The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1886-05-01
CAUSES OF STRIKES.
The Humber, Location, Causes and Results
of Strikes and Lock Outs for the
Year 1880.
Report of Mr.. Joseph ID. Weeks. Who Has
Been Employed by the Census Bureau
to Investigate Causes OF the
Labor Troubles.


COMMISSIONER WEEKS REPORT.
WAsHINGToN, April "a Mr.. Joseph D.
Weeks who has been employed under the
Census Bureau in making an investigation
into the number, location, causes and results
of strikes and lock outs during the calendar
year 1880, has just completed his report. In
his letter of transmittal to the Superintend.
ent OF the Census, he says "Those who un-
derstand the difficulties in the way of such
an investigation rs this will not be surprised
at its incompleteness, and especially at it's
failure to secure records of the number of
employees engaged in all the strikes and lock-
outs reported, as well as the number of days
and amount of wages lost
In the outset OF the report he states that
both the employers and employed, as a class,
hesitate to engage in strike or lockout,
especially after having experienced the dis
astrous effects of these Industrial agitations.
The condition of mutual respect and forbear.
ance between these two classes has been
growing in this country. and strikes have
grown not less frequent but they are under
taken only when it is felt that there is no
other resource. He states that in his efforts
to get information of strikes, he sent out
LOO circulars to both employees and employ
ers who were directly concerned, and he
adds that most of the replies were received
from employers and very few from the en-
ployes The latter either making no re-
sponse or refusing the desired information,
giving as their reason that it might be used
to their disadvantage by the employers.
From what returns were received he OBJ
served the tendency of the workmen n to mag
nifty strike and of employers to disparage
lta imnOrtanpa and n q tho hnll of IN
formation came from the latter the state
ments made in the report As to the number
OF strikes. the men concerned in it ETC., are
understated rather than the reverse.
The difference between strike and lock-
out is stated to be the stoppage OF work in
the first instance growing out of some de-
mand or other action of the employees, and in
the latter instance from some demand or
acton on the part of employers which is re-
sisted by the workmen In some cases, by
agreement between the employers or the EN-
ployes, work is stopped in one establishment
because OF the existence of strike or q
lock In another. OF the total number of
rikes-the word being used to include
both strikers and lock -outs-reported in 1880,
which was 762, Pennsylvania with 30, New
York with 10i and Ohio with 93, are credited
with sol, or t5A per cent. u
In the mining and manufacturing States
the strikes are more frequent, while very in
frequent in agricultural trades, where large
bodies of men are collected together. The
same is true of those engaged In profess on
al and personal services. Domestic servants
aud the great body of unclassified laborers,
VIII ich two groups include more than ~ per
cent of those engaged in personal and pro-
fessiona services, do not strike at ALL or at
least do not strike in such way as to get the
fact into the papers.
The number of strikes reported in certain
prominent trades are as ollOws 236 in iron
and steel industries; l5S in coal mining; 46 in
the textile trades; AZ in cigar making; 36 in
r~nH Int In ttln rfnti
printing trades; = in glass industries; IA in
piano making, and II in boot and shoe max
ing.
MIR. Weeks thinks that the frequency of
strikes is not wholly due to the aggregation
of workmen at certain points. In Great
Britain more than twenty-five per cent. of
the strikes occur in the building trades and
while the metal trades, mining and textile
trades rank next. much the greater proper
tion-1h per cent.-of the strikes reported
| in this country in 1880 were caused by differ
ences as to rates of wages and of these 81 per
cent were for an advance and 91a per cent.
| were against reduction.
or the more important industries, espec-
| iaily noticeable in the boot and shoe trades,
| methods of work and rules of the shop oc-
| casioned as many strikes as rates of wages.
The results of only 4s1 strikes are reported,
and of this number 35 per cent. were success.
| ful, is per cent. were compromised and AZ
| per cent were unsuccessful Every strike
| in connection with hours of labor were un.
successful, while those relating to payment
of wages were uniformly succeeded. 1t
| should also be noted that strikes growing
out of demands for an advance are much
| more uniformly unsuccessful than those
| against a reduction.
In conditions of trade that Justify an ad.
vance, it is much more to the interest of the
| employer to give in than to have his works
stop On the other hand, when trade is not
| so brisk, it is to the advantage Of the en-
ployer to have his works stopped. In such
cases the opposition to a demand for a re-
| duction is not of little effect The reduction
| comes or the works stop.
| AS to the results of strikes and lock-Outs
| 1t appears that these depend largely on the
| condt on OF trade. In $780, however, there
| was an era of remarkable prosperity, and as
| result strikes were successful in proper
| ton of cases, doubtless much above the
| average.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of Pennsyl
vania N the investigation into strikes il
that State for forty.six years, beginning il
| 1S}', states that 45 of the 49, of which the re
suit was given, were successful, or S}l5 pei
| cent. while 66 or IS 4-5 per cont. were unsuc
cessful This corresponds, the report adds
in some degree with the results obtained il
the present investigation. AS this repor
shows that 81 per cent were successful while
4. per cent, were unsuccessful.
Tho Massachusetts, report, however show,
| remarkable difference, only twelve pei
| cent. being reported successful and seventy
three per cent. unsuccessful This show.
that the industrial conditions in Massa
chusetts are widely different from those ex
listing In other parts of the country,
1t has been known, adds Mr.. Weeks, t.
| careful observers, that strikes are neither 81
| frequent nor so successful when undertaken
in New England as in other States.
| In regard to losses by strikes the repor
states that from 4l4 of the 162 strikes re
ported. figures are given showing that tn,
number of men idle i'll these cases were 12S,
252 which includes only those men idle di
rectly in consequence of the strike, and no
those who may have been laid idle in othe
parts of the works or N other works by rea
son of the strike. There are 34S strikes con
Cernfng which no statement has been re
ceived as to the number of men idle B.
approximation the number is estimated 4
have been T3,sI6, wh ch, added 10 the above
would give a total of 22s IS idle men.
With relation to the loss of wages it is est
mated that each of these men were idl
twenty seven days The returns show tha
g. ~ employees lost sAT1l.t97 This would b
at the rate of s57 each. As the entire nun
Der OF employees est mated was 22s,l3S, tn
total loss of wages in this average would b
SlSU3,si6, that is for the time lost Tn
wages which would have been received ha
the works run constantly is the amour
named. In case the Ike was successfl
the men received add tional pay and in case
where unionsm existed the men receive
strike paw. but this was simply refunde
none that Lad previously been paid. Their
Is also another item of reduction IN the fac
| that the men sometimes oheined employ
mont n other industries dur ng the strike,
Il tbs 81 20 was 10 I from 1883 s11 day
Of idleneSS I appears that the average rat
o. ware earned hy the parties striking wa