In 1894 at the eighth general session and again at the ninth in 1896 the Carpenters and Joiners considered seriously the question.[[173]] The Boot and Shoe Workers at their fifth convention in 1902, although refusing to adopt a proposed plan for a national system, recommended as a partial substitute that all local unions raise funds for the payment of dues of out-of-work members and provide such other relief as they should deem wise, "to the end that from the experience so gained a national plan for relief of unemployed members may be developed."[[174]]
In the unions maintaining out-of-work benefits it is customary to provide as a precautionary measure that members must have been in good standing for a lengthy period before being entitled to the benefit. The Cigar Makers and the Deutsch-Amerikanischen Typographia provide that only members of the union in good standing for two years shall be entitled to the benefit.[[175]]
Both the Cigar Makers and the Typographia have also stringent regulations intended to prevent fraud. In the Cigar Makers' Union a member thrown out of employment must obtain from the collector of the shop in which he works a certificate stating the cause of his discharge. If the unemployment is caused by the intoxication of the member, or if he has "courted his discharge" through bad workmanship or otherwise, he is not entitled to the benefit for eight weeks. Mere inability to retain employment does not, however, deprive a member of the relief. If a member leaves employment of his own volition, he is not entitled to a benefit until he has obtained work again for at least one week. Having obtained the certificate of the collector, the unemployed member must register at the office of the union in a book provided for that purpose. After having been registered for one week, he begins to draw the out-of-work benefit. If while receiving out-of-work pay he refuses to work in a shop where work is offered him, or neglects to apply for work when directed by an officer of the union, he loses his right to the benefit and cannot receive out-of-work pay again until he has had employment for at least one week. Shop collectors are required to report immediately the name of any member refusing to work.
After having received out-of-work benefit for six weeks, the member is not entitled to assistance for seven weeks thereafter. From June 1 to September 23 and from December 16 to January 15 no out-of-work benefits are paid. During these periods, however, any member out of work can obtain remission of dues by application to the financial secretary. He must, however, pay such dues at the rate of ten per cent weekly when he secures employment. The total out-of-work benefit which may be paid in any one fiscal year is fifty-four dollars. Moreover, any member who has received fifty-four dollars in benefits is not entitled to any further sums until he shall have worked four weeks. But members over fifty years of age are not required to secure employment for four weeks, but may continue to draw the fifty-four dollars yearly although not working.
The protective rules of the Typographia are similar to those of the Cigar Makers. Members thrown out of employment through their own fault cannot be entered on the lists for thirty-six days. If a member gives up his situation voluntarily, he is not entitled to a benefit for four weeks unless his action is approved by the executive committee of the local Typographia. Unemployed members must report daily to an officer of the union. If a member neglects to report he loses his benefit for that day. If a member drawing the benefit refuses to take a situation he loses his right to the benefit for seven weeks. If he refuses work as a substitute he loses his right to the benefit for two weeks. If an unemployed member is unable to fill a situation and so cannot secure work, he is not entitled longer to a benefit, and it becomes the duty of the local executive to recommend that he be given a sum of money in lieu of his rights as a member.
The following table shows the cost of maintaining the out-of-work benefit in the Cigar Makers and in the Typographia:
| COST OF MAINTAINING THE OUT-OF-WORK BENEFIT. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year. | Typographia. | Cigar Makers. | ||
| Total Cost. | Per Capita Cost. | Total Cost. | Per Capita Cost. | |
| 1885 | $ 1,118.90 | $ 2.00 | ||
| 1886 | 1,453.08 | 1.52 | ||
| 1887 | 1,240.10 | 1.15 | ||
| 1888 | 1,315.13 | 1.16 | ||
| 1889 | 6,281.50 | 5.55 | ||
| 1890 | 4,315.00 | 3.47 | $ 22,760.50 | $ .92 |
| 1891 | 6,067.00 | 4.58 | 21,223.50 | .87 |
| 1892 | 9,359.50 | 6.77 | 17,460.75 | .65 |
| 1893 | 7,835.00 | 5.67 | 89,402.75 | 3.34 |
| 1894 | 17,262.50 | 14.33 | 174,517.25 | 6.27 |
| 1895 | 9,464.20 | 8.66 | 166,377.25 | 5.99 |
| 1896 | 7,812.00 | 7.00 | 175,767.25 | 6.43 |
| 1897 | 8,485.00 | 7.83 | 117,471.40 | 4.46 |
| 1898 | 8,603.00 | 7.82 | 70,197.70 | 2.65 |
| 1899 | 11,135.00 | 10.39 | 38,037.00 | 1.31 |
| 1900 | 8,703.00 | 8.33 | 23,897.00 | .70 |
| 1901 | 6,716.00 | 6.56 | 27,083.76 | .79 |
| 1902 | 7,839.00 | 7.86 | 21,071.00 | .56 |
| 1903 | 4,846.00 | 4.86 | 15,558.00 | .39 |
| 1904 | 5,785.00 | 5.82 | 29,872.50 | .72 |
| 1905 | 5,105.00 | 5.23 | 35,168.50 | .87 |
| 1906 | 5,086.00 | 5.22 | 23,911.00 | .60 |
| Total | $145,826.91 | $1,069,777.11 | ||
| Average | 6,638.49 | $5.99 | 62,928.06 | $2.20 |
From the above table some comparison can be made of the per capita cost of the out-of-work benefit in the Cigar Makers' Union and in the Deutsch-Amerikanischen Typographia, respectively. For the twenty-two years ending with the fiscal year June 30, 1906, the average annual cost to the German-American Printers has been $5.99 per member, while the Cigar Makers have disbursed, during the fifteen years in which the benefit has been paid, a yearly average of $2.20 per member. The higher average cost to the Typographia has been due chiefly to two causes, (1) the greater amount paid as a weekly benefit, and (2) the larger annual sum which may be paid. The Typographia has always paid a greater weekly benefit. From the adoption of the benefit in 1884 to 1888 this union granted five dollars per week for a maximum period of twelve weeks. During 1888-1894 six dollars per week was allowed. For several years following 1894 five dollars per week for sixteen weeks, or eighty dollars per year, was granted, while at present six dollars per week, or ninety-six dollars per year, is paid. On the other hand, the Cigar Makers' Union, during 1889-1896, paid three dollars per week and fifty cents for each additional day, with a possible maximum of seventy-two dollars per year; but since 1896 the maximum allowance has been fifty-four dollars. Thus, at present the German Printers pay both a greater weekly benefit and a larger maximum yearly amount.
In the Typographia there appears to be a tendency towards an increased per capita cost, while in the Cigar Makers' Union the reverse has been true. This may be attributed in large part to the difference in the age grouping of the memberships. The membership of the German Printers is small, of a higher average age, and is gradually decreasing, while that of the Cigar Makers, with a lower average age, shows a steady increase. Many of the older men in both organizations are employed only when trade is very brisk and draw each year the full amount of the benefits. The variations from year to year are so great, however, as to obscure any general tendency. During the depression of 1893-1897 the per capita cost in the Typographia rose from $3.47 in 1890 to $6.77 in 1892, and to $14.33 in 1894. The per capita cost in the Cigar Makers' Union shows a very sudden increase from 65 cents in 1892 to $3.34 in 1893, to $6.27 in 1894, and to $6.43 in 1896, after which there followed a gradual decrease. The cost of the out-of-work benefit is therefore far more variable than that of any other benefit in either of the unions, and necessitates on the part of both the maintenance of larger reserves.