The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-07-24
SWEAT SHOPS IN LINCOLN.


number of women earning livelihood
in Lincoln. These conditions are pos
Sibly outside the pale of the law. for
it must be admitted that the labor
laws of Nebraska are by no means
what they should be- 1t is possible to
prevent employers from working theis
female employees more than ten hours
a day. and it is possible TO enforce san
itary regulations. But there ara shop
rules in vogue that bear heavily upon
the women. depriying them Of much Of
their hard-earned pay, and subjecting
them to annoying restrictions These
things are obviated n organized fac
tories, but unfortunately the garment
working trades are not organized III
this city, and the workers in that
trade are constantly shifting, render
ing organization difficult
Garment factories in Lincoln are
constantly advertising for help. yet
there is a constant stream of workers
coming and going. Few work more
than month or two. Why this should
be the case may seem strange to the
casual observer. but it is not so to
one who investigates the matter
The work is entirely upon the piece
system. For instance, a girl is en-
gagged in making apron sleeves at 20
cents dozen pair. A swift worker
may run up three dozen pair in a day,
| thus earning so cents. But does she
get the 60 cents? 1t is seldom that
she gets the full price. for the shop
enforces repair rule that deprives
the worker of a share of her hard
earned money. The finished sleeves
are handed to an inspector who
docks the worker for repairs"
| A new beginner is put to work and
works week She is then laid OF
and told that she can get her money
later. When she shows up to get the
dollar or two she has earned she is
more than equal the amount she
earned. therefore the shop owes her
nothing. Another girl has her ma
chine and so it goes-the manufac-
turer gets the work done for nothing.
That this is what is going<on in Lin
coin all the time is beyond question.
Yet We constantly hear it charged
that The Wageworker and organized
labor is preventing the establishment;
in Lincoln of manufacturing plants
that will materially help Lincoln. The
lquestion is: Does Lincoln want any
mere factories of that kind2'
Here is the proposition One Lin
coin factory pays 20 cents a dozen
pair for making apron sleeves frac
ton less than one cent per sleeve
Even this pitiful wage is reduced by
the repair" system in vogue In or
der to make $1-40 a day girl will
have to finish seven dozen pairs OF
sleeves. or les separate sleeves. OF
practically one sleeve every three min
iuts. The answer is that the girls
simply can not do it. Yet we art
asked to believe that such factories
, are a good thing for city
A concrete example: The time sill
of one girl formerly employed in 8
Lincoln garment factory shows thai
, on one day she made al cents working
) on apron belts. The next day sh,
made $3.50 working on apron sleeves
: The total for the two days was $2-5l
| But she didn't get it. She was dockes
t four hours and thirty minutes for re
5 pairs" and 65 cents was deducted from
$ the Se.51, leaving her the magnificen
5 sum of s1-S7 for her twenty hours
: works cents an hour in a hot fac
e tory bending over sewing machine
+ Then she was laid OFF and had to wal
ten days and make couple of trip
to the factory before she could get III,
+ pitiful wages coming to her.
L These are facts that can be sui
i Stimulated.
= There seems to be but one cure 70
this evil-the pressure Of public opin
1 ion. The law does not cover snol
4 eases 1t can only prevent workin;
: Ioyer hours and compel decent sanitar
conditions in the shops
D People who buy the product Of eel
5 shops are putting a premium ON criras
they are helping to send wone,
| wrong they are massacreeing human
flesh and human souls.
II Does Lincoln want factories of rha
. Ikinds