United labor bulletin., 1911-03-02
The LEFTWICH and GARMAN-LAFFERTY
BILLS, NOW PENDING, SHOULD BE PASSED
Health Children Should Be Protected Women Chicago
Forced To Work As Much As 81 Hours Single Week. Health
Of Woven Wrecked By Long Hours

facture are somewhat fully covered as
to hours, earnings. and working condi-
uons. The 13 establishments from which
reports We're obtained employed 500 fe-
males, aged 16 years and over, and re-
ports as TO the working hours and earn
ings during a week of the busy season
were secured from about per cent. of
the number. The tabulation of the data
obtained showed that in these establish
ments. in 1909, there was practically no
Sunday work, and that although the dura-
ton of the busy season ranged from IS
weeks in two establishments to 80 weeks
in a third, there was no considerable
extra time even in the seasons when the
work was heaviest. OF the 100 women
reporting, only per cent. worked more
than go hours a week during the busy
season and 29 per cent. from 551s to 60
hours. When it is learned that Saturday
is frequently a 5-hour day among these
establishments it becomes apparent that
on some of the remaining days of the
week over one-third of the women
worked more than 10 hours.
In the corset industry there is slight
fiuctuation in business activity during
the year. There is. perhaps, greater
demand for these goods in the spring
and autumn, but since the slightly in
creased activity at such times would be
expressed in higher working pressure
during the regular daily hours rather
than in an increase of working time. the
manufacture of corsets may be taken as
a fair illustration of a level" industry.
Only % out of 1886 women reporting
worked more than so hours a week dur
ing the busy season
The working hours for women en-
ployed in the neighborhood department
and small retail dry goods stores of Chi
cago are considerably longer than for
women employed in the large downtown
stores in that city By reason of the
fact that the 10-hour law in Illinois does
not include mercantile establishments,
there are no legal restrictions on the
number of hours which women may be
required to work in such establishments.
For the downtown stores the regular
hours are from a. m. to p. m-. with
three-quarters of an hour for luncheon.
The hours of work during the normal
season and the hours worked during the
busy season in each of II stores located
several miles distant from the downtown
stores are given. and the figures reveal
the fact that the number of hours per
week in The establishment reporting the
shortest hours of labor during the sec
ond week before Christmas, 1909. was
co. and the hours were increased to &c in
the following week. One firm reported
having worked its employees 73 hours
Hduring the first rush week and 50 hours
during the second. and on the day i'm
med lately preceding Christmas day kept
them at work as many as Ia hours. In
the majority of cases the stores keep
omen at least three nights every week.
and four keep open on SUNDAY morning
The most strenuous work falls in the
two weeks just before Christmas, and a
study of the hours reported by individ-
uals will give a fair idea of the strain
upon these women employees during that
time. Out of the 100 women reporting.
% gave so hours or more as the number
worked during the week before Christ
mas, and only l of the 80 had worked
fewer than 79r hours the week before
that. Firhty-eight out of the 100 worked
more than 20 hours the week before
Christmas. and only 90 of these had less
than 20 hours the week before that Out
of the 100. 10 reported working only be-
tween GO and 20 hours these weeks.
Continued on Page 2.)