Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 October 1895 — STRIKE AND LOCKOUT [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STRIKE AND LOCKOUT

THE LABOR COMMISSIONER’S ANNUAL REFORT IBion-a that Employes Have Lost More than Twice a* Mach as Employers from Labor Troubles During the Past Seven Years. Kin ploy era i Los t $04,825,837. -4 Ib his tenth aauual report, just coni'! pleted Carroll D. Wright, Commissioner of Labor, computes that the loss to cm-

ployes in establishments in which lockouts and strikes occurred during the thirteen and a half years ending June 30, 1594, amounted to $190,493,382, and to employers to $94,825,837 r The loss ter employes on account of strikes was $163,-. 807,866T0kU count of lockouts $26,685,516; to em-

ployers, on account of strikes, $82,590,386. and on account of lockouts, $12,involved in strikes in this period was 69,167 and the number of persons thrown out of employment by reason of strikes 3,714,406, making an average loss to the employes of each establishment of $2,36S and to each person of $44. The number of establishments involved in lockouts was 6,067 and the number of persons locked ‘ out 366,600. These persons lost an average of $73 each. The assistance given to strikers and the subjects of lockouts during the period amounted, as far aa aseertamable, to $13,438,704, or a little over 7 per cent, of the total loss to employes. ~ ) One of the most important tables related to the cause of strikes. This statement shows that more'than a fourth of them were caused by a refusal to accede to a demand for increase of wages, over 13 per cenf. for a refusal to concede a reduction of hours and more than 8 *per cent, by the determination of employers •to reduce wages. Three thousand six hundred and twenty-, or almost 8 per cent., of the strikes were caused bysyrn-f>ftfkette-aeti»n with- oHter-S4Fikea, and 1,688 were occasioned by the employment of non-union men. The industries most affected by strikes in the last seven and a half years were the building trades, with 20,785 establishments igyplved. After these in the order of importance came coal and coke, clothing, tobacco, food preparations and stone quarries. Out of a total of 10,488 striked in the entire country for this period 5,909, or to exceed 56 per cent., occurred in twenty-six of the principal cities, while of the estab- ’ lishments involved in lockouts over 61 per cent, occurred in these cities.- Fifty-nine per cent, of the establishments engaged in strikes were closed on an average of twenty-two days, and 64 per cent, of those engaged in lockouts for an aver'age of thirty-five days, the loss of time in other cases being only temporary. * In each case there were a few establishments closed permanently. Success was gained by the employes in over 43 per cent, of the strikes, partial success in oyer 10 per cent., while the remaining 46 per cent, were failures. Over 48<tper cent, of the lockouts succeeded completely and over 10 per cent, partially. The others were failures.: In the successful strikes 669,992. persons were thrown out of employment. -318.801 in those partially successful and 1,400,988 in those which failed. Of the total number of persons (brown out of employment by strikes in the. period of thirteen and a half years 8.78 per cent, were females, and by lockouts 22.53. Of the 10,482 strikes which occurred in the seven and a half years, especially covered by the present report. 7,295 were or- , dered by labor organizations, while of the 442Jockouts o,f this period only eighty-one were ordered hr organizations of miployers. Sixty-nine per cent, of all the strikes and 76 per cent, of all the lock-outs-of the seven-arfd-a-ha 1 f-year period treated of occurred in the five States of Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Massach asetts, Illinois taking the lead of all the States of the Union.

CARROLL D. WRIGHT.