3
NIGHT WORK IN INDUSTRY
The comparative experience in labor recruiting in plants on
a rotating, fixed regular, or fixed temporary night shift basis
is shown in Table 7.
TasLe 7: Experience IN LaBor Recruiting ror NIGHT
Work
Shifts Used
Regular rotating. . ...
Fixed regular........
Fixed temporary.....
No Difficulties Exverienced
Number 0
Plants
Ler Cent
of Total
Difficulties Fpetivised
"Per Cent
of Total
Total
Number
of Plants
68 74 a 24 89
45 st | 83 19 | gg
16 34 31 66 47
224
An analysis of Table 7 indicates that the recruiting of
labor for night work is least difficult in plants which operate
on the rotating plan. In these plants the employees change
from night work to day work according to a regular schedule
and are not subject to the effects of continuous night work.
In general, in the continuously operating plants which use
the rotating plan, the shift employees are process workers
who are paid a higher wage than straight day men. There-
fore shift work in such establishments is attractive. A pig-
ment and heavy chemical plant writes on this subject as
follows:
“Shift crews are composed of first and second class operators
and foremen receiving the higher rates, and itis always considered
a promotion by the men to be taken from straight day work and
placed on shift work. Men applying at the gate often request
shift work.”
In localities, such as iron and steel manufacturing centers,
where the predominant industries are on a regular rotating
basis or in towns which are built around a single enterprise
which uses the regular rotating shift, the recruiting of labor,
as a rule, 1s not a serious problem, because the workers realize
that night work is a necessary expedient in such occupations.
For example, a middle western paper mill in a small town
Writes:
“Inasmuch as this is a paper community which has grown up
with the idea that some men must take their turns working at
night, we have never experienced much difficulty concerning the
attraction of employees for night work.”
