Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-07-26
wHEn lilly TRnATED.
A Pullman Woman Writes a Let
ter to a Topeka Man.

boU w ~ 4Opoha pheh'
Harry Chapman, who IS the secre-
tary Of the local A, r. u, recently
wrote TO Miss Mollie Fay at Pull
man, Illinois, who is the secretary Of
the ladies auxiliary to the union at
that place, with view to getting q
direct statement Of the condition Of
affairs between the Pullman company
and it's employees. He received the
following letter in reply to-day:
PULLMAN, ILL.,, July IA, '94
Mr.. Chapman:
In answer to your letter / would
say; / am willing to furnish you with
the circumstances Of the working
girls Of Pullman.
am pleased to know the workmen
Of the west are in sympathy with us.
We have received great many let
ters asking for statement from one
OF our number.
In 1893, wages we're good, We
were allowed to make, on piece work,
$225 per day; but this year we have
been put down to starvation wages.
Last year we got So for an eight
section carpet, and for the same work
this year we got SLIGO and drapery
that we got $l,75 for, was cut to 60
cents. Mattresses were cut from 81
cents to 10 cents q piece. Smoking
room drapery from $1.25 to As cents,
Enclosed section curtains from 70
cents to 10 cents.
The houses that the working peo-
pie are obliged to live in rent from
$2S71 for six rooms, $25.7l without
bath, and $l7.71 for FIVE rooms, $l5.71
for four rooms, and $1,000 for three
rooms. And this year any person or
family who wished to work in the
Pullman shops we're obliged to rent
from the Pullman company.
The employees we're charged as
.unuc6 for rent and the necessities Of
life, as when wages were good.
The Pullman company pays its en-
ployes, and the rent collector comes
around with the psymaster The
paymaster hands the employee two
checks, one for the rent, which must
be signed and handed to the collector
the balance the employe may keep il
there is any and when any person was
laid off, or sick, or in any way got be-
hind with their rent, their checks
would be held at the bank for the
rent
So far, / have been speaking Of the
two sewing departments. One we
call the new" sewing department,
and the other the repair department.
In both departments, we have very
abusive and tyrannicsl foremen, who
seem to think they must show their
authority by abusing the girls, and
cutting down wages every time they
have an opportunity. The foreman
in my department went SO far as to
forbid free speech. / objected to
that, and was told to leave the shops,
there was no more work there for me.
At that time three weeks before the
strike), ! was making at the rate Of
seventy cents day, and was quite q
bit behind with my rent. l asked for
a smaller house and was told that I
could not have one till | had paid in
full for the one 1 am living in. ! am
paying $25.H Tor Six rooms ana 4
told Che secretary OF the bank ! could
not pay the back rent till / got a
cheaper house. He told me the best
thing could do. was to vacate the
place coon as possible.
fla girl in our room was obliged to
stay at home half a day on account Of
sickness, or sickness in the family,
she was laid off three days for pun
ishment,
The girls employed ia the laundry
have three rates of day work; the
highest that is paid 9Ocents, and they
all do the same work.
In the hair department. where lit
tie girls are employed to pick hair for
mattresses, they haye been ground
down to So cents day o piece, and
they have to work very hard for that.
/ have seen a mans check for II
cents to support his family on for two
weeks, after working every day and
paying his rent.
/ could give you great many
facts, but have to write another let
ter inside Of an hour, as the mail
leaves here at that time.