In the case of negroes from the South with trades, however, there arose a situation which is seldom fully appreciated. A man in the South may be skilled in such an independent trade as shoemaking, tailoring, carpentry and the like, but in a northern city with its highly specialized industrial processes and divisions of labor, he must learn over again what he thought he had mastered, or abandon his trade entirely and seek employment in unskilled lines. The wages for skilled work were for butchers, 55 to 64 cents an hour; for steel molders, 35 to 47 cents an hour; for firemen, $27 per week; for chauffeurs, $15 to $30 a week; for shoemakers, $20 a week; stationary firemen, $24 a week. The mass of negroes, men and women, gainfully employed in the city was made up of manual laborers. Vacancies for negroes in industry were made at the bottom. The range of occupations in unskilled work, however, was fairly wide. They were packing house employes, muckers, tannery laborers, street construction workers, dock hands and foundry laborers. Their wages were for foundry laborers, 32½ cents to 35 cents an hour; for muckers, $28 a week; for tannery laborers, $24 a week; dock hands, 60 cents an hour; and for packing house laborers, 43 cents an hour (male), and 30½ cents an hour (female). There were also porters in stores and janitors whose weekly wages averaged between $15 and $18 per week.
Several firms made strenuous efforts to induce laborers to come from the South. The Pfister-Vogel Company employed a negro to secure them for this purpose, and made preparation for their lodging and board. This representative stated that he was responsible for the presence of about 300 negroes in the city. Reverend J.S. Woods of the Booker T. Washington social settlement, who was actively engaged in assisting the plants, asserted that he had placed over 400. The Albert Trostel Company paid transportation for nearly 100 men.
The principal industries employing negroes with the number employed were about as follows:[122]
| Firm | Number | |
| Male | Female | |
| Plankington Packing Co. | 78 | 10 |
| Albert Trostel Leather Co. | 75 | 30 |
| Faulk's Manufacturing Co. | 34 | |
| Hoffman Manufacturing Co. | 2 | |
| Tunnell Construction Co. | 10 | |
| Milwaukee Coke and Gas Co. | 38 | |
| Pfister-Vogel Tannery | 75 | |
| A.J. Lindeman-Hoverson Co. | 13 | |
| National Malleable Iron Co. | 22 | |
| Solvay Steel Castings Co. | 24 | |
| Allis Chalmers | 70 | |
On December 1, 1917, the Plankington Packing Company employed 93 men and 27 women. The Pfister-Vogel Company had only 75 men in its employ. This company, however, within 18 months had employed 300 negroes from the South.
Concerning the range of wages for negroes in these lines the data provided by these firms gave some means of information.
| Firm | Male | Female |
| Plankington Packing Co. | 43c to 64c an hour | 30½ c an hour |
| Faulk's Manufacturing Co. | 35c to 47c an hour | |
| Hoffman Manufacturing Co. | 32½ c an hour | |
| Tunnell Construction Co. | $4 a day | |
| Albert Trostel Leather Co. | 40c an hour | 30c an hour |
| Milwaukee Coke and Gas Co. | $3.67 to $4.79 a day | |
| A.J. Lindeman-Hoverson Co. | $3 to $5 a day | |
| National Malleable Iron Co. | 35c an hour to $4 a day | |
| Pfister-Vogel Tannery | $22 to $24 a week |
The quality of the workingmen is of interest both to the employers and social workers. To get uniform data employers were asked the principal faults and principal merits of their negro workmen. To the question, "What are the principal faults of your negro workmen?" these answers were given:[123]
None that predominate.
The principal fault of negro workmen is, they are slow and very hard to please.
Not good on rapid moving machinery, have not had mechanical training; slow; not stable.
Inclined to be irregular in attendance to work.
Very unsteady.
Leave in summertime for road work.