Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-16
LASTS ABOUT FIVE YEARS.
Average Length Of Service of Res
taurant Waitress.

1.-THE mattresses in the restaurants In this
city are not organized into union, said
one to a Star reporter as she paused for
a moment In taking his order, but we
sympathize with our sisters in Chicago,
who were recently compelled to serve writ
ten notices upon their employers In the
windy city that unless the latter were less
profane in their language toward Mattresses
and refrained from reprimanding them in
the presence OF customers there would be
a general strike of that class OF female
wage earners in the city by. the lake.
There are not as many Mattresses In the
restaurants In this city as would naturally
be supposed by the casual thinker, and
doubt II there are more than between 100
and $50 all told in actual employment. This
does not include the colored Mattresses in
boarding houses. of which there are sew
eral thousands, but applies only to the
white mattresses in restaurants. The con-
ditions of service must have been very I'M
pleasant in Chicago to call for such de-
termined stand on the part of the wait
resses against the treatment they received
from their employers. and 1 glad to say
that a rule such conditions do not ex-
ist here. Our occupation Is a hard means
Of earning a livelihood. and we are en-
titled to all the consideration at the hands
OF our employers and those whom we serve
that we get. Our working hours aver
age about ten per day. with one day off
month, unless we take it at our own ex-
week. with our board. Although some OF
US have been In the business longer. the
average duration of service, or the average
life Of a waitress. is about five years. Some
women go to pieces very quickly. while
others who are naturally strong stand 1t
better, but 1t Is very trying occupation
for women at best"
/ One of the largest employers OF this class
OF wage-earners said:
If the restaurant proprletors In Chicago
used profane language to their girls and
reprimanded them In the presence Of their
customers / do not wonder that the union
took the action described in the dispatch
to The Star. Mattresses In Washington
are accorded fair treatment, and to my
mind / think they are better on than the
average girl employed in the shops. for
they receive as high wages as certain Of
the shop girls. and get their board in adj
dition. Women in some respects make bet
ter employees than men in waiting on tables
In restaurants. and one of these respects is
that while they are not averse to receiving
the customary tip from patrons. they are
not SO insistent upon 1t as are men nor do
they denote their displeasure when 1t is not
forthcoming in such disagreeable man
ner as some men walters evince- "A large
percentage of the patrons of the restaur-
ants In this city employing white Mattresses
are ladies'. and as q rule the tip Ii not
forthcoming from woman to woman; you
might think IT would be, but 1t isn't. Meth
er do men tip the waitress as freely az
they do the waiter, though there are few
who make no discrimination In this regard
as to sex, this class of men considering the
tip as an Incidental to the meal And there
sFe lots OF men who patronze restaurants
where girls are employed as Mattresses
nuisance. No. so far al the proprietors
are concerned we do not care whether our
girls are tipped or not; we pay regulation
wages and we let It go at that"