The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-07-07
Straight Wages Better For the
Worker Than Either.
SOME FACTS TO CONSIDER
Employers Know That Ii Is Much Eas-
Ter to Cut Off Bonus Than to Re-
duce Wases--Profit Sharing Schemes
Rarely Prove Observation-Disclosures
Most Among Unoreanized Workers.
BY JOHN P. WHITE,
President United Mine Workers.

President United Mine Workers.
The United Mine Workers through
its executive board has sent out a
warning against any form Of bonus
payments or profit sharing schemes.
This action was taken for the best of
reasons. 1t has behind it all the wis
dom of the labor movement, acquired
by long years of experience with every
variety of profit sharing" scheme and
bonus system.
What are the facts about bonus pay
ing as stated by employers themselves?
Less than year agosthe welfare COM
mittee of the National Civic federation
completed an investigation of profit
sharing by American employers and
published its report. The chairman of
the committee was Louis A. Coolidge,
treasurer of the United Shoe Machin-
cry company and one of the largest
employers of labor in New England.
Mr.. Coolidge found and so reported
that profit sharing schemes are seldom
found in establishments where the men
belong tolunions and work under union
wages and conditions and that two
thirds of such schemes have proved
unsuccessful.
He admitted that the facts justified
the claim of union men that payments
other than straight wages are confined
almost entirely to unorganized indus
| tries, where the wages, plus the bonuses
or other excess payments, do not equal
| the wages alone in union plants.
The whole question for the coal miner
! to decide is whether he wishes to re-
ceive all THAT is coming to him every
| pay day in the form of wages, to which
he is legally entitled, or whether he is
willing t6 accept part of it in the form
!; of a thihly disguised charity offering
| that can be withdrawn whenever the
employedfeels like it.
There Is very interesting story be-
hind tleE present movement to substi-
4 tute the Henns system for the fair wage
isleH Che war boom began
more tli;la Il year ago and the demand
for tile men Became greater than the
supply every large employer in the
| country realized that wages would have
to be increased Many employers paid
| the increase as matter of course.
Others, with an eye to the future, de-
/ cided to grant the increases in such a
manner as would permit them to be
Withdrawn as soon as the end of the
war or some other development offered
an excuse. In spite of the permanent
increase in the cost of living they wish
ed to prevent any permanent increase
in the standard of wages. They knew
that any fiat wage increase would have
to stand The day has long passed
! when wages, as such, can be reduced.
But bonuses are a different matter.
SO a group of men in New York and
New England got together and launch
! ed a quiet but active and effective
movement among employers. They call
ed conference and marked the invita-
lions confidential" They even gave
anonymous Interviews to newspapers
in which they pointed out that wages
once raised could not be reduced at the
will of the employers and that increases
granted at this time must not be given
in such way as to let the men feel
that they were to be permanent or that
they were given in form that would
make them legal right.
Therefore, urged these employers, any