The Washington times., 1919-12-24
WOMENSC0RE
L0WPAY RATE
Employees of Postoffice and G.
P. o. Protest Existing Sal
ary Scale of U. S.

Low wages paid women and harm
full working conditions in the mail
bag repair shop OF the Postoffice De-
partment were scored before the Con-
sressional joint commission on re-
classification OF salaries today.
Ii was declared that the women
work In an atmosphere saturated
with dust. and Il was charged that
the shop Is without fans or ventila-
tors. IL was emphasized that such n
condition Is true, Notwithstanding
the fact that the department pur-
chased two large tumbling machines
at $1,000 apiece to use in the clean
ing of bags before handling. TIE
tumbling machines have never been
used since the present building has
been occupied"
Menace To Health.
II was further charged that the
condition Of the mail bags and the
dust In the air Of the shop is a con-
slant menace to the health of the
workers. II was pointed out that
the sacks which the women handle
are full of the dust accumulated in
travel and handling on the trains aud
at tcrminals. and that they are net
cleaned in any manner before coming
to the hands OF repairers.
The women were represented before
the commission by Stewart z. Blass-
tngham Of the Postoffice Department,
and Miss Rose Adams, of the mail
bag repair shop. The brief presented
BY Mr.. Blassingham said in part:
The women employed In the mail
bag repair shop of the Postoffice De-
partment are engaged in the following
occupations: Handwork, consisting
of sewing In rings, adjusting strings
and slides at the mouth of the bag:
machine work, consisting Of darning,
patching, and making entirely new
bags: inspecting and condemning.
which includes examination of old
bags to see IL still usable, and cutting
up condemned bags to make new bot
toms for other bags.
The bags upon which the women
work are at present all OF canvas.
Formerly the women worked upon
leather-bottom bags also, but this
work was taken away from them and
given to the men about the time the
Decentralization Commission question
naires were distributed in the shop.
Rating Of wsoen-
"The women In the mail bag repair
shop are rated in the Book Of Esti-
mates as laborers, hand darners, sew
ing machine operators, condemners,
and inspectors, at base rates of S1.75.
s21o, $2.25, and so per day.
They work In two shifts, night and
day. at the same rates.
In order to correct the conditions
existing in the mail bag repair shop
as affecting the women, We ask the
reclassifcation to make the following
recommendations to Congress:
"U) Rerate the women employees
according to the skill required for
their work, on the same basis as men
engaged in work of corresponding
skill. The sewing trades should be
recognized as skilled trades, whether
done by women or men. We indicate
below the classification we desire.
adopting for this purpose the same
symbols used by the women in the
printing trades, whose situation we
selieve to be similar to ours because
Of the fact that they. too, have never
been properly classified with reference
20 the skill of their work or with re-
iation to the pay OF men.
"Charwomen or Unskilled Laborers.
The minimum rate Of $3.50 per
year recommended by the Advisory
Committee on Wage Poiicies- This
rate is equivalent to 1857 per day,
which Is the same as the rate for un-
skilled labor in the Navy Yards as
fixed by the Macy Board.
Unsk1iIeA Workers.
"Handworkers. whose work requires
skin, should receive more than the
minimum Of 1857 per day. but without
knowing the rating or relative classi-
Acation Of other kinds of work of cor
responding skill. we designate the ad-
ditional amount they should receive as
* their rate then to be expressed as
minimum plus X
Machine workers. whose work is
moro skilled than that of the hand
workers, should receive a rating high
ar than the latter, which We indicate
~: Minimum plus Z plus S.
sInspectresses and condemners,
whose'work is OF still greater respon-
nbility and skill. We would rate at
minimum plus K plus 10.
I'VE call attention to the fact that
IN the navy yards, where the ratings
may present. q favorable comparison
\ to the mall bag repair shop SO far as
ghe men employees are concerned. they
Rrry out the same unfaimess TO
omen that Is elsewhere prevalent.
nd we ask that they be considered in
connection with the rating Of the
omen in the mail bag repair shop
<enly in respect to unskilled labor
erhe navy yard W of practically all
Akilled women the same or lower
ahan the pay for unskilled labor.
I'VE urge that women doing skilled
work be paid more than men or wom-
en engaged In unskilled work.
"(2) We ask that the employees OF
che mail bag repair shop be protected
from the dust which fills the air OF
the shop. This can be done, first, by
cleaning the bags before they are
handled in the shop; and, second. by
installing q system OF ventilators OF
exhausts to remove the dust from
the air"
E11ip0ent Service.
The supply and equipment service