South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-10
Fix Union Wage
And Hour Scale
Effective in May

The union scales of wages and
hours Of labor for 101 of the prin-
cipal trades in IS of the leading cit
les i'm the United States prevailing
in May. 1916, are published in bull
let.n No. PA. just issued by the bu-
ieau OF labor statistics of the United
States department of labor The
scales shown are those of the hak-
ins, brewing, building, freight hand
Ing, stone, metal. mill work, plant
ing soft drink, and teaming trades
Reports OF weekly wages were re-
ceived from 90 trades. In so Of
these trades the average rate Of
wages. taken collectively. was high
er on May Is, 1916, than on May l.
1875. In - trades there was no
changes, mad in no trade was the
average rate lower The bakery
trades collectively, received an ad-
vance of > per cent. All but one OF
the Il brewing trades listed i'm this
report received an increase ranging
from l 10 per cent. Thirty of the
81 building trades listed received an
increase of from l to IL per cent.
Chauffeurs, teamsters and drivers
received an increase of per cent.
Freight handlers received the great
est increase in any one occupation
IA per cent. Granite cutters had an
increase Of ( per cent. All of the
metal trades gained an increase or
from TO DO per cent. Mill work
Painters hardwood finishers) re-
ceived an increase of u per cent.
I'm book and job printing nine of the
II trades received an increase, in
no case, however, above 3 per cent
In the soft drink esta blishment
group, the increase was from 1 TO
per cent i'm the several occupations
Considering the rates Of wages
per hour as distinguished from rates
per week of the 101 trades, So show
ed an increase. Is showed no
change and for none was the rate
lower Taken collectively, rates per
hour in 1916 were { per cent higher
than in 1915, per cent higher than
in 1914 Il per cent higher than in
1910, and 10 per cent higher than
in 1907.
me highest scales per hour paid
i'm May, 1916, i'm "A few of the princi-
pal trades, We're as follows: Brick
layers. SIS cents i'm Dallas, Hous-
ton. Denver and San Francisco; car
penters, no cents in Chicago; port
able and hosting engineers, IS cents
in Chicago, Detroit. Newark, New
York, St Louis and San Francisco;
hod carriers. 80 cents in Portland
Ore. st. Louis, Salt Lake City, san
Francisco and Spokane; inside wire
men. IS cents i'm Chicago and st.
Louis; painters. 20 cents in Chicago;
plasterers, SIS cents in Dallas,
Houston and San Francisco; plumb
ers and gas filters, IS cents i'm Birm-
irgham. Chicago, Dallas. Houston,
Kansas City. Portland, Ore, St
Louis. salt Lake City, san Francisco,
and Seattle; structural iron workers,
- cents i'm San Francisco; granite
cutters. IS cents i'm Boston; stone
cutters. 20 cents in Portland, San
Francisco. Seattle and Spokane;
compositors on book and job work,
54.2 cents in Denver and Salt Lake
City. and on newspapers printed in
English (day work), IS cents in
Seattle; linotype operators on book
and job work and on newspapers
printed in English (day work., 70
cents in Seattle.
As tC changes in hours Of labor.
Fl trades showed a reduction of
hours between 1915 aan6 1916, and
SO trades had no change. Only one
trade. neutrality-suspicious. in book
and job printing, had an increase in
working hours i'm the year
The hours of labor in the metal
trades range from A 10 63 per week,
"a being the predominant hours. The
printing trades in the book and job
and newspaper offices in nearly all
Of the cities covered have an eight
hour day or less.
The bulletin further shows by in
GeX numbers percentages the rela-
tive changes between 1907 and 1916
i'm union wages and hours Of labor
ac compared with retail prices of
food and i'm the purchasing power Of
wages as measured by food