ - - -- -- -- -2 4_ -- - -- -- - -- - - -- - - ---- -- -- - -- -- - - -- --- ------ - - -
3_
-- --_________________________________________
-- - - --- - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - ---- -- ---- - -- --_
4 6-____
5_ - - - -- -- -- - - - -- -- -- -- - - -- -- ---- -- ---- ---- -- -- -6_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 ·- ----------------· ----- - ------- --------- - --- -8_ ----- -- -- ---- -- - ----- ---- ---- -- ------ - - ------- .
9_
- - -- -- -- - -- - -- -- - - -___
-- -___
- - -_______
- - - - - - -____________
- - - - - - - - - - - -______
- --- - -_
10 __
- ____
11 __ -- ----- - __ _____ -- -- ______ ________ ________ __ _
12 ___ -- ----- - -- _____ ___________________ ________ _
53
68
106
109
166
71
55
65
127
65
93
62
$9. 00
9. 00
9. 00
9. 94
9. 00
8. 75
8. 10
8. 10
8. 00
8. 00
5. 94
6.48
$9. 80
9. 70
9. 55
9. 20
9. 15
8. 90
8. 85
8.
8.
8.
8.
75
75
70
25
8. 20
0
0
0
0
28. 9
. 0
16. 4
0
2. 4
0
46. 2
43. 5
$11 and
more
20.8
11. 8
28. 3
12. 8
11. 4
25.4
7. 3
21. 5
10. 2
15. 4
18. 3
6. 5
In some cases computed from hourly rate.
The most usual rate.
One-half the women had a higher rat e, one-half a lower.
• This firm was in a smaller city.
6 53-hour schedule.
1
2
3
WEEK'S EARNINGS OF WOMEN IN COTTON MILLS IN
SOUTH CAROLINA AND MAINE, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
OF 1932
From visits to cotton mills in South Carolina and Maine made
by the Women's Bureau in the early months of 1932, the week's
earnings have been tabulated for women who worked for a similar
length of time in the week selected.
SOUTH CAROLINA
In 20 South Carolina mills 2,748 of the women reported had worked
50 to 55 hours in the week, or 5 or 5 }~ days in the week, which would
represent similar working time, since the hours permitted by law
for cotton mills in the State are 10 a day, 55 a week. The wages of
these women are summarized in table 8.
In these various plants, the median earnings-that is, one-half
the women in the mill earning more, one-half less-ranged from
$13.45 in the week to $6.15, being below $9 in 10 mills and above
$12 in 4 others. The best-paying mill had a median more than
double that in the lowest paying, and even if the two extremes be
eliminated, the next high was slightly more than 70 percent above
the next low (both of these being large plants).
In 3 of the 20 mills practically one-fifth of the women had week's
earnings of $16 or more, while in 5 mills none had earnings that were
so good; in 1 of these, a small plant, no woman had earned as much
as $12. In 8 mills over 70 percent earned under $10 and in 3 fewer
than 20 percent had earnings so low; in 3 plants no woman earned
less than $6, in 3 others less than 1 percent received such low pay,
but in 6 mills over 10 percent (in 3 of these practically 30 percent
or more) had earned less than $6 for their week's work.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
33
8.-Week's earnings of women working 50 to 55 hours, inclusive, or 5 or
5½ days, in 20 cotton mills in South Carolina, January and February 1932
TABLE
Plant
1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -
2_- - -- ----------- ---------------------- -- -- -- - 3_ - - - - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -
4_- - - -- -- -- -- -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - 5_ - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - -- -- - - - - -- - - -- - - - -- - - - -- - - - -
6_- - - ----------- --- ------ ---------------- -- ----
7- - - - - ------------- -- -- -- -- ------- -- --- -- ---- - 8_- - - ----- ----- ------ -- ---- ------- ----- ---- -- - 9 _- - - - ----------- -- -- -- -- ---- -- -- --- -- -- ------ 10 __ ____ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11 ____ --------- -------- -- -- -- - - ---- ---------- -12 __ __ ____ __ ____ - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13 ________ -- _-- ____ -- _____ - _- - - - - _- _- - - - - - - ___ _
14 __ __ --------- -------- - --- -- ---- ------- ------15 ________ - - __ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 ____ ------- - - -- --- --- - ----- - - -- ------- -- ----17 ___ ------ -------- ---- _--- ---- ------ -- --- ----18
_________ _________________ - - - - - _- _- - - - - - - ___ _
19 _____ -- -- - _- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - 20_ - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- - - -- - - - - - - - --
1
Number
of
woment
Median
earnings
223
202
194
113
130
162
134
70
104
62
107
92
100
121
152
90
135
84
394
79
$13. 45
12. 25
12. 25
12. 15
10. 30
10. 30
9. 70
9. 40
9. 40
9.15
9. 10
8. 95
8. 90
. 8. 5
8. 80
8. 65
8. 60
8.05
7.10
6.15
Percent of women
receivingProduct
Less than
$10
13. 0
17. 8
14. 4
21. 2
43. 1
41.4
53. 7
71. 4
63. 5
66. 1
70.1
73. 9
76. 0
57. 9
67. 1
78. 9
65. 2
85. 7
83. 2
96. 2
$16 and
more
18. 8
11. 9
9. 3
21.2
.8
2. 5
9. 7
1. 4
0
6. 5
2.8
0
0
.8
3. 3
0
22. 2
1. 2
.8
None as
much
as $12.
"Other."
Fine goods.
Do.
Print.
Do.
Do.
Fine goods.
Print.
Sheeting.
Print.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Sheeting.
"Other."
Print.
"Other."
Sheeting.
Print.
Sheeting.
Number working time specified only.
Variation in earnings though product is similar
If the product of the mills be considered as a factor influencing
wages, the mill showing the highest median is eliminated, since it
manufactured a rather specialized product. Ten of the 20 mills
included in this discussion made print cloth, and in these the median
earnings ranged from $7.10 to $12 .1 5, the highest being slightly
more than 70 percent above the lowest. Even eliminating the
two extremes (both of which represented large mills), a difference
of practically one-fifth remains, 2 mills having a median of $10.30
and 1 as low as $8.65. While the processes are similar, degree of
skill may vary somewhat with fineness of product, hence the 3 lowestpaying mills manufacturing this product may be compared; even in
these the highest median is 25 percent above the lowest, and proportions of the women reported who received less than $10 range
from 76 to 83 percent. For the 3 print-goods mills with highest
earnings reported the highest median is 18 percent above the lowest ;
proportions earning under $10 range from 21 to 43 percent, earning
$16 or more from 0.8 to 21 percent.
In 7 of the print-goods mills, over 65 percent of the women received less than $10, the proportion running above 75 percent in 3,
above 80 percent (83 .2 percent) in 1 of these, while in 3 print-goods
mills no woman received as high as $16 . In the mill having the
highest median earnings, over one-fifth of the women earned $16 or
more, and the same proportion received less than $10.
In 2 of 3 mills making fine goods, the median earnings were the
same; this median was more than one-fourth (26.3 percent) above
that of the third fine-goods factory, $12.25 and $9.70, respectively.
In these 3 plants the proportions earning $16 and over were similar,
ranging from 9.3 to 11.9 percent. In 1, however, over half the women
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34
VAlUATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
earrn,d less than $10, while in neither of the others had as many as
one-fifth such low earnings. Even allowing for considerable variation
in fineness of product, this difference is striking.
In 4 plants making sheeting, median earnings ranged from $6 .15 to
$9.40, the highest being more than 50 percent above the lowest and
medians in the other 2 differing by approximately one-tenth. In 1
of these mills nearly half earned less than $6, nearly all earned under
$10, and none so high as $12. In 2 others, those earning under $10
bulked around 60 percent, but in 1 of these none earned under $6 and
none so high as $16 , while in the other slightly more than 5 percent
earned under $6 and a very small number (less than 1 percent) as high
as $16.
Variation in earnings in the same department
While exact occupational material is not available, the earnings of
women in 2 important mill departments can be presented, the spin
and spool, and the weave. 10 These are summarized in table 9. While
it is recognized that occupations in the department may vary somewhat, yet the extreme variations found scarcely can be attributed wholly
to this cause.
Spin and spool departments .-The report incluaes at least 34 women
in the spin and spool department in each of 19 mills, and in these the
median earnings ranged from $13.50 to $6.35. In 1 of these mills
practically 18 percent of the women received $16 or more for their
week's work, and in 4 others from at least 8 to over 19 percent received $12 or more. On the other hand, in 15 of the mills under
consideration no woman earned so much as $16, in 1 of these none
earned so much as $10, and in 3 of them none earned so much as $12 .
In 7 of these mills, 90 percent or more of the women under discussion
earned less than $10, while in 4 others fewer than 20 percent had
earnings so low. J udging from the median earnings, firm 1 was
paying more than twice as well for these operations as were firms 18
and 19, and· even if these extremes be left out of account, firm 2 paid
over half again as well as firms 14, 15, 16, and 17 and nearly half
·
again as well as firm 13.
In 9 of these firms, those making print cloth, the median earnings
of women in spin and spool departments ranged from $11.85 to $6 ..60,
in 3 they were $8 or less, in 2 they were almost $9, in the other 4 they
were over $9. In 2 of these no woman received as much as $12, but
in the best paying 3 percent received $16 or more. The proportions
earning less than $10 ranged from 98 to 57 percent, except in the best
paying, in which only 17 percent had such low earnings, and none
received less than $6. In 3 of the 4 mills making sheeting, median
earnings in the spin-and-spool department ranged from $9 .55 to $6 .35,
and the proportion earning under $10 from 62.5 to 100 percent. In
3 making fine goods medians ranged from $12.45 to $9.35. Each of
these mills presents a range of payment rather different from the
others; in that having the lowest median 64 percent earned under
$10, but 3 percent $16 or over, more than in either of the other 2;
in another only 9 percent earned under $10 and none under $6, but
none received so much as $16; in the third, that having the highest
median, 17 percent earned under $10 but 1.5 percent earned $16 or
more.
10 Note that throughout the discussion that follows data are not available as to variations in the number
of machines tended by the worker. However, greater uniformity of earnings should be possible without
excessive requirements as to number of machines per worker or speed.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
35
Weave departments.-In 19 mills in which 9 or more women had
worked the hours specified in the weave departments, the variations
in earnings were somewhat more extreme than those in spin-and-spool
departments. The medians ranged from $16.60 to $5.50, and on this
basis the highest-paying mill paid 3 times as well as did the lowest.
In 2 mills more than half of the women in this department had
received $16 and over and in 2 others practically a third of the
women earned as much as this. In 12 mills approximately 10 percent
or less had earned $16 or more; in 5 of these no worker received as
much as this, in one of these none had earned so much as $12, and in
2 other mills, roughly a fifth and a fourth, respectively, had earned
$16 or more.
Three of the plants with high medians in the weave department
(all above $14) made fine goods; in each of these roughly three-tenths
of the women reported in the weave departments received $16 or
more; respectively 6, 12, and 15 percent earned under $10. Ten of
the other mills made print cloth, and in these the lowest median of
earnings of women in weave departments was $7.95, while the highest
was more than twice as high, or $16.20. Fifty-five percent of the
weavers in this mill earned as much as $16. Not over 11 percent in
any of the others making print cloth earned as much as $16, and in
3 of these none had received as much as this amount. In 5 of the
plants making print cloth whose weave departments showed the
lowest medians, over 50 percent--in one of these as many as 80
percent--earned under $10; in the remaining 5 the percent who had
earnings so low ranged from less than 5 percent to more than 4 7
percent. This shows a very considerable variation in payments for
work for approximately the same time in the same departments in
mills manufacturing similar products.
9.-Week's earnings of women working 50 to 55 hours, inclusive, or 5 or
5Vi days in 2 departments in 20 cotton mills in South Carolina, January and
February 1932
TABLE
Weave department
Spin-and-spool department
Plant
-l_ _____
2 ______
3 ______
4 ______
5 ______
6- --- -7-----8-----9 ____ __
IQ ______
lL---12
______
13 ______
14______
15 ______
16-----17 ______
18 ______
19______
2Q __ ____
1
i
Num- Median
berof earnwomen 1 ings
Percent of women
receivingLess
than
Plant2
$16 and more
Num- Median
ber of earnwomen 1 ings
$10
212
66
81
64
56
72
72
58
52
34
40
92
61
72
58
64
52
281
44
$13. 50
12. 45
12. 20
11.85
9. 75
9. 60
9. 55
9. 35
9. 25
8. 85
8. 85
8. 65
8. 35
8. 20
8. 00
7. 75
7. 60
6. 60
6. 35
10. 4 17.9 ________ ___
16. 7 1,5__ ---------None _________
8. 6 3.L
___________
17. 2
(3)
57. 1
(3)
58. 3
None _____ ____
62. 5 3.4
__________ __
63. 8
(3)
69. 2
91. 2 None ________ __
90. 0 _____ do ______ ___
do _____ ____
72. 8 _____
____ _do __ __ _____
65. 6
(•)
90. 3
98. 3
~•)
90. 6
88. 5
None
_____
____
91. 8
(6)
100. 0
(:~
-------- -------- -------- -- ~-------------
1(14)
2 (4)
3(12)
4 ~?,)
5 8)
6 ('.!)
7(10)
8 ~5)
9 6)
10(13)
11 (7)
12(1t)
13t)
1'1 J7)
fo 1 6)
16(18)
17(15)
18 (9)
19(19)
20 (1)
49
38
23
50
40
73
21
31
62
46
12
38
37
50
9
62
25
21
35
$16. 60
16. 20
15. 45
14.80
14.45
14.10
11. 55
11. 15
11. 00
11. 00
10. 50
10.15
9.80
9.80
9. 75
9. 50
8. 90
7. 95
5. 50
Percent of
women receivingLess
$16
than
and
more
$10
18. 4
10. 5
8. 7
6.0
15. 0
12. 3
28. 6
16.1
4. 8
41. 3
(4)
47.4
56. 8
56. 0
(4)
58.1
52. 0
81. 0
91. 4
61. 2
55. 3
21. 7
32. 0
27. 5
32. 9
4. 8
3. 2
6. 5
2. 2
0
0
10. 8
6. 0
(4)
4. 8
0
0
(5)
-------- -------- -------- --------
Product
"Other."
Print.
"Other."
Fine goods
Do.
Do.
Print.
Do.
Do.
Sheeting.
Do.
Print.
Do.
Do.
Sheeting.
Print.
Do.
Do.
Sheeting.
"Other."
Number working time specified only.
The figures in parentheses are the firm numbers that correspond to those used for the spin-and-spool
dep~~:e:·much as $14.
, Not computed; base less than 20
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
6 None as much as $12.
a None as much as $10.
36
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
MAINE
Turning to the Maine mills, reports are available from 6 plants for
849 women who had worked 50 to 54 hours, inclusive, as shown in
table 10. The median earnings of these women-one-half earning
more, one-half less-showed some variation, ranging from $13.40 to
$11.65. Thus the highest-paying firm had a median 15 percent above
that of the lowest-paying. If the lowest-paying be eliminated, the
medians still differed by over 10 percent in the remaining 5 mills, all
of which manufactured products of relative fineness. The proportions earning $16 and over ranged from about 7 to nearly 22 percent.
In 1 mill none earned as little as $10, while .in 1 at the other end of
the scale 18 percent had earnings so low.
In spin-and-spool departments median earnings in 6 firms ranged
from $13.40 to $11.95, the highest being about 12 percent above the
lowest. If the two extremes be eliminated, the difference is about
5 percent. The proportions earning $16 and over ranged from none
to 14 percent, and they bore little relation to the order of the median
earnings. In 1 mill none, and in another only about 3 percent, earned
under $10, while in the other 4 more than one-tenth had earnings so
low.
In weave departments in 5_firms, median earnings ranged from
$15.65 to $12.70, the highest being 23 percent above the lowest. If
the highest and lowest be eliminated, the remaining medians differ
by almost 5 percent. In 2 of these mills 40 percent and 46 percent,
respectively, had earned $16 or over, while in the other 3 only about
21 percent or less had earnings so high. The proportions receiving
less than $10 ranged from approximately 7 to 30 percent.
TABLE
10.-Week's earnings of women· working 50 to 54 hours in 6 cotton mills,
in Maine, February 1932
All departments
Plant
Product
Number of Median
women
earnings
Percent of women
receivingLess than
$10
l_ _____ ______________ _______ ___ __ ____ Yarns ____________ _
2 ________ ______________ ---- ---- _____ _ Bedspreads ______ _
3_ _________ ____ __ __ ___ _____ __ __ __ ____ Fine goods _______ _
4 _________ -- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - __ __________ do ____________ _
5 ______ ___ -- - - - - - -- -- - - - -- -- - -- - -- - ______ _do ___________ __
6_ _______ ___ ___ __ ___ ________ ___ ______ Ducks _________ __ _
165
Spin-and-spool de:;:>artment
0.0
4. 7
16. 1
15. 0
8. 2
18. 2
6. 9
18. 2
7. 6
14. 0
21. 6
8. 5
·weave department
Percent of
Num- Median wom~n receivber of earnmgwomen ings
Less $16 and
than $10 more
Plant 1
$13. 40
12. 80
12. 15
12.10
12. 00
11. 65
58
170
118
107
231
$16 and
more
Plantt
Percent of
Num- Median WOID:en receivber of earn •
mgwomen ings
Less $lB and
than $10 more
- - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - -- 1 - - - - -- 1--- - - - - - - - - -
1 (l) _________ -- _- - -
2(2) ----- __ -- - - -- --
3( 4) ----- ____ -- ---4(6) ---- _-- ---- ----
5(5) ----- - - - - - - - - - 6(3) --- - - - - - - - - - - - 1 The figures
58
64
70
67
117
37
$13. 40
12. 55
12. 40
12. 15
12. 00
11. 95
0. 0
3.1
12. 9
16. 4
10. 3
13. 5
6. 9
6. 3
14. 3
1. 5
11. 1
0
1(5)__ ____________
2(4)____ __ ____ ____
3(3)________ ___ __ _
4(2)____ _____ ____ _
5(6)_ ______ ______ _
74
25
55
53
63
$15. 65
13.90
13. 30
13. 25
12. 70
9. 5
28. 0
7. 3
11. 3
30.2
6(1) ______________ -------- --- ----- -------- ---- - ---
in parentheses are the firm numbers that correspond to those used for all departments.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
45. 9
20.0
16. 4
39. 6
20.6
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
37
WEEK'S EARNINGS IN 6 KANSAS CITY CLOTHING FIRMS,
BY HOURS WORKED, 1933
For the most part it is exceedingly difficult to obtain material as to
clothing manufacture in such form as to present comparable results,
since piecework is such a large factor in the industry and records of
time worked often are not kept. In fact, this situation m akes comparable information difficult to get for a number of the more important woman-employing industries as well as for the clothing trades.11
However, from a study including 3,748 women in 39 clothing plants,
d ata have been tabulated by time worked for 4 firms making wash
dresses and 2 making men's work clothes, surveyed by the Women's
Bureau in 1933, all 6 being in Kansas City, Mo.
T able 11 shows the week's earnings of 378 women who had worked
4 7 to 50 hours or on 5 ½or 6 days in the week in the 4 firms making
wash dresses. Most of these women operated sewing machines. Their
median earnings ranged from $5.45 to $9.05 in the various firms,
the median for all plants being $6.65 . In one of these firms no
woman had earned less than $5 and nearly one-fifth of those reported
earned $10 or over; in another firm well over h alf the women had
earned less than $5 and only slightly more than one-twentieth had
earned as much as $10. The similarity of hours and of occupations for
these workers should yield them considerably more uniform earnings
than was the case.
T he earnings in the two firms making work clothing differ widely.
A total of 321 who had worked 38 to 40 hours inclusive was reported,
most of these women being operators of sewing machines. In one of
these plants more than one-third of the women earned under $10,
less than 2 percent receiving as much as $20; in the other, none was
paid so low as $10 and over one-third earned $20 or more.
T ABLE
I L-Earnings distribution of women making cotton wash dresses who
worked 47 to 50 hours, or 5½ or 6 days, 4 firms, K ansas City, 1933
Total 4 firms
Week's earnings
Number
Total __ __ _________ ________ __ __
Median __ ______________ _______ ______
Less than $5--·----- - ---------------$5, less than $8 ___ ____ _______________
$8, less than $10 _________ __ __________
$10 and more ___ ___ __________________
1
I
378
----------124
137
80
37
Percent
100. 0
$6. 65
32.8
36. 2
21. 2
9.8
100. 0
$9.05
13. 5
67. 6
18. 9
100.0
100. 0
$6. 95
$6. 25
32. 6
22. 4
43. 0
64. 2
8.1
13. 4
16.3 ---- -------
100.0
$5. 45
53. 6
31. 1
9. 3
6.0
All but 20 are machine operators.
T ABLE
12.-Earnings distribution of women making men's work clothes who worked
38 to 40 hours, 2 firms, Kansas City, 1933
Week's earnings
TotaL _____________ ___ ___ __ ____
Median____ _____________________ _____
Less than $IQ_______ _____ _____________
$10, less than $15_ ______ ______ ___ ___ __
$15, less than $20__________ ___________
$20 and more__ _________ ______________
11
Plant 1,
Plant 2,
Plant 3,
Plant 4,
May 1933 April 1933 May 1933 April 1933
(percent) (percent) (per cent) (percent)
Plant 1,
Janu ary
1933
(percent)
100. 0
$18. 35
_____ __ _____
17. 9
49. o
33. 1
Plant 2,
May 1933
(percent)
100. 0
$11. 45
33. 5
52. 9
11. 8
1. 8
For further information as to the v ariation in piece r ates, see pp. 22, 29, 30, and 38.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
38
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
WEEK'S EARNINGS OF WOMEN IN NEW H AMPSHIRE SHOE
FACTORIES, SPRING OF 1933
From a survey the Women's Bureau made of New Hampshire shoe
factories in the summer of 1933, data are available as to week's earnings of women in 7 plants making welt and 12 plants making McKay
shoes. These are summarized in table 13.
T ABLE
13.-Week's earnings of women reported in 19 New Hampshire shoe factories,
1933 1
Percent of women earningPlant
Welt shoes:
Median
week's
earnings
l_ _ ---- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -
$17. 40
2_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - 4_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 _- - -- - ---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
13. 30
12. 75
6_ -- - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
McKay shoes:
L --- - ------------- ---- ---------------------- - ----------
2_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3_ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .• - - - - - - - - - - - - 6_ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7__ __ ________ _______________________ ___________ __ ______ _
8_ - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9_ -- --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 __________ ____ - ___- ___- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- ______ _________- -
IL ___________ _____ ____ ___ - ______ _________________ ___ _- _
12 _______ ____ _________________________________ _____ ____ _
1 Note
16. 60
10.10
9. 85
6. 35
13. 25
12. 15
11. 55
11. 35
10. 05
9. 30
9. 25
9. 05
9. 05
6. 85
5. 95
5. 90
i-
---,------,-----
Less than
$10
3. 6
4. 4
$25 and
more
7. 9
5. 3
$30 and
more
0. 6
2. 7
20. 0 -- --------- -------- - -30. 4 - ---------- ------ -- - - 48. 6 - ------- --- -- - - - - - - - --
51. 4 ----------- ---- --- - - -84. 5 - --------- - ---- ---- - - -
27. 8
36. 0
37. 2
39. 0
49. 7
55. 9
55. 8
60. 9
61. 9
74. 2
76. 9
74. 3
1. 9
- - - - ---- - --- - - ------•7
-- -------- -
-- -- ----- -- ---- -- - -- -- ---- -- -- --- - --- - ---- - ----- - --
- - ------ - ---- - - ----- -- - ------ - 1. 3
- ---------.4
- ----------
------ - - -- ---- - ------- ---- - --------------- - -- - ---- - --- - - - - - - - --- - --- - ---
that time worked is not reported here.
Median earnings ranged, in plants making welt shoes, from $17 .40
to $6.35, and in plants making McKay shoes from $13.25 to $5.90, the
highest median in each case being much more than twice the lowest.
In 5 of the 7 welt and in 8 of the 12 McKay plants no woman
received as much as $25; but in 1 welt plant 8 percent had earned $25
or more, a few rece iving as high as $30. In 4 McKay plants a few
women had received as much as $25, none earning as much as $30.
In the lower ranges less than $10 had been received by as few as
approximately 4 percent of the women in 2 welt plants, though in 3
such plants practically half or more of the women had earnings so
low, in 1 of these as high as 84 percent of those reported. In plants
making McKay shoes the proportions of women receiving less than
$10 for their week's work ranged from 28 to 77 percent; in 4 plants
less than 40 percent, in 3 others over 70 percent, had earnings so low.
Occupations
The fact that much of the work done in this industry is paid on the
piece basis must have had considerable influence on the spread in the
wage discussed in the last few paragraphs.
For this reason the firms were consulted in a number of cases as to
the b asic piece rates they had fixed. 12 Such rates give an especially
good indication of the great variations in wage standards. Table 14
shows the week's earnings that would have resulted from receipt of
12 For a more complete discussion of this material see Women's Bureau Bulletin No.121, A Survey of
the Shoe Industry in New Hampshire \n 1933. P art V. In press.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
39
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
these basic piece rates for a full week's work as reported by several
firms for 3 important occupations that require much skill as well as
speed and that employ chiefly women. The fact that this exact pay
was received by but small proportions of the employees (some earning
more, some less) does not affect the representative character of the
figures as typifying what the management regarded as a standard
wage for that job. 13
TABLE
14.-Basic rate as reported by firm for selected skilled occupations in shoe
factories in New Hampshire, 1932-33 1
Plant
Product and sale price
2 ___ ___
2 _ _ _ __
Top
stitching
!~~iftit~~;=~~===========================
48
48
50
48
48
$20. 00
16.80
17. 50
12.00
13. 44
$20. 00
19. 20
17. 50
16. 50
13. 44
$18. 00
19. 20
17. 50
13. 00
13. 44
Men's, women's, children's, $3 to $10 __________
Men's, $3.50, $4, $5--------- - - --- -------------Men's, boys', little men's, $2 to $3_____________
Children's, misses', women's, $2.50 to $3 _______
Men's, $1.75 and $2.25 to $3 ___________________
Men's, boys', $1.75 and $2.25 to $3 _____________
50
48
48
48
48
48
15. 00
16. 00
16. 00
16. 00
25. 00
25. 00
15.00
20. 00
20. 00
20. 00
24. 00
24. 00
----------15. 00
4 ____ __ Girls', misses', children's, $1.75 and $1.98 ______
5 ____ __ Women's,
children's, $0.98 and $1.98 _____ ___ ___
Welt:
_ - - - -2l ______
3 ___ ___
4 __-- - 5 ___ ___
6_-- --1
Occupations employing chiefly
women
F ancy
stitching
McKay:
i_ _ _ _ _ _
3
Scheduled
weekly
hours
Skiving
15. 00
15. 00
25. 00
25. 00
Taken in connection with inquiry pertaining to methods of fixing piece rates, in a study in the spring of
1933, which included yearly earnings for 1932. Some increase or fluctuations in rates may have occurred.
2 Rate applies during period of work on survey only, spring of 1933.
McKay shoes.-Comparisons of what these basic rates would produce for a full week's work on a single occupation in different plants,
where the products of these plants are essentially similar, show striking variations. Plants 1 and 2, for example, manufacture women's
McKay shoes to sell at $3 or at $3 and $4; plants 4 and 5 a cheaper
grade of McKay shoes for women and children or girls, misses, and
children. Differences in rates for the same occupation in three
occupations employing chiefly women in plants 1 and 2 and in plants
4 and 5 were as follows:
Differences in basic rates inPlants 1 and 2 t
Plants 4 and 5 2
Occupation
Dollars
Fancy stitching ___ ______ __ _____ ________-- __ -- -- _______ _-_- _
Top stitching ___ __ ______ _____ ________ --- --- - - -- --- - ------ -Skiving ___ __ ___ _____ ______ ______________________ ___- _-_-_-t
2
Percent by
Percent by
wh1ch
which
Dollars
higher exhigher exceeds lower
ceeds lower
3. 20
. 80
19. 0
1. 44
4. 2
3. 06
1. 20
6. 7
.44
12. 0
22. 8
3.4
Plant 2 had lowest rates, except for skiving.
Plant 4 had lowest rates, except for top stitching.
ta For the workers reported who had worked more than 9 months in 1932, the following proportions of
the weeks worked had resulted in pay below the basic rate in the various plants (5 McKay, 6 welt) as
follows: In fancy stitching-McKay, 80 to 96 percent; welt, 66 to 99.5 percent, in 4 of 6 plants over 90 percent. In top stitching-McKay, 38 to 99 percent, in all but 1 plant 80 :i;ercent or more; welt, 83 to 100
percent. In skiving-welt, 60 to 95 percent, in 3 of 5 plants over 90 percent; in skiving only 1 McKay
firm was reported.
The report (op.cit.) raises the question whether the "basic rates" reported by the firms ordinarily
tended to be the top rate. The report also gives detailed information as to ope~atives in cert~in occupa- .
tions in 4 plants, showing their year's earnings, basic rate, average weekly earnmgs, &nd earnmgs for the
highest and lowest week in the year.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
40
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
The foregoing summary shows, in the comparison of plants 1 and
2 that differences in rates were great for fancy stitchers, comparatively large for skivers, but smaller for top stitchers.
Comparison of plants 4 and 5 shows a great difference in the rates
of top stitchers, a comparatively large difference for fancy stitchers,
and a small difference for skivers.
Even allowing for considerable differences in the processes as between plants turning out a relatively similar product, some of these
variations are striking enough to indicate a lack of standards in fixing
wage rates in the making of McKay shoes.
Welt shoes.-ln general it may be seen from table 14 that welt shoe
factories show somewhat more uniform standards than those found
in McKay shoe factories. This is not surprising, since style changes
are much more frequent and extreme in McKay than in welt shoes.
Nevertheless, welt-shoe making still shows great differences in rates
for the same occupation from plant to plant. Such differences between the plant with the highest rate and the plant with the lowest
rate is shown in the following:
Occupation
F ancy stitching __ ____ ___ ____ ______ ___
Top stitching ________ _____ _______ __ __
Skiving __ ______ _____________________ _
Variation in basic
rates in all plantshighest above lowest
Dollars
Percent
10
9
10
66. 7
60. 0
66. 7
The more comprehensive report on the New Hampshire shoe f actories gives certain data for men as well as women, and 3 occupations
employing chiefly men may be compared with the 3 woman-employing
occupations shown here. That the proportional variations from high
to low rates for an occupation were least for 2 of those of men, edge
setting and side lasting, and greatest for 1 of those employing chiefly
women is shown in the following summary:
Occupation
Chiefly women's occupations:
Fancy stitching __ _______________ _
T op stitching _______ ____ _____ ____
Skiving ___ _-- ___ ___ ______ ________
Chiefly m en 's occupations:
Vamping __ __________ __ __ _____ - - -Edge setting __- -- - - ---- -- ----- --Side lasting __-- -- -- -- - -- - -- ---- --
Variation in basic
rates in all plantshighest above lowest
Dollars
Percent
13.00
10. 56
12.00
108.3
78. 6
92.3
14. 64
11.00
5. 80
95.3
45. 8
25.3
It may be noted here that the highest rate for 1 of these womanemploying occupations was not over 71 percent of the highest for 1
employing chiefly men, while the lowest for 1 of the woman-employing
occupations was 78 percent of the lowest for 1 employing chiefly men.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
41
WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WOMEN IN 129 SHIRT FACTORIES
IN 9 STATES, SUMMER OF 1933
A rapid survey of wages in 129 shirt factories in 9 States was made
in the summer of 1933 by 4 cooperating bureaus of the United States
Department of Labor.
Earnings in various plants
The following summary shows the number of plants from which
records were obtained and the range (in factories having 50 or more
employees), from the plant in which the women had the highest to
that in which they had the lowest median earnings. 14
Number
of plants
visited 1
State
Number
of women
Median week's earnings of women re- Highest median above
ported in plant
lowest
having 2----Highest
New York ___ ____________ ___ __ _____ _
Connecticut_ _____ ______ ____________ _
New Jersey __- ----- - ------- --- ------
~~iii~~~:
~~======================
Maryland __ ______________
_____ __ ___ _
Pennsylvania __________________ ____ _
Indiana __ _____ ._____________________ _
Delaware _____ _____________________ _
30
10
14
6
7
25
26
6
5
5,310
2,074
1, 858
788
1,299
1,540
2,985
1,904
620
$12. 60
12. 00
10. 00
9. 50
9.40
9.20
9. 10
8. 90
5. 90
Lowest
$4. 20
6. 60
4. 70
7.00
3. 90
2.90
2.00
4.80
3. 70
Dollars
8.40
5. 40
5. 30
2.50
5. 50
6. 30
7. 10
4.10
2. 20
Percent
200.0
81.8
112.8
35. 7
141.0
217. 2
355. 0
85.4
59. 5
Only 5 percent employed less than 50 w age earners.
'Note that time worked is not reported here.
1
The foregoing summary shows a very wide range from plant to
plant in the median earnings of women. In 5 of the 9 States
the median in the best-paying plant was well over twice as great as
that in the lowest paying; while the time worked as a basis for these
earnings is not reported here, the pay-roll periods in each case were
selected in order to show full-time operation, or as nearly full time as
possible.15 The differences in the earnings in various plants are so
striking that, despite the absence of complete time indication, they
give evidence of lack of standards of payment.
Range of earnings in various States
The next summary shows the proportions of women earning various
amounts at making shirts in these various States. The hourly earnings are representative of those plants keeping time records (31 plants
in 7 States) and these are likely to be the better-paying establishments.16 The weekly-earnings distribution is based on all women
reported, regardless of time worked, but the effort was made to see
that the pay rolls taken were representative of full-time plant
operation.
u From mimeographed report,
pp. 2, 20, and 27.
16 Ibid., p. 13.
16 Jbid. p. 10.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
U.S. Department of Labor. Labor in the Shirt Industry in June 1933,
42
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
H ourly earnings
W eekly earnings
Percen t of women
r eceiving 2-
State
M edian
(cen ts)
P ercent of w omen r eceiving3-
,----,----1- - - - - - - - - , - - - -
1
Less than
20 cen ts
New York_ _________________________
Massachusetts ___ ______ _____________
New J ersey_________________________
19
35
52
54
~~~~;t~~-t:========================
Indiana________
_____________________
g
16
~~
74
23
20
35 cents Less t h an L ess t h an
an d more
$8
$12
1
42
51
53
54
2
68
8
2
2
(4)
Pennsylvania_______________________
15
75
1
Delaware __________________________ _ ________ _________ __ ________ ____ __
Marylan d _____________ ____________ ____ ____ ___ __ ---------- ______ ----- -
61
75
81
79
$15 an d
more
81
91
88
87
94
95
96
98
96
5
2
4
4
1
0
1
0
1
1 F r om mimeographed r eport, U.S . D epar t m en t of L abor . L abor in the Shirt Industry in June 1933,
p . 11.
2 I bid., p. 12.
s I bid., p . 19.
• Less than 1 percen t.
The foregoing summary shows median hourly earnings in the
various States ranging from 23 to 15 cents. In every State at least
one-third of the women received less than 20 cents an hour, as high
as about three-fourths of those in 2 States having such low earnings.
The N.R.A. code adopted later and applying to this industry fixed
32½ cents as the minimum hourly wage for women in the 9 States
visited- an amount which would yield $13 for a 40-hour week such
as this code provided. Less than $12 17 was earned in the week by
at least 80 percent of the women surveyed in every State, and by 90
percent or more in 6 States.
Earnings in various occupations
The summary following shows the median of earnings in each
State for workers in two occupations-machine operating and pressing.
The former was by far the largest occupation in the industry, employing 64 percent, the bulk of whom were women, though including
some men. 18 The earnings given here h ave taken no account of time
worked, though, as already stated, the data were for a full-time
week.
Median week's earnings
ofState
State
Machine
operators
9 States____ _________
$7. 30
8. 80
8. 60
8. 10
8. 00
M achine
operators
P ressers
1 - - - - + - --
New York________________
Massachusetts____________
New J ersey_______________
Connecticu t______________
Median week's earnings
of-
$7. 90
-
9. 10
7. 40
8. 60
8. 40
I ndiana ____ ___ __ _________ _
M issouri ______________ __ _
P ennsylv ania _______ ____ __
D elaware _______ ______ ___ _
M aryland ____ ________ ____
$7. 20
6. 30
6. 20
5.40
5.10
Pressers
$9. 40
6. 60
6. 30
5.80
8. 20
The following summary shows that the payments to machine
operators vary in the 9 States from highest to lowest by over 70
percent; those to pressers, by over 60 percent. Even in the 5
17 P ercen t earning less than $13 not obtainable without fur ther tabulation from original records.
is F rom mimeographed r eport , U.S. D ep ar tment of L abor. L abor in the Shirt Industry in June 1933,
p p .15, 16.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
43
States farthest north and east, these variations are over 40 percent
for each occupation.
Ma•
Ma•
chine
chine
opera· Press.
tors
ers
opera• Press•
tors
ers
Percent highest above lowest median
9 States·-·-········-········-·-··· 72. 5
Percent highest above lowest, 5
States farthest north and east 19 • _ 41. 9
62. 1
44. 4
HOURLY EARNINGS OF WOMEN IN CERTAIN OCCUPATIONS
IN HOSIERY AND UNDERWEAR MILLS, 1932
The Bureau of Labo.r Statistics conducts a survey of wages and
hours in the hosiery and underwear industries once every 2 years.
The 1932 study was made in the early months of the year.
Selections that have been used here from the data collected are
summarized in tables 15, 16, and 17. T he average hourly earnings
have been analyzed for three States, plant by plant, for the women
reported in two occupations (looping and mending) that are characteristic of the hosiery industry and for which the largest numbers were
reported, and for seamers in 22 underwear mills in New York. 20 The
analysis of hosiery occupations includes the following:
Loopers
Menders
Number of plants
Number of plants
State
Number of
women
Reporting
40 or more
women
Total
Pennsylvania_ .. _.
North Carolina ___
Tennessee. _______
1,117
722
489
35
14
15
8
8
4
Number of
women
ReportingTotal
588
112
168
20 or more 10 or more
women
women
26
10
14
10
1
2
19
4
8
Loopers
Pennsylvania.-In Pennsylvania 1,117 loopers in 35 plants are discussed. The median of the average hourly earnings of loopers ranged
from 16 to 55 cents, 21 the highest thus paying more than three times
as well as the lowest for this operation. Considering the 8 plants
reporting 40 or more women in this occupation, the median in 3 was
above 40 cents, in 2 below 30 cents; even though the 2 most extreme
medians (2 firms 55 cents each, and 1 firm 16 cents) in these 8 plants
be eliminated, the remaining high median of 40 .5 cents still is more
than 40 percent (43.4 percent) above the low median of 28.3 cents.
19 Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
,o The average hourly earnings shown are those computed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for each
woman on the basis of her weekly earnings and hours worked.
21 Both the highest and the lowest medians were for firms for which 40 or more women were reported.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TABLE
15.-Average hourly earnings of women loopers and menders in h~siery plants in Pennsylvania, 1932
Menders
Loopers
Plan t
Number
of
women
l_ ______
M edian of
average
hourly
earnings
(cents)
44
54
12
21
22
17
8
33
38
23
13
42
12
50
9
2 _______
3 _______
4 ____ __ _
5 _______
6 ____ ___
7 ---- - -8 ____ ___
9 ___ ____
10 ____ ___
11__ ____ _
12 ____ __ _
13 _____ __
14 ___ ____
15 _____ __
16 _____ __
29
38
19
7
36
14
12
32
59
134
38
18
19
68
17 -______
------_
18
19 ______ _
20 ____ ___
21__ _____
22 ___ ____
23 ____ ___
24 _____ __
25 ___ ____
26 ____ ___
27 _____ __
28 ___ ___ _
29 ___ ____
30 _____ __ .
31__ _____
32 _______
19
19
32
9
8
109
33 ______ _
34 _____ __
35 ___ ____
1
1
55. 0
55. 0
52. 0
49. 6
48. 3
47. 2
45. 0
43. 5
43. 3
41. 3
40.8
40. 5
40. 0
35. 9
35. 8
35. 3
34. 4
34. 4
34. 2
33. 6
33. 3
33. 3
32. 8
31. 8
31. 3
30. 9
30. 6
29. 6
28. 3
23. 6
21.1
18. 3
17. 7
17. 0
16. 0
Group
P ercent earningP lant
range of
average i- - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - ~ i
hourly
earnin gs Less than 20 cents
45 cents and more
(cents)
30-90
25-90
4o-70
25-70
30-70
35-60
35-60
25-60
16-70
2o-60
25-60
25-60
2o-60
12-70
2o-45
12-60
16-60
20-50
25-45
2o-50
2o-50
25-45
8-{l0
14-45
12-90
2o-45
18-40
14-45
14-50
8-40
18-30
10-30
12-35
10-20
6-25
None under 30 ____
N one under 25 ___ _
None under 40 ____
None under 25___ _
None under 30 ____
None under 35 __ __
___ __do __ _- -- -----· None under 25 __ __
2.6 __ -- - - -- ------ --
None __- -- ------ -None under 25 ___ _
_____ do ____ -- ---- -None __- -- -- -----6.0 ___ -- __ ___ - - - --None ___ __________
75.0 ___ -- -- _-- __- - _-- - 77 .8 ___ ---- _-- __ - - ___ -(')
76.2 __ -------- --------59.L ______ - --------- - (4)
(')
39.4 __ - ----- ----- - --- -47.4 ___ ---- -- - - -- -----30.4.._ - ---- -- --------- (' )
28.6 ___ - - --- --- --- - ---(')
24.0
__ __
_ --__________
---- --- - - -_____
--- None
10.3__ ----- -- - - ---- ---3.4______
- - - - -- - _____
- - - - - -- -- -5.3
__ 21.L __ _________ _______
(4)
None __---- --- -- --
None under 25 ___ _ None ______________ ___
None _______ ____ __ 2.8 ____ --- __- - - - ___--- _
__ ___do __ __ ___ __ ___
(')
None under 25 ___ _ None ______ _______ ____
18.8_- - - -- - - - - - -- - 13.6__ -- --- ---- - - -9.0 ___ --- ----------
12.5_ - _ ---- -- -- - -- -- - - None ___ ___ _______ ____
20.L ______ ____ __ ______
None. __ ---------- None . _________ _______
None as much as 40 ___
~•)
None. ___________ _____
')
2
1(1)
32
3 (9)
4 (6)
5 (2)
6(24)
7 (27)
8 ? 3)
9 12)
10(25)
311
12 (30)
13 (18)
14 (17)
15 (14)
16(11~
17(4
18(5)
19 (10~
20 (16
21?6)
22 23)
3
23
24(20)
25(35)
26(29)
Number Median of
average
of
hourly
women
earnings
(cents)
56
8
36
10
44
9
32
12
15
69
6
9
11
12
42
12
22
9
25
15
15
47
5
13
47
7
45. 0
44. 0
43.1
42. 5
42. 5
41. 9
41. 6
40.0
37. 1
35. 8
35.0
34. 5
32. 9
32. 9
32. 5
31. 9
28. 8
28. 8
26. 9
25.8
25. 8
23. 9
23. 8
23. 8
21. 5
20. 8
Group
range of
average
hourly
earnings
(cents)
P ercent earningLess t han 20 cents
25-70 N one under 25 ___ _
40-50 None under 40 ____
3o-60 None under 30 ___ _
3o-60 ___ __do __ - - -- ---- -_
20-70 N one_____ --- - ---- 30-50 None under 30 ___ _
10-50 18.8_- _ --- -- ------under 25 ___ _
25-50 _None
____ do _____ ___ ___ _
25-45 10-70 15.9 __ ----------- -3o-40 None under 30 ___ _
30-50 ___ __do ________ ____
25-40 None under 25___ _
20-50 None __ ________ ___
18-70 9.5 __ - --- ---- -- - --25-50 None under 25 ___ _
16-70 4. 5 __ - - --- ---- --- -25-40 None under 25 ___ _
6-45 16.0 __ --- - -- - ---- - (' )
16-40
14-30
(')
14-60 31.9_ - - ___ -- - - - - __ 16-35
(')
(')
18-35
14-60 42.6 __ -- -- ------- -(')
14-30
45 cents and more
50.0.
(' )
41.7.
(' )
43.2.
(')
3.1.
None.
(')
17.4.
None as much as 40.
(')
None as much as 40.
(')
21.4.
(')
18.2.
None as much as 40.
None.
None as much as 40.
None as much as 30.
2.1.
None as much as 35.
Do.
2.1.
None as much as 30.
10.3___ - - -- - ------- 1.5_- - - -- - - -- - -- - -- ---None as much as 40. __
None as much as 30 ___
')
___ __do ________ __ __ ___ _
71.9__ -- - ------ -- -None as much as 35 __ _
(')
All under 20 ______ _ None as much as 20 ___
88.L __ ____________ None as much as 25 ___
f>
From unpublished data collected by Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S . Department of Labor.
The figures in parentheses are the firm numbers that correspond to those used for loopers, column 1.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1
a No loopers reported in this plant.
• Not computed; base less than 20.
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
45
In 22 of the plants shown separately some women received 45 cents
or more an hour; in all but 5 of these plants more than one-fifth had
earnings so high. In 10 plants some women earned as high as 50
cents; m 8 some earned even as much as 60 cents.
In 5 plants no women averaged as much as 35 cents an hour; in 2
of these plants none averaged as much as 30 cents, and in 1 plant each
none averaged as much as 25 and 20 cents, respectively.
At the lower end of the wage scale, in 16 plants some women earned
less than 20 cents an hour. In 1 with a small number reported all had
received below 20 cents, in another nearly 90 percent. On the other
hand, in 1 plant none had received less than 40 cents, in 2 others none
less than 35 cents; in 2 none less than 30 cents, in 7 others none under
25 cents, and in 7 in addition (19 in all) none of the women had
average hourly earnings below 20 cents.
Considering the range of earnings of individual women in this
occupation in the same plant, it is found that in 23 plants the highestpaid woman earned at least 30 cents an hour more than did the lowest
paid, in 6 of these plants this difference being as great as 50 cents;
in 1 it was as great as 78 cents, the lowest-paid woman receiving 12
cents, the highest paid 90 cents.
North Carolina.-For North Carolina, 722 loopers were reported in
14 plants. In 8 of these in which 40 women or more were reported,
the median of their average hourly earnings ranged from 17.5 to 37.5
cents, the highest thus being somewhat more than twice the lowest.
Three of these plants had hourly medians above 30 cents, 2 less than
20 cents, and if the two most extreme medians be eliminated. the
remaining high still is 64 percent above the low.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TABLE
16.-Average hourly earnings of women loopers and menders in hosiery plants in North Carolina and Tennessee, 1932
I
~!ant
Loopers
umber
or
women
Median of
average
hourly
earnings
(cents)
Group
range of
average
hourly
earnings
(cents)
1
Menders
Percent earning-
Less than 20 cents
IInand
Tonnessee, 45 rents
~ ore; in North
Plant
2
Carolma, 40 cents
and more
umber
of
women
Median of
average
hourly
earnings
(cents)
Group
range of
average
hourly
earnings
(cents)
Percent earningLess than 20 cents
I
45 cents and more
TENNESSEE
l_ ____ _ _
2 ______ _
3 ______ _
4 _____ __
5 _____ __
6 ___ ___ _
7 __ ____ _
g ______ _
9 ____ __ _
10___ ___ _
IL _____ _
12___ ___ _
13 __ __ __ _
14 __ __ __ _
15 ___ __ __
23
11
21
29
81
18
10
45
31
15
55
39
20
80
11
39. 5
35. 8
28. 9
26. 3
25. 3
25. 0
25. 0
23. 5
23. 0
19. 2
17. 9
17. 2
16. 8
15. 3
11. 5
2G-60
25-45
16-45
20-40
14-45
14-30
20-35
14-40
14-40
16-35
12-40
10-30
10-20
8-30
6-20
None_____________ 21.7 _____ ____ _________ _
one under 25 _ _ __
one ____ ___ _________ _
9.5 _____________________ do _______________ _
None _____________
one as much as 40 ___
13.6_ __ ___ ___ __ __ __
one ___ ___ __________ _
(3) __ ___ __ ___ _______ None as much as 30 ___
None _____________ None as much as 35 ___
11.L __ ____________ None as much as 40 __ _
29.0 ___ __ ___ _____ __ _____ do ____ ____ _____ ___
(3) __ __ __ _____ _____ _ None as much as 35 __ _
70.9 _______________ None as much as 40 ___
71.8___ ____________
one as much as 30 ___
one as much as 20 ___
100.0___ ___________
88.8 ________ _____ __ None as much as 30 __ _
AIL ___ ____________
one llS much as 20 __ _
14-60
25-40
12-60
16-40
8-40
12-50
6-45
6-40
14-35
lD-40
lD-40
8-35
lG-60
6-30
2.4 _ __ ____ ____ _____ 38.L ______ __ _____ - _- _None under 25 ____ None ______ __________ _
15.4 __ _____ ___ _____ 16. 9 ___ _______ ________ _
2.9_ _ __ ____ ____ __ __ None ___ _____ _________ _
(3) ____ _____________ __ __do _______ _________ _
16. !_ _______ ___ ____ 3. '! ·---- - - -- ----- - ---25. 7 ___ _______ ___ __ 2. 9 _____ ______ ________ _
31. 8___ ____________
one ___ ____ __ _____ ___ _
1(5)
2(1)
3 (7)
4 (2)
5(3)
6 (6)
7 (8)
8 (13)
9 (4)
10 (14)
11 (9)
12(12)
13 (11)
14 (15)
7
32. 5
30. 5
29. 2
27. 0
25. 0
21. 9
21. 0
20. 8
18. 8
17. 3
17. 0
14. 0
13. 0
11. 5
2D-4.5
18-40
25-33
18-50
18-40
16-25
15-30
14-25
16-25
12- 25
6-25
8-20
10-18 .
8-16
5
14
32
14
5
17
9
5
5
6
28.1
25. 0
23. 7
22. 7
20.8
19. 8
19.5
17. 0
15. 5
13. 3
25-40
14-35
18-35
10-30
12-25
14-30
8-25
12-25
12-25
10-25
14
11
5
21
8
5
10
5
17
27
9
16
13
None ____________ _ None.
(8) __ -------------- None as much as 40.
None __ __________ _ None as much as 35.
9.5 _______________ _ 4.8.
(3) _____ _________ __ None as much as 40.
(3) ___ _____ __ ______ _
one as much as 25.
(3) _________ _______ _ None as much as 30.
(3) __ _______ ___ ____ _ None as much as 25.
Do.
(3) __ -- - -- - -- ---- --81. 5 __ _______ _____ _
Do.
(3) __ ________ ______ _
Do.
AIL ___ _____ _____ _ None as much as 20.
All under 18 ___ ___ _ None as much as 18.
All under }6 ______ _ None as much as 16.
NORTH CAROLINA
l_ ___ ___
2 ______ _
3 _______
4 ___ __ __
5 ___ __ __
6 _____ __
7 _______
8 _____ __
9 _____ __
10___ ___ _
lL _____ _
12 ___ ____
13 __ __ ___
14 ___ ____
1
2
42
11
65
35
7
31
70
132
60
45
73
88
31
32
37. 5
32. 5
31. 5
28. 9
· 28.8
26.1
23. 4
23. 1
22. 6
21. Ii
20. 1
20. 0
19. 8
17. 5
28. 3 ___ ____ ________ None as much as 35__ _
40. o___ __ __ ___ _____ None __ ________ _______ _
49. 3____________________ do __________ ______ _
50. o_______________ None as much as 35 ___
51. 6 _______________ 3. 2_____ _______ _______ _
75. o_____ ___ _______ None as much as 30 __ _
1 (2~
2 (1
3 (3)
4 (4)
5 (6)
6 (9)
7 (11)
8 (10)
9 (13~
10 (12
From unpublished data collected by Bureau of Labor Statistics, U .S. Department of Labor.
The figures in parentheses are the firm numbers that correspond to those used for loopers, column 1.
a Not computed; base less than 20.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
None under 25 ____ None.
(3) __ __ ________ __ __
Do.
Do.
6.3
___ --_____
-- -- - ______
-- -- -(3) _____
None as much as 30.
None
as much as 25.
(3)
------------(3) ____ ______ ______
None as much as 30.
(3) ___ _____ ________ None as much as 25.
Do.
(3) __ - --- ------- -- (3)
- ---(3) -___--___
____ ----______-
Do.
Do.
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
47
In 1 of the 8 plants reporting 40 or more women in this occupation
almost two-fifths of the women, and in another as high as 17 percent,
had received 40 cents or more an hour, while in 5 of these plants no
woman had received 40 cents, in 2 of them none as much as 35 cents;
none was paid as much as 60 cents.
At the lower end of the pay scale in these 8 plants, in 2 firms practically half the women, and in one-third 40 percent, had earned less
than 20 cents an hour; on the other hand, in 1 plant only 2.4 percent,
in another 15.4 percent, and in 3 others approximately one-fourth to
three-tenths of the women had hourly earnings so low. In 3 of these
plants fewer than 7 percent and in 3 over 15 percent were paid less
than 16 cents an hour. In the 8 plants from 1 to 20 women had
earnings under 16 cents, while from 1 to 38 had received 30 cents or
more.
In a single plant, women's hourly earnings differed from the highest
to the lowest by as much as 50 cent,s, and such differences· were as
great as 30 cents or more in 9 of the 14 plants.
Tennessee.-In Tennessee, 489 loopers were reported in 15 plants.
In the 4 firms for which 40 or more were reported, the median of
hourly earnings ranged from 15.3 to 25.3 cents, the highest thus being
65 percent above the lowest. The entire range in the 15 plants was
from 11.5 to 39.5 cents an hour.
In 1 plant 1 woman received an average of as much as 50 cents an
hour, and none received less than 20 cents; 3 other firms had paid an
average as high as 40 cents an hour to some women. On the other
hand, in 2 plants no woman had an hourly average of as much as 20
cents, and in 3 others none as high as 30 cents.
The lower end of the wage scale showed that in 4 firms no woman
had an average of less than 20 cents an hour, in 2 others none less than
16, and in 4 others none less than 14 cents; on the other hand, in 1
plant four-fifths of those reported, in another over one-third, in 2
others over one-seven th each, and in another one-tenth, had average
hourly earnings of less than 14 cents.
Women's earnings in this occupation differed from highest to lowest
by as much as 40 cents an hour in a single plant, and by 31 cents in
another.
Menders
Pennsylvania.-There are 588 menders in 26 Pennsylvania plants
discussed here. In only 10 plants were as many as 20 women included
in this occupation; in 9 others, 10 but less than 20 women. In the 10
plants reporting 20 or more the median of hourly earnings ranged
from 21.5 to 45 cents, the highest thus being 109.3 percent above the
lowest. In 1 of these plants reporting at least 20 menders none
received less than 25 cents and half 45 or more, and in another none
earned less than 30 cents and over 40 percent (41.7) received 45
cents or more. On the other hand, in 2 other plants where only 1
woman received as high as 45 cents an hour, three-tenths and fourtenths, respectively, earned less than 20 cents.
In a single plant the highest-paid woman earned as much as 60
cents an hour more than did the lowest paid, and this variation in
earnings was at least 50 cents in 3 others of the 26 plants shown
separately, 30 to 46 cents in 8 others.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
48
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
North Carolina and Tennessee.-Data are given here for 280
menders in 24 plants in these 2 States, but only in 12 plants altogether
were as many as 10 women included, and only in 3 of these plants
were as many as 20 women reported in this occupation.
In certain cases where only one or two women were receiving
relatively high amounts, it may _be suspected that other duties might
have been included, such, for example, as those of some supervisory
capacity. However, 2 of the 3 plants reporting 20 or more women
presented striking differences. In one of these the great majority
(81.5 percent) received less than 20 cents, none as high as 25; in
contrast to this, the other firm paid very few (9.5 percent) less than
20 cents, and one-third 30 cents or over. The entire range of hourly
payments in these 3 plants was from 12 to 50 cents, and all the women
in 6 of the other 9 plants reporting as many as 10 had earnings also
within this range. Six cents was the minimum hourly earnings
reported in the smaller plant s (5 and fewer than 10 women) and none
averaged as high as 40 cents.
In a single Tennessee plant, the highest-paid woman earned 32
cents an hour more than did the lowest paid, and in North Carolina
the greatest difference in any one plant was 21 cents. This variation
was as much as 20 cents in 3 other Tennessee plants and in 1 other
North Carolina plant.
Seamers in New York underwear mills
A total of 497 seamers were reported in 22 underwear mills in New
York, 10 of which had as many as 20 women so employed. Table 17
summarizes the data as to hourly earnings of these women. The
medians in the 10 plants ranged from 38.1 to 21.2 cents an hour, the
highest being nearly 80 percent above the lowest. In 4 of these
plants this hourly median was above 30 cents, in 4 it was below 25
cents. The range in earnings within a plant varied from 16 to 44
cents an hour in these 10 plants, more than 30 cents in 6 of them.
In 2 plants roughly one-third of the women earned 40 cents or
more an hour, 17 and 19 percent, respectively, received at least 45
cents, and fewer than 3 percent in 1 and none in the other earn; d less
than 20 cents. In 2 other plants, 35 percent or more of the women
had earned less than 20 cents, 15 and 18 percent, respectively, receiving less than 16 cents, and in each no woman was paid as much
as 40 cents, in 1 none earning as high as 30 cents.
In the 12 smaller plants (5 and fewer than 20 women) the high
median (35.8 cents) was 104.6 percent above the low (17.5 cents).
In 2 plants the median was below 20 cents, in 5 at least 25 cents.
The range within a plant varied from 18 cents to 38 cents, 30 cents
or more in only 5 of the 12 plants.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
49
DISCUSSION OF WAGE DATA FROM EIGHT INDUSTRIES
T A B LE
l 7.-Average hourly earnings of women seamers in underwear mills in New
York, 1932
Plant
l_ ____ __ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - --
2_- - - --- - -- - - - -- ----- --- - - - - - ---- -- -- ------ ---- -- ---3_- - - - - - - ---- -- - - - -- -- - -- -- -- ------------ -------- -- - 4 _- - - -- -- -------- -- ---------- -- ------------ ---------5 _- - - ---- --- - - - -- ----- ---- - ------------------ ------ - -
6- - - - --- - -- - - -- - - - - -- -- - - - -- - ---------------- ------ -7 - - - - - --- ---- -- ---- -- -- -- ------ ----- -- ---- -----------8- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 _- - - ------- -- - -- ------ -- -- ------------ ------- - --- --10 ____ --- -- -- --- -------- _-- -- ---- -- --- - -- ------- - ---11- _ - - - -- - - -- - - - --- -- -- - - - - --- -- - -- -- ---- -- --- --- -- - 12 _____ - _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- ___ - _- _- ____________________ _
13 _____ ___________ ______ __________________ _____ ___ __ _
14 ______________________
___ __ --- - -- -- -- _- --- -- -____
-- --___
-- -------- --- --- --- -- --_
15
___ __________________
1
M edian
Number of average
hourly
of
women earnings
(cents)
71
32
9
63
13
41
13
9
25
5
20
10
20
16
16 _____ -- -- - -- _- - -- -- -- _-- --- ----- - ---- -- --- _-- --- -- _
17 ___-- --- _-- -- __ -- -- -- __ --- --------- ------ -- ------ -18 ____ _- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _- _- _- _- _- ______________ _
19 ____ -- _- - -- - - - - -- -- ----- -- -- --- -- ----- ----- -- - -- --20_
- - - - ------------- ---- -- -- --- -- ---_
21 _____
- _-- _-- ----_- ___ ---- _- _-- _-- ____________________________
12
6
28
20
50
12
12
22_- - - - -- -- - - -- -- -- -- -- - -- -- -- - --- -- --- - -- - -- - ------ -
10
38.1
37. 7
35.8
33.8
33. 1
33. 0
32. 5
31. 3
29. 6
27. 5
27.0
25.0
24. 2
24.0
23. 3
23. 3
23.1
21. 5
21. 2
20.0
19.0
17. 5
Group
Percent earningrange of
average
hourly
than 40 cents
earnings Less
(cents) 20 cents an d more
2. 8
0
18~0
~ o
18-50
14-45
20-50
12-45
20-50
20-45
16-45
18-40
16-40
14-35
18-35
12-50
14-35
14-50
l~ O
14-30
6-40
12--30
4-30
14-40
(2)
(2)
6.3
0
9. 8
0
0
8. 0
10.0
(2)
25
~2)
2)
(2)
32.1
35
44
(2)
(2)
(2)
36. 6
31. 3
(2)
(2)
12. 7
(2)
(2)
(3)
~3)
2)
(3)
(2)
(4)
2.4
4. 0
0
0
10. 7
r)
0
4)
0
1 From data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U .S. Department of Labor
2 Not computed; base less than 20.
a Not as much as 35.
'Not as much as 30.
WEEKLY RATES OF SALESWOMEN IN 5 DEPARTMENT
STORES IN NEW JERSEY AND IN 3 IN DENVER, 1933
That the weekly rates of saleswomen differ considerably as among
various comparable department stores is shown in table 18 from data
obtained by the Women 's Bureau early in 1933 for 5 such stores in
New J ersey and for 3 firms in D enver, Colo. In the former 1,085
women were reported, in the latter 533 women.
In New J ersey 1,085 women in five stores are discussed. T he
median rate ranged from $12 .85 in 1 firm to $17.70 in another, with
the usual rate paid in these 2 cases ranging from $12.60 in 1 to $17
and $18 in the other. All these stores were in cities of 100,000 but
less than 500,000 population, situated in close proximity to New
York City. All were in one city except firm 5, which was in the
smaller of the two places. If this establishment be left out of consideration for the moment , it is found that the highest median rate,
$17.70, was more than one-fifth (22 .5 percent) above the lowest,
$14.45. I n 1 of the 4 stores no woman had a rate of less than $15,
while in another the great majority of the women- slightly over 60
percent-had such rates (2 .7 percent in this firm had rates less than
$12) ; in the first mentioned, over one-third (35 percent) of the women
h ad rates of $20 or more, while in the other only 7 percent had rates
reaching this figure. In the remaining 2 stores no women had rates
less than $12, while small proportions (4 and 6.3 percent, respectively)
had rates of $20 or more. In firm 5 well over four-fifths of the women
had rates less than $15, three-tenths less than $12.
T wo considerations for the explanation of the rate variation should
be taken into account- hours of work and whether or not the rates of
any of the establishments were influenced by their being chain stores.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
50
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
The scheduled time upon which the rates were based ranged from a
46½- to a 49 ¾-hour week. However, this factor did not result in a
larger proportion of women receiving higher rates where the work
schedule was longer, for, as so often is the case with industrial wages,
the store having the longest hours of all was the one in which the smallest proportion of women were paid at the highes.t rate. The store in
which the largest group had the highest rate was one of those with the
shortest hour schedule. The same statement is true if only the 4
stores in the town of larger size be considered.
While 1 of the 5 New Jersey stores was a member of a chain firm,
this st ore had neither the lowest nor the highest rate, hence its chain
character did not influence the spread in wages in the entire group .
This store was 1 of 3 that had no rate of less than $12, while in the
other 2 firms (both independent ), respectively, about 3 and 29.5 percent of the women had rates below $12.
Three D enver firms with 533 women are shown. In 2 of these the
usual rate was $12, in the other it was $15. The median of rates in
the highest paying was over one-fifth above the median in the other
firm (omitting the lowest, a chain store). The proportions having
a rate less than $12 were about 2 percent of those in 1 store; in the
second they were 13 percent, and in the third (which was a member of
one of the smaller chains) nearly one-third of the women had rates so
low. A week of 48 hours was the schedule in all 3 of these stores.
In every store some saleswomen had rates of less than $12, some had
rates of $20 or more.
TABLE
18.-Weekly rates of pay of saleswomen in comparable department stores
5 STORES IN NEW JE R SEY, L A T E 1932 OR E A RLY 1933
T otal, 5 stores
Weekly rate
TotaL ____ ______ __--- - - -Mode 2 __ _ _ _ _ ___ ______
Median _______ __ __ ____
Less than $12 ____ ________ _______
$12, less than $15----------- - - - -$15, less than $20 ________________
$20 and more __ ________ ______ ___
Number
Percent
1,085
100.0
F irm 1 Firm 2 1 Firm 3
Firm4
Firm5
(percent) (percent) (per cent) (percent) (percent)
$15. 00
15. 85
33
332
580
140
Scheduled hours _______________ _ - -- - - -- ---
100.0
100. 0
$18. 00
$15. 00
17. 70
15. 35
{
100. 0
$12. 00
and
$15. 00
15. 10
3. 0 --- --- ---- - -- ----- -- ------ - --30. 6 -- - ---- - -26. 9
42.1
53. 5
65. 0
69. 1
51. 6
12. 9
35. 0
4.0
6. 3
----------
46½
46½
}
100.0
100.0
$13. 00
$12. 60
14. 45
12. 85
2. 7
59. 9
30. 5
7.0
29.5
54. 7
13. 7
2.1
49
49¾
46½
3 STORES I N DENVER, MAR CH 1933
Total, 3 st ores
Weekly ra te
Number
TotaL _____ ___________ ___ ____ _______ ____ _____ __
Mode 2 _____ ___ _ _ _ _ _____ _ ___ _ __ ___ _ _ _____ _
Median ____ __ ______ ____ __ __ ______ ____ _____
P er cen t
Firm 1
Firm 2 F irm 3 1
(per cent) (per cent) (percent)
533
100. 0
$12. 00
12. 90
100. 0
$15. 00
15. 60
100. 0
$12. 00
12. 80
100. 0
$12. 00
12. 50
Less than $12-- - - - - - - - - - - __ _____ ______________ ______ _
101
18. 9
$12, less than $15 ______ __ ________ ______ __ ____ _____ ___ _
243
45. 6
$15, less than $20---- - - - -- - - - - - - - - ----- - - - - ------- - - -161
30. 2
28
$20 and more __ - --- - - - - - -- - - --- -- - - - - - -- - -- - - - - ---- - 5. 3
Scheduled hours ____ ______ _____ _______ __________ _____ _____ ________ ___ ___ _
1. 9
35. 2
50. 0
13. 0
13. 2
51. 5
31. 9
3. 4
32. 6
45. 2
19. 0
3. 2
48
48
48
1
This store was a member of a cha in firm .
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2
The most u su al r ate.
Part 111.-SUPPLEMENTARY WAGE MATERIAL
The material discussed up to this point has shown two types of
wage comparisons: That from plant to plant in the same industry
and State, and that in the same occupation in various plants and in
the same plant.
Some statement as to the minimum wages fixed by N .R.A. codes
for the industries that have been discussed should be given, and the
wage data here shown may be supplemented by adding two other
kinds of information: The week's earnings of full-time workers taken
by the Women's Bureau over a series of years and including various
industries in a number of States, and the extent to which actual
earnings varied from rates or from full-time earnings.
Minimum wage fixed in N .R.A. codes for seven industries
The minimum wages fixed in N .R.A. codes for seven industries 1
included in this report, and the extent to which a wage as high or
higher prevailed before the minimum was established, are shown in
chart IV.
Material shown in the chart indicates that in no case was the minimum fixed exorbitantly high according to wages that were being paid
in many cases. It shows the following:
In the cotton industry, before establishment of a minimum wage,
about two-fifths of the women working 50 to 54 hours in 6 mills in
a Northern State (Maine), and about one-fourth of those working
50 to 55 hours in 20 plants in a Southern State (South Carolina),
received at least as much as the minimum rate later fixed for the
North and for the South, respectively.
In 129 plants making shirts, visited in 9 States in the northern.
area before the establishment of a minimum, 3 percent of the women
reported received at least $2 more than the minimum for the northern
area later fixed in the cotton-garment code.
Before the establishment of a minimum, in two plants making men's
work clothing in a State that came under the code for the North
almost one-half of the women working 38 to 40 hours had weekly
earnings at least $2 higher than the amount fixed for that area. In
this same State in four plants making women's wash dresses, 2 percent
of the women working 4 7 to 50 hours prior to the code had earnings as
high.
In hosiery plants, before the establishment of a minimum, in a
large Northern State important in this industry (Pennsylvania)
not far from half the loopers in 35 plants reporting and of the menders
in 26 plants reporting averaged the equivalent of at least 2½ cents
more per hour than the minimum later fixed in the code for that area;
in two Southern States combined (Tennessee and North Carolina)
about one-fifth of the loopers in 29 plants reporting and one-ninth of
the menders in 24 plants reporting received at least as much per hour
as the minimum fixed for the southern area.
1 Two of the eight indm;try groups included in this report-shirts and work clothing-are included in one
code.
51
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VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
In the laundry industry, before establishment of a minimum, practically three-tenths of the women in the 11 large and 21 small plants
surveyed in Ohio had hourly earnings, and nearly nine-tenths of those
in 12 Texas plants had rates at least as much as the minimum later
fixed at its highest for that locality, that is, for the largest cities in the
area; in 28 New York plants over one-third had rates at least $1 more
than the minimum for largest cities in that area.
In retail trade, before the establishment of a minimum, about twofifths of the women in 3 stores in a large western city (Denver) and
nearly four-fifths of those surveyed in 5 stores in an Eastern State
(New Jersey) had weekly rates at least as much as the highest minimum later fixed in the code-that is, the minimum pay for the cities
of 100,000 to 500,000 population for a week's work of 48 hours.
In shoemaking, before the establishment of a minimum, in the 19
plants surveyed in a Northern State important in this industry (New
Hampshire) from 4 to 79 percent of the women were receiving amounts
in some cases at least $3 higher and in others $2.50 higher than the
minimum later fixed in the code; in 2 plants 65 percent or more had
earnings of such amounts.
In 22 New York plants making underwear three-tenths of the
women who were seamers had average hourly earnings at least 2½
cents higher than the amount later fixed by the code.
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CHART
IV.-Minimum wage fixed in N.R.A. codes for 7 industries, and women receiving such amount or more prior to code
Minimum wage
fixed
Industry or trade and date
N .R.A. code approved
Location
Cotton Textile Industry (July
9, 1933)
North .......
132½
$13. 00
South .......
I
30
12. 00
Cotton Garment Industry2
(Nov. 17, 1933).
Percent of women receiving minimum or well above, prior to code for the industry
Pay•roll date
Hourly Weekly
(cents)
13. 00
North ••... ..
32½
Hosiery Industry (Aug. 26, 1933). North.......
132½
'13.00
130
'12. 00
South•••....
Laundry Trade (Feb. 16, 1934)_ Group A _. __
Group B ____
Group D
and Group
E.
6
3
:½
{3°
am½
am14
1932............... In 6 Maine plants 42 percent of the women who had worked 50 to 54 hours had weekly earnings
of $13 and more; 15 percent had weekly earnings of $16 and more.
1932............... In 20 South Carolina plants 27 percent of the women who had worked 50 to 55 hours, and 5 or
5½ days had weekly earnings of $12 and more; 6 percent had weekly earnings of $16 and more.
Early summer
1933.
January and May
1933.
.April and May
1933.
In 29 plants m aking shirts in 9 Northern States 3 percent of the women had weekly earnings
of $15 and more.
In 2 Kansas City (Mo.) plants making men's work clothes 46 percent of the women working
38 and 40 hours had weekly earnings of $15 and more.
In 4 Kansas City (Mo.) plants making women's wash dresses 2 percent of the women working
47 to 50 hours had weekly earnings of $15 and more.
In
35 Pennsylvania plants 46 percent of the loopers had average hourly earnings of 35 cents
1932..... ........ ..
and more; in 26 plants 48 percent of the menders had average hourly earnings of 35 cents
and more.
·
1932........••.•... In 29 North Carolina and Tennessee plants 19 percent of the loopers had average hourly earn•
ings of 30 cents and more; in 24 plants 11 percent of the menders had average hourly earnings
of 30 cents and more.
3
10.00
9.00
3
3 8.00
3 7. 20
3
5. 60
!In
28 New Y o,k plants • 35 poroont of the women who were timewo,kera had • weekly <ata of
$13 and more; in 22 plants reporting, 12 percent of the shakers who were timeworkers had a
weekly rate of $13 and more; in 12 plants reporting, 60 percent of the women press operators
who were timeworkers had a weekly rate of $13 and more.
June 1933---·-·---- In 56 New H ampshire plants 74 percent of the women had hourly rates of 25 cents and more;
38 percent had hourly rates of 27½ cents and more, and 26 percent had rates as high as 30
cents.
11 ,.,,,.,, Ohio plants • 31 pe,oent of th• timewo,k..-s had ave<age houdy earoing, ' of 2'
cents and more; 10 percent had average hourly earnings of 30 cents and more.
}May 1933 ___ . __ . __
In 21 small Ohio plants 6 29 percent of the timeworkers had average hourly earnings 1 of 25
cents and more, 9 percent h ad average hourly earnings of 30 cents and more.
}1932. _____ . ___ . ____ {In 12 Texas plants 88 percent of the women on a 54-hour schedule had a weekly rate of $Sand
more; 16 percent had a weekly rate of $11 and more.
312.00
311.00 }May 1933 ______ ___
3 10.00
!In
Calculated from weekly minimum for 40-hour week as provided in code.
This code covers 2 of the industries discussed separately in the text.
3 Calculated from hourly minimum for 40-hour week as provided in code.
' Other minima also fixed at a higher rate according to occupation and type of product.
a Variations by size of city and location.
6 State minimum wage orders fixed the minimum for laundries in New York on Oct. 2, 1933, at 27 ½ cents and 31 cents according to size of city, and in Ohio on M ar . 26, 1934, at
27~2 cents. From Aug. 1, 1933, until any other standard was provided, this industry was operating under the President's Reemployment Agreement, in which the wage bottom
was fixed at $12. For the effect of this in Ohio, seep. 24. The laundry code was a local option code until made National by order X53, June 1934.
7 See footnote 5, p. 23.
1
2
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C)'l
~
CHART lV.-Minimum wage fixed in N.R.A. codes for 7 industries, and women receiving such amount or more prior to code-Continued
Industry or trade and date
N.R.A. code approved
Minimum wage
fixed
Pay-roll date
Location
Retail Trade (Oct. 21, 1933) ___ _ -------------- ------- --
Boot and Shoe Manufacturing
Industry (Oct. 30, 1933).
Percent of women receiving minimum or well above, prior to code for the industry
.Hourly Weekly
(cents)
}-------------
UnderwcarimdAllied Products North _______
Manufacturing Industry
(May 10, 1934).
g
{30
31¾
132½
8
{In
{13. 00 }Late 1932 or early
5 New Jersey stores 79 percent of the women had a weekly rate of $14 and more. (In 2 of
13. 50
1933.
these stores more than 96 percent of the women had a rate so high.)
14. 00
March 1933 ________ {In 3 Denver stores 41 percent of the women had a weekly rate of $14 and more. (In 1 of these
stores 65 percent of the women had a rate so high.)
3 12.00 }spring 1933 ____ ___ _ rn 7 ew Hampshire welt plants 30 percent of the women had weekly earnings of $15 and more.
In 12 New Hampshire McKay plants 16 percent of the women had weekly earnings of $15 and
312. 50
more. •
13. 00
1032 __ ____ -- _-- ____
{Inof2235New
York plants 30 percent of the women who were sea.mars had average hourly earnings
cents and more.
1 Calculated from weekly minimum for 40 hour-week as provided in code.
a Calculated from hourly minimum for 40-hour week as provided in code.
& According to hours worked in week, and for cities of from 100,000 to 500,000 population (the group within which the cities included fall), larger places $14, $14.50, and $15; in
smaller places the rate set ranges from $13 to $10. (Could be even less in places with a population of less than 2,500.)
g Minimum for women, varying by size of city. These rates are for cities and tOW\Il.S with a population of 250,000 or less, the size of those included in this study.
For larger
cities the minimum rate is 32 72 cents. For men the minimum rates are 37¼ , 36}4, and 35 cents.
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55
SUPPLEMENTARY WAGE MATERIAL
Median week's earnings of full-time workers in 13 States
T able 19 gives the highest and lowest median earnings of women
full-time workers in various industries in States surveyed by the
Women's Bureau in the years 1920- 25, inclusive.
The differences shown are very striking indeed. Moreover, they
are sufficiently large to be of great significance, even though the material varies geographically and was taken over a period that saw high
wages, depression, recovery, and a normal time.
The highest median in all manufacturing industries was nearly
double the lowest, and in two types of stores the highest was about
half again as great as the lowest. Decided variations from high to
low median were notable in each of the industrial groups shown. In
the manufacture of hosiery and in cigar making the hi~hest median
was almost double the lowest. The data represent full-tune earnings,
and no explanatory factors such as differences in period of time, in
geographic location, in particular methods of work in the industry,
nor any combination of such factors, can form a completely satisfactory explanation for such vast differences as these in the basic wage
standards.
TABLE
19.- Range in median week's earnings of f ull-time workers i n 13 S tates
surveyed by the Women's Bureau, 1920-25, by industry 1
M edian earnin gs in State havingIndustry
Number
Highest
of States
L owest
in cluded 1- -- - - -- 1 - - - - - Median
Laundries __ ___ ____ ____ _______ ____ _____ _____ _________
General mercantile____ _________ ___ ____ ____________ __
5-and-10-cent stores. __ _____________ _________ ________ _
Manufacturing .. _. __ _____ ____ ___ _____________ _____ __
Cotton____ ___ _______ _____________ _______________
Hoisery and knit goods ___ ____ ___ ______ _________ _
Metal products ________ _____ ____ _________ ______ __
Electrical appliances___ __ ___ _____ _______________ _
Cigars ____ _. . -. -. - _-- - -- . -- -- - - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - -- Rubber___ ________________ ----- - --- ----- - -- -- -- - Shoes _____ ___ ______ ___---- - -- ---· ----- --- - -- --- -t
13
13
13
13
6
7
5
4
7
3
3
Year
Median
Year
$13. 50
18. 15
12. 26
18. 88
15. 20
18. 00
19. 81
18. 12
18. 92
19. 23
1922
1924
1920
1920
1920--21
1922
1920
1920
1922
1920
$9.96
12. 03
8. 58
9.45
9. 66
9. 26
13. 98
16. 13
9.87
15. 29
1924
1924
1924
1924
1924
1922
1922
1922
1925
1922
16. 93
1922
10. 61
1921
U.S . Department of L abor, Women's Bureau, Bulletin 85. W ages of W omen in 13 States. 1931. pp.
4, 94, 174.
Extent to which women's actual earnings fall below their full-time
earnings
I n industrial employment ordinarily there is likely to be a considerable amount of time lost through one cause or another, sometimes for
plant, sometimes for personal reasons. 2 T his means that the worker's
actual earnings, upon which she has to live, often are consider ably
below what she theoretically could have received if full time could
have been worked through the entire period. Some indication of the
extent to which this is the case should be given here, even though the
adequacy of her earnings to meet her expenses has not been a primary
poin t investigated in the present report.
2 A study of lost time in cot ton mills made b y t he Women's Bureau in 1922 shows t h at only about onefourth of the days lost by over 2,000 women were due t o reasons entirely personal. H owever, even these
personal reasons often wore due to factors tha t could not be controlled by the women. See W omen's
Bureau Bulletin No. 52. p . 67.
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56
VARIATIONS IN WAGE RATES UNDER CORRESPONDING CONDITIONS
Tables 20 and 21 give, from recent Women's Bureau surveys,
examples showing the extent by which the earnings of all women
reported ordinarily fell below full-time earnings or what might be
t aken as such.
These variations ran to over 20 percent in South Carolina cotton
mills, to nearly 15 percent in Maine cotton mills, as high as 27.5 percent in the carding departments in the Maine mills, and to 15 percent
in certain K ansas City clothing plants. In the industries surveyed in
Texas the women working 48 hours or more had median earnings 24
percent more than those of all women reported, and as high as 33 percent more in the manufacturing industries.
T able 22 gives a similar type of data for selected industries reported
in earlier surveys made by the Women's Bureau in six States. These
likewise show that earnings ordinarily fall well below the rate of pay
for full-time work, and also show that large proportions of women
receive payment below the full-time rate.
T AB LE
20.-Earnings of all women reported and of women who worked f ull time
in certain cotton and clothing plants, 1932 and 1933
Median week's earnings ofD epartment
All women
with time
worked
reported
Percent
median
for all is
below that
for fulltime
workers
Full-time
workers
C OTTON MILLS IN SOU TH CAROLINA, 1932 1
All departments ___________________________________________________ _
Card.. _______________________ ____________________ ______________ _
Spin and spooL __ ______ -- -- -- ______ ~--------- _______________ ___
Weave ___ __________ -- ___-- __- ____ _____ ______ __________________ _
$7. 70
9.05
7.05
General (cleaners, scrubbers) __ _____ _______ _____ ___ ____ ______ ___
6.15
C loth __________ _______ ______ ____________________ ________ _____ ___
9.35
8.15
$9. 65
11. 70
8.90
11.60
9. 45
6. 35
20. 2
$13. 00
14. 75
12. 70
14.10
11. 40
14. 6
27.5
22. 6
20. 8
19. 4
13. 8
3.1
C OTTON MILLS IN M AINE, 1932 t
All departments ________ ____ ________________ _____ __________________ _
Card _____ ____________ _______ ____________ ________________ _______
Spin and spooL __ --------- -- -- -- - -- -- ____ ____ _____ __ _______ __ __
'\Veave ____________________ ______ __________ __ _____ _____ ____ ____ _
Cloth _________________ __________ _______________ _______ _________ _
$11.10
10. 70
11.00
12.60
10.60
13. 4
10. 6
7. 0
N E EDLE TRADES IN KANSAS CITY, 1933 2
M:~~
-----------------------------------------1
moderately
All Women's
work
clothing __priced dresses __ __ ____________ _________ ___
$9.
951
10. 90
8. 85
$11.
12. 70
75
9. 90
I
15. 0
14. 5
10.6
1 Women's Bureau Bulletin No. 111. Hours, E arnings, and Employment in Cotton Mills. 1933,
pp. 14, 31.
_; _women 's Bureau mimeographed report on Women in the Needle Trades in Kansas City. 1933. pp.
2
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SUPPLEMENTARY WAGE MATERIAL
TABLE
21.-Earnings of all women reported and of women who worked 48 hours
or more a week in Texas industries, 1932 1
Median week's earnings ofi---------..------ i
Women
had
All women who
worked
reported
48 hours
or more
Industry
All industries _______________________________ __ _________________ ___ __
Manufacturing _______________ ______ __ __ ______ ___ __________________ _
Clothing _________________________________ ______________________ _
Cotton mills _____ ___ ___________________________________________ _
Food _______________________________ ___________________________ _
Laundries _________________ ___________ ________ _____________________ _
Percent
median of
all women
was below
that of
workers
for 48
hours or
more
$7. 75
$10. 20
24. 0
6.80
6. 35
7. 65
6. 25
10. 15
6. 30
10. 90
5. 95
33. 0
2.
8
29.8
5. 0
2
13. 1
7.60
8. 75
Department and ready-to-wear stores ______________________________ _
12. 55
13. 90
9. 7
Limited-price stores ______________ ----- ------ --- -- - -------- -- --- ----
8.30
10. 30
19.4
t Women's Bureau. Economic Status of Wage-Earning Women in Texas. Mimeographed preliminary
report, p . 8.
_
2 In this case the earnings of all women reported rose above the earnings of those who had worked 48
hours or more.
TABLE
22.-Relation of women's earnings to their rates in selected industries in 6
States surv-eyed by the Women's Bureau, 1920-25 1
Number of
women
with both
earnings
and rates
reported
State and industry
Percent of Perce?t by
women
w~ich
r.eporting med1~n of
who earned earmngs
less than was below
their rates
t~:t~f
•
Kentucky:
Candyclothing
____ -_-- --____
- - --- -- - --________
- --- - -- ----- --______________________
-- - - -- -- - -- -- - -- -- - - --_
Men's
__ ______
__ _____
Ws~:; f~~d;~~!r-i>ioaucts= === == == ==== ======== == ==== ====== == == ==
Shoes ___________ -- -- - -- -- - -- - --- - -- --- -- -- -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- -- -- - -
184
657
213
97
226
41. 3
31. 2
32.4
84. 5
37. 6
6.8
5.1
4. 5
12. 9
214.9
Missouri:
Candy
_______ - ________
- -- -- - - ____
---- __
-- __
-- -_____________
-- -- -- --- -- --____________________
- -- - -- -- - -- --- -- -- --_
Men's clothing
Paper and paper products ___ ________________________ __ ________ _
Shoes _____ ----- --- ___ - --- -- - -- -___ -- __ __ __ -- _____ __ ____________ _
182
262
82
251
29. 7
60. 3
56.1
48. 6
5. 2
13. 5
10.8
10. 3
New Jersey:
Candy ______ __ ____ ____ -- -- -- -- - - --- -- -- --- -- - ----- -- -- - ----- -- -Metal products _____ ______ __ ---- -- -- -- -- ------- - -- ------ -- -- ---Paper and paper products
_________ ___ _____ ______ ____ __________ _
152
120
159
50. 0
20. 8
40. 9
3. 5
21.3
8.3
Ohio:
Candy
__ ____ _______
- _. --_____
-- - --_______
- -- -- --______________
- --- -- - -- -- ---___
- --_________
- -- - -- - --______
-- -- --_
Men's clothing
Paper and paper products _________ ________ _________ ___ __ ___ ___ _
Shoes ___________ -- -- -- --- -- -- - -- -- --- - -- -- -- -- -- - - -- -- -- - -- - -- --
269
550
93
190
46. 5
31.6
33. 3
33. 7
7.1
3. 7
.8
Rhode Island:
Metal productg _____ ______ ________ __ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- _- -- _- - -- -- - - Paper and paper products ______ _______ ____ ____________ ___ _____ _
418
215
26. 6
54.4
------------
Tennessee:
Candy _____ -------- --- --- - -- - - -- --- -- -- - --- - -- -- -- -- - - -- -- -- ----
279
60. 9
6.0
1 Women's Bureau Bulletin 85. Wages of Women in 13 States. 1931. p. 69.
, In this case the median ot the earnings was above that of the rates.
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