Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-05
ORGANIZED LABOR
WELL TREATED
IN LAST YEAR
Wage Advance General the
Country Over; Hours
Shortened

]
Dor received more in the year end
ing with May l in Increased wages.
shortening of hours and legislation
than ever before in its history. ac-
cording to officials of the American
Federation of labor. Wage advances
were general the country over in vir-
tually every line of industry and laws
| benetiting labor were put on the stat
ute books of every State in the union
except FIVE.
Wage increases were greatest in the
metal trades, many of which were
stimulated by war orders. Cotton
manufacturing was the only main in
dustry which did not grant substan
tial increases. The metal trades,
too. claimed the greatest number of
strikes during the year. though many
plants increased the pay of their men
and cut working hours voluntarily.
One benefit brought by the indus
trial revival which labor officials con-
slider as important as increases in
wages was the effect on unemploy
ment, which has disappeared within
the past year. Statistics just COM
pleted by the department of labor
show that men of all trades have been
called in to work. Iron and steel
mills have on their payrolls now
thirty-siX per cent more men than
were employed a year ago and the
has increased its forces by about the
same percentage. Manufacturers of
boots and shoes are employing twenty
per cent more men than this time last
year.
Wage increases during the year
have ranged from five to fifteen per
cent. No statistics have been COM
piled by either the department of la
Dor or the American Federation of
Labor. but reports coming in to both
tell of what is being accomplished in
manufacturing plants in all parts of
the country.
1.5OO Strikes.
/ The department of labor puts the
country's 1915 strikes at 1900, about
800 more than the year before. About
J two-thirds of them were for wage in
creases or decreased working hours
and most of them were successful.
/ Munitions strikes starting in the sum-
mer of 1915 attracted much atten-
/ tion. Most of them were for short
er hours without pay increases. Short
| er hours generally were obtained by
/ the munitions workers, but where
wage increases were asked the work
ers seldom got as much as they asked
for.
Strikes in the clothing industry in
eastern cities involved a number of
strikes, but their duration was COM
paratively short. \ middle western
clothing strike, in Chicago. however,
lasted for three months and involved
, from 5000 to $4,000 workers. Other
strikes of importance during the year
included the building trades strike in
Chicago, which halted building in that
city for time the oil and chemical
strikes at Elizabeth, \. j., and neigh
boring cities and the Chicago street
car strike. The eastern Ohio coal
strike was settled just a year ago.
The causes of strikes and lockouts
were numerous. In total of 1900
strikes three hundred were for wage
! increases; 1873 for a shorter working
day; 80 because of wage cuts; 60 be-
cause of discharge of union men; 40
because of employment of nonunion
men and 20 for open or closed shop.
Many Compensation Laws
The most significant feature of the
years labor legislation is given by
labor leaders as enactment of work
mems compensation laws. The
growth of the industrial commission
plan is considered OF great import
ance also. This plan unites in one
authority the administration of work
mems compensation, factory inspec-
tion and other labor laws. 1t was
adopted during the year by Colorado,
Indiana, Montana, Nevada and New
I York.
/ Unemployment received the atten-
/ tion of a number of legislatures. IL
I linois established a commission on un-
employment; California and Nevada
investigated unemployment condi-
tions and Idaho provided emergency
employment through county boards.
Public employment officers were es-
tablished by California, Idaho, Iowa,
/ New Jersey and PENNSYLVANIA. Illi-
nois, Michigan and Oklahoma eX-
tended their public employment sys-
TENS. Seven States provided for
! licensing and supervising private en-
ployment offices.
Laws relating to the employment of
women and children were passed by a
number of States. Arkansas and
Kansas enacted minimum wage laws
and California, Massachusetts and
Washington amended minimum wage
laws already in force. Eevlen States
now have minimum wage legislation.
Arkansas and Pennsylvania passed
child labor legislation during the
year.
In the field of safety provision the
most detailed enactments were those
formulated by the Industrial Com
mission of Wisconsin and the indus
trial boards of New York and Penn
sylvania. The seamen's act, the
Alaska and Arizona old age pension
laws and California's appointment of a
commission to report on social insur-
ance were other important enact