The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1907-01-11
BENEFITS OF ORGANIZATION
Clerk Talks a Bit and Learns Whole
Lot

ance of mir" an old schoolmate When
he left sci he was not partial to
hard manual. ,or and was disinclined
to learn trade on account of the
small wages that cub" as an ap-
prentice is usually called, usually re-
ceives
We'll, Jack" said l, how are you
making it? Are you married?"
20, am getting along fairly well,
everything considered" said he, but
as to being married, what an absurd
question. How can man living in
Chicago and working for $13 so a
week get married and support fam
ily?"
why, Jack" said l, you don't
mean to tell me you are only getting
that much a week. :"
That's what I'm getting" said he.
Then | asked him how long he had
worked at his business and he re-
Piled;
Il have been working at Seigle-
baum's for nine years."
| was surprised to hear that. for /
had labored under the impression that
clerks who were well versed in their
business and had ample experience re-
ceived considerably more than that, es-
pecially in Chicago. But my friends
seems to have been investigating the
causes of low wages for clerks and
arrived at a realization that it was due
to lack of organization. At any rate
he told me his story. and / give it to
you as nearly as l can in his own Ian
guage.
Well, old man." said he, iii tell
YOU how it is. Yesterday was the first
day of my annual vacation of two
weeks l have never failed to take it
during the twenty-five years l have
worked as clerk. You know / have
never INDUCED in strong drink to any
extent l usually spend my evenings
in my room with book and pipe, with
an occasional visit to the theatre.
Every year / took my vacation and
either spent it in the woods or in the
little old home town. This year l de-
termined to spend 1t in little old Chi
cago doing some investigating to as
certain If possible how other working
people lived. The first worker /
struck was the ice man. | asked him
how long he had worked at the bust.
ness and he said four years Then
| asked him what wage he got. 'Eigh-
teen bones per, and nine hours work
day, he replied. That's the scale of
the Transfers Union fixes for those
who drive ice wagons l recalled my
eleven and twelve hours day at thir-
teen fifty per and put on my coat and
hat to saunter down street Just as I
reached the bottom step the coal man
came up, having just had his ticket
signed by the landlady. I asked him
what wage he drew. Eighteen a week,
nine hours a day. he replied. That's
the union scale l went on down the
street, rather thoughtful
"A few blocks down l came to a
new building and happened to see a
hodcarrier on his way up a ladder
stopped him when he came down and
had little talk with him. l remarked
that he was engaged in pretty hard
work. OF dunno he replied. 'Oi don'l
mind It, l asked him what wage he
received. 'Thirty-three cints an hour
an we work eight hours a day. he re
piled. | started to figure out what the
days pay was and he interrupted:
It's 264 day, $15.85 a week, an
it's moighty nigh double what We go
before we joined tn union Then, af
ter q short pause he continued: An
we're thinkin' of demandin' 35 cints
an hour an strikin' if we don't git it.
Then he lit his pipe, picked up his
hod and left me. I stood for a momen
thinking l had made some discoverie!
the first morning of my vacation.
turned about and went back to m.
room, dissatisfied with everything
myself most"
Jack, old man." | said, did yo1
ever stop to think of the cause of
all. and try to locate the blame 70
your small wage and long hours? Di
you ever try to learn why the ice mar
the coal driver and the hodcarrier ge
better wages than you? Now our bus
ness was the same way. l can re
member that not more than eleve
years ago the leatherworkers orgs
nized Before that a harnessmaker,
collarmaker, or a saddlemaker mad
only ten, twelve or thirteen dollars
week, and any of them would pay far
TO Frisco or New York If offered fou
teen or fifteen dollars week. No
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