Men, Women, War & Equal Pay?
A World War I labor shortage offered women equal opportunities — and pay — working on the railway
War shakes things up. When soldiers go off to fight, work on the home front must continue. But who will do the work?
As the U.S. entered the First World War, there was a nationwide shortage of railway mail clerks. This became an opportunity for women, or so one American company claimed.
What We Are Talking About — [Franklin Institute]. Special Notice. Hundreds Railway Mail Clerks Wanted [caption title]. [Rochester, New York: Franklin Institute, c.1917–1918]. [2]pp. Broadsheet. 10¾ x 8 inches. Cream-colored paper; printed in red.
The Franklin Institute of Rochester, New York was a correspondence school. They appear to have been in the business of preparing workers to pass examinations for government jobs. With this broadsheet, the Franklin Institute notified the public that about 2,000 railway clerk jobs were soon going to become available:
This year with a large number of leaves, because of military service and the tremendous work caused by the increased Parcel Post and the big war and after war business, this number will likely be far exceeded.
Printed on the back of the broadsheet is a list of all the cities across the U.S. where the railway clerk examinations were soon to be offered. The Franklin Institute advised potential applicants to “commence preparing immediately.”
A railway clerk’s pay began at $1100 per year, with promises of regular advancement to $2000. But you had to pass the examination. The Franklin Institute declared “our course gives you preparation until you are appointed.” This money-back guarantee was offered equally to men and women:
If you make payments as agreed upon, learning each lesson thoroughly, and complete the entire course, then try the first examination and do not pass, or if you do pass and ARE NOT OFFERED AN APPOINTMENT…we will IMMEDIATELY RETURN EVERY CENT paid by you…Is this not fair? You take no chances.
The company’s broadsheet was addressed to both men and women. We find this aspect very interest: women were promised equal pay:
Women will be appointed to positions in Terminal Postoffices and on short runs having one clerk only, AT THE SAME SALARIES AS MEN.
Because these appointments were for life, they offered some measure of security for single women. Another attraction for women was the ability to work near their homes:
A large number of Railway Mail Clerks, especially women, work in the local terminal postoffice, in the railroad station in the city of their own residence.
Political influence (or “pull” as the broadsheet calls it) was not necessary for these government jobs. Affiliation to one political party or the other was a non-issue. Men and women stood on an equal basis based on the results of the examinations. The Franklin Institute positioned themselves as middlemen, on the inside track to success for Americans seeking employment.
War was in the air. The Franklin Institute tried to profit from the whole affair; to add a sense of urgency, bankable reasons, why men and women should sign up for their classes, part with their hard-earned coin.
To assuage doubters, the firm even offered a “MONEY REFUND OFFER” provided one would: “…make payments as agreed upon, learning each lesson thoroughly, and complete the entire course [blah, blah, blah, blah] … You take no chances. We must satisfy you or return your money.” (We can only imagine the drag and stall tactics employed for those dissatisfied pupils who felt they were getting rooked.)
The Franklin Institute of Rochester, New York is not to be confused with another organization of the same name which existed from 1826 to 1833. The latter was a forerunner of the Rochester Institute of Technology.
What’s in a name, when you’re trying to sell hopeful Americans on your correspondence school? Well, the name “Franklin Institute” does resonate with authority. And the firm’s name suggests an honorable association with venerable Benjamin Franklin. Used by a school preparing workers for government service jobs— particularly in the post office—the “Franklin” adage was good marketing. Benjamin Franklin served in government and was America’s first U.S. Postmaster General.
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