The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1886-04-29
CAUSES OF STRIKES.
The Number, Location, Causes and Result,
Of Strikes and Lock Outs for tho
Year 1880.
Report OF Mr.. Joseph d. weslSs. who usa
been Empicyedhy the Census bureau
60 i9rssuRate Causes ot the
Labor Troubles.
onMNrssloNER wEnKn' nEpnnr.


Census bureau In making an vostEation
into the number, location. causes aud results
of strikes and lock.outs during the calendar
ycar itsl, has just completed HE report In
his letter OF transmltiai 10 the Suporlntcnd,
ent OF the Census, he says; ''fhoso who un.
derstand the difficulties In the way OF such
an investigation as this will not bo surprised
At its Incompetence. and especially Mt its
failure TO secure records Of the number OF
employees engaged IN all tho strikes and lock.
outs reported. aswell ns tho number Of days
end amount Of wages lost
In the outset OF the report he states that
both the employers and employed as aclass,
hesitate TO engage IN astrikc or lockout.
especially aiirr having experienced the dis
astrous effects OF those Industrial aFltetiops
Tho condition of mutual respect and forbcar
Ance between these two classcs has been
growing In this cou untry. and strikes have
grown not lcea frequent. but they nrc under
taken only when Il IL felt thai there IL no
other resource. lie states that In his efforts
20 get Information OF strikes, he sent out
i.sp circulars 10 both employees and employ
err who were directly concerned, and he
adds that most Of the replies were received
from employers and very few from the en-.
ploycs. Tho latter either making no re-
sponao or refusing the desired information.
NNNuN ~ NNNiI FtuHVu NnuI " tnlNlih ut Nefu
10 their disadvantage by the employers
Prom what returns were received he OBJ
served tho tendency OF the workmon 20 mag
nify q strike and OF employers TO dlepArage
th importance, and NJ tho bulk OF the in
Iormation came from the latter the state
Of ftr.koa, the mrn concerned in [ etc, are
undcrsiatcd rather than the reverse
The difference between a strike and lock-
nut y stated 10 be the stoppaFe OF work IN
the iirnt instance growing out or some do
mand or other action Of The employees and In
the latter Instance from some demand or
action ON the part ~ employers which II re.
sisted by the woFkmen. To some cases, by
agrccmenf between the employers or the em.
ploycs work ie stopped In one establishments
because OF the existence OF strike or a
ioci out in another. of the total number Of
rtrikes-tho word being used 20 include
both strikers and lock outs--tcported In lss1,
which was ~, Pennsylvania with on, New
York with lni and ohio with a. are credited
with h1i. or ia per cent
In the mining aud manufacturing states
frequent In agricultural trades, where large
bodies of men are collected togcthqh The
same u truc Of those engaged IN profess on.
al ana personal services. Domestic servants
aud the great body Of unclAsslncd laborcrs,
which two groups include moro than y per
cent ofthosc cnEhFod ~ personal and pro.
least do not strike IN such y way a. 70 get the
facd into tho papers
Tho number Of strikes reported In certain
and Elroi industries; lss IN coal mining: 10 in
the toNtilo tradfss q IN cigar making; 70 IN
haudine trades % In Transportation: y n
piano making, and II in boot and shoe max.
Ar. Weeks thinks that the frequency Of
strlkce u not wholly DUE TO tho aggregation
" workmen NJ certain points, In Great
Britnln more than twenty-five per cont OF
tho strikes occur 10 tho building trades and
while the metal trades. mining and textile
Nfnn0n ma tho ~
uon--slS por crnf.--of the strikes reported
in this country IN ledo were caused BY differ
cnecs As 70 rates Of yages and % q these as per
cent were for m advance and w per cent.
we're against n reduction. NH
~ the more important industries. espoc-
iaily noticeable ia the boot and shoe trades,
methods OF work and rifles Of the shop 90
caAloncd Ha many strikes ma rates OF wages.
The results OF only tSi strikes arc reported.
and Of this number ~ per cent we're success
ful. ~ pcr cent were compromised ana ~
per cent. were Unsuccessful Eycry strike
In connection with hours OF labor were un-
successful, while those relating TO payment
Of wages woro uniformly succeeded. IL
should also be noted that strikes growing
out OF demands for an advance are much
more uniformly unsuccessful than those
tn conditions of trade that Justify an nd
vance, II " much more 10 tho interest Of the
employer 10 give IN than 20 have his works
stop On the o.her hand. when trnde u not
10 brisk, n IL 20 the advantage OF the en-
ployer 10 have his works stopped. IN such
cases the opposition to- demand Tor ro-
duction 4. not Of little effect. The reduction
AZ 10 the results OF strikes aud lockouts
Il appears that these depend isrEcis on its
condlt on OF trade. In 1870, however, there
was an era OF remarkable prosperity. and as
nresult strikes we're succeesful IN q proper
ton OF eases. doubtless much above the
The bureau Of Tabor Statistics o. rennsyl-
vania in the Investigation into strikes IN
that State Tor forty.six years; beginning IN
lS, states that y OF tho w., ot when IN, NE re,
cent. while 90 or ~ 90 per cent we're unsuc
ceseful This corresponds, tho report adds
- some degree Win me resu,'s 9pisnen b,a or, ,s
shows that 81 por cent, wore successfui while
Al per cent. were nnsuccceeful, b.
Tho Massachnsetts report however, shows
cent. being reported succcseful and seventy
throe per cent unsuccessful This shows
that the industrial conditions IN Massa
chuaetts arc widely different from those ek
ietina In other parts OF the country.
II has been known adds Mr. Weeks, q
careful observers that strikes are neither So
frequent nor so successful when undertaken
In New England as In other etntos.
In regard 20 osses by .strikos, the report
states that from ili Of the ~ strikes re
ported. figures arc gwen showing that the
number OF men idle la these cnses were l2s
262, hiohincludes only those men IDLE dt
rectly IN consequence OF the strike. ana mol
those who may have been laid idle IN othel
parts OF the works or IN other works by res
son OF the strike There are 3is strikes con
cerninp which no statement has been re
ceived MS 70 the number OF men idle by
approximation tho. number Is estimated tS
have been 1850, wb oh, added 10 the above
would give total of-t2s, Is idlemeu, !.
W th relation TO the loss Of wages II Is est
mated that each OF these men we're idl,
twenty-saven days The returns show tina
.5.a employees lost S3.ill.Og5. This would b'
atthora OF sb5 each. As tho entire H.in
ber OF employees estimated was s2si8s thu
total loss OF wages IN th average would %
Si8.0uls6s. that ls for the time lost. Tn
wages which would have been received hat
the works run constantly. is the nmoun
named. In case the strike was successtu y
the men received add tonnl pay and IN case
where unionism existed the men receivet
strike paw. but this was simply ref1p,de. , 2.
is also another item OF reduction n the fac
that the men sometimes Obtained omploy
mont IN other indnftrlos dur ng the strikes
As this Sa7li,0r was lost from lnSiSs2 day
Of idlencss II appear that tho average rat
OF waros caincd by The part cs = King WI
81 50 per day Tables are q. 3erded 70 ~
report showing these facts IN detail.