The exact phrase in the act reads, "Proper sanitary
facilities ... shall include toilet facilities, washing
facilities, dressing rooms, retiring rooms for women, and
wholesome drinking water of approved quality." In this context,
it is pretty clear that the words "retiring rooms for women" do
not mean bathrooms, toilets, or other washing facilities.
In one of my previous, pre-librarian lives, I worked for the
Penn-Central Railroad, and it was there that I learned from my
co-workers that state labor law required the employer to provide
a so-called "ladies' lounge" separate and apart from the bathroom
or toilet facilities, where women employees could relax, lie
down, take their breaks, etc.
In one Pa. case I was able to find, Brotherhood of R.R.
Trainmen v. Walker, 377 Pa. 396, 105 A.2d 363, 26 Lab. Cas. (CCH)
P68,615 (1954), the phrase from the Act I quoted above is cited.
In this case, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen sued the Pa.
Secretary of Labor to compel him to enforce these provisions of
the act on the railroads operating in Pennsylvania. The existence
of this case is doubtless the reason why my co-workers at the
Penn-Central were so well-informed about the reason for the
existence of the "ladies' lounges."
Another Pa. case, a trip-and-fall, mentions a "retiring
room" as separate and apart from a "ladies' rest room" in a
department store. Chapman v. Clothier, 274 Pa. 394, 118 A. 356.
Still other cases I was able to find on Lexis mention a "retiring
room" in the context of court trials, as places to which the
judge and the attorneys go in order to discuss matters out of the
hearing of the jury, or even as a place to which a jury is sent.
In all these contexts, including the "retiring room for women,"
the meaning is that of a place of withdrawal.
I could find no definition of the phrase "retiring room" in
the statute, or in any of a number of dictionary sources; this
seems to be one of those cases where the phrase is assumed to be
universally understood, without further explanation. The
statutory requirement for "retiring rooms for women" arose in the
earlier part of this century, when the great push for the reform
of labor laws included special provisions for women, especially
women factory workers, who were often forced to spend long hours
on their feet, whatever their physical condition, without rest
periods or places to sit or lie down. The Act cited in the query
actually replaced a similar act passed in 1913, which mandated
dressing rooms or "privies" for women set apart from the factory
floor, and screened from the view of the rest of the (male)
workers.
BTW, the correct citation in the Pennsylvania Statutes is
Title 43, Section 109 (43 P.S. Sec. 109). The section is found in
Chapter 4, Female Labor.
Hope this helps!
Ann Davidson
Biddle Law Library
University of Pennsylvania
adavidso@oyez.law.upenn.edu
> Will some kindly Pennsylvania librarian provide some
assistance, please?
>
> Chapter 43, Section 109 of the Pennsylvania Statutes requires
> establishments that hire females to have "retiring rooms"
according to the
> General Safety Law Act No. 174 of May 18, 1937 (P.L. 654).
>
> I am trying to find the definition of a retiring room, and
would
> appreciate any assistance you could provide. Thanks!
>
>
> Susan Sanderson Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease
> Asst. Librarian 52 E. Gay St.
> (614) 464-8351 Columbus, OH 43215
> (614) 464-6350 (fax)
>
>
>
>
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