| Author | Message | ||
| Mark W. Fletcher (Bronbo)
New member Username: Bronbo Post Number: 682 Registered: 1-2004 |
I thought this question might get a response, but it can also pertain to today. For bootmakers that worked in a shop with two or more people, or if you had worked in a shop with for someone, how were you paid? Were you paid by the hour, day, or what you did? For example, if you bottomed X number of boots, or stitched X number of tops a week, were you paid a certain amount per boot or top? How was that recorded? Just curious, don't need to get into certain dollar amounts or other private issues. | ||
| Paul Opperman (Luckyduck)
New member Username: Luckyduck Post Number: 8 Registered: 3-2007 |
I worked for a sandal maker (I know, not exactly what you asked) with the owner and 2 people working for her. Here is how we were paid. The cutting and gluing and shaping soles was paid by the hour. The sewing was paid by the piece. Actually, she had a couple other people who would sew as well when she got busy. Paul | ||
| Tex Robin (Tex_robin)
New member Username: Tex_robin Post Number: 1145 Registered: 1-2004 |
In the 50s and 60s there were basically two ways to get paid....Some Shops like my father's and L. Whites would pay by the piece...If you were a bottomer or a fitter...the bottomer would take the boot tops already sideseamed and with the last furnished and complete them to the finished product. There were exceptions as some shops had a man already being paid to do the finishing..The fitter would cut and make the boot tops sometimes doing the stitching and sometimes there was a separate top stitcher. The fitter would do the last building and everything with the exception that sometimes the owner would be responsible for doing the lasts..the owner would also usually take the measurements of the customers... But there were some shops, like Leddy's in Ft Worth that would only hire hourly workers and they were only required to do a small part of the boot's assembly...Hourly employees could be trained in a short time and were easier to replace...A bottomer in those days could do very well if he was fast...My father worked for L Whites for almost 5 years as a bottomer...In the 60s I also worked for L White for a short time as a bottomer and a fitter..I also worked for my father for about 5-6 years as a bottomer...TR | ||
| Mark W. Fletcher (Bronbo)
New member Username: Bronbo Post Number: 683 Registered: 1-2004 |
Paul, Tex, Thanks for the info. How did they keep an accurate track of the amount of pieces an employee did? | ||
| Tex Robin (Tex_robin)
New member Username: Tex_robin Post Number: 1146 Registered: 1-2004 |
Mark, The boss gave you a ticket with the customer's specs on it. It had the toe, heel and any other specs. I have thousands of my father's old tickets I kept with his records..TR | ||
| Carrlyn Miller (Carrlyn)
New member Username: Carrlyn Post Number: 879 Registered: 1-2004 |
When Charlie opened the shop in the 70's, they had at one time five bootmaker's working with him. All were paid by the hour. Hearing about those tickets reminded me that Charlie made up leather ones for each customer that the specs for the bottom people. It followed the boots as they made the rounds.  | ||
| Carrlyn Miller (Carrlyn)
New member Username: Carrlyn Post Number: 880 Registered: 1-2004 |
Here's the back of the ticket that shows the toe and order number.  | ||
| Mark W. Fletcher (Bronbo)
New member Username: Bronbo Post Number: 684 Registered: 1-2004 |
Carrlyn, Those are neat. | ||
| Brian C. Thomas (Brian_c_thomas)
New member Username: Brian_c_thomas Post Number: 653 Registered: 1-2004 |
Carrlyn, is that a 11 3/4 heel measure,16 1/2 tops, 2 pair balance due $550.50,last 5 -62??. I have been paid three ways, once by the hour as a bootmaker, 50 split in a shoe shop making boots at night, and percent of the repair work at night while working by the hour in the day time as a boot maker. "Building boots for the Brand" Brian C. Thomas | ||
| Mark W. Fletcher (Bronbo)
New member Username: Bronbo Post Number: 685 Registered: 1-2004 |
Brian, I thought you were also paid by hamburgers. | ||
| Brian C. Thomas (Brian_c_thomas)
New member Username: Brian_c_thomas Post Number: 655 Registered: 1-2004 |
Mark, oh yes, I have worked all over part time an hour here or there for Food! "Will work for Food is true for the Brand" Brian C. Thomas | ||
| Carrlyn Miller (Carrlyn)
New member Username: Carrlyn Post Number: 890 Registered: 1-2004 |
Hey Brian, You got everything, but the 5-62. That was the order number. | ||
| Brian C. Thomas (Brian_c_thomas)
New member Username: Brian_c_thomas Post Number: 658 Registered: 1-2004 |
Carrlyn cool, so on the front of the ticket it looks like Address 5-60, that is why I stating wonding if 5-62 was the date and 5-60 was the first pair. I should have know by the back of the ticket 5-62 was the last. So what is the Address 5-60 on the front? | ||
| Brian C. Thomas (Brian_c_thomas)
New member Username: Brian_c_thomas Post Number: 702 Registered: 1-2004 |
Hey Carrlyn, are you back from your working vacation? How about the ticket in post 879 and the question ask in post 658 "Still Hanging on for the Brand" Brian C. Thomas | ||
| Janne Melkersson (Janne_m)
New member Username: Janne_m Post Number: 322 Registered: 1-2004 |
Someone sent me the link to part one and today I found part two enjoy; http://www.archive.org/details/story_of_shoes_1 http://www.archive.org/details/story_of_shoes_2 | ||
| Doug Collins (Runninhare)
New member Username: Runninhare Post Number: 139 Registered: 2-2004 |
Janne; Thanks for posting the archives very interesting lots of machinery in those plants. Thanks again Doug |