Evening star., 1899-06-09

national ana local purposes was SL2.'1t, and
the expenses of administration $6.13, or
only PA per cent of the contributions
Throughout this national body the benefit
features We're larger than those of the
cigar makers in 1892, and the travelling
benefit was a gift, not loan.
Amount Spent for Strikes
"A study of the benefit features of Ameri-
can trade unions was made by the New
York bureau of statistics of labor, and
presented in its report for 1894. OF the SOL
labor organizations and 155.S43 members
at that tim9 In the state, data of the
amount spent for strikes and benefit fea-
lures were obtained from 541 organizati tons
representing 121,957 members, or possibly
one-fifth of all those in labor organizations
at that time in the United States The
statistics of strikes are by no means a
sure indication of the number of labor or
gan,zations. Pennsylvania, owing to its
coal mines. had nearly twice as many per-
sons involved in strikes during the seven
and ona-half years ending June 80 1894.
as did New York la), although the organi-
zaton OF labor is generally supposed to
be better in the latter state. 1t may be
worth nothing, however, that during those
seven and one-half years New York had
l4.3 per cent of the total number of strikers
IN the United States, lo.l per cent of the
number of employees at work before the
strikes, 37.1 per cent of the total number
of strikes, 1873 per cent of thu number of
strikes ordered by labor organizations, and
~
| Hshments affected by strikes.
"Of the 541 organiza atoms reporting to the
New YORK bureau the financial aid given
to members. 37S. or 40 per cent were aftiIi-
ated with 33 national bodies. each having
three or more local organizations in the
state, while some of the others were aftili-
ated with small national bodies. The
, Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners had
6l local bodies making returns. and a few
others that failed to do so. Forty-three
locals of the fgarmakers' International
| Union gave reports, 81 of the Locomotive
| Engineers, % of the Railway Trainmen %
| of the Locomotive Firemen, p of the Iron
MolderS II Of the international Associa-
| ton of Machinists, Il of the Amaigamated
! Society of Carpenters and Joners, Il of the
| International Typographical Union, IL of
| the Jcurneymen Bakers and Confectioners'
International Union and 10 of the Rail-
way Conductors. In table is
| given, by industries, the membership of
labor organizations reporting the amount
of financial aid given. of the organizations
| reporting no financial aid, and of those
| failing to report at all TO the New York
bureau. There are also given the payments
| for out-of-work, sick and death benefits,
| strikes, donations to other organiZa lions,
| and unclassified benefits. as well as the
| total of all these payments
The Cigarmakers' Union.
| OF the Cigarmakers' International Union
| of America the report says
| This union has the reputation of pos
| sessing the best-developed system of bene-
| fits and the largest reserve fund per mem
| ber of any union in America. This is due,
| in some measure to the fact that cigar
| makers work in shops where there is little
| noise from machinery and where they can
| converse upon questions of general inter-
| est while they work. They are also accus-
| toned in many shops to pay a reader to
| read to them while they labor. But a still
| more important factor in the development
| of the union has been the able leadership.
| Although some locals date back to 1851.
| the union was organized in New York city
in 1854 and was known as the National
| Cigarmakers Union The membership was
| $500 in 1869, but had dwindled in 1877 to
, 1,O16, in II locals A great strike was in
| augurated in New York in 1877. which.
| though unsuccessful in its immediate OBJ
jects. was ultimately of great benefit. In
| 1880 blue label was adopted, to be placed
upon all unon-made cigars This has been
| a great factor in the growth of the union.
In the three years ending September 1,
| 1896, eighty-seven difficulties of the unions
| with their employers, involving 775 MEM
bers Of the unions and 1.749 non-unionists,