Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/625

 SOME PHASES OF SWEATING SYSTEM IN CHICAGO 6ll

there is injustice in the necessity of providing workroom and machine.

The Bohemians are probably second only to the Swedes. 1 The majority of them are found in "Pilsen," in the sixth ward, on Blue Island avenue, Eighteenth street, etc. They are a thrifty people, and the contractors usually own their own homes, but this is less likely to be the case with their employes. Yet the situation of the shops is often bad in the extreme ; accord- ing to one statement 95 per cent, of them front on the alley, are without light in the back, and many are directly over or are near stables. Out of five Bohemian shops on West Eighteenth street two had good street frontage and three were in the rear. All were fairly clean, one was scrupulously so. One was very crowded. The light, ventilation, and heating were better than in the Polish and Jewish shops visited, which are mentioned later. The garments manufactured were coats, pants, and over- coats. Twenty-two males and seventy-two females were employed. The wages ranged from $i to $2 for the girls who were beginning at the handwork, up to $4 or $6 or $8 for the older handworkers; from $3 to $8 or $10 or $12 among the operators ; and from $9 to $12 among the pressers. Foot-power was used altogether. Two or three of the shops reported steady work throughout the year. The others had full work only half or two-thirds of the year, and the rest of the time were idle or had only partial work.*

There is some organization among the workers. It is said that in the coatmakers' strike of 1894 the Bohemians stood nobly by the union and did not "scab it on" the union men as many of the Swedes did. 3 At this time the women stood at the street corners and dissuaded people from working for the con- tractors in opposition to the organization.

The "working" Jews are found mostly between Polk and Fifteenth streets and between Stewart and Blue Island avenues in the seventh, eighth, and nineteenth wards. The external home conditions are worse than those of the Bohemians, and

'See later discussion, p. 617.

2 Personal investigation. 3 Statement of a cloakmaker.