Table 5.-Average Weekly Earnings of Wage Earners in Bar Mills, by Occupation and District, 1933 and 1935

THE average hourly earnings of wage earners in hand-operated puddling mills were 61.9 cents in 1935, as against 47.4 cents in 1933. This represents a gain of 30.6 percent, which was brought about chiefly by increased wage rates under the code, as the operating time affecting the amount of tonnage produced has not changed to any appreciable extent since 1933.

In 1933, nearly 25 percent of the workers earned less than 37.5 cents an hour. In 1935, with the code in effect, no employees earned less than 25 cents, and only 4.4 percent received less than 37.5 cents. Those earning 37.5 and under 50 cents constituted 28.4 percent in 1933, as against 28.2 percent in 1935. Very few of the 46.9 percent who earned 50 cents and over in 1933 made as much as 75 cents, as only 1.6 percent had earnings of that amount or more. In 1935,

however, of the 67.4 percent who earned 50 cents and over, 25.5 percent received 75 cents or more.

As the number of workers reported in the rolling and shearing occupations was very small, separate averages are not presented for them. According to table 6, the three most important occupations based on the number of wage earners are puddlers, level-handed puddlers, and puddlers' helpers. Between 1933 and 1935, the average hourly earnings in these occupations increased as follows: From 43.2 to 49.4 cents, or 14.4 percent, for puddlers' helpers; from 63.6 to 75.5 cents, or 18.7 percent, for puddlers; and from 54.2 to 82.2 cents, or 51.7 percent, for level-handed puddlers. The large increase in the latter occupation is due in some measure to the substitution of a new plant in 1935 for one that was closed in that year but included in the 1933 survey, as well as to a greater percentage of level-handed work in one of the plants with higher earnings.

Table 6.-Average Hourly Earnings of Wage Earners in Puddling Mills, by Occupation, 1933 and 1935

The average hourly earnings of common laborers in this department have in past surveys followed rather closely those of common laborers in blast furnaces; however, the 1935 average of 39.6 cents is 2.6 cents lower than the 1935 average in blast furnaces.

Weekly Hours

THE average working time per week of employees in this department has not increased to any appreciable extent since 1933; it amounted to 30.5 hours in that year, as compared with 31.7 hours in 1935. The 1933 figure indicates that operating time in this department was not so seriously affected by the depression as it was in other rolling mills.

The skilled occupations are puddlers and level-handed puddlers; the semiskilled occupation is puddlers' helpers; and the unskilled occupations are stockers, common laborers, and miscellaneous labor. Other direct and indirect labor has not been classified as to skill.

In 1935, 22.1 percent worked a week of less than 24 hours, and another 39.9 percent a week of 24 and under 40 hours. Those who had a week of exactly 40 hours amounted to 33.0 percent. Most of the workers in the two latter groups were in the Eastern and Pittsburgh plants, as very few wage earners in Southern plants worked a week as long as 24 hours. Only 5 percent of the employees received more than 40 hours' work, and these were mainly in plants in the Eastern district.

Between 1933 and 1935, the average weekly hours of puddlers and their helpers increased approximately 13 percent. This extra working time raised the 1933 averages for these occupations, respectively, from 31.7 to 35.9 and from 29.6 to 33.6 hours. A different situation prevailed among level-handed puddlers, who worked an average of only 26.8 hours in 1935, as against 34.9 hours in 1933. This decrease of 23.2 percent was due in a large measure to the short working time of employees in one large plant. The average weekly hours of common laborers rose from 28.1 in 1933 to 32.4 in 1935, while those for stockers remained almost stationary, being very close to 30 in both years.

Weekly Earnings

IN 1935, the average weekly earnings of puddling-mill workers amounted to $19.62, or $5.16 more than the 1933 average of $14.46. In the former year, 11.2 percent of the workers earned less than $8 per week, and a like percentage earned $8 and under $12. The group receiving $12 and under $18 constituted 20.1 percent of the total, or practically the same proportion as the group earning $18 and under $22. This leaves about 37 percent of the workers with earnings of $22 and over. Of these latter employees, slightly more than one-half earned $22 and under $28, while the remainder were paid $28 and over.

The highest weekly earnings in 1935 for any occupation were $27.09 for puddlers, and the lowest, $12.86, for common laborers. In 1933 the averages for these same occupations were, respectively, $19.94 and $8.13. Thus, while the weekly earnings of the skilled occupation of puddlers increased 36 percent, those for common laborers rose 58 percent. This was due chiefly to a greater increase in the average hourly earnings of the latter occupation, as the working time of each occupation increased by nearly the same percentage between the 2 years. Due to the small number of hours of work available in 1935 for level-handed puddlers, they earned an average of only $22.02 or $5.07 less than puddlers, whereas in 1933 they received $18.91 or $1.03 less than puddlers.

75264-36- -9

Sheet-Bar Mills

Average Hourly Earnings

THE average hourly earnings of employees in sheet-bar mills amounted to 66.1 cents in 1935. Undoubtedly, these earnings were materially higher than they were in 1933, when sheet and tin-plate mills were operating at a very reduced rate. Moreover, the code was of material benefit to a large number of employees, whose earnings were not based on the amount of product turned out during any given period. No district averages are shown here, because of the fact that the number of workers covered in each of the four areas is not sufficiently large.

In 1935, only 1.2 percent of the employees earned less than 40 cents per hour, and these were found in the Southern district, where the minimum rates for common labor ranged from 25 to 37 cents. Those paid 40 and under 50 cents amounted to 19.0 percent. Thus, 20.2 percent of the total earned under 50 cents exactly the same percentage as for blooming mills, but considerably less than the 30.3 percent for bar mills. The class receiving 50 and under 75 cents included 59.9 percent. This leaves 19.9 percent earning 75 cents and over. Very few of this latter group earned as much as $1 per hour.

The 1935 occupational averages, which are shown in table 7, ranged from 45.7 cents for common laborers to $1.459 for the skilled occupation of rollers. The differential between them amounts to $1.002, or 16.2 cents less than that appearing between the same occupations in blooming mills, a heavy-rolling-mill department where rollers earned an average of $1.608 and common laborers 44.4 cents. The 1935 averages for the other unskilled occupations in sheet-bar mills were 58.9 cents for shearmen's helpers and 51.3 cents for miscellaneous labor. These averages may be compared respectively with 61.1, 65.4, and 67.1 cents for the semiskilled occupations of transfertable operators, bar-yard cranemen, and loopers. Among the skilled occupations, other than rollers, the range was from 66.4 cents for inspectors to $1.070 for finishers.10

10 The remaining skilled occupations are chargers and drawers, rollers, guide setters, manipulators, finishers, inspectors, shearmen, and electric roll engineers.

Plant clerical and supervisory workers and direct and indirect labor have not been classified as to skill.

Table 7.—Average Hourly Earnings of Wage Earners in Sheet-Bar Mills, by

Occupation, 1935

Sheet bar may or may not be rolled from the original heat of the ingot. In plants where it is rolled from the original heat of the ingot, the sheet-bar mill is directly connected with a billet or heavier rolling mill, and as a result no heating crew is required. Most of the mills included in this survey were of the latter type. Consequently, sufficient data are not available for heaters and heaters' helpers to justify showing averages.

Weekly Hours

SHEET-BAR mill employees worked an average of 36.2 hours during the period covered by this survey. Although no figures are available for 1933, it is safe to say that the 1935 average is far above what it was in that year, when automobile and furniture factories were consuming comparatively small tonnages of sheet. Moreover, the production of tin plate, which is made out of sheet bar, was also below normal at the time of the 1933 survey.

In sheet-bar mills, 10.9 percent of the employees in 1935 worked a week of less than 24 hours. About two-thirds of these workers were found in the two unskilled labor occupations and among plant supervisory and clerical employees. Very few wage earners (4.0 percent) worked 24 and under 32 hours. Those working 32 to 40 hours, inclusive, covered 68.3 percent of the total, leaving 16.8 percent with a week of over 40 hours. This latter group was composed mainly of employees working 48 hours per week.

The occupational averages in 1935 ranged from 27.9 for plant clerical employees to 42.4 for rollers. None of the rolling-crew occupations for which averages have been computed had less than 38.1 hours, except roll engineers. Hence, as may be seen, the mills covered were operating very close to the 40-hour average permitted by the code. Common laborers worked an average of 31.2 hours, as against 23.7 hours in plate mills and 25.2 hours in structural mills.