New York State Factory Investigating Commission Background Report on Buffalo Department Stores Employees Strike

Esther Packard, later a Wage Investigation field agent, interviewed strikers and wrote this report. The report deals mainly with wages, although in addition to higher wages, strikers were demanding Saturday night closing of stores, an eight-hour day, and better sanitary conditions.

The fifteen-page typscript report, with handwritten revisions, has information on: wages paid to various workers; difficulties of individual workers trying to support themselves or their families on low wages; prostitution of many women unable to support themselves or their children on their store pay; and sexual harassment of female employees by store managers. Packard's report recommended that the Factory Investigating Commission hold a public hearing on the issues raised by the strikers. However, there is no evidence from the Commission's records or published reports that a hearing was held concerning these issues.

Microform is available at the New York State Archives through interlibrary loan.

Scanned images of this series are available at the New York State Archives.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.