The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-07-15

NEVER INTRODUCED
AMONG UNION SHOPS
Wages Sufficient to Provide for
Rainy Day Would Do Much
More for Labor.

One OF the new schemes that GER
tain employing interests are bringing
out is % insure the lives of their en-
ployes. A newspaper clipping from
Milwaukee (Wis.) newspaper reads
as follows: "FolloWing close upon
other large manufacturers of the
city, the F. W.. Mayer Boot and Shoe
company announced recently that it
had taken out a group policy Of life
insurance on nearly 400 of it's en-
free to employees of his company
There are several things about this
proposition OF group insurance, so
called, to 'hich W. would like to call
the attention not only Of our men,
bers and other trade unionists, but of
fair minded employers as we'll, says
the Shoe Workers Journal.
Not In Union Shops.
First Of ALL, we wish to draw atten-
ton to the fact, which may fairly be
regarded as significant, that PROPOSE
tions Of this sort are never introduced
into union shops. Why? Because in
the union shop the workmen have
the machinery to obtain some sort of
fair adius .ment Of the wage, question
and are not to be subsidized by sop
to be thrown to them when they are
dead -,
This group insurance plan says to
the wage earners: ~"If you have been
good boys and have worked for me at
my prices and conditions for year
or more 1 will insure your life free Of
cost to you while you continue in my
employ at the wages and conditions
which I shall fix for you without any
of your assistance or advice"
The moment wage Garner leaves
that employment he ceases to be in
sured. While he has worked there
he has worked at the employers
price, and yet the employer has nerve
enough to tell him that he, the en-
ployer. is giving the wage Garner life
insurance free Of charge.
Does: the employer really pay for
this: insurance? Certainly not. =. Hts
intention is to offer the insurance as
a bait by which to lure the employe
to work contentedly for him. at a low
wage scale, SO that when the en-
ployer has paid the insurance prem
iums he has made a net profit on the
labor.
Looked at from the shortsighted
angle, this may appear to- be good
business to such employers. An en-
ploye may work, for instance, for So
to Sc a week less money and in ten
years may. have received $500 to
$4,000 less in the pay envelope, but
can comfort himself with the cheer
full reflection that when he is dead
his family witt cash in $500.
Not Good Industrial Policy.
AS a farsighted business PROPOSE
ton we submit that this group insur-
ance plan is not a good industrial
policy" We think it will appeal to the
average fair: minded business man
that it is better policy to give the
wage Garner a fair standard of living.
Wage earners will be better satisfied
with a more satisfactory pay envelope
here and now than with life insur-
ance. policy which at best will only
give their family pittance after they
are dead and which the employer can
discontinue any time he sees fit.
Suppose, for instance, the F. Mayer
Boot and Shoe company or any other
concern carried on this group insur-
,ance for a period Of. five years and at
the end of that time dropped it. If
their employees have remained in
their employ because of the insur-
ance then there is five years of their
life which they have spent qualifying