Lapas attēli
PDF
ePub

Of 515 individuals reporting complete data 59.6 per cent worked twelve months, 87.2 per cent nine months or over, 98.6 six months or over, and 99.8 three months or over. A considerably higher per cent of the native-born of foreign father and of the native-born of native father worked twelve months than of the foreign-born. A higher per cent of the Lithuanians (85) worked twelve months than any other race, followed by Germans, Poles, Bohemians and Moravians, and Japanese. Of those working nine months or over the Lithuanians are again first with 100 per cent, while the other races follow in the order named: Poles, Japanese, Germans, Bohemians and Moravians. Of those working six months or over the Lithuanians, Poles, and Japanese show 100 per cent, and are followed with slightly less per cent by Germans and Bohemians and Moravians.

LIABILITY TO ACCIDENT.

Superintendents in various departments of the packing establishments studied were almost universally of the opinion that the employment of immigrants has neither increased nor decreased industrial accidents. Accidents are more prevalent in the departments where employees work as machine operators than in any of the other branches of the industry.

RELATIONS BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT IMMIGRANT RACES.

A racial prejudice exists between the newly arrived immigrants, such as the Poles and Lithuanians, and the immigrants of longer residence, such as the Irish and Germans. The packers have learned, after many years of experience in the employment of different races of people, that better results are accomplished by the partial segregation of the races at work or at least by their partial segregation to a point where the established system for the operation of the plants is not interrupted. This separation begins with the foreman or boss of a certain squad who is anxious to have working for him men of his own race. The employers have found that this arrangement is conducive to better results and the selection of employees by foremen has been encouraged. By this it is not meant that a group of working people of one race will work together with unity and concord existing continually between its members. There are many disagreements between them, but these do not compare with nor are they of the magnitude of the conflicts that occur between different races and which, when carried into the work, result in decisive disorganization.

RELATIVE EFFICIENCY OF IMMIGRANTS AND NATIVES.

It was stated by an official of one packing establishment in South Omaha that as between the native and emigrant employees little comparative difference in efficiency exists. As a general rule the immigrants are regarded as being on one average plane of efficiency with the natives. Among the immigrant races, however, the highest standard of efficiency is set by the Bohemians. The Japanese, although only a few of them are in employment in South Omaha, rank high. It is impossible to state definitely the relative efficiency of

the different races employed in the entire community, but the foregoing estimate, given by one employer, may be accepted as a criterion of the general situation.

ORGANIZED LABOR AND LABOR DISPUTES.

Since 1904 there has been little manifestation of interest in tradesunionism in South Omaha. One of the employers stated that there were no trade unions in the community, but this statement could not be verified. It is true, however, that what labor organizations do exist are ineffective at the present time in the settlement of labor disputes.

The history of unionism in South Omaha is inseparably connected with the three principal labor disputes that have occurred since the establishment of the industry. The first of these was in 1894, when all of the labor organizations ordered a general strike for the increase of wages, in certain occupations, from 40 cents to 45 cents per hour. All of the South Omaha establishments-four in number were involved. The strike began on July 29, 1894, and ended on September 6 of the same year. The cause of the strikers was lost and they returned to work under the wage scale prevalent before the strike. The estimated loss to employees, principally in wages, was $180,000 and to employers $60,000.

The second strike was for an increase of the wages of common laborers from 15 cents to 17.5 cents per hour. It was not ordered by the labor unions and involved only three of the South Omaha establishments. It was called on July 10, 1898, and lasted but eight days, when the strikers' demands were granted by the employers. The estimated loss to employees was $60,000 and to the employers $20,000.

The Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workers' Union of America called a strike on July 12, 1904, of all members employed in the packing houses at South Omaha. This strike was out of sympathy to the common laborers, whose wages had been reduced. The wages of the latter had been, prior to the strike, 19 cents per hour, with the number of hours per day irregular, depending upon the amount of slaughtering done. Under this system the hours per day ranged from 2 to 10.

This strike was an extension of the general strike prevailing in all packing houses in the slaughtering and meat-packing centers of the United States. The South Omaha strikers were about 5,000 in number, of whom 50 were females. The strike period covered two months, during which there were several violent demonstrations directed mainly against the nonunion strike breakers. The plants all made an effort at running except during the last two weeks of the period, when all of the packing houses closed down. On September 10 the union leaders called off the strike and submitted to the terms of the packers. About 300 of the former employees lost their positions, while the common laborers resumed work under a reduction of wages from 19 cents to 17.5 cents per hour.

THE IMMIGRANT AND ORGANIZED LABOR.

The small extent to which the employees are members of trade unions at the present time is set forth in the following table, which shows, by general nativity and race of individual, affiliation with trade unions of males 21 years of age or over who are working for

wages:

TABLE 290.-Affiliation with trade unions of males 21 years of age or over who are working for wages, by general nativity and race of individual.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Of 453 males in this community for whom information was obtained, only 1.5 per cent are affiliated with trade unions, the nativeborn reporting 4.8 per cent, as compared with 1 per cent of the foreignborn. Because of the small number involved, computations have been made only for the native whites of native father and the foreignborn Bohemians and Moravians, Poles, Germans, Japanese, and Lithuanians. Of these races the native whites report a proportion affiliated with trade unions larger than either the Bohemians and Moravians or the Poles, who follow in the order mentioned, while none of the Germans, Japanese, or Lithuanians for whom information was secured is so affiliated.

[blocks in formation]

CHAPTER V.

HOUSING AND LIVING CONDITIONS.

General housing conditions-Immigrant boarding houses-Rent in its relation to
standard of living-Boarders and lodgers-Size of apartments occupied-Size of
households studied-Congestion-[Text Tables 291 to 302 and General Tables 182
to 193].

GENERAL HOUSING CONDITIONS.

None of the packing companies own the homes in which their employees reside, and none of the landlords throughout the community have any direct connection with the employers. A large proportion of the working people, especially those of long residence in this country, are owners of the apartments in which they live." Of 58 Polish families, 32 own homes and many others own lots without homes. Being either owners or permanent renters of homes, the employees have displayed a great interest in their housing conditions. As a result the general condition of all immigrant homes is excellent, most of the apartments being in a good state of care. Especially are excellent housing conditions found to exist among the Bohemian families.

IMMIGRANT BOARDING HOUSES.

Because of the large number of residents in South Omaha who are either single men or married men whose families are not in this country, many immigrant households in the community have either boarders or lodgers. The number may be from 1 to 25. Where there are only a few boarders, they are usually the relatives or intimate friends of either the head of his household or of his wife. The typical immigrant boarding house, however, has from 10 to 25 boarders, who live on the "club plan," each member paying at the end of the month a proportion of all of the expenses since the last payment. The average cost for board and lodging under this arrangement is from $14 to $16 per month.

Living conditions are almost identical in all of the immigrant boarding houses. The households of the Bohemians are in a better state of care, and living conditions among the boarders may be said. to be better than among any other race.

RENT IN ITS RELATION TO STANDARD OF LIVING.

Although the rent payments of the households studied are important in their bearing upon the prevailing cost of living, they are chiefly significant in connection with the study of standard of living, owing to the tendency to decrease the per capita outlay for rent by

a See Table 315, p. 397.

[ocr errors]

increasing the number of persons in the household. The following table shows average rent per month per apartment and room, according to general nativity and race of head of household:

TABLE 291.-Average rent per month, by general nativity and race of head of household. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

a Not computed, owing to small number involved.

The data presented in the above table show that among the families of this locality for which information was secured the average monthly rental is $8.36 per apartment, $2.14 per room, and $1.39 per person. In the case of the native-born families the average rental paid per apartment and per person is larger and the average paid per room slightly smaller than in the case of the foreign-born families.

Of the foreign-born, the Roumanians pay the highest average rental per apartment-$10.36-and the Bohemians and Moravians the lowest-$5.88. The Germans, Lithuanians, and Poles follow the Roumanians in descending order of rentals. The highest monthly rentals per room are reported for the Roumanians and the Bohemians and Moravians in the order mentioned, and the lowest for the Lithuanians, while the Lithuanians pay the highest and the Bohemians and Moravians the lowest monthly rentals per person. The low-rent payment per person among the households the heads of which were foreign-born indicates a high degree of crowding among these households as compared with the other two nativity groups.

The table next presented shows, by general nativity and race of head of household, the per cent of households paying each specified rent per month per apartment.

« iepriekšējāTurpināt »