Ahhh....the good old days. Remember when gas was 19 cents a gallon? Or when the minimum wage was raised to $1?
On January 1, 1962, Pennsylvania raised the minimum wage for men, women and minors to $1 per hour. There were a few exceptions:
Learners made 85 cents an hour.
Employers could deduct 35 cents per hour if the employee got tips at least 75% of the working day which totaled at least 35 cents per hour. There was no such thing as a free meal; if the boss fed you on the job, he could deduct 50 cents per meal. If you received lodging from your employer, he could deduct $5 a week from your pay.
The new law replaced the 1937 Minimum Wage Law, which was on the books for 25 years.
How much did you make per hour at your first job? Click here to leave a comment.
Enjoy more unusual facts about Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie
I found an interesting poster showing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Child Labor Law from July of 1959. If you were 14 or 15 years old in '59, you could work a maximum of 8 hours per day for a total of 44 hours per week. You could not work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m., and you had to take a lunch break after working for five hours.
Youths aged 14 to 15 were prohibited from:
*Working on any boat engaged in the transportation of passengers or merchandise.
*Working in public bowling alleys.
*Doing heavy work in the building trades
*Working at any manufacturing or mechanical occupation or process.
*Operating a power driven meat grinder.
*Operating a motor vehicle of any description.
*Working upon any steam, electric or other railroad.
*Working on scaffolding.
*Stripping, assorting or manufacturing tobacco.
*Working in any tunnel.
This was just a small part of the prohibited occupations. You also had to have a General or Vacation Employment Certificate issued by School Authorities in order to work in PA.
Enjoy more interesting historical facts and photos of Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie
