The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-06-10

bureau Every reputable employer
in the country will tell you that
women as a class are more con-
scientious workers than men. Only
bad management explains idleness,
or Stacking, if there be any, in the
departments.
Reconsideration of the women
employees of the Government re
quires a special kind of considera-
ton on the part of this Committee
and the classifying agency here
after. In order to convince YOU
that l do not speak without war
rant, let me cite some specific case.
l. l have already referred to
the Women's Bureau in the Labor
Department, to whose appropriation
this year, on recommendation of
Senator Smoot and Representative
Wood, Congress affixed a proviso
reducing the salaries of the 7
women expert Investigators and
statisticians on whom the work of
the bureau depends bureau Great
ed by Congress to serve the econ
omic interests of the 100000 wage
earning women in the United States.
! The proviso effects a total reduction
of $2,160 in the salaries of seven
women, who were receiving S2240,
! $500, one $2750, and one $4,000. 1t
/ limits the salaries to $500, except
three, which may be $4,000. Thus
it does not prevent the payment of
$500, to everybody else in the bur
eau, and it does not reduce the APP
preparation even by the $2lG0 taken
off the women experts salaries. 1t
merely cripples the Women's Bureau
and insults the women of the whole
country by writing into law a diff
ferent salary standard for women
and men doing comparable work.
For, as previously stated, Congress
permits other lump sum bureaus
employing men on this kind of work
to pay as much as $4,000, and many
of them receive $4,000. 1t was in
connection with this proviso that
Senators said to us, why, $4,000 is
enough for a woman
2. In the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing, there are nine fore
women, at salaries of $1,000, $1400,
$3.50, 1900, $2250, and 2 at $4,000.
The woman in charge of the Exam
ming Division where more different
kinds of, work are done than in any
division in the bureau, receives
$4,000 for directing the work of
of the Surface Division, for ex-
ample, man in charge of 463 sub
bordinates, is paid $4,000.
3. In the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing, the position of guide,
8 in number, are on statutory roll
at 5000 a year. These women can
not be made guides until they have
worked in the bureau and become
acquainted with the processes there.
Yet they are paid less than any
operative, or for that matter less
than any unskilled loborer. And
Congress has been asked in vain to
raise their pay, or to allow them to
be covered by the Bureaus lump
sum appropriation.
A. In the mail equipment shop
of the Post Office Department the
wage rates for all male laborers
range from $500 day up to $3.50.
The mail bag makers and repairers,
who are women - most of them
machine operatives, and nearly all
rated at $2.8S to $500. Not only
are these the existing rates, with
lump sum appropriation, but the
Superintendent of the show appear
ed before committees in the last
Congress asking that these rates
be made statutory. When the wo-
mems representatives protested at
the discrepancy between the mems
rates and the womens, the cost ac-
countant of the shop. speaking for
the superintendent, he said, Stated
that they must keep the women's
rates that low in order to meet
outside competition - and not lose
contracts for repair jobs to private
concerns. In other words, they kept
down their costs by keeping down
the women's pay below a just re-
lation to the mems.
5. In the navy yard wage sched-
ules you will find that "sewers"
are rated at $3.6S a day. These
women are cutters and machine OPP
eratives, engaged in making life
preservers, mattresses and flags
for the Navy. The flag makers
especially have task requiring
skill, because they must not only
match seams of unruly cloth of
different weaves and weights, but
must carry out designs in the flags
they make. No machine operation
when done by a man is called I'M
skilled. Yet the rate these women
receive is the same that is paid to
unskilled labor in the navy yards.