Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1886-04-29
CAUSES OF STRIKES.
The Number, Location, Causes and Results
Of Strikes and Lock Outs for the
Year 1880.
Report OF Mr.. Joseph n. Weeks. who Has
Been Employed by the Census nureau
to Investigate Causes OF the
Labor Troubles.
COMMISSIONER wrkxs' Rrronr.

COMMISSIONER wEEKs' REPORT
WAsntSorON, April 81 MIR. Joseph ID.
Wocks. who has bccn employed under tho
Census Bureau in making an investigation
Into the numbor. location, causes aud results
OF strikes and lock outs during the calendar
year 1854 has just completed his report In
his letter OF transmittal to the Supcrintcnd-
ent OF tho Census. he says; Those who un-
derstand the difficulties ia the way OF such
an investigation a. this will not be surprised
Al lts sincompictencss. and especially at its
failure To secure records OF the numhcr OF
employees engaged In all the strikes aud lock.
outsreported, as well as the number OF DAYS
and amount OF wages lost"
In the outset OF the report he states that
both the employers ana employed. as class,
hesitate to engage in astrlke or lock out
especially after having experienced the a :.
astrous effects OF these industrial agitations
The condition OF mutual respect and forbcar.
snoe between these two classes has been
growing I'm this country. aud strikes have
grown not less frequent but they are under.
taken only when IL IN fclt that there il no
other resource. He states that In his efforts
TO get Information of strikes, he sent out
l.sO circulars to both employees aud employ.
ers who were directly concerned. and he
adds that most OF the replies were received
from employers and very few from the Gun.
ployes- The latter either making no ro.
sponse or refusing the desired Information
giving NJ their reason that II might be used
TO their disadvantage by the employers
From what returns were received he oh.
served the tendency OF the workmcn 60 mag
nlty strike and OF employers 20 disparngc
It's Importance, and as the bulk OF the ia.
FORMATION came from the latter the state
ments made in the report a. Co the number
OF rtrikes, the men concerned I'm 4 oto are
undcretatcd rather than the reverse
Inc nlnercncc between strike and a lock.
nR ~ a..
the nrst instance growing out OF some dc.
mand or other action OF tho employees aud in
the lsttcr instance from some demand or
action on the part OF employers which h re
sisted by the workmen In some cases by
agreement between the employers or tho em.
ployes, work H. stopped Ia one establishment
because OF the existence OF u strike or a
lock out in another. Of the total number OF
strikes-tho word being used To include
both strikers aud lock out ts-reportod In IssS
which was .es Pennsylvania with 30i. New
lofk with lni and Ohio with 30, are cred ted
with b1l, or hhA per cent
In the mining aud manufacturing States
the strikes are moro frequent while very In
frequent In agricultural trades. where largo
oodloa OF mon are collected together The
same ia truo Of those engaged Ia profess ON.
al and personal servloes. Domestic servants
aud the great body of unciassiicd lnbororN
VIII oh two groups include moro than ~ pc,
cent or those engaged I'm personal and pro
iessonal services do not strike ~ all, or At
least do not strike ia such way as To get the
fact into the papers
The number of strikes reported iu certain
and steel industr es: 15s ia coal mining "a i'm
the textile trades: A; In cigar making Al in
building trades; ~ In transportation: - ia
printing trades. - IN glass industFless II I'm
piano making and II IN boot and shoe max.
ing.
Mr Weeks thinks TINT tho freaueocv n,
Strikes u not Who'll due TO the aggregation
OF workmen at certain ponts In Grent
Brtain more than twenty -nvo per cent OF
the strikes occur IN the building trades nnd
while the metal trades IN m nR and tevtiic
trades rank next. much the greatcr propor.
tlon-Iii per cent:--of the strikes reported
In this country in iSSD were caused by differ.
ences as 10 rates OF wages and OF those ~ nor
cent were Tor Hn advance and 05t per cent
were against n reduction.
OF tho more important Industries oapec.
iaily noticeable in the boot and shoe trades
methods OF work and rules OF the shop os,
chaioncd ne many strikes ~ rates OF wages
Tho results OF only tSI strikes are reported
ana or this number ~ per cent. were success.
tn. ~ per cent were compromised and g.
per cent were unsuccessful Every strike
IN connection with hours Of labor were ttn.
successful. while those relating 10 payment
OF waVes we're uniformly succoeficd ~
should also be noted that strikes growing
out OF demands for an advance are much
more uniformly unsuccessful than those
In conditions Of trade that Justify an ad.
Nauce. ~ u much moro 60 the Interest of the
empioyer 20 give n than 70 have bis works
stop On the other hand when trade h not
90 brisk, ~ ~ 10 the advantage 81 the en-
plOJor 10 have hls works stopped In such
cases the opposition 20 a demand Tor n re
ductiOn H. not OF little effect. The reduction
comes or the works stop.
=, A. 10 Tho results OF strikes and iock-outs
u appears that these depend largely on tho
condit on Of trade. In lsa. however tbore
was an era OF remarkable prosperity and a.
aresult strikes were successful in 4 pror0r.
hon OF cases, doubtless much above tho
average
The bureau OF Labor statistics Of Pennsyl.
Nania in the investigation into str. kes In
that state for forty six years beginning ir,
l.s3i states that a. Of the iyi. OF which fhg re.
suit was gwen, were successfui, or sps per
ar a. fafan fffN
cessfuL This corresponds. tho report adds
~ some degree with the results obtained in
The present investlgntion. As This report
shows that 4 per cent were successful VII le
a. per cent we're un-uccessftl
The Massechusetts report. however shows
q remarheble difference only twelve Dor
cent being reported successful sud aevertv.
three per cent. unsuccessfui This ah0ws
that the industrial qOnd. tlOua fu gesaa
chusetts are widely different from those e..
istinR iu other parts of the cOuufFy
~ has been known- aids Mr Weeks %
oafefui ob4eFVera. that strikes are neither 20
frequent nor 20 successful when undertaten
In New England o. in other gtates
10 regard % losses 0y strikes, the report
ported. figures are given showing thai The
number Of men idle lI these cases were ~.
~, which includes only those men ldIs. al
recfly iu consegIiorco 81 the sfrffo .gd -
those who uHy have heeu laid idie Iu ofhar
parts ~ the works or ~ other works hy rea-
cerninR which no statement has been re-
ceiFed ~ - the number Of men idle Rv
eNItoAftNatiuW tho number o. estimated 20
have been ".elG ~ ch. aided 20 the above
you'd give total ~ f,sis die men
W ~ relation % the iuea ~ eaFes if B. est.
mated that each Of these ncn we're die
tWenty seven days The returns show fhsf
3f5tp employees lost f3.1iifW Thfe would tc
A. The rate ~ tJ each. Aa the entire num-
Der ~ employes estimated was Egs igs fhr
lota lOss ~ Vsges iu this average woud ~
ti5p8.rt that 81 for tho time i0af The
HaGes whici would have been received had
the WOrke run constantly. De- the amount
uamed. in case the strike vas succfsafuI
the men received ADD tonaI pay aud in caars
where unlOnism existed fhe men received
strike pay but thIs was simply refunded
money that had preVIousIy been paid There
o. also another item ~ reduction in fho fslf
tnaf the men sOf1ftimcs Obtained employ.
fneut IN other industries during The strikes
- THE Ha.liflNN was lost from pF Rs fars
n difress it apprara fhat fhc aVerare rafo
oI Waees eafnei ~ che parties striking uas
~ 20 Per naF Tables are appended ff fEa
report showing these facfs in detail.
aa aa
a young Euglishman arrived AZ
Hamilton, Ont several months AGO