The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Friday, February 3, 2017

World War II and the Rise of Barmaids-- Part 2: "Barmaids-For-the-Duration"

A 1945 Chicago Tribune story referred to these women as "barmaids-for-the-duration."  They were hired with the understanding that they would resign as soon as the men came home.  That year, the local bartenders union admitted 123 women into their organization.  They worked under Union rules and earned the Chicago minimum wage of $45 weekly.

It turned out that the women performed their jobs just as well as men.

After the war ended, most lost their jobs, but about 30 were still working.  The Chicago bartenders union set April 30, 1946, as the deadline for tavern owners to fire the females.  Only, they did make exceptions if the woman owned the bar or was married to the owner.

Those union rules stayed on the books until the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Stuff I Didn't Know.  --GreGen


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