As table 51 shows, the pattern of hours worked during a week in June 1951 differed greatly from one branch of retailing to another. In limited price variety stores, for example, about half of all employees worked between 33 and 40 hours a week. In department stores the percentage of workers within this interval was even greater (64.3 percent for all workers, 64.0 percent for women). In apparel stores there were also about half of the employees working between 33 and 40 hours a week. In drug and food stores the relative number of employees within this category was much smaller (drug: 15.2 percent of all workers; food stores: 18.4 percent of all workers).

The largest relative number of employees working less than 32 hours was in the limited price variety field. In this branch of retailing 39.0 percent of all workers and 41.8 percent of the women employees worked less than 32 hours. In all other branches listed in table 51 between 20 and 30 percent of the employees worked less than 32 hours a week.

TABLE 51.-Weekly hours in retail trade, New York State, percent distribution of employees by specified type of establishment

Drug and food stores had the largest relative number of employees working more than 40 hours (both had a little over 55 percent of all their employees in this group). In apparel stores about 30 percent of all employees worked more than 40 hours; in department stores about 15 percent, and in limited-price variety stores only 12.6 percent. (For further details see appendix tables XIIIA–K.)

(c) Weekly earnings

Frequency distributions of weekly earnings in the retail industry in New York State show the same basic characteristics as those revealed by an analysis of hourly earnings.

The data contained in tables 52 and 53 may be summarized as follows: In June 1951 21.2 percent of all workers in all stores earned less than $30 per week; 36.3 percent of all workers in all stores earned less than $40 per week. Assuming a 40-hour workweek, weekly earnings of $30 a week correspond to 75 cents an hour, the nationwide statutory minimum wage in 1951, and weekly earnings of $40 correspond to $1 an hour, the present Federal minimum wage.

In June 1951 31.9 percent of all women workers in all stores earned less than $30 per week; 58.1 percent of all women workers in all stores

earned less than $40 per week. As was to be expected, a substantially larger percentage of women workers earned below these specified limits. TABLE 52.-Weekly earnings in the retail trade industry in New York State, percent distribution of workers, by area, June 1951

Source: Wages and Hours in the Retail Industry in New York State, 1950-51.

TABLE 53-Weekly earnings in the retail trade industry in New York State

Source: Wages and Hours in the Retail Industry in New York State, 1950–51.

In New York City the percentage of low-wage earners was smaller (15.5 percent of all store workers were earning less than $30 a week; 29 percent were earning less than $40 an hour. The corresponding percentages for women were 22.1 percent below $30 and 44.8 percent below $40).

In Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties the percentages were lower than they were in the State as whole for all employees in retailing (20.2 percent under $30; 33.6 percent under $40 a week). But the percentages of women earning under $30 (33.9 percent) as well as under $40 (61.9 percent) were higher in these counties than they were for the State as a whole.

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The remainder of the State had the highest percentage of all workers earning less than $30 a week (30.3 percent) and less than $40 (48.4 percent). It also had the highest percentages of women workers earning less than $30 (46.1 percent) and below $40 (76.7 percent). (For details see tables 52 and 53.)

As we examine the percentage of workers earning less than specified weekly rates by industry, we find a wide dispersion among the various branches of retailing. Table 54 summarizes the results for five branches of retailing. (For further details see appendix tables XIV A-K.)

TABLE 54.-Percentage of employees earning less than $30 and less than $40 a week, specified classifications in retailing in New York State, June 1951

Limited price variety stores were again in the lowest wage range: 55.5 percent of all workers in variety stores earned less than $30 per week; 79.6 percent of all workers in variety stores earned less than $40 per week.

These percentages were even higher if women workers alone are considered: 61.7 percent of all women workers in variety stores earned less than $30 per week; 87.8 percent of all women workers in variety stores earned less than $40 per week.

Next in line were drugstores with 26.8 percent of all workers earning less than $30 and 31.4 of the women employees earning less than that amount. The corresponding percentages for earnings less than $40 a week were: all employees: 42.7 percent, women: 62.7 percent.

Third lowest among the selected branches of retailing were food stores. Almost one fourth of all workers earned less than $30 a week and almost 40 percent of all women earned less that than amount. The relative number of employees earning less than $40 a week was 36.8 percent of all employees and about two-thirds of women employees. In department stores: 20.5 percent of all workers earned less than $30 per week; 42.4 percent of all workers earned less than $40 per week.

The percentages for women workers were even higher: 25.8 percent of the women workers in department stores earned less than $30 per week; 52.8 percent of the women workers earned less than $40 per week.

Finally, in apparel stores over one-fifth of all workers earned less than $30 a week and about one-fourth of the women employees earned less than that amount These percentages increase to over

40 percent of all employees earning less than $40 a week and a little over one-half of women employees earning less than $40 a week-in June 1951.

6. MAINE

The Department of Labor and Industry of the State of Maine in cooperation with the Women's Bureau of the United States Department of Labor surveyed earnings and hours of women employees in the retail trade in 1952.13

(a) Average hourly earnings

Table 55 shows that median hourly earnings for women in retail stores ranged from about 55 cents in limited price to almost 82 cents in food stores with an overall average for all types of stores of approximately 70 cents.

The percentage of women earning less than 75 cents an hour ranged between a low of 33 percent in food stores to a high of 91 percent in limited price variety stores. The retail industry average was 60 percent. If a $1 minimum wage is taken as a yardstick, these percentages increase to a low of 81 percent for the food stores and a high of 99 percent for limited price variety stores. The retail industry average was 89 percent. (For further details see appendix tables XV and XVI.)

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TABLE 55.-Median hourly earnings and percentage of women earning less than specified rates by branches of retailing, Maine, 1952

The report issued by the department of labor and industry of the State of Maine comments as follows on these data:

The high proportions of women earning less than 75 *** cents an hour are factors for thoughtful consideration. Two thirds of all the women had hourly 13 See Earnings and Hours of Women in the Retail Trade and Service Industries in the State of Maine, 1952, State of Maine, Department of Labor and Industry, Marion E. Martin, commissioner, in cooperation with U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, Washington, mimeographed release. This report states: Purpose and coverage of survey in order to obtain information on the earnings and hours of women workers in the retail trade and service industries in Maine, the commissioner of labor for the State directed that a survey be made of women employed in these industries in representative cities and towns throughout the State. The Women's Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor, at the request of the Commissioner for the State of Maine, assisted in the collection and analysis of data.

Ten cities and towns varying in size were selected by the commissioner as representative of commercial and industrial areas in the State.

In Maine, the United States Census of Business for 1948 reported almost 12,000 (11,847) retail trade establishments with 38,414 employees. Selecting the retail trade groups comparable to types of businesses included in the survey in which women comprise a significant proportion of the employment, there were almost 7,000 stores with 21,440 employees reported, or an average employment of 3 persons. Only the department stores and limited price stores averaged more than 15 employees, Average employment in food, apparel, drug, gift, jewelry, stationery, and small general stores was small, less than 4 persons. For further details see in particular pp. 3 tf.

Recently, the Department of Labor and Industry of the State of Maine published data referring to retailing as a whole (both men and women employees). According to these data 23 percent of all employees in retailing earned less than 75 cents an hour (June-December 1954), 29.2 percent earned less than $30 a week. See State of Maine, Department of Labor and Industry, Division of Research and Statistics, Wages and Earnings in Nonagricultural and Non-Government Establishments in Maine, June-December 1954, February 15, 1955, DLI Bulletin No. 238-I.