Omaha daily bee., 1890-05-04
TOLL AND MOIL A WEARY DAY.
The Lamentable Experience of Young Men
and Maiden Clerks Of Omaha.
A MOVEMENT TO RELIEVE BOTH
Standing From Morning Till Night
launching in Cellar - The Elo-
quent Pleas of Shoe Clerks for
Early Closing.

The ladies OF Womcn's assembly, No. 1919,
knights Of Labor, during the past few days
have taken most decided interest in the
hardships that surround the pathway Of the
working girls, and especially the clerks and
shop girls Of the city. One lady, who is a
prominent officer in the association, said yes
tcrday: ut is an outrage upon humanity that
these girls are compelled to endure such great
hardships. Our assembly has made thor
ough canvass of the situation and we find
nearly two thousand young girls in Omaha
who are compelled to toll from ten to four
teen hours per day six days in the week. We
don't object to the hours they labor If they
were well treated and received fair wages for
their services. Now take for instance the
girls in most of the stores and see what they
have to do AT Z: 80 n. m. oung girl comes
down town, and five minutes later she Is be-
hind the counter, where she is constantly on
her feet until o'clo ck at night, and ire
quently two or three hours later III girl at
tempts TO rest, by leaning against the counter,
she receives severe reprimand, and II the
practice is continued, she Is called into the
private Office and disCha gcd.
.'At noon the girls in many of the fashiona-
BILE stores are given fifteen minutes for lunch,
but what lunch it is, not that there is any
thing wrong with the quality, but the place
where it is eaten. Down in the basement of
nearly every store in the city there is an un-
occupied room, dimly lighted and without
ventilation. In this place, call at high noon
and you will find any where, depending upon
the magnitude of the store, from hve to
twenty young women, leaning against the
wall or sitting upon the floor, devourlng n
cold lunch. When this is finished they are
again at their places in the palatial salesrooms,
when weary, footsore and despondent, they
are expected to smile upon customers and re
ceive the insults of shoppers for six hours
more. This thing is repeated day after day,
Ia nH
never a hand is raised to help the poor young
creatures who are giving their lives to their
employers, receiving but little better treat
ment than the beasts of burden.
"With these girls,,' said the lady, 1.-THE
wage question is another matter that must
receive the attention of our union. We do
not propose to dictate whatwag merchant
shall pay his clerks, but we do propose that
our daughters and our sisters shall receive
fair and respectable compensation for their
services. To give you an idea. Last Christ
mas number of young girls went to work
in one of the leading stores, Where they were
employed to sell on commission. The hrst
day they worked they made the enormous
sum of 10 cents, and when the week was
ended after paying their car fare they were
in debt, Notwithstanding the fact that they
had been on their feet and worked nearly
ninety six hours.
"This is one of the evils we want righted,"
said the lady, land the only way is to make
move The girls will not make the start, and
so we have decided to take the matter up,
having been pledged the support of
the Central Labor union, as well as the sup
port of every other union in the city.
1--WE do not expect to bring about revolu-
ton, but by taking active steps, being firm
and making only Just demands, we expect
that in time we will put woman on footing
where she will receive the same pay as man,
providing she does the same work and does
it welln
The ladies who are working in this vine
yard have started out with an earnest deter
mination and will make II strong effort to
carry their point which they hope to do by
gathering in new members until their union
is of such proportions as to make its influence
felt.
At the meeting held last week fifty new
members were admitted, and nearly double
that number of applications for membership
filed. Most of the applicants are young ladies
who are employed in the stores, shops and
factories. who believe their condition will be
benefited by placing themselves under the
protecting wing of the Knights of Labor, who
are pledged to look after the welfare of this
sister organization as watchfully as after
their own.