Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-12
FINES POOR WAY
To ENFORCE
DISCIPLINE
Employers Have No Right to Dock
Girls, Then Work Them Over
time, Says Forbes.
BY 3. c. FORBES.
Do you call this honest?

In certain places of employment,
notably stores, workers are Sc
vereIy fined for being late in the
morning, yet whenever necessary
these same workers are forced to
stay overtime without receiving one
cent of extra pay-not even the re-
turn of the morning fine.
am told that in one store en-
ployees getting only few dollars a
week are fined twenty five cents for
being one minute late, and if they
are late twice in one week the rate of
tho penalty is doubIed-that is to
say, fifty cents is locked each morn
ing. Yet this same store often orders
it's help at certain counters to stay
after regular hours, but pays them
nothing for such additional service
Mr.. Employer, is that fair? Be-
cause you are on top, have you any
right to act so arbitrarily? You can
do it with poor, unorganized shop
girls, but you know you would not
dare attempt it with members of a
strong union.
All a worker has to sell is his or
her labor. II you take that, are you
not stealing from him or her? II
one of these workers were to adopt
your prineiple-rather, lack of prin-
ciple-and steal goods in payment of
the extra service rendered, you
would brand him or her a thief
wouldn't your Well, what are you
when you fine a six dollar week
worker twenty-five cents or fifty
cents for being a little late in the
morning and then compel the same
worker to stay twice or six times as
long overtime in the evening with
out payment
We hear a lot about unreasonable
action by labor unions, but are they
guilty of anything more unreasOn-
able, more unfair, more unjust than
this?
Employers cannot expect TO be al.
lowed TO continue to browbeat work.
ers. The pendulum Of justice may
swing slowly, but il does swing. All
over the world there is an uprising
against unjust autoeraey. There ia a
revolt against every form Of tyranny.
The privileged class" is to lose its
privileges. Justice between man and
man, between class and mass, is to
be enforced. The movement has made
almost unimaginable progressive
have seen it in Russia, in China. in
the Balkans, in Great Britain, in the
United States Right cannot be
trampled under foot forever. Tho
eternal scheme Of things DEGREES that
Justice must triumph in the end.
Taking advantage of poorly paid,
unprotected help is not small mat
ter. II has far-reachins, incendiary
consciousness. II breeds discontent-
and Justly so. II arouses antasonism
to employers and to captal-ss Il
ought. In the fulness # time this
discomfort, this antasonisn will vent
itself in the form of legislation which
may deal none too gently with en-
blowers and capital. Those who pay
wages are rapidly losing hold Of the
machinery of Iegislation-glanee at
Britain, at Germany at Belgium, at
Britain, at Germany, at Australia, at
New Zealand, at South Africa.
EMPLOYERS who have dealt incon-
siderately with their workers simply
because there was nobody to say
MAY" cannot hope = receive scrupu-
Ious eonsiG.,-tion when these work.
srs climb into the saddle. One foot 10
already in the stirruD.
This may seem an unnecessarily
deep dissertation upon SO apparently
small matter as filming workers for
bsina late in the morning and fore
ina them to work late r. the even
inc without compensation. But the
principle involved is not small,
Il is not unirportant, It IS not tran
sisnt. II is Of the ,ter al ver'ties.
To conduct business on such lines
is disgraeeful.
Oh. yes; know discipline must
be strictly enforced. J know il would
never do to let thouuhtless girls and
boys or irresponsible grown UPS
come sauntering in to work at any.
ID hour they saw fit. Stores must
pull up their shades and factories
must open their doors promptly AZ
specified hours and Il is imperative
that every man, woman and youth be
on hand at the prescribed minute.
But to deduct an hours wages For
BEING five minutes late and then steal
an extra hours work from everybody
or anybody is not proper way to
insure discipline. II Underrines dis
cipline. II begets righteous indigna-
ton and disloysIty. What's sauce for
the Goose is sauce for the gander.