The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-09-04


low ON, wages claim that the short work =,
day and high wages necessarily re-
suits in higher costs 81 production
and. high selling prices and hence
are contrary to the hest interests, of
society. That theory is {contradicted
by facts-the individual, production
Of the short hours, highly paid work.
ers, is vastly greater than that Of
the long, hours worker who always
works under less advantageous con-
ditions. Placing q high. estimate up
on human labor power stimulates
the invention of machinery and the
discovery of better kmethods. The
cumulative effect of improvements is
cheaper and increased production,
hence lower selling. prices and the
benefit Of all society. s,&:r: :" ~, ~. !:
The shorter: workday: movement
originated in the need Of overWorked
employees, and has been carried on
through their unions assisted by other
agencies that the workers have been
able to-; convert to their cause. For
workers under the government it Is
not possible to use the same methods
of determining contractual relations
as are used in dealing with private
employers. For these workers legis-
lation has been enacted to secure
them less burdensome hours Of work
but even in this case the initiative
and the burden of work in securing
the legislation have fallen upon or
ganized labor. LEGISLATION for short
, er workdays in government employ
ment is not only secured because of
the economic power Of the workers
but it is enforced by the same power.
Merely enacting a law does not guar
antee the benefits Of its enforcement
that depends upon the vigilance of
those to be benefited. This is mani
fest in the continuous: efforts of or
ganized labor to prevail upon govern
! ment officials to provide for the eight
hour day in government work and
contracts Meanwhile there are all
the perils~ from the courts and at
torneys-general that. minimize and
limit its application.
Laws Hinder Unions.
MAYHEM an attempt is made to
w regulate by law regulations be-
tween employers and employees in
! private industry, the difficulties are
! increased. Obviously the primary
difficulty with securing \. results by
| legislation is its indirectness. Instead
of dealing directly with the employer
! who has power to establish an eight
hour day in his industry, influence
must be used with political represents
atives as well as the employers lob
! nd 4 !
! ministrators and upon their deputies
who are supposed to enforce the law.
Violations; of laws must be righted
through the slow methods Of litiga-
! ton, which have regard for precedent
and red tape rather than for justice
and human rights - j T.! .s-s<
| Consider: a few well-known. exam
Piles of eight-hours by law: Colorado
has an eight-hour day for miners, yet
the whole country has been stirred
by the courageous fight of the Colo
RADIO miners to secure, among other
things, an eightsheu(l work day Never
will there be anNght hour workday
t in the Colorado ndfnes until there are
| miners unions which force mine OPP
orators to operate their mines on an
eight-hour basis and retain in their
own power the enforcement of the
regulation.
Consider what has happenep in
some shipyards which had govern
ment contracts requiring the eight
hour day. Workmen were employed
upon the federal government work
six or eight hours, and for two, three,
or four hours more upon other work,
not covered by such contracts.
Consider this statement of Secretary
,Iffand of the Journeymen Bakers
International union, one who has had
experience with the law of New York
to establish ten-hour day in all
bakeries: ;.-~. ~
1.-The. local unions Of the state OF
New York through agitation spent
considerable money and time to be
successful in passing the law, in which
we succeeded in 1896. At that time
we were of the opinion that by giving
through our efforts the ten-hour day
by law to the bakery workers Of that
state, they would realize what the
and by that would become members
Of our organization, but we had ste
find out very soon that we had made
CAAe IuISldhe Oh our lives, as from C0al
day on the members dropped from
the organization, and the. morgan.
lied threw UP to those who tried tc
organize them that they don't need
an organization any more as they
have the ten-hour workday by law
mot alone this, but members wht
used all their energy to pass the Law
have been insulted as corrupt. poll.
ticians, etc, and the radical labo,
papers Of course denounced; at that
time, such action taken by organized
labor as nothing. could be expected
from the political organizations under
the present system of society. W.
very soon had to find out that w
were confronted to regain -, ou1
strength and make good the loss to1
membership, as we'll as prestige in gu,
organization in the state Of New York
although the organization was weak
to institute agitation for, the nine
hour workday, and it has proved tina
| only through the effort 81 OrranfZnf