New York State Factory Investigating Commission Background Report on Buffalo Department Stores Employees Strike A3017

New York State Factory Investigating Commission Background Report on Buffalo Department Stores Employees Strike

Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources

Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:

This series consists of a background report on the 1913 department store worker strike in Buffalo, New York. The report deals mainly with wages, although in addition to higher wages, strikers were demanding Saturday night closing of stores, an eight-hour day, and better sanitary conditions. Packard's report recommended that the Factory Investigating Commission hold a public hearing on the issues raised by the strikers.

Creator:

New York (State). Factory Investigating Commission

Title:

Background report on Buffalo department stores employees strike

Quantity:

0.1 cubic feet

(1 item)

Inclusive Dates:

1913

Series Number:

A3017

Scope and Content Note

Esther Packard, later a Wage Investigation field agent, interviewed strikers and wrote this report. The report deals mainly with wages, although in addition to higher wages, strikers were demanding Saturday night closing of stores, an eight-hour day, and better sanitary conditions.

The fifteen-page typscript report, with handwritten revisions, has information on: wages paid to various workers; difficulties of individual workers trying to support themselves or their families on low wages; prostitution of many women unable to support themselves or their children on their store pay; and sexual harassment of female employees by store managers. Packard's report recommended that the Factory Investigating Commission hold a public hearing on the issues raised by the strikers. However, there is no evidence from the Commission's records or published reports that a hearing was held concerning these issues.