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Glass Factory Jobs (19th & early 20th centuries)
Jobs
In a typical glass factory in earlier times, most workers would work as unskilled laborers. An unskilled laborer
was usually called "boy," a term which did not refer to the age of the individual. Although girls were known to
perform other work, they often worked as inspectors and packers of finished glass. They were thought to have
the "keener eyesight" required to sort out poorly made glass, and it was also thought that they would be more
careful packing the finished ware in shipping barrels.
Younger Workers
Below is a list of the numbers of workers by age in
an 1880's glass factory:
l 10 years old: 2
l 11 years old: 4
l 12 years old: 10
l 13 years old: 16
l 14 years old: 53
l 15 years old: 83
l 16 years old: 256
l 17 years old: 199
l 18 years old: 52
Part of a night shift in an Indiana glass
l 19 years old: 127
factory, August 1908. The photographer is Lewis
l 20 years old: 116
W. Hines (18741940). The photograph was taken
as part of an assignment for the National Child
Getting the Job Labor Committee and the original belongs to the
National Child Labor Committee Collection of the
Hiring practices were not formal. With no labor Library of Congress. The print we have in the
unions to establish seniority, workers were sought Rakow Library was obtained from the Library of
out for jobs because of their reputations as skilled, Congress.
reliable people. A gaffer could hire and fire
whomever he wanted. Often, local saloons were
used as hiring places. Usually, a gaffer would be paid for a job by the company, then he would hire and pay the
people with whom he wanted to work.
The Workweek
When factories were in full operation, a 50 to 55 hour work week was normal. Mondays through Fridays were 9
to 10hour working days with a half day on Saturdays. The 40hour workweek with overtime pay ("time anda
half") was not introduced until the 1940's.
Wages
In one glass factory, the average 1912 hourly wage for a male worker was 18 cents, and that of a female worker
was 11 cents. They did not perform the same work. The lowest rate for a male was 15 cents and the highest rate
for a female was still 11 cents. A 1917 statistic for the same factory shows that the average yearly wage for the
lowest payrated male was $526, well above the U.S. poverty level at the time.
Working Conditions
Working conditions were hot, dirty, and sometimes dangerous. For that time in history, glass factory working
hours was reasonable and pay was relatively good. As length of service increased, opportunities to learn a skilled
trade were usually available to those who qualified. Of course, working conditions differed from factory to
factory.
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