The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1915-04-15
The LABOR REPORT
Criticisms and Defenses Of Trade
Unionism.
SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS.

Maintenance Of the Union shop Not q
Hardship on Workers and imposes No
Burden on Employer-unlons Do Not
Stand For Restriction Of Output.
In the preliminary report of the
United States commission on industrial
relations criticism by employers Of the
trade unions, together with replies by
organized workers, Is summarized by
the commission. Following are few
Of the more important:
''Criticism LACK OF responsibility
on the part Of unions; not only Is there
no penalty for the breaking OF agree
ments, but the employer has no re-
dress even for material damage done
by the union except through legal ac-
ton against individual members.
THE reply Of the union representa-
tives Is: That experience has shown
the best guarantees of the observance
OF contracts to be moral responsibility
and regard for the reputation Of the
union; that the instances Of contracts
broken by unions are few In number
and inconsiderable in comparison with
the number Of contracts broken in the
business world. where money damages
are commonly imposed: that putting
up a forfeitable bond would lower the
entire plane upon which the observ-
ance Of contracts now stands and
would simply mean a financial calcula-
ton on the part OF the union to see
whether breach Of contract would
leave a balance in favor OF its mem
bers after the bond was forfeited;
that the assumption of financial re-
sponsibility by the unions would sim
ply be taken advantage of by the en-
ployers to harass the unions.
Criticism 2.-The closed shop pol
icy of the unions not only means a mo-
nopoly of labor as far as the employer
is concerned. but also prevents compe-
tent mechanics who are unable or I'M
willing to accept the terms imposed by
the union from obtaining employment.
THE reply from labor is that there
is no closed shop but that the main
tenance of the union shop imposes no
burden on the employer, who is free to
employ any workman be pleases pro-
vided that the workman will become a
member of the union and bear his
share of the responsibility in return
for the benefits which the union offers
to all who work where union condi-
lions have been established. That the
conditions imposed upon applicants for
membership are merely those which
every competent mechanic can meet
and that they are reasonable from
every standpoint
Criticism 3.-The unions stand fol
restricting the output to the level OF
mediocrity and insist nevertheless on
the payment of the standard wage fol
an output which is below the standard
.sThe reply is that the unions have
never attempted to establish a restric
ton on output save as protection fol
the health of their workers and to pre-
vent the overspeeding of all by the use
of pacemakers. That the union is ap
plying merely the rule of ordinary bust
ness where the amount of given com
modify sold is regulated entirely By
the price that is paid.
CRITICISM 4.-The unions establish
uniform rate for all members. which
results in rewarding the incompetent
with higher wages than they earn anC
destroys the ambition of the skillet
worker
1.-THE labor representatives reply tina
the Standardization of the rate to
dead level is the work of the employe
and not of the unions. That the unioi
merely establishes a minimum rate an
leaves the employers free to pay tn
Individual workmen as much more a
they please. Some of the employer
have admitted that this is true in theS
~, but insist that as soon as a skille
individual Is paid higher than the mir
imum rate the other members immed
ately demand the same rate of pay.
"Criticism 5.-The unions establis
? unreasonable and arbitrary restriction
2 on apprentices. which not only pr
vent a sufficient supply Of skilled worl
men. but also prohibit the America
boy from learning the trade in whic
he is interested.
T ''The unions reply is that where r
9 strictions of apprentices exist they a.
n not arbitrary, but are. on the contrar
r. ixed after careful consideration. vii
n the idea OF preventing an oversupp
r of labor in the trades and the cons
i quent 'cutthroat' competition for Ell
ployment; that the employers usuf
" do not make use Of the full numb
e of apprentices to which they are e
3 titled under the union rules and. ~
3 thermore. that the employers do n
8 sincerely wish to train apprentices. b.
- on the contrary. wish merely to mai
use of a cheap labor supply.
CRITICISM THE unions use yiole
: methods and do not hesitate to viola
the law or to destroy property or u
liz necessary to gain their ends.
- 1.-THE unions reply that violence
Y never sanctioned by any legitimate
Dor organization and Is never resort
q to by individuals except under seve
ho provocation and in self defense. TIL
r. recognize their duties to defend TIN
ut ives. homes and families. but even l