Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173 [missing]174 [missing]175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342342a343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444 of 444

personal, but was class, which was a new idea to me. They had a dreadful time and were organizing. They didn't look at me from a class struggle angle. We were all working to improve conditions. The Consumers' League doing it one way and the organizers in the other trades doing it another way. We thought their trade unions were all right and they thought our attempt to get legislation was all right. They thought that the Consumers' League principle of its members not buying any goods that were made under unsanitary or unfair conditions was a good idea. It was not unlike the union label, which developed later. The Consumers' League had a label in those days. It would grant a manufacturer the right to use this label if he would open his factory to their inspection and if it could be shown that he had fair working conditions, paid fair wages, had good sanitary conditions and good hours. Our idea of good hours was something less than twelve and our idea of good wages was eight or ten dollars a week - it was at least the going price. They weren't the lowest wages. It wasn't what was known as an oppressive wage, because it was what everybody else paid.

These, of course, were the days when the beginning saleswomen at Bloomingdale's, Macy's and I guess other stores too got three dollars a week. That's what you began on.