STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES FOR MONTH OF JULY, 1915--Concluded. CONCILIATION WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, JULY 1 TO SEPTEMBER 15, 1915. Under the authority contained in the organic act of the department to mediate in labor disputes and to appoint commissioners of conciliation in his discretion, the Secretary of Labor, through the commissioners of conciliation, exercised his good offices in 15 labor disputes between July 1 and September 15, 1915. On September 15 negotiations were still pending in 6 of the disputes and in several others only preliminary reports of the results were available, so that the total number of men affected directly and indirectly can be stated in only a portion of the controversies. The employees involved in the controversies, the numbers affected, and the results secured, so far as the facts are available, are shown in the following statement: NUMBER OF LABOR DISPUTES HANDLED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR THROUGH ITS COMMISSIONERS OF CONCILIATION, JULY 1 TO SEPT. 15, 1915. NOTE.-Upon application, the department appointed two commissioners of conciliation, and directed them to proceed to Providence, but upon arrival at that place they ascertained that the street railway strike had been called off and the men were ready to return to work. MOVEMENT FOR REDUCTION OF HOURS OF LABOR IN THE MACHINE TRADES. A movement for the reduction of hours of labor, notable for its rapid progress, is that which has taken place in the machine trades within the last few months. It has chiefly affected the firms having contracts for the making of war munitions, though not exclusively restricted to such establishments. The demands for reduced hours have usually come from the machinists, although other occupations have joined, and in most establishments all employees have received the benefits which have been granted to the machinists. Reduced hours of labor have in all cases been effected with no reduction in weekly wage and in many cases with increased wages. A partial list of the firms which have established the 8-hour day within the past two months has been furnished the bureau by the International Association of Machinists. The following firms have established an 8-hour day, these in most cases involving a reduction of 7 hours in the working week. These changes, it should be stated, were made without a strike except in five firms. The following firms have established a 54-hour week, reducing hours from 55, 58, and in some cases 60 per week: MINIMUM WAGE RATE BASED ON COST OF LIVING FOR UNSKILLED LABORERS OF NEW YORK CITY. The bureau of standards of New York City has recently recommended to the committee on salaries and grades of the board of estimate and apportionment a schedule of salaries for sweepers in the street cleaning department of from $720 to $840 a year, with increases of $24 after not less than one year in the service. This is the result of a study of the cost of living in New York City and of the rates of wages for unskilled labor prevailing in New York and other cities and in private employment, a study made for the purpose of determining the proper wage for unskilled laborers. The bureau reached the conclusion that it is impossible for an unskilled laborer's family of five, consisting of husband, wife, and three children under 14 years of age, to live in New York City on less than $840 a year and maintain a standard of living consistent with American ideas. The bureau, in fixing the minimum salary at $720 instead of $840, proceeded on the theory that because of the age at which sweepers usually enter the service they have at the beginning little or no family responsibility. The almost uniform rate of $2.50 a day which the city of New York has paid for some years to unskilled laborers has not been based in any way upon minimum-wage principles or upon studies of the cost of living, although these elements have entered indirectly into the willingness of the laborer to accept the prevailing rate. The action of the bureau in recommending this new schedule is due to the belief, however, that employees should be paid salaries or wages which bear a proper relation to the cost of living for unskilled laborers in the city of New York. The present report covers 57 pages, all but 16 of which are appendixes giving sources of information and presenting typical family budgets, together with summaries of several studies which have been made of the cost of living for laborers in New York City. Considerable data presented in the report were taken from literature prepared by authorities on the standard of living, with special reference to New York City. However, many suggestions, facts, criticisms, and much valuable assistance were obtained personally and by correspondence from different authorities, from public and private organizations and commissions, and from 20 members of the uniformed force of the department of street cleaning. From a careful study of these sources of information and following closely the average indicated by the 20 laborers, the bureau reached the conclusion that a salary of $840 is the minimum necessary properly to support or maintain a family of five. This is apportioned as follows: |