SCOPE OF THE FIVE-DAY WEEK MOVEMENT 17

Taking into account the figures of both the American Federation
 of Labor and the Conference Board, but eliminating
the estimated fifty-five hundred duplication, it would appear
that 376,450 employees in manufacturing and building operations
 were, at the close of 1928, working on a five-day week
basis, or, allowing for instances of five-day week operation
herein not recorded, about 400,000. This figure for the end of
1928 was substantially exceeded when the agreement reached
between the Building Trades Employers’ Association of New
York City and the Building Trades Council on May 4, 1929,
went into effect August 24, 1929, and all building trades labor
under the jurisdiction of these bodies was granted the fiveday
 week, together with a 10% increase in wage schedule to
compensate for the wage loss due to reduced working time. It
was estimated that this placed an additional 125,000 to 150,-000
 workers on the five-day week basis. Agreements with
building trades locals in other cities indicate that the total
figure will be still further increased by the close of 1929.

Growrr oF Five-Day Week OPERATION IN INDUSTRY
{t is noteworthy that several instances of five-day week
operation date back td'a period when its adoption as a regular
 working schedule was not given much serious consideration
 by industry in general. The earliest instance of the
shorter schedule discovered in the Conference Board's investigation
 was reported by a New England spinning mill,
which started in business in 1908 on a five-day basis. In this
case, the company reports, the majority of the management
and the employees were of the Jewish faith, and a desire to
observe the Hebrew Sabbath was the main reason for deciding
 to eliminate all Saturday work. At the same time, the
management insisted that production must not suffer. Consequently,
 the weekly hours then current in the industry were
maintained and spread over the five working days of the
week. The plan has operated without interruption for
twenty years, with satisfaction to both management and employees,
 and it is still in effect.
During the decade beginning with 1908, very few industrial
 establishments adopted the regular five-day schedule.
The total of eleven plants adopting the shorter work week in