The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-21
both SIDES" OF BEEF STRIKE.
How Arbitration Works and Doesn't
What Is a Living Wager

| (William Hand and Ernest Poole In Tic
Outlook
How would you fix a fair wage il Is
were left to you? How would You at
tempt TO prove that 1919 cents an hou- Is
too high a wage for Unskuied labor If
you were arguing before an arbitration
committee2'
The man to whom these questions
were addressed is the general manager
OF one OF the big packing companies
tie looked out from his window Over
the oinder-pelted. smoke-fendled, or
dure-laden prospect and said,
Every morning a that gate there arc
hundreds OF men who are Wiling TO per
fern unskilled labor for less fhan ~
cents an hour. Many Of those men arc
willing to take even Is cents an hour.
Companies like the Illinois Steel com
pany and the Harvester company are
paying about - cents an hour.
should say that = cents an hour al tbs
present time was just about the marke;
rate. II IS unfair TO ask IS 10 pay more
| than the market rate When the union
| demands lslz cents an hour for un-
skilled labor It IS bucking the law
The interviewer was puzzled If
wages are 10 be fixed bv the law OF
supply and demand, why have
The general manager smiled. He dij
not mean to attack unions. The unions.
he thought, were the mems ufsgaphones
law Of supply and demand 80 loud tnat
the employers would not be able 70 q
below It. The interviewer suggested
that the men. on the other hand, re
garded their unions az levers FOR pry-
ING up the law Of supply and demand.
/ The general manager smiled again-
But suppose, said the Interview
that the men should ignore the law CT
supply and demand. Suppose that thCy-
should say that 1879 cents an hour was
the lowest wage at which a man coUd
nrrr# twin nm
Der Of hours OF work provided for IN
skilled labor during an average week
IS forty. Forty hours at lSiz cents an
hour is $40 To ask man to live "a
less than $40 a week is to ask him to
subject himself his wife and his ch1l-
dren TO conditions under which no
Democratic society can expect TO pro-
duce healthy and intelligent voters.
Would you attempt to meet this argU-
ment2 Would YOU attempt to prove
that the packers were not having divi-.
dends large enough 10 Justify 1917 cents
an hOur2 Would you attempt TO provo
that decent living conditions were pos
Or would you tell the arbitrators that
the whole argument was irrelevant and
did not deserve answering
Il don't think. said the general
argument based on profits and isfhg
conditions as a proper argument for an
arbitration committee TO consider.
The interviewer felt the dove of peace
was rapidly mOulting one of its finest
feathers. What viii become then Of
arbitration? You talk about the law OF
about profits and living conditions
Those two lines Of argument could be.
extended a million miles Without cross
ing or even converging- What is there
left 10 do except fight2f
You have said it," said the general
As the interviewer threw his mind
back over the arbitration history of
Chicago he couldn't help thinking that
perhaps he really had said it. WHAT
BODY Of PRINCIPLES has arbitra ton sue
ceeded in establishing for the deter
minatiO Of WaEes7 The Chicago board
Of arbitration was blazoned to the coun-
Try as ChicagOs greatest achievement
IN the struggle toward. industrial peace.
This board consisted OF seven employ
crs and seven trade-un:on officials. Ill
representing the taaminz business It's
jurisdiction expanded with its fame til
IT was called upon to settle indusfTiai
disputes which lay altogether OUTSIDE
the teaminE business.
Did We have a body IF principles for
the determination Of wages said Frank
Ray. business agent Of the commission
wagoa-drivers and a member Of the
lig principles. The fellows that came
before the board never ave rs any
good broad f@ct- about tho cost o.
living Nov how ran ~a1 FIX zss
real cuff that we over really considered
was the wees p = b. other trades aud
IN oINfF f'Ile~- he never iTfed 10 Nts-
eide whether the wa~es caid in other
trades ard r'ties -ere iust
But didn't You arrive at decisions
which We're fairly eatisfa ctorv2'
I'VE did Rut that was because VIC
fixed our decisions so as 20 suit cir
cumstancss ard not so as 70 suit sci
entific nrinciDles- IF the union haG
shown Up pretty strong we gave them
3 large part OF what they asked. If ti7c
employer had cot the union prettv vel
beaten il didn't seem right not Go
throw things his way. Besides. there
was a lot Of give and take fixed be
fcrehand bv the combine between some
Of the employers and some of the bust
ness agents 7 remember once when /
had spent q long time examining
y fitness I was taken to one side Of the
room By ore OF the business agents.
and he said TO me. Look here. Ray.
why do YOU waste T0uT time on nl1es-
tions2 Wait for the decision. Wha.
90 care for nuestious2 The deci-
sion's where Wei fix him -
Arbitration" said Luke GRAFT I'm
not getting out the comic supplement-
But If you want my oninion 7 viii give
YOU one Of the rules that 7 once wrote
for the benefit OF arbitratOrS: Smoke
five cigars. split tho difference and call
N the reporters. That's what aTbitra
tors are always doing And when their
decision isn't a compromise it's sp-
to be a wise guess at the fighting
strength each side has shown Arbitra-
ton IN ChicagO has established praC-
ticaliy no body Of principles.
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