The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-03-12

Until z o'clock Monday morn.
> ing. Then he's off for II brief
hours and at s o'clock Monday
evening begins his week Of night
shifts of 13 hours each.
goes to bed. His afternoon meal must
be ready at four or five o'clock be.
fore the rest of the household care
to eat. In the meantime the house
must be kept quiet so the man can
sleep. Children must be quiet or 60
away from home to play.
Imagine a situation, which often
exists, where there are two workers
on opposite shifts. Breakfast at six
or earlier for the day worker and
the dinner-pail filled; breakfast at
seven or eight for the night worker;
lunch at noon for the rest of the
family; supper at four or five for
the night worker and a dinner-pail
filled; dinner at seven for the day
worker and the rest of the family
and all day, every day, for six or
seven days a week, the house kept
Iuiet so the mill men may Sleep"
''The Lonesome Week."
"William Clark, who lives in one
of the Pittsburgh mill towns, works
on the night shift all the time, seven
nights in every week. He found the
constant change, "week about" bad
for his health so he applied for the
privilege of working constantly on
the same shift. He would rather work
days but since that is denied him he
finds constant night work, 6 P. M.
to $50 AM, preferable to changing
every week. Mr.. Clark's son works
ten and a half hours on the day shift
one week and thirteen and a half
hours on the night shift the next.
Half of the time, therefore, father
and son are on opposite shifts. When
the boy works nights, Mrs. Clark
and her little girl call it the "lone-
some week." They see very little
Of either of their men; at night both
are gone, and in the day they have
to sleep softly and speak in whisp-
ers lest they awaken the sleepers.
"Other households face the same
or similar conditions. Mrs. Brown Of
McKeesport said the might shift
week is a nuisance because you do
nothing but cook, eat and sleep that
week. Mrs. Black, whose husband and
son are on opposite shifts, has to
"start cooking at about three o'clock
in the afternoon for the one working
nights, and then stay in the kitchen
until six-thirty when the other comes
home." Mrs. Novak lives in Pitts
burgh and keeps house for her hus.
band and his brother who work for
Jones and Laughlin. Most of the time
they work on opposite shifts. Two
suppers have to be prepared, one at
five, the other at six o'clock. In the
morning the man going to work has
something to eat at six o'clock, while
the rest of the family eat breakfast
at nine.
Mrs. Harris Of Braddock said that
the night shift week is very hard
for the women. It seems to her that
she is cooking the whole day long
that week. She gets a light break
fast for the mister" in the morning
and then in the afternoon she cooks
his dinner around four o'clock. At
noon she has her own lunch; she
can't eat again at four O'clock, so
at six she has to be cooking again
for herself.
"Mrs. Scott, whose husband Is o
hillwright, said that on night shift
week It "seems as II she, was cooking
all the time" She has five children
Her omister" has been working in the
mill for thirteen years, and in all
that time she has never had a days
outing, except after he came out Of
the hospital after being laid up on
account Of an accident in the mill.
Then they went to Wheeling, w. Va.
for two days. But all the children
are small and "you can't 60 to town
and see show and leave five little
children At home with no one to take
care Of them" And she docs like
good time" Mr.. Scott never goet
out either. He stays home evenings
and reads the paper.
"What Kind Of q Life?"