Bureau of Labor Standards or the various report services we subscribe to. Your committee believes that the question today is not the lack of minimum wage standards, but rather their adequacy at the Federal, State, or local levels to provide a worker a standard of living which would enable him to maintain his self-respect. Each jurisdiction, because of problems unique unto itself, has established widely different minimum wage standards. We also observe the existence of wide differences between Federal and local standards. These wide variations may be viewed as a contributor to problems of competition between enterprises within States as well as within like industries in different States. So, in effect, we take cognizance of disparity in minimum wage standards besides the adequacy of such standards. But without suggesting that the IAGLO is satisfied with or has done all it possibly can to encourage adoption of realistic levels of adequate minimum wages, we do feel that this association has dealt quite extensively on the subject of minimum wages per se in the past. Have not maximum hour standards achieved equivalent status for conference consideration? Would it also not be proper for this association to consider other problems that bear direct and significant relationship to minimum wage standards? Such problems as the treatment of tips and gratuities and in the improvement of effectiveness in enforcing payment of administrative findings of back wages would appear to be, even if viewed solely from the standpoint of preventing, the undermining of minimum wage standards. For these reasons, your committee recommends for consideration the creation of task groups or subcommittees to undertake studies of these various facets and submit recommended courses of action at our next meeting. MINIMUM WAGE COMMITTEE ALFRED LAURETA, Hawaii, Chairman C. K. MURCHISON, Saskatchewan, Vice Chairman W. T. BILL HUGHES, Oklahoma [Accepted.] President CATHERWOOD. Thank you, Commissioner Laureta, for a very concise and pointed report. I will ask the Secretary-Treasurer to remind the executive board of the recommendation in this report re giving consideration to the appointment of task forces or committees to provide some specific followup prior to our next convention on the different facets relating to minimum wage, as mentioned by the chairman of this committee. Are there questions or points for discussion? If not, thank you very much for the excellent presentation. I will ask John Cullerton of Illinois to present the Report of the Committee on Statistics at this time. Report of the Statistics Committee Chairman: JOHN E. CULLERTON, Director, Illinois Department of Labor Your committee on statistics, including official members or statistician representatives, met in Chicago, Ill., June 15, 1966, in conjunction with the Interstate Conference on Labor Statistics. Prior to this meeting, the chairman had forwarded to the committee summary information on reports of activities in recent years and suggestions of subjects to be considered for the current report. There were several major developments in statistics this year which will serve as the basis for our report: (1) The survey of research and statistics activities involving a questionnaire to all State departments of labor and Canadian Provinces; (2) the National Conference on Comparative Statistics; and (3) the 24th Interstate Conference on Labor Statistics. I. SURVEY OF STATISTICAL AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES Early in May the committee sent a questionnaire to each member of the association, requesting information on current statistical organizations and programs, and their activities planned for the future. A followup letter was sent to all those who had not responded by June 15. The total response has been excellent, and we are grateful to all who participated. Presently, 42 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and nine of the 10 Provinces of Canada have responded. The quality of the returns is very good, indicating the keen interest in the survey. All States and Provinces known to have a defined statistical program filled in the questionnaire. We are still hopeful that the other eight States and one Province will join in the survey in time to be included in the final tallies. The details of the survey will be included in the inventory to be issued later this summer. The salient features of the survey are as follows (for the purposes of this summary, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia will be considered as State units). Organization of Statistical Activities Thirty-five State departments of labor have research and statistics units either separately or jointly with the employment security program. Seven Provinces have such units. However, almost all States appear to have some statistical activity in the centralized unit or in the individual operating divisions of the department. Even in those States and Provinces with well-defined units, some supplementary activity is carried on in the operating divisions. Summary of Research and Statistics Activities The survey shows that the Canadian Provinces depend heavily for their statistics on the Dominion Department of Labour and the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. However, many independent studies are made. The States, of course, make major use of the national, State, and local data prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, and other Federal agencies. As a matter of fact, 31 State labor departments have some type of cooperative arrangements with BLS in the collection of employment, hours and earnings data, injury statistics, or exchange of information on work stoppages. But the States also are stepping up their independent statistical activities, initiating new programs, improving standards and techniques, and publishing the survey findings. Members of the association initiated a total of 54 new programs over the past year, 17 in the Provinces and 37 in the States. In addition, they reported 40 new statistical and analytical programs in the planning stage, 15 in the Provinces and 25 in the States. The majority of these projected plans are in the manpower area, skill requirements and supply, occupational patterns, training, and in wages, injury statistics, and economic indicators. There were 185 publications and reports issued by the States and Provinces in the past year (exclusive of E.S.), of which 28 were of the recurring type, monthly or quarterly. One-time and annual reports totaled 153 publications. The issuances were in manpowerrelated subjects, administrative, safety, work injury, industrial relations, annual reports, codes and legislation, directories of manufacturers and census-type surveys of manufacturing, and various types of economic data. Administrative Statistics Thirty-eight States and eight Provinces indicated that they used statistics in administrative operation of their labor departments. These activities centered mainly in compliance inspections of various types, labor standards, minimum wage, wage claims, wage payments, equal pay, hours, child labor, safety, elevators, mining, and boiler. Data are used in planning the inspection workload and in allocating inspectors and engineers to problem areas. One of the principal gains in the development and use of administrative statistics has been in the budgeting area. Just a decade ago, only six States were using statistical information to advantage in obtaining new funds for their departments. The reports showed that presently 27 States and 4 Provinces are using administrative and economic data in their budgeting process. A number of States attributed their success in achieving their budgets to the use of statistical data and charts, which define needs and measure progress, in the presentations and justifications to the appropriation committees. Mr. Webb of California pointed to this last year when he was able to obtain funds for additional safety engineers. Carl Cabe of Kentucky and Don Cummings of Missouri reported similar experiences in recent budget reviews. Work Injury Statistics Thirty-five States and five Provinces prepare data in this field from surveys, administrative records, or first reports of injury of the workmen's compensation program. Statistics on frequency and causal factors are widely used in safety promotion programs, planning projects, in measuring progress, and in administration, in allocating available inspectors and engineers to problem areas. Twelve members of the association are engaged in a cooperative program with BLS in compiling injury statistics. They are Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. This program, annually for most, quarterly for a few, yields frequency and severity rates for the more important manufacturing industries. Charles Pearce, IAGLO representative (along with Maurice Gershenson) on the American Standards Association Sectional Committee on Standardization of Methods of Recording and Compiling Accident Statistics, Z16, reports that a first draft of the proposed revision of American Standard Z16.1 has been completed. The Z16.1 standard deals with the subject of recording and measuring work-injury experience, and contains standards which the Federal Government and many States follow in compiling work-injury frequency and severity rates. This first draft of the proposed revision contains the recommendation of four subcommittees of the overall committee, which were appointed to carry out the detailed work connected with revision. Mr. Pearce serves as a member of the subcommittee concerned with definitions. The full committee now has the task of reconciling any differences or inconsistencies between the reports of the subcommittees, and to consider comments by any of the particular groups. Generally speaking, the proposed revisions of the 21-year-old Z16.1 standard are directed mainly at clarification of definitions, terms, explanations, etc. Although a number of significant changes of substance were proposed, few have been accepted to date, and none that would appreciably affect the comparability of future with past statistics on work injuries. Workmen's Compensation Twenty-seven States and five Provinces compile statistics of the workmen's compensation program which are used for administrative purposes. The information includes claims filed, closed, dispositions, awards, compensation paid, and other special data. Industrial Relations Fifteen States and six Provinces prepare a wide variety of data in this category. The activities cover analysis of collective bargaining agreements, mediation and conciliation cases, elections, unfair labor practices, arbitration, analysis of work stoppages, and other operating statistics needed in dispute settlement. Ten of these States collaborate with BLS in an exchange agreement in reporting work stoppages. Occupational Wage Rates Seventeen States and five Provinces prepare wage rate statistics mainly for purposes of: (1) Determining prevailing rates in construction trades; (2) administration of employment security programs; and (3) a variety of other uses, such as minimum wage distributions, etc. Apprenticeship and Training Twenty-five States and seven Provinces compile statistics important in the administration of State programs and training activities. Manpower and Employment Twenty-three States, Puerto Rico, and six Provinces reported that they engaged in the preparation of employment, unemployment, and earnings data. The States cooperate with BLS in this program. |