The times., 1899-06-09
New York Cotton Market.
TRADE UNIONS AND BENEFITS
Interesting Facts in Department
of Labor Bulletin

The Bulletin of the Department of Labor
for June contains an able paper by Edward
w. Bemis, Phi. D., entitled, Benefit Fea-
lures of American Trade Unions,'' which
presents fair idea of the benefits which
these organizations confer upon their mem
bers in addition to the maintenance of
wages. 1t is seldom that the public is
given an opportunity to study the internal
working of trade unions and the influence
they exert upon society. Tie argument Tor
their existence is that they improve the
condition of the working class, not only IN
sisting upon such wages as will enable the
worker to maintain a good standard of
living, but assisting members in many
ways when death or disease :nvades their
family circles, or want of work cuts off all
income.
Trade unions are of comparative recent
growth in the United States The Oldest
OF national character is the International
Typographical Union of North America
which was organized in 1850. 1t is only in
recent years that unions in general have
become SO powerful as to exercise IN irked
influence upon society, and their benefit
features have only become a prominent
feature of the movement since 1880. These
have been largely copied from like fea-
lures of the trade unions of Great Britain,
and although they have found rapid
growth in America, our unions are still
considerably behind those of Great Britain
in the amounts expended per member.
Each trade union in America has its own
system of benefits, but usually they in
clude sick, death. and out-of-work bene-
fits Sick and death benefits are often
given by the local unions, and out-of-work
and strike benefits by the national unions
| The Cigar Makers International Union
grants sick, death, out ut-of-work, and strike
benefits. 1t also grants travelling benefits
In 1897 the membership of this union was
27,31S, and it expended in sick benefits
SIP, ,774.63; in death benefits, s69 1S6.G7; in
out-of-work benefits, S117 ,471.40; in strike
benefits, sl2 1850; in travelling benefits,
s29, ,067.04; making the total expenditure
per member for benefits, $12.47. The re-
ports show that there has been an in
crease in all the benefits given except the
strike benefit. In 1884 the expenditure for
strike benefits was $500 per member; in
1897 it was As cents per member In 1897
| there was a decrease in all the benefits
except the sick in which there was a
| slight increase The decrease in the out
of-work benefit was over 5000, and in
the strike benefit over $4,000. The sick
| benefit is S. q week for thirteen weeks in
any one year, but the expense, per member,
has increased from $2.20 In 1893 to S3.9S in
| 1897. The death benefit is now $50 after
membership of two years $500 after FIVE
| years and $3.50 after fifteen years, and $40
is paid on the death OF wife when the
| husband has been a member two years.
| The strike benefit is IS a week for the first
sixteen weeks and then SO week until the
| dispute is settled. The travelling benefit
is loan. which must be paid back rs soon
| as the member receives employment; no
| har
| time or $40 in all. The out-of-work
benefit is given only to those who have
| been members two years. They receive So
| a week, but no more than S54 can be given
| TO one person IN single year. The ex-
pense of this benefit per member was
| s5.51 in 1894; $5.9S in 1895; S6.26 in 1896,
and fell to s4.3O in 1897. The surplus in
the treasury January 1, 1898, was
| s194, ,240.3 80.
The International Typographical Union
| provides a burial, a home, and defence
| fund. In 1898 there was expended from
| each OF these funds, sums as follows For
| burial s23, ,0i0: for home, S35, il5.oO; Tor
| defence S24,O75.79. The membership for
| that year was 2S614. Each members pays
to the International Union 30 cents
| month. One-third of this is set apart for
| burial fund, from which burial beneht
| of $50 is paid on the death OF member.
| The home fund receives a like amount.
| The defence fund receives one fourth of
| these dues The strike benefit paid from
| this fund is 81 a week for a married man
| and IS a week for a single man. The
! home fund is used to support the Chllds-
Drexel Home for Union Printers, at Colo
RADIO Springs. Col.
The local unions may, and generally do.
| nav additional benefits to those given by
| the International Union. No. 6, OF New
| York. having g. 1895 members, expended for
additional benefits in the year 1898, SOL
33195
The German American Topographic in
| 1894 became a branch OF the International
! Typogl aphical Union without merging any
| of its benefit features. The Topographic.
with a membership of LOO, paid In 1898
| for sick benefits SO. $685., for death bene-
| Ats 50 900. for out-of- work benefits SS,603,
travelling benefits S390.62, and for strike
benefits 81, ,O53.s5 The entire expenditure
for benefits other than for strikes in four
teen years was S203, 55l.37, and for strike
| benefits in the same time, Sl9, 9,S6296. The
sick benefits are $5 a week for fifty weeks.
and after that 50 a week for fifty weeks
more, or S400 in all. After that member
cannot claim any more sick benefits for
! two wears The death benefit is 5000 for
members and $50 on the death of the wife,
| If the husband has been member one
year. The strike benefit is 81 a week for
six weeks, and if the strike last longer,
IS week.
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters
and Joiners of America in 1892 had 5l,3l3
members in good standing but the sub
stitution Of iron for wood in so many
buildings and the severe trade depression
|