The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-07-29
UN|ON|SN FIRST
). Line OF Defense N
Stands Between Workers And
Long Hours and Low Wages
Declares Report. !
BEST CONDITIONS IN I.
ORGANIZED TERRITORY
Women Workers In Springfield,
Ill.,, Shown To Be Greatly
Benefited. - r..

SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, July .27.-
That trade unionism is a first. une o1
defense against long hours and low
wages is the testimony OF the survey
report on industrial conditions In this
city made by the Department Of Sur.
veys and Exhibits Of ! the Russell
Sage Foundation. The evidence is
offered in: the. calm language OF q
non-partisan statements Of fact. In.
vestigators from the New York head:
quarters of the Foundation collected
the original data and half q score oil
experts collaborated in checking thu
results and preparing: the recon
mendations.
The full report will say among
other things, that the investigation
revealed shorter hours as the rule in
union shops. Among employees in
these shops, for example,. .54 per cent
had an eight-hour day, while in the
unorganized establishments only I
per cent worked eight hours or less
Only 13 per cent of the men in the
union shops, moreover, worked ten
hours as compared with 81 per cent
in the non-union work. places. These
figures tend strongly to support the
trade unionists' point that organized
workers are able to gain, and do gain,
for themselves advantages which
workers acting individually do not
enjoy; and they refute the claim OF
many employers who oppose organi.
zation Of their workers that they vol
unfairly grant all of the benefits
which employees might secure through
the union.
Hours of Work.
''The long list of trades in the
eight-hour column indicates some-
thing Of what labor organizations
have been able to accomplish in re.
ducing hours; for in the, not distant
past all eof these groupsSWere working
nine hours. per@daY.sscr more. More.
over; even III t1,eaesse Of some trades
shown In the tenshour... column, thu
union had reduced hours. The brew.
cry drivers, for instance, whose ten.
hour day still seems long, can look
back to the time when they were re.
Quired to complete their rounds re:
gardless Of time. Likewise ice drivers
at the time of the survey were re:
quired to work from six to twelve
hours per day, depending on the
weather, whereas formerly theil
hours extended from daylight ever
into the night.
"The strongest labor union groul
in Springfield undoubtedly is thu
miners, who have 10 local union.
with a total membership Of about
$500. The mines of the vicinity arr
run on a strictly closed shop basis
and since 1898, when the unions wor
a great victory in this industry. the
eight-hour day has prevailed. :.
Most Of the other trades repre-.
sented in the table, however, were not
thoroughly organized; and while tn,
hours given are. those Of member.
Of the union, other workers in thu
trade were working longer hours
This was true, for example,. o.
many boilermakers, -machinists, iron
moulders, and carpenters.
Unionism and Wages.
Among skilled and semi-skilled
workers in factories, the building
trades, and on railroads, as we have
seen, labor unions have had an ef
fective influence in increasing wages
In fact wage conditions among al
union workers were generally better
than among non-union workers in
Springfield, though probably this fac