2. CAUSES OF STRIKES.1

(a) Introductory. - Statistics as to the causes of strikes and lockouts are apt to be somewhat misleading. In many cases a strike is nominally due to several different causes, yet some of these may involve much more truly the point at issue than the others. Another difficulty in discussing causes is that there are many technical points of dispute in special trades which give rise to a large number of minor causes of strikes. To a person unfamiliar with the industry the precise significance of strikes of this sort may be lost.

In order to judge more accurately the relative importance of different causes of strikes, all causes have been classified into a small number of groups.2 Many strikes are for two or more causes. If each of these be taken separately in the tabulation, a fair comparison as to the relative stress laid upon demands of different kinds will be reached, and the number of groups of causes diminished. In the reports of this Bureau previous to that for 1908 the causes were classified under the principal or underlying cause, but in this report as in that for 1908 the separation of causes has been made. Strikes resulting from two or more causes have been counted under each of those causes combined with various causes. For example, strikes for increase in wages and reduction in hours have been included in the cause "for increase in wages combined with other causes and also in the cause 66 for reduction in hours combined with other causes," as such strikes were due in part to both of these causes.

3

On the basis of this grouping the total number of strikes involving each of these various classes of demands has been ascertained. By dividing the number for each cause by this total, the percentage which this class of causes bears to all causes has been reached. For the sake of brevity we have sometimes referred in the text to the proportion of strikes due to a group of causes, but the fuller and more accurate expression would indicate that the figures represent the proportion which causes of a certain class bear to all causes, a proportion which gives correctly the relative importance of the respective classes of causes.

Employees may generally be said to strike for one of two reasons, for what they believe to be better conditions of employment or

1 For statistical tables relating to causes see pages 208 to 212, post.

2 The classification of causes by this Bureau is explained on pages 249 to 253, post.

3 The total number of strikes involving each of the various classes of demands was 207; establishments, 581; strikers, 13,775.

against a change from present to what they believe to be worse conditions. Similarly we may say that employers lock out their employees for two reasons, to resist threatened demands from the employees for a change in conditions of employment or to compel their employees to accept a change in conditions. In combining the statistics of strikes and lockouts, from the point of view of the employees, we may group the first causes of both strikes and lockouts as stated above and call them "attack" strikes, and similarly we may group the latter causes and call them "defense" strikes.

(b) Statistics of Causes for All Industries. As might be expected, the demand for an increase in wages caused a larger number of strikes than any other single cause. This demand alone appeared in 76, or 36.72 per cent of all the strikes, and in 191, or 32.88 per cent of the establishments affected by strikes; while alone and in combination with other causes it produced 93, or 44.93 per cent of all the strikes in 273, or 47.00 per cent, of all the establishments. This was also the most important cause so far as the number of strikers was concerned. The percentage of strikers in strikes due wholly to this cause was 41.97 per cent, while for this object alone, and in combination with other causes, the percentage of strikers was 49.98.

There were nine strikes for reduction in hours of labor alone and in combination with other causes in 91, or 15.67 per cent of all of the establishments. The desire for union shop conditions alone, and in combination with other requests, produced 23 strikes in 48, or 8.26 per cent of all the establishments affected. There were six sympathetic strikes which affected 32, or 5.50 per cent of all the establishments involved in disputes. The percentage of strikers in sympathetic strikes both alone and combined with other causes was 1.60. The percentage of strikers in strikes for reduction in hours of labor alone was 4.55, while the percentage for reduction in hours of labor alone and combined with other causes was 7.21. The percentage of strikers in strikes due wholly to the demand for the union shop was 2.43, and the percentage due to demands for union. shop alone and combined with other causes was 4.66.

(c) Causes of Strikes by Industries. The inquiry as to the relative importance of the various causes of strikes in the different industries presents many interesting results.

1 For a consideration of attack and defense strikes, see pages 118 and 119, ante.

Attack strikes were most numerous in the building trades, 2,855 strikers in 245 establishments leaving work in order to secure change in existing conditions. In the boot and shoe industry, 1,889 employees in 58 establishments sought new conditions.

Three establishments and 2,390 strikers in the flax, hemp, and jute goods industry were involved in defense strikes; and 297 employees in 10 boot and shoe factories left work rather than submit to changes in the accustomed conditions of employment.

In the building trades, 1,244 employees in 113 establishments struck for increase in wages alone, and for increase in wages alone and combined with other causes 1,863 employees struck in 164 establishments. There were 869 employees in 80 establishments who struck for a reduction in hours of labor alone and combined with other causes.

In the boot and shoe industry, 69.71 per cent of the strikers in 56.38 per cent of the establishments were involved in strikes for increase in wages alone and combined with other causes and 12.78 per cent of the strikers in 27.66 per cent of the establishments for recognition of union and other union rules alone and combined with other causes.

(d) Causes of Strikes Ordered by Labor Organizations. - Among the strikes ordered by labor organizations, 5,433 employees, or 63.26 per cent, struck for an increase in wages alone and combined with other causes; 956 for reduction in hours of labor alone and combined with other causes; 501 for union shop conditions alone and combined with other causes; and 414 for recognition of union combined with other causes. In the strikes which were not ordered by labor organizations, 1,451 employees, or 28.59 per cent, struck for increase in wages alone and combined with other causes and 2,343 against reduction in wages.

3. DURATION OF STRIKES AND TIME LOST. 1

(a) Statistics of Duration and the Closing of Establishments. The majority of strikes which occurred during 1909 were of short duration. Of the 477 establishments involved in strikes, those in 339, or 71.07 per cent (in which there were 59.91 per cent of the total number of strikers and 76.00 per cent of the employees thrown out of work), did not last more than one week. The number of es

1 Statistical tables relating to duration will be found on pages 213 to 216, and 221, post.

tablishments affected by strikes which did not last more than two weeks was 406, or 85.12 per cent, and involved 70.88 per cent of the strikers and 83.68 per cent of the employees thrown out of work. There were 10 establishments, or 2.10 per cent of the total number, in which the strikes lasted more than six weeks, which involved but 18.93 per cent of the strikers. The longest strike lasted 92 days and involved 2,280 strikers and one establishment.

The duration of all the strikes which began during the year aggregated 3,31212 working days. Strikes do not always result in the shutting down of an establishment, and of the 477 establishments in which strikes occurred only 145, or 30.40 per cent, were closed during part of the dispute. The aggregate number of working days during which these establishments were shut down was 917, and the average number of working days closed per establishment was 6.3. In the industry in which the largest number of establishments were closed by strikes, viz., the building trades, the average number of working days closed in each establishment was six.

It is obvious that, generally speaking, the length of time during which establishments are closed as the result of strikes will be somewhat less than the length of time elapsing before all the strikers will return to work, or, in case they do not return, until their places are filled by others. The average duration for each establishment in which strikes occurred before the places of strikers were filled or the strikers were re-employed was seven working days. The average duration of strikes varied in the different industries, ranging from one day in the retail trade, and water, light, and power industry and among employees of State authorities to 49 days among employees in the hosiery and knit goods industry. In those industries in which the largest number of establishments were affected by strikes, namely, the building trades and the boot and shoe industry, the average duration of disputes in each establishment was 6.2 and 6.3 working days respectively.

(b) Working Time Lost by Strikes. We may ascertain somewhat roughly the total labor time lost as a result of strikes by a combination of the figures showing the duration of the dispute in each establishment and those showing the number of strikers and persons who were thrown out of employment by them. During the year 1909 the total number of working days lost was 228,363, equivalent (on the hypothesis that the average working year is 300 days) to the

labor of 761 persons for one year. The significance of these figures can not be properly judged except by a comparison with the total number of persons employed in industries subject to strikes and lockouts during the period in question, and the total number of days which they might have worked. It will, of course, be remembered that cessation of employment because of strikes and lockouts may often merely offset time which would be lost in any case because of the irregularity of work.

(c) Duration According to Size of Strikes. Of all establishments affected by strikes in which there were less than 26 strikers, 72.29 per cent lasted one week or less, while of establishments in which there were over 100 strikers, 70 per cent lasted one week or less. Of establishments in which there were less than 26 strikers, only 7.81 per cent lasted more than 24 days, while in establishments in which there were more than 100 strikers, 10 per cent lasted more than 24 days.

(d) The Effect of Labor Organizations. -Strikes ordered by labor organizations were of much longer duration than those not so ordered. The total days duration of all the strikes was 3,25812 working days. The average duration of the strikes ordered by labor organizations was 28.8 working days, while the average duration of strikes not ordered by labor organizations was 6.6 working days. Of the 334 establishments involved in strikes lasting one week or less, 76.95 per cent were involved in strikes ordered by labor organizations, as compared with 79.40 per cent so ordered for all strikes. Of the 416 establishments affected by strikes lasting three weeks or less, 78.37 per cent were in ordered strikes. Of all the strikes ordered by labor organizations, 69.46 per cent of the establishments and 72.63 per cent of the strikers were in disputes lasting one week or less, while in the strikes not so ordered, 80.21 per cent of the establishments and 42.34 per cent of the strikers were involved in strikes lasting one week or less. There were 13, or 3.51 per cent of the establishments, involving 163, or 2.22 per cent of the strikers in strikes ordered by labor organizations which lasted more than 30 days, while in two strikes not so ordered lasting more than 30 days, there were 2,300 strikers involved. This exceptionally large number of strikers concerned in strikes not ordered by labor organizations was due to the large unorganized strike at Ludlow.

(e) Prevalence of Strikes According to Seasons of the Year. In