Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-11
FINES POOR WAY
To ENFORCE
DISCIPLINE
Employers Have No Right to Dock
Girls, Then Work Them Over
time, Says Forbes.
BY q. 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 a few dollars
week are fined twenty-five cents for
being one minute late, and If they
are late twice in one week the rate Of
the penalty is doubIed-that is to
say, fifty cents is doeksd each morn
ing. Yet this same store often orders
its help at certain counters to stay
after regular hours, but pays them
nothing for such additional service.
Mr.. Employer, is that fair7 Be-
cause you are on top, have you any
do il with poor, unorsanized 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. If you take that, are you
not stealing from him or herr II
-. IS 4L.nm ,..arL.re ,.sar. g. .Iaak
your prineipIe-rather, lack Of prin-
cipIe-and steal goods in payment of
the extra service rendered, you
would brand him or her a thief,
wouldn't your We'll, what are you
when you fine a six dollsr-a 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 az
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
this7
Employers cannot expect to be al
lowed to continue to browbeat work.
ers. The pendulum of justice may
swina slowly, but IL does swing. All
over the world there is an uprising
against unjust autoeraoy. There is
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 il in Russia, in China, in
the Balkans, in Great Britain, in the
United States. Right cannot be
trampled under foot forever. The
eternal scheme Of things DEGREES that
Justice must triumph in the end.
Taking advantage Of poorly paid,
unprotected help is not a small mat
ter. II has far-reaehins, incendiary
consequences. IL breeds discomfort
and Justly so. II srouses antasonism
to employers and to eapitsl-as il
ought. In the fulness # time this
discomfort. this antagonism will vent
itself in the form Of legislation which
may deal none too gently with en-
oIoyers and capital. Those who pay
wages are rapidly losing hold of the
machinery of Iegislation-slanee 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 I, receive serupu-
lous eonsiG-. ton when these work.
srs climb into the saddle. One foot is
already in the stirruD.
This may seem an unnecessarily
deep dissertation upon so apparently
small matter as filming workers for
bsinq late in the morning and fore
ina them to work late t. the even
ina without compensation. But the
principle involved IS NOT sWdl'
Il is not unimportant, it IS not tran
sient. II is of the ,ter. al Vsrities.
To conduct a business on such lines
is dissraeeful.
Oh, yes; know discipline must
ae s.-iotly enforced. know il would
never do to let thouohtless girls and
boys or irresponsible grown UPS
come saunterins in to work, at any
cid hour they saw fit. Stores must
puiI Up their shades and factories
must open their doors promptly at
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 a proper way to
insure discipline. II undermines dis
eipline. It begets righteous indisna-
ton and disloyalty. What's sauce for
the goose is sauce for the gander.
The employer must play fair. He