The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-02-16
START A PROBE
OF SWEAT SHOP
~
Workers Maintain Sweat
Shop" Conditions Exist
in Small Plant.
BELOW MINIMUM WAGE
Girl Workers Place Case Before
Conrad Shearer. Member of
Advisory Wage Board.

Maintaining that women employees
of small industrial plant in Kenosha
are forced to work under conditions
similar to those Of the old Sweat
shops" two young ladies, now en-
ployed at the company, today started
a probe into the situation existing at
the plant under fire by filing a COM
plant with Conrad Shearer, member
of the advisory wage board, who will
Immediately forward this to the state
Industrial commission to secure an i'm
mediate investigation.
The young women charged that this
small workshop, recently established in
Kenosha and employing approximately
twenty-five women, was maintaining
working conditions contrary to the
minimum wage law and to other regu-
lations laid down by the industrial
commission to regulate workshops in
the state.
Forced to Quit Work.
This morning one young woman who
has been employed at the plant and
who is thoroughly aroused over the
conditions there, came to the offices of
Conrad Shearer as secretary of the
Kenosha Manufacturers association to
demand a probe of the situation. She
is the second employee of this plant
to file an informal complaint. The
plant is not member of the Manufac-
turers' association and for that reason
state officials must carry on any in
vestigation.
"The workrooms are 80 cold that the
girls are forced to wear their coats all
of the time," declared the young wom-
an. "They work full time and some of
them do not get paid more than S. a
week. In addition, they are subject
to the worst sort of indignities, but
because of the scarcity of work, all
have been afraid to make any report
of the situation. / have been there
three weeks and I can't stand it any
longer. feel like should do some
thing for the other girls there who
must keep on working"
Starts an Investigation.
"While this concern is not member
of the Manufacturers association and
cannot be reached through those chan
nels," declared Secretary Shearer, eve
intend to make thorough investiga-
ton of these charges. If sweatshop
conditions exist there, as described,
other manufacturers will be interested
in seeing that the shop is either forced
to bring the working conditions up to
the standard set by law or go out of
business. All members of the associa-
tion have practically ideal working
conditions for their employees and if
this is actually a 'sweatshop' as de-
picted, it is the exception and not the
rule in Kenosha."
Secretary Shearer declared that the
minimum wage set by law was 1884
week and that employing women labor
ers for full time at lower rate would
constitute a serious offense. He also
declared that regulations are laid down
by the industrial commission requiring
much better working conditions than
those pictured by the two young lady
employees of the company in question.
Report to Commission.
The young ladies who have made the
complaint have been instructed to send
statement to David Evans, factory
inspector for this district, and it is
anticipated that thorough investiga-
ton will be made. 1t was declared
that it would be manifestly unfair to
make public the name of the concern
involved until the charges had been
thoroughly investigated.