| 70 Cents | |
| Bricklayers | 70.00 |
| Hoisting engineers on boom derricks, etc. | 70.00 |
| Stone masons | 70.00 |
| Structural iron workers | 70.00 |
| From 60 to 70 Cents | |
| Marble setters | 68.75 |
| Inside wiremen | 68.75 |
| Plasterers | 68.75 |
| Slate and tile roofers | 67.50 |
| Parquet floor layers (carpenters) | 62.50 |
| Lathers, first class | 62.50 |
| Plumbers | 62.50 |
| Steam-fitters | 62.50 |
| Stone-cutters | 62.50 |
| Hoisting engineers, brick hoists | 60.00 |
| Elevator constructors | 60.00 |
| From 50 to 60 Cents | |
| Tile layers | 59.38 |
| Lathers, second class | 56.25 |
| Carpenters | 55.00 |
| Cement workers, finishers | 55.00 |
| Sheet metal workers | 50.00 |
| Painters | 50.00 |
| Paperhangers | 50.00 |
| From 40 to 50 Cents | |
| Asbestos workers | 47.50 |
| Composition roofers | 42.50 |
| Under 40 Cents | |
| Cabinet-makers and bench hands | 37.50 |
| Machine woodworkers | 37.50 |
| Electrical fixture hangers | 37.50 |
| Hod-carriers | 35.00 |
Union organization is a more powerful factor in determining wages in these trades than technical knowledge and skill. A high degree of skill in a given trade brings little advantage in the matter of wages. By establishing a minimum scale below which no journeyman shall work, the union secures practically a flat rate of pay for most of the men in the trade. When there is much building work and good men are scarce, contractors sometimes pay higher wages to highly skilled workmen in order to secure their services. As a rule, however, their reward comes in the form of steadier employment. The less skilled man is the first to be laid off when business is slack, while the first-class workman, for the reason that he is so hard to replace, is the last to be discharged.
Many unions, among them those of the carpenters, bricklayers, and painters, make no provision as to the wages of apprentices. Table 26 shows the wages in three of the building trades that have established a uniform scale for apprentices. Sheet metal apprentices are paid a bonus of $1 extra for each week served.
TABLE 26.—USUAL WEEKLY WAGES OF APPRENTICES IN THREE BUILDING TRADES[TableList]
| Year | Inside wiremen | Plasterers | Sheet metal workers |
| First year Second year Third year Fourth year | $5.50 13.20 17.60 22.00 | $5.50 to $6.25 8.25 to 11.02 13.75 to 16.00 19.25 | $5.00 5.50 to 6.00 6.50 to 7.00 8.00 to 9.00 |
Hours
The usual working day is eight hours. Many of the trades work only a half day on Saturdays throughout the year; practically all have this half holiday during the four summer months. For holiday or over-time work the men receive either pay and a half or double pay.
Regularity of Employment
Due to the seasonal character of building work, it is next to impossible for a building contractor to keep a large force employed all the year. One result of this situation is that the men change employers more than any other workers in industry. Irregularity of employment is greater in building construction than in any other of the principal industries of the city. A comparison between the different branches of building work as to regularity of employment is presented in Diagram 11. The best showing is made by electrical contracting, in which the average number employed is 93 per cent of the maximum working force, and the poorest by plastering in which the average is only 66 per cent of the maximum.