The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-15

wives, women workers and olub women
1ehg,,e demands tho union 1apet OH every
ftlp to the standard OF uniohsnl. This
purchase aud ID helping women and chill
dren workers to better conditions,
Miss steghagon says that the Boot and
Shoe Workers. Union has u woman In
the field whose d,ity 1t Is TO organlze tile
women OF tho trade, hnd nlso 70 work
for the union label. This Organization pays
s5 per week sick dement's, 80 q week to
every one or Its members on q strike and
from sbo TO sloo In cnso OF death. She
says that her union has but few strikes,
a,d tint most OF It's troubles nre set
tied BY arbitration
AS TO womcn's trades Unions, Miss Steg-
hagen wri,cs that their objects are a. rn-
tonal number of working hours. fall
wages ana tho elimination Of child labor.
She SAWS that II, some parts Uf the coun-3
try tho shoe factories work their hands
nine hours per day and III others ten.
pecework Is most common. ana $40 n
week Is considered medium wage for
experienced workers. In her lrnde the
hours nre the ssino for women as for
nen, aud some women earn quite rs
much MS the men. She thinks woman n
good STRIKER, but advises strikes only as
- lnst resort She says that organization
has greatly benefited her trndc. She be.
lieyes that womcn's unions VIII steadily
grow and that III time they VIII cover
every branch of woman's work. even to
the servant girl About 80 PET cent. OF
the boot and shoe workers are women
The Glove Makers.
Among tho most interesting OF the wo.
mems trades unions Is that OF the glove
workers. They have branches In Glovers.
vile, N. r.; In Chicago and In other
glove-maktng centcrs. AS to this union.
I have n letter from Miss Agnes Nestor,
a member OF the executive board Of the
international Glove Workers Union oi
America, from which i abstract the fol-
lowing:
Glove making consists OF fhc work
and heavy work. Most OF the fine work
is on kid gloves, which are made in the
east and chiefly at Glovcrsville, N. Y.
This work requires considerable skill, and
1t pays well. 1t is done by thu piece. and
the wages depend upon the speed OF the
worker Tho heavy work includes the
making OF gloves OF horse hide calfsklr.
buckskln. &c. This Is mainly done IN
the west, ana Is divided up into differen,
crafts. There !s one branch known as
CLOSING" which is most dlHcult to learn
and which pays best. the girls receiving
20 cents an hour for II. Men receive the
same wages
Women and Trades Unions.
Miss Nestor writes that her trades
union has done much for tho glove work.
ers of Chicago. Tho union there has heen
organized only two years. and It has al
ready secured the CLOSED shop" and
the Saturday half holiday during the
summer months. 1t has abolished the
system OF paying 50 cents per week per
operator for the use OF steam power,
and has gained other things. The same
advantages have been secured in other
parts OF the country.
Miss Nestor says that 1t Is as neces-
sary for n woman to belong to n trades
union as It Is for a. man. and that II
does not unscx woman nor make her
masculine. She writes:
ave will keep our womanly dignity
through 1t all. we now have our own
locals We transact our own business
and we have shown that we can be busi-
ness-llke as we'll as the men. We are
sure that the time will como when women
will have the same hours Of work as men
and when they will receive the same pay
for the same work performed"
Copyright 1904, by Frank G. Carpen-
teri