The Indianapolis journal., 1904-05-15

ers OF America
| so per cent of our saIesadies are getting
| less than 81 per week and so per cent. less
| than So.
MASCULINE WOMEN.
You ask whether trades unions unsex
I women and make them masculine? 1 don't
| think so. If they are unsexed it is from
| the lack Of respect that men have for them
since they have entered the field of labor
They look upon US as competitors, and do
| not remember that we are an absolute ne
| cessity, and that IL we withdrew from the
| field an enormous amount of foreign labor
would have to be brought in TO do our
work. The woman now takes her own
chances in all public places. She has TO
| fight for her seat in the street car and man
| fights against her for it. Is it any won
| der that such battles have a tendency to
make her appear masculine?
"Will women ever receive the same wages
| as men? That time is far distant but il
Will come. 1t has come in some crafts. In
union printing offices lady typesetters are
paid the same as men. In union cigar fac
| tories women are paid by the union scale.
and 1t is so in some other branches of
union labor.
LAS to strikes, women make excellent
strikers. They will do and dare more than
| the men. They are more determined and
more persistent. / believe in reserving the
| right TO strike, and that the strike serves
as school in which both employer and
emplcye learn to know and appreciate each
other better. l believe in the boycott as
| one CT the best weapons of the trade
unions, and that without it but few battles
| could be won"
My next letter is from Boston. 1t is writ
ten by Miss Anna Bowen, the head Of the
| women cigar strippers OF that city She
says:
Women can do much to help their sex
| in labor matters They should demand
len Of uvno
they make their purchases, and they should
insist that all goods bought by them have
union labels If the women of the couT--
try would do this they would elevate their
sex more rapidly than by any other meth
od II they will demand the union label
upon all goods they buy they will compel
every factory to obtain that label and this
means that the factory will pay fair wages
give fair hours and establish good work
ing conditions for its hands. By demand
ing the union card they will make il so
that every woman clerk must belong TO
the union, and the result will be that 50
higher wages for shorter hours and that
under better sanitary conditions"
DO trades unions make women mascu-
line? Certainly not: why should they?
They tend to make women practical and
show them that their sex does not protect
them from the greed Of an unfair employer
They teach them that they must organ
ize to protect their own interests
What is the aim of women's trades
unions?'
Otnor trades
unions. the betterment of conditions
We want more pay and less hours Of labor,
We want better conditions OF work and By
our union we secure them. IN some OF our
factories We now work fifty-five hours
per week. in others ffty-thTee and in some
the girls have a half holiday every Sat
urday the year round. Our wages are no.
where less than s6 per week. and upon
piecework the girl strippers. make from
81 to sl2 per week.
WOMEN VS.. MEN WORKERS.
"Wiu the time come when women will
receive the same pay the mem"
Eyes. just as soon as they realize that
they must adopt the same methods TO get
it. The advantages men have are only
those which they have been able 10 demand
When women are organized the men
they will secure the same advantages. At
present the women cigar makers receive the
same wages as the men. The same is true
in many other trades where unionism pre-
walls.
mands in strikes steadfastly as the men
This is shown by their actions i'm the re-
cent strikes in Fall River, Lawrence. Glo-
versville and in the garment working
trades. and also in the shoe workers strike
of Lynn. Marlboro and Haverhill. | do
not believe in strikes except when they are
absolutely necessary. and think every DOS
sible means toward an amica Bile settlement
should be made. / do believe in the how
cott in all cases where an employer threat
ems to lower the standard of labor in a
given industry. and think il the duty OF
the whole people to boycott such employ
ers.
.You ask me what organized labor has
done for my trade? 1t has raised the wages
from 10 TO II per cent. has bettered our
working conditions and has reduced the
hours OF labor one hour per day. with a
Saturday half holiday during the summer
months II has raised the self-respect of
the working girl by making her feel that