Denver labor bulletin., 1916-08-19

their Jobs; 1t mas enabled the employ
ers to evade their lawful responsibility
to provide medical and hospital atten-
tion to their injured employees, to hand
leap any new concern that should enter
business, and to prevent amy one insur
ing in any company other than their
own and to prejudice small employers
against that insurance.
Support State Insurance Fund.
The law distinctly states that the en-
ployer shall provide medical and hospital
attention except where medical plan is
already in existence. Certain corpora
tions in this state have always had
medical plan in eXistenc, but with a few
exceptions they have never been in oper-
alton, and it should be noted that these
companies receive reduction on their
accident premiums of 7Ka per cent in
consideration OF their providing medical
attention. Under this phase of the law
the greatest abuses have been practiced.
Cases are on record where injured en-
ployes have been sent to the poor house
for treatment and many instances OF
malpractice on the part of incompetent
medical attendants have been reported.
If men have to pay for their own doc
tor the question of his employment
hands, and all physical examinations
that may be deemed necessary ought to
be undertaken by surgeons who are at
least honest enough to tell the, truth re.
gardless of whether the man to be ex-
amined is union man or a scab.
Another thing that is necessary to
carry out the true spirit of any genuine
compensation act is state insurance
- - -,
The state can compel any industry to
provide for its natural risks. The state
is able to do this and we have the righ,
to demand that We are protected against
the abuses that creep in under the mu-
tual plans and the enormous cost of
agency fees and commissions paid in the
average insurance companies.
The waiting period is altogether too
long If an injured worker has not any
money saved up, he needs help in that
twenty one days more than any other,
and if he had saved his money, why
compel him to pay it out when the ae-
cident was thru no fault of his? AS a
matter of fact, there should be no wait-
ing period whatever, and compensation
should start from the time that the ac-
cident happens, and strenuous efforts
should be made by organized labor to
have the amount now paid in compen-
sation largely increased.
State Industrial Commission.
The Industrial Commission Law ia one
that will receive the serious considera.
tion of this convention. The members of
the commission are men who are dis
posed to deal fairly and honorabiy with
organized labor and in the adjustment
OF disputes their decisions have been
generally favorable to the unions IN.
volved. but in the law itself there is a
sinister danger which menaces the rights
OF trade unionists and is calculated to
give the unfair employer undue ad-
vantage over the workers.
desire to call attention particularly to
the clause in this law prohibiting strikes
during the thirty days next ensuing
after the men of any craft have filed
their grievances and demands with the
State Industrial Commission Organized
labor does not welcome strikes. nor does
it resort to a strike except when unfair
employers force their employees to choose
between being strikers or ,abject serfs.
The greatest advances made by labor
have been made thru conciliation ana
agreement and the surest preventative
OF strikes is solid or compact organiza-
tion and the treatment on the part of
the employers of their employees as hui
man beings rather than commodity.
To prevent a man from striking for
thirty days. carried out to its logical
conclusion, is equivalent to preventing
him from ever striking, and labor will
never surrender its right to strike or to
quit work for an employer whose meth
ods and conditions are no longer TO be
endured. The strike and the wallSout
are labor's forms of preparedness. Labor
must be prepared to strike on occasions.
Such drastic measures are not necessary
in the case OF the just and friendly en-
ployer. but they are only weapons
against the harsh, the arrogant, the op-
pressive and greedy employer.
Menace to the Unions.
OF course this phase of the law is un-
constitutional, open flagrantly so. 1t
provides Just what state and federal con
stitutions have sought to avoid. invoi-
untary servitude. The man who can
not force square dealing from graspine,
obdurate employer is a serf. The union
that cannot bring the pressure Of organ
ization to bear on the boss who will not
treat his men fairly might better not
be a union, for it is exacting dues from
members under false pretenses.
This phase Of the law is a menace TO
every man who tolls or who may be
apt TO have Industrial controversy with
his employer. 1t does not make for in
dustrial peace It simply gives TO some
scheming employer an advantage whicn
honest employers do not seek nor ask,
and it seeks to take from labor power
which should and which always will be-
long TO labor. The workers have fought
too long and struggled too far to give up
their constitutional rights now and they
will not tamely submit To being legis-
lated out of such rights.
The Jeff Farr Decision.