St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-04
BENEFITS OF union.
Success OF Trades Unions as
Exemplified in the Cigar
makers.
a Variety OF Benefits Satisfac-
torily Administered at
Slight Cost.
Here, at Least, the "Walking
Delegate" Accomplished
Some Good.
Labor Commissioner Powers
Makes a Few Interesting
Comparisons.

The bureau of labor statistics has re
Gently complied table sho wing the
comparative working of the cigarmak-
erS' union, and that of several we'll
known business organizations In this
way the public may form an intelligent
idea of the practical results of member
ship in the union. This cOmparisO n is
to be followed by quite a number,
among them being one showing how the
unions tend to lessen strikes nd dis
putes between employer and employees
Mr.. Powers, of the bureau, first COM
pareS the statistics of the cigarmakerS
with those of the Metropolitan and the
Prudential, two of the largest and best
managed of the insurance companies
that transact a life business that
is mainly confined to insur-
ing the lives of the working
people. To these are added the Ancient
Order of United Workmen and the Ger
man system of compulsory life insur-
ance. AT first all are treated as means
or instruments for securing some form
of insurance. The Metropolitan and
Prudential as rule insure small sums
calculated to pay the expenses of the
assured in the event of death. The av-
erage death loss in the Metropolitan
in 1890 was S97.l4; that of the Pruden-
tiai was about the same. The sum in
sured in the orderOf Workmen is 1000.
The benefits of the clgarmakers are five
III number, namely, strike, death, sick,
travelling and out of work. The death
benefit, like that of the Metropolitan. is
small and calculated to pay funeral ex-
penseS. The sick benefit
Secures a Weekly Payment
of from So to So to all members unable
TO work by reason of temporary ill
health. Tie strike benefit provides
from 50 to s. a week to all out of work
by reason of strike ordered by the
supreme body. The travelling benefit
is system of loans that enables MEN,
Der out Of work and unable to secure it
where he resides to travel until he gains
employment. The out-Of-work benefit
Is for those members who by reason of
families or other causes cannot travel
away from home to seek work. 1t Sc
cures the payment of small weekly
sums to those who are thus out of work
The following are the sums paid by the
cigarmakerS as benefits in 1890: Strike
OCliCubS. SIC. .Oul-Ol-WOIh DeDtUIS,
S22, $50; travelling, S37, 9l4.72: death, S26-
046; sick, $64, 66047. In addition 10 the
foregoing sums, the local bodies raised
and paid to assist other local unions the
sum of $3.50. All these are included in
the total of the benefits of the cigar
makers.
In the receipts and disbursements
given below are included only those
sums that in 1890 were paid directly by
the members or policy holders as dues
or premiums; rents or interest on the
accumulated payments of other years
are in no instance considered. In the
published reports of the United Work
men there is no statement of the eX-
penses of their local bodies. To com
plete the comparison. they are estimated
to be the same as the cigarmakers, $500
per capita on an average. Sums that
include that estimate are in the table
below marked All other or UNI
marked statements are from official re-
ports.