The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-05-16
THE HoUsE-MA UNION.
sentIment as 60 Wages Modified. steps
TO form ihe Unions

I
| TO form lhe Unions
The article published ia last Sundays
TATr1RR detailing the particulars Of q
move for an organization, protective and
beneficial, by the house workers of the
city, excited quite as much interest among
| thd housewives as among their servants.
| Very many readers Of the TATTLER boosted
during the week that their copy of the
paper had been kept studiously out of their
kitchens. The precaution was utterly nm
necessary, for the reason that the wage
workers are quick to know of any move
ment under way that affects their inter-
ests, and that il the servants failed to learn
of it byan actual perusal of the columns
OF the TATTLER they could not miss hear
ing about it in their conferences with others
of their claas. As a matter of faot the pa
per of last Sunday was sought at all the
stands by the housemaids Of all classes, and
at the Sunday and Thursday outings of the
girls but little else than the prospective
organization was talked of.
The whole corps Of IATyLER reporters
were instructed to divide themselves
Thursday evening around at the places
where the servant maids congregate in
largest numbers, with view of learning
more than could be given last Sunday
morning of isis singularly interesting
movement. IT was learned that some Of
the promoters of the movement declared
that the article was il-timed, and that the
premature publication of their plans was
to be deplored. This view was shared ex-
,clusively by the ambitious managers, who
do not desire to be euohred out of the con-
troll Of ,xnt1n frpv, ,a1
sBut," said one of them, 81 have no am
bition that way, and / tell you that yonr
article has done more for us at one leap,
than we could have done for ourselves
in six months. It is very tedious work to
see single girl at time and learn her
views, and ascertain whether she is willing
to go into the movement. We had been at
work two weeks when your story appeared
and had then only about fifty names at our
disposal. The agitation of the matter by
! the TATTLER has sent us the names Of over
| 200 girls that are willing and ready and
anxious to join us. They are, however, as
you know, only a small proportion Of all
the servant girls in the city, and we shall
not take any decisive steps in the matter
till we know of 500 or more ready to go in.
We expect to be in readiness for meeting
within the next two weeks will see that
you are notified of the time and place and
give you such further particulars as will
be allowed to give"
The girl whose words are quoted was
scarcely Just in describing the TArrLER's
article as an agitation. 1t was not ini ended
for that purpose. The TATrLER was given
the cue to an interesting movement and
reported what its reporters could learn
about it merely as news To the vast ma
joriiy of girls in the city it was news, for
as our infcrmsnt states, up to the time of
the publication of the article last Sunday
onlp about SO servant girls had been LET
into the secret. The general tenor of the
conversation among the houssmaids last
Thursday indicated that the ideas of these
so may be somewhat modified by the con-
servatism of the rest of the house wage
workers. They all agreed that an associa-
ton formed for protection purposes would
be great Institution. 1t would be benef-
cence, they all said, to have fund from
which the needy could draw relief, and
bureau at whichsinformation as to the wor-
thiness of prospective employees could he
secured; and it might be advantageous too,
mary agreed. to establish standard of
wages. But there was wide difference Of
opinion as to the wisdom and advisability
of exaetlng increases of pay or of insisting
upon weekly outing that would keep the
mistresses at home every Thursday even
ing, or of interfering with the objections
in some families to girls receiving their
company" in the house. Several of the
girls thought that the prevailing rates of
wages are high enough, and that to take
every Thursday irrevocably out Of the
mistress's week would be carrying the
thing too far. From conversations with
the girls it was inferrable that, with but
few exceptions, they are satisfied with their
earnings and with Thursdays vacation
every other week. On the ether hand, it
was insisted that the girls have to work
very hard; that from O'Clock in the morn
ing till 10 o'clock at night ssthe bell is eter-
nally rigging for SARAH" that the mistresses
have got to have help, and that they will
gladly pay 81 or 50 more per month If they
understood the service cannot be had for
less. The probable action in questions of
this kind, however, is all matter of spec
ulation. and till the girls shall have got TO-
gether nothing of satisfactory nature can
be furnished. a.
Within week or two the matter will
have taken a more definite shape, and the
TATTLER will continue to furnish the latest
information concerning it.