The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-31
Labor Research Association Reports Low Wages,
Long Hours Speed-up and Unsanitary
Conditions in silk Shops.


PATTERSON silk weavcrs average about $Il5O
l week and GERS about $40 "These are the
startling figures that underly the strike against
starvation of the Paterson workers" says Labor
Research Association of New York City which
has just completed a study of typical Paterson
workers A QUESTIONABLE on working and living
conditions was prepared and member of the
associations staff has interviewed and recorded
the actual conditions of 40 representative work
ers from as many shops in the broad silk and
dyeing branches of Patersons silk industry.
Exceedingly low wages had been reported in
a general way by Paterson workers, but actual
recording of these wages shows them to be even
worse than had been expected" says the L. R A.
after completing its analysis Of the question
naires which covered every important phase of
working and living conditions of these repre-
sentative workers.
Some of the most important facts obtained
from the survey of this group of Paterson work.
ers are the following:
Wages From $500 to $500 a Year.
When deduction is made for periods of I'M
employment the average yearly income Of the
IS weavers interviewed was just under $500 in
1880. The dye workers income for the year,
after taking into consideration their unemploy-
ment, was even less-S531.
wages LOT JIle weeks ACTUALLY WOIkGQ are Vi
course higher than the weekly average when
figured for the whole So weeks in the year. They
ran about $21 a week for weavers who were on a
ten-hour shift and a five and a half day week,
while Wrappers, a higher skilled craft, averaged
s32 for the weeks they worked Dye workers,
when employed full time for six days of IS hours
each, were able to make about S23.
Those who may recall that the 8-hour day
was established in Paterson in the "44-hour
strike" of 1919, will realize how much worse con-
ditions have since become when they note that
the hours now worked by this group Of weavers
range from 812 to II day. But Of the Is
weavers examined, only one worked the 812-hour
shift. Seven of them worked hours, two
worked 9la; five worked 10 hours two worked
1917, while five worked II hours and three
worked u hours a day..
The severe unemployment is responsible for
the low yearly incomes of these workers of all
occupations most of them were unemployed
from to months year during the last year.
This unemployment does not, of course, run all
in one stretch The great majority of workers
will be working full time at certain periods,
while at other times they will be out of work
for several weeks on end. But when all actual
working time is totalled it is found that few
workers have more than from to months
employment during the course of the year.
Living" Standards.
With such wages it could not be expected
that Paterson workers would be able to have
anything resembling even minimum health
and decency" standard of living While most Of
them may buy bread, some meat and the palmer
varieties of food, such luxuries as movies, or
other amusements to break the drab grind of
the workers life, seemed to be out of range of
the majority of those questioned. For the 40
workers examined, q reported spending nothing
on movies or amusements.
Twenty three of the workers stated they
needed medical treatment but could not pay
for it. Three Of the workers had been quite
sick during the past year, but were unable to
remain home because of the necessity to earn
something when there was any work at all to
be had in the shops. Fourteen of the workers
were i'll in bed during the past year, eight of
them from one to three weeks and six of them
from five weeks to three months Only ten of
tHiem could afford to have any medical treat
ment.
Only three Of the workers had what could be
called vacation during the year. and these
were not vacations with pay, such as all the
workers enjoy in the Soviet Union. AS one
worker puts it, MY only vacation is when I'm
out of work or on strike"
Debts and Savings.
Debt hangs like milestone around the necks
Of these silk workers, Eleven of them now owe
rent for one month or more, and 26 owe money
to persons or organizations on amounts borrowed
during the past year or before One weaver re-
ports borrowing 5000 from a loan company that
charges SO per cent interest. Many owe consid-
cradle amounts to finance companies which
threaten to take over furniture or other articles
on which installment payments remain unpaid
In a country where there is no unemployment
insurance of any kind these workers would ma
turally be expected to be laying something aside
for days Of unemployment as we'll as old age
But of the 40 workers interviewed, 27 reported
inability to make any savings at all during the
past few years AS one of them, aged 81 put
it, Il have not seen bank since 1918"-a boom
year in the Paterson silk mills. Of "a workers
who found it necessary to borrow money during
the last year, only four had been able to pay
back the money borrowed which ranged from
500 to 5000 each, And Is of the workers owed
money to the grocery and butcher shops-sums
ranging from $40 to 1926, five of them owing
amounts over Sl00
General Working Conditions.
Workers not only complain of low wages long
hours when at work and unemployment. There
are many specific conditions on the Job which
give point to the demands now being made by
the strikers in Paterson
in not one Of the shops where these workers
were employed were there any washing facin-
ties with anything but cold water on tap. And
In every case the worker supplies his own soap
and towels. In one case, where a towel was
supplied by the employer, it had to do for 80
workers. In some cases, as in the old Phoenix