The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-10-27
LABOR REFUSES TO BE
TIED TO ITS WORK

Various plans have been devised
from time TO time trying to insure
peaceful relations between capital
and labor. Numerous persons are
trying to find solution of the labor
problem. Some try to do 1t by
profit sharing or bonus systems;
others try to do 1t by welfare
schmes, and still others try to do
1t by legislation.
For quite number of years there
have been various attempts made
to enact laws providing for com
pulsory arbitration of industrial
disputes. The effort has been to
use the police power of the state to
compel both employing corporations
and their employees to continue
their activities regardless of any
differences they may have as to
wages or conditions of work.
There are two fundamental trou-
bles with this plan. In the first
place, every man feels that his la
Dor is his own property and no one,
not even the State, can force him
to part with it, for that would be
involuntary servitude or slavery.
Therefore law compelling man
to work is extremely lepugnant to
every man who is not a convict.
IN the second place, under any
specified form of compulsory arbi-
tration law, the employer is in a
position of commanding advantage.
He hires the man and payes the
wages; he also establishes the work
ing conditions. He has the right
to hire and discharge aud he can
use that power to discriminate a.
gainst any employees who are not
amenable TO any new regulations
or working conditions he may wish
to introduce.
Compulsory arbitration, therefore
amounts to an effort to compel the
worker TO labor whether he wishe.
to or not, and under conditions il
which he has no voice If a mar
has quart of beans to sell and doe:
not like the price or terms of pay
ment offered by a possible customer
he refuses to sell the beans. Bu
under the compulsory arbitration
statues it is contemplated that man
the image of his Creator, shall b.
compelled to sell his labor power
whether he wants to or not. The
comparison is ridiculous.
The Dominion of Canada ha.
adopted the compulsory idea te
quite an extent, particularly a:
apppied to public service corpora
tions; but recent occurrence shows
that nc law can | G made strong
enough to tie the hands of labor
The street always employees o.
Hull, In the Province of Quebec
have been for considerable time
asking for better wages and work
Ing conditions. The company pur.
sued dilatory tactics and referred
them to he statute. Finally, the
employ es repudiated the statute on
the grounds that the company
would not be obliged TO abide by
any award, and notified the com
pany that if their demands were
not agreed to within 48 hours they
would 60 on strike AID tie up the
system. Whereupop the company
sigred an agreement recognizing
the union and granting the in
creased wages and improved work
ing conditions.
This is another instance going to
show that there is no known method
of tying the hands of labor, except
such reasonable restriction on both
sides as may come from a mutual
agreement in which the principle
of collective bargaining is recogn-
lied and expressed in a trade agree
ment between the employer on one
side and the uniou upon the other,
under the terms of which each re-
spects the rights of the other and
a method of settlement of all its
differences of opinion is provided.
Butte { Mont Free Lance.
Since the above was written the
Canadian Trades and Labor Con-
gress has condemned the industrial
disputes investigating act and has
called en- the government TO repear
same. "A, F. of L. Weekly News
Letter.