The earnings of part-time workers were substantially lower than those of full-time workers. Median earnings for men in all of retailing amounted to $18.76, for women to $19.02. Fifty-four and two-tenths percent of men part-time workers and 53.2 percent of women parttime workers earned less than $20 a week. Seventy-eight and two-tenths percent of the men and 80.1 percent of the women earned less than $30 a week. The corresponding percentages for men parttime workers earning less than $40 were 90.8 percent; for women, 94.6 percent. (See table 93; for details see appendix tables XXIV A and B.)

TABLE 93.-Percent distribution of weekly earnings of part-time workers, retail trade, New Jersey, 1954

Source: New Jersey Wage and Hour Survey, 1954, B-11.

Weekly earnings were lower for sales personnel than they were for all employees in retailing. Men sales employees had median weekly earnings of $68.36 as compared to $70.63 for all men. For women employees the difference was considerably greater: median weekly earnings of sales personnel amounted to $35.15 as compared to $41.38 for all women in retailing.3

31

Median weekly earnings of part-time workers averaged $18.76 for men and $19.02 for women. These earnings showed a much smaller difference between men and women than earnings of full-time employees. Also we have here one of the rare instances of women earning more than men-because they were working longer hours.

As table 93 indicates, over 50 percent of both men and women earned less than $20 a week and about 80 percent earned less than $30 a week.

10. OHIO

The Ohio Department of Industrial Relations surveyed in March 1955 approximately 3,300 retail firms employing about 65,000 em

See op. cit. tables F-4 and F-6.

ployees. The actual survey covered 1,709 firms with about 30,000 employees.32

The selection of firms was limited chiefly to the types of stores that employ large numbers or significant proportions of women workers such as department, apparel, limited price, general merchandise, dry goods, food, and drug stores. Retail outlets distributing products such as building materials and supplies, motor vehicles and farm equipment, and gasoline-filling stations were omitted.33 About two-thirds of the employees were women:

Women comprised two-thirds (67.2 percent) of the employees in all retail trade establishments and a larger proportion, three-fourths or more of the employees, in department, dry goods, limited-price, and apparel stores. Male minors, men under 21, made up 5 percent of the total employment in stores. Male minors were about 16 percent of the male employment. Almost 80 percent of the male minors were part-time workers and as such most frequently worked in apparel, food, and drug stores.34

The Department made a comprehensive preliminary report available to the Subcommittee on Labor. In the meantime a number of additional tabulations have been published. A substantial part of the information contained in this section is based on the preliminary report.

(a) Average hourly earnings

The preliminary report stated:

The average as used in this study is the median indicating that half of the group were below and half above. All wage data are based on gross earnings including commissions, and any overtime payments before deductions had been made for taxes and insurance. Overtime at premium rates had little, if any, effect on earnings since it was not a common practice to pay higher rates for overtime. Hourly earnings were computed by dividing gross weekly earnings by actual hours worked or paid for.

The average (median) hourly earnings in retail trade for all employees, was about $1 an hour, ($1.03.) The average for all employees, however, largely reflects women's rates of pay as they predominate, numerically, in the study. For men, the average is considerably higher than $1, being $1.36 and for women, it is a little lower, $0.94. The lowest average earnings were in the limited-price stores, 78 cents for women and 94 cents for men. The highest average hourly earnings were in the home furnishings, $1.15 for women and $1.72 for men. Home furnishing stores tend to employ many more men than women so opportunities for women are limited in this type of store.

The following shows the average hourly earnings by type of stores:

"The Department stated:

"All areas of the State were included in the survey. Forty-eight of the 88 counties, all cities and metropolitan areas with more than 50,000 population, and a large number of cities and villages under 50,000 are represented in the findings. Forty percent of the establishments are in cities of less than 50,000 and more than 10 percent are in localities of less than 10,000 population. The establishments included represent a random selection from a comprehensive county listing of employers available in the department of industrial relations and other State agencies. Establishments ranged in size from 1 employee to more than 1,000 employees. The wage and hour data were copied from payroll records for a week in mid-March 1955 by the inspectors of the Minimum Wage Division.

"The survey findings on hours and earnings are based on approximately 3,300 firms (3,288) and include wage and hour information for 65,549 employees. Approximately 70 percent of workers included are From a preliminary report put at the disposal of the Subcommittee on Labor. For data see appendix

Women."

table XXV.

и Ibid.

Table 94 shows the percentage of employees earning less than 75 cents an hour and less than $1 an hour.

TABLE 94.-Percent of employees in retail trade in Ohio by branches of retailing earning less than specified amounts, March 1955

In March 1955 about 6 percent of the men in all of retailing earned less than 75 cents an hour, about one-fifth earned less than $1 an hour. The corresponding percentages for women were much higher: About 15 percent of the women employees earned less than 75 cents an hour and well over 50 percent (56.4 percent) earned less than $1 an hour. The relative number of workers earning less than 75 cents or less than $1 an hour varied greatly from one branch of retailing to another. Limited-price variety stores had the highest percentages. About 17 percent of the men earned less than 75 cents an hour and about 54 percent earned less than $1 an hour. Among the women employees, who constituted the large majority, about 40 percent earned less than 75 cents an hour and about 87 percent earned less than $1 an hour.

Drugstores were next in line: About one-fifth of the men earned less than 75 cents an hour, a little over one-half earned less than $1 an hour. For women the percentages were a little over one-fourth earning less than 75 cents an hour, a little over 70 percent earned less than $1 an hour.

For dry goods the percentages for women were very close to those in drugstores. For men they were lower: About 17 percent of them earned less than 75 cents an hour and about 36 percent earned less than $1 an hour.

The general merchandise group as a whole followed dry goods. Food stores had a lower relative number of people earning less than 75 cents or less than $1 an hour. About one-fourth of the men and about 36 percent of the women employees earned less than $1 an hour.

In apparel stores which were next in line about 18 percent of the men and over 45 percent of the women earned less than $1 an hour. The figures quoted do not need much comment: They show the very low earnings which prevailed in a highly industrialized Midwestern State about a year ago. (Detailed data are shown in appendix XXVI.)

Table 95 combines the figures just given for men and for women employees. About 12 percent of all employees in retailing earned less than 75 cents and about 45 percent earned less than $1 an hour,

TABLE 95.-Percent of employees in the retail trade in Ohio earning less than 75 cents and $1 an hour, March 1955

Source: Preliminary Report Dept. of Industrial Relations, Ohio.

These figures vary from a minimum of about 4 percent below 75 cents and of about 18 percent below $1 for home furnishings and a maximum of about 38 percent below 75 cents an hour and of about 84 percent below $1 an hour for limited-price variety stores. (b) Hours worked

The preliminary report states:

Three-fourths of the employees in the retail stores surveyed were reported as full-time workers. The hours most frequently worked by women were 40. Almost one-half of the women, 45.6 percent, worked 40 hours and 70 percent worked either 40 hours or less. Of the 30 percent of the women working more than 40 hours, 20 percent worked not more than 44 hours and 10 percent worked more than 44 hours. Actually only 6 percent worked as long as 48 hours, the maximum hours allowed for women by the Ohio hour law for women.

Among men, weekly hours were longer. Weekly hours for men working full time in the stores averaged about 44 (43.6). Most of the men, 60 percent, worked more than 40 hours. Thirty percent of the men worked as much or more than 48 hours. The only type of retail establishment in the survey with weekly hours averaging 40 for men was the department store group.

Table 96 shows the pattern of hours worked by branches of industry for full-time men and women employees.

TABLE 96.-Percent of full-time employees in various branches of retailing classified by number of weekly hours worked, Ohio, March 1955

The relative number of men working over 40 hours varied between 38 percent in department stores and 93 percent in drug stores. In most industries about two-thirds or more of the men worked over 40 hours a week. In none of the industries did more than 10 percent of the full-time men work less than 32 hours a week.

The relative number of full-time women workers working less than 32 hours a week was also relatively small, varying between 5.5 percent in home furnishings to about 11 percent in limited-price variety stores. In limited-price variety stores, drugstores, dry goods and general merchandise the relative number of women working more than 40 hours was larger than the relative number working between 33 and 40 hours. The percentage of full-time women employees working between 33 and 40 hours varied between a minimum of about 24 percent in dry goods to a maximum of about 76 percent in department stores. (See table 96, for details see appendix table XXVII.)

The hours worked by part-time workers during the week surveyed averaged 17. Almost three-fourths of all part-time employees worked less than 24 hours. Hours worked by men and women on part-time jobs followed much the same pattern and the differences were insignificant.

As table 97 indicates about two-thirds of all part-time employees worked less than 24 hours in practically all branches of retailing. (For details see appendix table XXVIII.)

TABLE 97.-Percent of part-time employees working less than 24 hours a week by branches of retailing, Ohio, March 1955

In regard to compensation for overtime, the preliminary report stated:

The vast majority of the 1,700 stores reported that they did not pay premium rates for overtime. Policies and practices as far as overtime payment were not clearly defined. Many firms reported that their employees seldom worked hours that were considered overtime. A few especially small stores reported that compensating time off was allowed if overtime was worked. Most of the firms paid straighttime rates for all hours worked and did not think of the hours above the regular schedule as overtime until they exceeded the State limit for women, 48 hours. There were 263 firms, about one-sixth, of the reporting stores that said they paid time-and-a-half for overtime. Most of these firms paid the premium rate after 40 hours' work in the payroll week, but in some stores the higher rate did not apply until after 44 or 48 hours.