The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-11-08
IN an Average They Labor sixyFe Week for Very
Small Wages.
THEIR WAGES NOT SUFFICIENT TO SUSTAIN THEM.
lhe Salary OF Every Woman Belonging to Labor Organization IS
From to SO Per Cent More Those Working in the
Open Factories and Shops of the Country Today.


women organize { was asked me the
other day. Since them cannot get
the thought from my MUD and
many are the answers, that
could be given to that httlesuuery.
Let us look at the poor girls that
work i'll the various stores asclcrks.
working for 81 90 per week To be-:
gin with until they have raised
their salary to about $500 per
week. They are getting about as
much as they can ever expect and
think of all the hours they must
work for these few dollars. On
the average they labor about Go
hours per week. Why, these are
starvation wages. And i can saw
conscientiously that no woman can
support herself on such wages if
she must board and clothe herself.
Yet if you speak to those very
sisters and try to show themiby be-
ing thoroughly organized they can
better their conditions they look at
you as If you were asking them to
commit a crime.
On the other hand if one gets a
glimpse of the sweat shops it chills
one to the heart to see filth and
poor ventilation. Poor women they
do not know that the very work
they are performing is about one.
fourth the price the contractor is
receiving for it. And there the
abuse they are subjected to. Why,
if they were taught what it meant
to be organized, to have your price
list agreed upon for one year, and
working hours reduced to s hours
per day, the factory in clean. sani-
tary condition and dwhen q new gar
ment is to be made for employer to
come to his employees and submit
1T to them and together they set
price that is satisfactory to both
parties. If the working women
would only stop and think of these
things.
The salary every woman belong
ing to an organization is from % to
90 per cent. more than those work.
ing in open factories. / wonder,
after studying these things would
they still hesitate if you would ask
them to join your organization.
But the minute the employer sees
his people are getting educated
then he will discharge the strongest
amongst them and the remainder
are in such fear that they do not
dare to insist OH the demands or i'm
crease which was asked.
The majority of women do not
intend to work all their lives in a
store or factory, and will not paw
the attention to better conditions
that their fellow workers, the men,
do. Now, the man knows he must
work at his trade or craft as long
as he is able, unless he has the
good fortune to fall heir to some
wealth. Therefore his whole aim
is to better his own as well as the
conditions of his fellow workers as
much as he possibly can. And
alone no man can succeed. There
fore his motto reads SIN Union we
stand, Alone we fall.''
Could the working women of to-
day only realize how much thev
could gain i'll unions they would
stand with their shoulders TO the
wheel. What Il mighty victory
there would be, if women in all
the different walks of life would or
ganize and show their brother work
lngmen that they, too, deman equal
wages for the same work. When
that time comes the women will not
be looked down at as the weak eek.
Nay, they then could strike for
living wages and shorter hours, and
declare, we no longer are weak
these are our demands and we in
sist upon their enforcement.