Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-04-24

| optimism to hope for a time when
the style industries can ever be STAN
dardized in the sense that that term
! is understood in massive industries
producing staple articles; or for a
time when the curve of seasonal en-
ployment in such industries can be
completely fiattened.
But the very greatness of the need
in such cases demands the more i'm
peratively the application Of ell pos
sible means to mitage in some de-
gree the tendencies which are inher-
ent in the nature of the industry.
Such efforts are in the interest
not merely of the workers, but also
of those responsible for production
to protect them against the ultimate
hazards of sole reliance upon spec
ulative gain.
The larger manufacturers are
steadily losing ground, the largest
employing factor being the jobber or
middleman who gets orders from re-
tailers for garments and farms the
bundles out to a host of small con-
tractors, the survey shows. The zest
of American women for up-to-date
minute styles that may change by the
week is the cause of the division of
the industry into selling and produc-
ing business. The result is that job
bers, who may not manufacture di-
rectly produce $3OO,OOO,O0O in gar
ments annually, while manufacturers
who sell their own product produced
but $50,000,000 last year. The total
production in the New York coat and
suit market was estimated at $780,
100000.
Union Control 80 Per Cent
Between 1914 and 1924 the APP
proximate number of shops rose from
1850 to more than 2,1OO while the
number of workers employed declined
from about $4,000 to about $4,000.
This change involved decline in the
average number of workers per shop
from about 20 to less than II.
The commission shows that in spite
of every difficulty of scattered and
more diversified industry, the Inter-
national Ladies' Garment Workers
Union is continuing to be the domi-
nant factor, controlling 80 per cent
of the shops although the reappear-
ance of new shops has made the task
of the union business agents a con-
slant and never ending one.
The rise of the jobber in this i'm
portant industry dates from the war
period, the survey recalls and was
induced by the rapid change of styles,
the fluctuations in piece goods prices,
the unwillingness of stores to keep
on hand large stocks of garments and
other speculative factors in the in
dustry.
Wages Kept Over Minimum
AS a result of the labor surplus the
employer on short notice can COM
mand large number of workers and
push production to great heights,
thereby eliminating producing far in
advance for the seasons needs as
the factories used to do in former
days.
1t was found that labor standards
suffered in the bidding of a host of
small contractors for the work given
by the jobbers. In the main, how
ever, it was found that the union had
firm grip on the situation, intricate
as it had become by the rise of hun
dreds of small shops.
It was found that the average num-
Der of full weeks of employment per
year was 40 for the inside shops
(manufacturers) and 81 for the sub
manufacturers or contractors. The
average earnings for the full COM
pletement of workers in inside shops
was $3.50 per week and 1920 in
outside shops.
Outlining Future Policy
With the facts available for the
first time, it is expected that the i'm
pending negotiations will develop
more important innovations in a I'M
ion-employer contract.
Further stabilizing is expected to
reduce cut-throat competition Of the
small shops which has resulted in
many bankruptcies and the loss of
wages. Combined with unemploy-
ment insurance already in effect it is
hoped to establish guaranteed sea-
son of employment of at least 26
weeks in the year.
Most important will be the plan
advocated by the union to establish
standard labor cost on the main
parts of the garment, below which
the prices haggled over between job
Der and his contractors may not fall.
Other objects will be to restore the
large shops and to lengthen the sea-
son of employment by agreement be-
tween the four factors-the jobbers,
manufacturers, contractors and the
union.
Many Other Cities Involved
Whatever. form of agreement is
reached will affect the subordinate