LABOR ORGANIZATIONS IN SEPTEMBER, 1910.

During the six months from April 1 to September 30, 1910, the number of trade unionists in New York State increased from 407,226 to 481,924. This increase of 74,698 is the largest semiannual gain ever recorded. The membership was carried to a point 45,132 above the record figure of September, 1907. Taken in connection with the increase of 34,497 during the preceding six months, the increase for the year ended September 30, 1910, was 109,195, or more than 29 per cent.

TABLE 16.- NUMBER AND MEMBERSHIP OF LABOR UNIONS, 1897-1910, WITH SEMI-ANNUAL

As may be seen from the table below, there was an increase during the six months ended September 30, of 100 in the number of union organizations. This is twice as great an increase as in any six months since 1903. Taking the year as a whole, the increase was only 89, there having been a decrease of 11 during the six months ended March 31. The total number of new organizations in the second half of the year was 173 against which must be set total lapses of 73.

*Decrease.

TABLE 17.- NUMBER OF LABOR UNIONS DISBANDED, AMALGAMATED OR ORGANIZED APRIL 1 SEPTEMBER 30, 1910.

The striking increase of 74,698 in the number of unionists for the half-year ending September 30 was largely localized geographically in New York City as will be seen from Table 18 below. While 85 per cent of the total gain in membership in the state was in New York City, only 13 per cent of the increase in organizations occurred there. Rochester was the only city of the first or second class which showed an actual decrease in membership, although the gains outside the metropolis were not large with the exception of Yonkers and Schenectady. Yonkers, with a gain of 46.7 per cent, moved up above Troy and Utica in point of membership.

The slight decrease at Rochester is more apparent than real, being due to an over-estimate of the membership of one large union for several years past. There was also a decrease of 100 machinists as the result of a strike and of 190 iron molders due to general slackness in that trade. There was an increase, however, of 800 among the building and street laborers. The other changes were of minor importance, leaving a net decrease of 99. The organization of a union comprising 700 sugar refinery workers was responsible for about one-half of the increase at Yonkers, the remainder being among the building trades and the metals groups. An increase of 1,089 electrical apparatus makers was responsible for more than three-fifths (66 per cent) of the growth at Schenectady.

The large increase in the number of unions was due, largely, to the addition of organizations of postal clerks outside of New York City. These were not really new organizations, but were re

ported this year for the first time. The average number in each was small, however, so that the increase in membership due to them was only 490 while there was a loss of 641 in the metropolis which caused a net decrease in the state as a whole of 151 in the membership of organized postal clerks. An innovation in New York State unionism was the formation of an organization of public school teachers in Buffalo with 850 members.

TABLE 18.- NUMBER AND MEMBERSHIP OF LABOR UNIONS IN FIRST AND SECOND CLASS CITIES.

The striking localization industrially of the membership increase from April to September inclusive is revealed in Table 19, which shows the changes in the various industries as between New York City and the remainder of the state. Seventy-two per cent of the total increase was localized in the clothing group, while 96.5 per cent of the increase in the clothing group was in the garment making branch of that group. There was a decrease of 1,000 in the clothing group outside of New York City so that the garment branch in the metropolis really furnished 97.5 per cent of the clothing group increase, or 70 per cent of the total increase in all trades throughout the state. There were five groups which gained over 2,000 members each and four others which gained more than 1,000 each. The tobacco group lost two members, the only group to show a loss, but the increases in restaurants, trade, etc., and in stationary engineers were merely nominal. Every group save these three made a substantial gain but the gains in clothing and textiles overshadowed all the others.

In the garment trades, the chief increases were among the cloak

* Decrease. † All boroughs.

and suit makers (32,277), skirt makers (9,475), clothing pressers (8,755), cloak and suit cutters (2,200), jacket makers (2,110), and coat makers (800). The chief loss was among the shirt waist makers (3,000), of whom 1,334 were women. This is in striking contrast with the half-year ended March 31 when there was an increase of more than 15,000 in this branch, of whom nearly 10,000 were women. For the half-year ended in September, 94.6 per cent of the total gain of 52,546 were men. As a result of the great increase in members in the garment trades, the group of clothing and textiles now becomes the largest group in union membership, exceeding the building trades by a little over 500.

The increase in the metals group (5,774) was 7.7 per cent of the total increase. The largest single change in this group was the one already referred to in connection with Table 18, of a gain of 1,089 electrical apparatus makers in Schenectady. There was a gain of 2,020 machinists, 663 of them joining one Manhattan union. Buffalo, Plattsburg, Brooklyn and Dunkirk each made a gain of more than 100 machinists, together amounting to 858.

The loss of 3,243 in the building industries in New York City was due in part to a strike of plumbers' helpers. Two unions, one each in Brooklyn and Manhattan, ceased to exist, entailing a loss of 2,063 members. There was a decline of 2,550 in excavators and rockmen, and of 1,000 in rock drillers and tool sharpeners. There were some substantial gains, those among the carpenters (1,651) and bricklayers and masons (758) being the largest.

TABLE 19.— CHANGES IN NUMBER OF LABOR ORGANIZATIONS AND MEMBERSHIP OF SAME IN NEW YORK CITY AND THE REMAINDER OF THE STATE, APRIL 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1910.

The table below lists the individual trades having a union membership of 4,000 or more at the end of September, with comparative figures for the last two years and 1894. Each of the 27 trades in the March list' is included and 5 additional ones (cloak and suit makers, clothing pressers, skirt makers, marine firemen and cloak and suit cutters) appear. For the first time since these records have been compiled, carpenters have been superseded at the head of the list. Attention has already been called to the notable increase among the cloak and suit makers, of which increase 93.5 per cent were males.

TABLE 20.- NUMBER AND MEMBERSHIP OF UNIONS IN TRADES HAVING 4,000 OR MORE MEMBERS (SEPTEMBER).

† Includes commission wagon drivers, delivery wagon drivers, express and mail wagon drivers and ice handlers.

§ All branches, including grains workers and maltsters.

Includes steam fitters and helpers.

¶ Includes cable splicers and linemen.

**Includes knee pants makers.

§§ Includes water tenders and oilers.