APPENDIX VIII

SUMMARY OF REPORT ON SALARIES PAID TO TEACHERS IN 320 CITIES OF OVER 10,000 POPULATION IN THE

UNITED STATES This report was made as a result of an investigation conducted by the National Education Association Commission on the National Emergency, Dr. George D. Strayer, chairman.

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($ 300 $ 499

APPENDIX IX

INCREASE IN SALARIES OF TEACHERS IN CERTAIN CITIES; ALSO INCREASE IN WAGES OF EMPLOYÉS IN

CERTAIN INDUSTRIES It is interesting to note that in establishing salary schedules the "equal pay” principle has been recognized by the Hon. William G. McAdoo, director general of railroads of the United States, by the War Department and its ammunition factories, and by the National War Labor Board.

INCREASES IN TEACHERS' SALARIES The committee has knowledge up to date of increases in salaries as follows: In New York City on January 1, 1912, the minimum salary was raised from $600 to $720; on January 1, 1918, the minimum was raise from $720 to $800; and it was proposed that from July 1, 1918, the minimum should be raised from $800 to $1000. This affects only 7000 of the 21,000 teachers and is unsatisfactory. The Board of Education, however, believes that this is the best use of the money available for 1918, because of the fact that the national government is offering $1000 to young women equipt as teachers are. Said Board has a committee working on a general upward revision of all salaries, which will probably call for a total increase of $4,000,000. The teachers, however, are demanding schedules more commensurate with the present cost of living, which schedules call for a total increase of approximately $12,000,000. Naturally the question arises, “Where is the money to come from ?” The teachers are planning to appeal to the state legislature to amend the state education law by changing the tax rate for teachers' salaries in cities over 100,000 from 4.9 mills to 6 mills.

The County Council of London has voted a 50 per cent increase to teachers' salaries.

Fall River, Mass., has voted to increase the salary of every member of the teaching corps $100 per year, dating from May 20, 1918.

Rockford, Ill., has granted an annual increase of $100 from September 1, 1918, and is considering a proposal of a $50 bonus in addition.

Hoboken, N.J., has added $300 to the annual salary of its teachers. Paterson, N.J., had added $200 to the annual salary of its teachers.

UNITED STATES STEEL GIVES LABOR A 15 PER CENT INCREASE

Two hundred thousand employes of the United States Steel Corporation were made happy by the announcement of a 15 per cent increase in wages effective April 15. The advance is in recognition of the increast cost of living.

It is estimated that the increase in wages just granted will cost the company yearly about $45,000,000. The annual report of the company shows a 1917 surplus of more than $52,000,000 and a total undivided surplus of $431,660,803.

Between the end of 1915 and the last quarter of 1917 the corporation raised the pay of its employes 60 per cent.

The corporation at the close of the year had 268,058 employes, compared with 252,668 at the close of 1916. During the year 11,486 employes entered the United States service.

STANDARD OIL RAISES WAGES THREE MILLIONS

An increase in wages averaging 10 per cent was made, applicable to all wage-earners except first-class bricklayers and watchmen, whose rates will be increast 5 per cent, and lead burners, whose rates previously had been raised.

All employes, without any contribution on their part, will be given individual life insurance policies with benefits ranging from a sum equal to three months' wages to $2000.

The old-age pension system now in vogue, where employes sixty-five years of age are provided for, has been amended so that an employe may retire at the end of twenty years of service on a pension.

President Teagle said that about 30,000 employes were affected by the wage increase, which totaled somewhat more than $3,000,000 a year. When he announced the wage increase he stated that since August 1, 1915, the Standard Oil Company has granted five general wage increases for all classes of labor, so that the average increase since that time has amounted to 62.8 per cent, while the rate for common labor had been increast 80.57 per cent in this period.

In addition to these increases a change from a nine- to an eight-hour day was made effective September 15, 1915. This was without any change in the scale of wages and was therefore equivalent to an increase in the wage scale of 19.37 per cent.

RAILROAD-WAGE INCREASES

General pay increases for nearly 2,000,000 railroad employes were announced by Director-General McAdoo.

· Issuance of General Order No. 27 granted an increase of wages on the eight-hour-day basis to all employes. The increases will reach $300,000,000 a year.

The increases carry out almost entirely the recommendations of the Railroad Wage Commission. They become effective next Saturday and are retroactive to last January 1.

In the state legislature last April a bill was introduced providing a 20 per cent increase for all state employes receiving less than one thousand