United labor bulletin., 1911-03-30
THE BONUS SYSTEM.
Brotherhood Of Locomotive. Engineers
Bitterly Opposed to It.


The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers is opposed bitterly to the so-called
bonus system and stands ready to fight
it at any time at any stage of the game.
But you say, ooh, well! this is simply
fight between labor organizations and
the employers, and the public at large
are not concerned in this at ALL"
The theory Of a bonus system is
beautiful one
But no one would think of hiring
man to drive rivets by the hundred on
steel skyscraper. No contractor, no mat
ter how reckless, would dare think of
such thing. You demand that the work
man do 1t by the day with the very best
skill possible. The steam locomotive is
subjected to more strain and more de-
manded OF it under more varied condi-
tons than any other class of machinery.
The fatality of engineers is bad enough
under the most favorable conditions. We
paid for 210 men killed on duty during
the year just closed. We have a right
to demand the very best material and
workmanship possible We don't want
piece work and we don't want the bonus
system with its attendant incentive for
some man to slight his job. 1t is some
thing of vital Importance to you all as
well as to me-
Human nature is much the same the
world over, regardless of whether the
man is an employer or an employe, the
result is, in any system of bonus, merit
or premium. call it what you will, there
Is always someone who will not play the
game square
The labor union is not opposed to the
efficiency of its members. There is
nothing in this talk about the labor
union keeping down the individual work
man The American workman is the
peer of any other workman in the world.
1t is true he lives better and has many
privileges that workmen in other coun-
tries do not enjoy. 1t is also true that
his output is better than any other work
man in the world. This is an era of
progress. and this talk about the individ-
ual workman making an individual con-
tract with his employer in accordance
with his efficiency is the rankest kind
OF nonsense. Perhaps in the days of the
old regime when an employer used the
labor of only a few workmen, it might
have been possible, for then the work
man worked side by side with his en-
ployer and often formed part of his
.househald and was in close personal
touch with each employe. Today the en-
ployer uses thousands of workmen and
does not know who the employee is. He
merely represents one cog in the ma
chine. and one number on the pay roll
and when you talk about that man get
ting in as an individual employe to make
his bargaining he has about as much
chance as he would getting into Heaven
by climbing up the fire escape
Many employees are women. Why is
it in all this talk about efficiency we
hear nothing about the wages of the
woman who does the work of two men
oftentimes,, and because she is a woman
is paid one-half the wages paid to a man
for the same work A woman is just as
much entitled to the same compensation
for the same labor performed as any
n16n. but that is getting away from the
subject
The labor unions are not clogging the
wheels of progress. The labor union
represent stands for efficiency. The eff
cheney of the employe has been doubled
in the last ten years One man today is
doing the work two men did ten years
ago. The engineer is pulling twice as
much tonnage as he did ten years ago.
Our organization did not fight that; if
they had not stood for efficiency they
probably would have.
We are opposed to any system that
cheapens the quality of work and in
creases the risk, and stand ready to fight
it at any time.-Warren S. Stone, Presi-
dent Brotherhood of Locomotive Engin-
GERS, in Human Engineering.