Behind the Scenes in a HotelConsumers' League of New York City
History
Behind the Scenes in a Hotel
Consumers' League of New York City
Hotels -- Employees; Women -- Employment -- New York (State)
Finally the interviewer turns and says, “Come on in. What are you
looking for?” and she tells the candidate what jobs she has open and
that she must obligate herself to pay the agency 10 per cent of her
first month’s salary if she gets a job through it. Then the girl gets a
card from the interviewer directing her to a job. The employment office
is not careful to conserve the worker’s time or money. It is a
commercial institution bent on profit. It sends her out to a hotel which
wanted a chambermaid yesterday or early in the morning, without first
telephoning to find out if the job is still open. It even “books” her
for a job out-of-town with the most meager information regarding
conditions in the hotel, although the worker is required to sign a
contract to stay for a definite period of time. So she often finds
herself, after visiting the agency, with a day lost, carfare lost and
nothing gained, or a job secured which she finds it is impossible to
keep because of some unknown disadvantages.
The hotel worker reflects, therefore, before going on a job recommended
by the agency, deterred also by the 10 per cent fee. She will look
around for herself and return here as a last resort. So she goes the
round of the individual hotels again. When she reaches a hotel she walks
to the rear hunting the employees’ entrance. It is not hard to
distinguish. It is indicated by an opening in the sidewalk and a steeply
descending flight of iron steps, often circular, leading to the basement
or second basement. These are often slippery and dark. They lead into an
ill-lighted passage at the bottom, littered with storeroom supplies, old
bottles, casks, bags of potatoes, etc. She has not made much progress
before she is hailed by the timekeeper from his cage behind the time
clock near the door.
“Hey, what do you want,” he calls, “a job?” Sometimes he is scarcely so
civil. She states her errand; she wants a job as a chambermaid, a
waitress or a pantry girl, as the case may be. Sometimes she meets
absolute discouragement from the timekeeper. Sometimes he is more
good-natured and directs her to the housekeeper or the steward and shows
her the way to the elevator. So she continues along the passage, dodging
puddles and dripping pipes.
If she is a chambermaid, she goes to the housekeeper’s office or the
linen room. There she sits on a bench outside the door waiting audience
along with other applying bathmaids and cleaners,—talking again about
how awful it is to work in a hotel. When she does see the housekeeper,
she is greeted with a roughly appraising look.
“Hotel experience?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where?” and “how long?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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