1921 Builders Propose Wage Reduction to Stimulate Jobs, Match Cost of Living
Photo Credit: Jan Canty for Unsplash
Builders in 1921 proposed a 17 and 18-percent reduction in wages saying “it was necessary to stimulate building and keep men and contractors at work.” The proposal would lower wages for plasterers and bricklayers would be the highest at $1 per hour and lowest for painters at 75-cents and hour. The goal was to reduce overall cost of construction due to material costs and living costs being reduced.
“The prospective home owners do not deem it advisable to build with the high prevailing scale of wages paid journeymen, unless the wages paid journeymen be reduced in proportion to the reduction in living commodities and building materials as well,” said the builders organization.
The industry saw a reduction in paint, lumber, brick, plumbing, cement, hardware, and steel. Likewise, the cost of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, lard, and other “living figures” also saw significant reductions.
