Denver labor bulletin., 1918-11-09
WAR HAS EMANCIPATED EUROPEAN
LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL SERFDOM

added another safeguard to the eight
hour day. II will be remembered that
Chief Justice Clark of the supreme
court of North Carolina, acting as UNI
pire in the case of the international
Molders Union against the Wheeling
Mold and Foundry Company at Wheel
ing, w. Va, decided that the eight
hour day must be real, and not mere
ly basic, except when a committee of
the workers and management should
agree that a certain emergency eX-
sted which made overtime necessary
for limited number of hours.
Now Henry Ford hands down, as
umpire for the war labor board, an
award against the same company, on
the eight-hour issue, for the Interna-
tional Association of Machinists. and
Chairman Walsh points out that the
actual eight-hour day is now firmly
established in practice.
The question submitted to Henry
Ford as umpire was:
Should the national war labor
board render decision granting the
demand Of the Machinists Of the
Wheeling Mold and Foundry Com
pany for a basic eight-hour day with
time and a half for overtime. and dou-
bic time for Sundays and legal hoh-
days2"
This was not so advanced an issue
as the one settled by Justice Clark,
because the molders claimed. and
Clark ruled. that their work was so
severe that overtime should not be
permitted except in grave emergen-
cies.
Ford answered the question: Yes.
have reviewed the arguments and
have given the question due thought
and consideration and have come to
the conclusion stated, but do not deem
it necessary to give my reasons un-
less your honorable board shall ex-
press "A desire for the same.
But cannot refrain from express
ing my very deep conviction that the
straight eight-hour day is much bet
ter practice than the so-called eight
hour basic day where the latter is
continually and almost uniformly be-
ing practically exceeded in the num-
ber of working hours.
MY experience, and also my rea-
son, teaches me that very few cmer-
gencies ever exist in the manufactur-
ing business, justifying the practice Of
exceeding eight working hours per
day. The strain of eight hours is
enough, and the hours should never be
increased except under the most cH-
traordinary circumstances. i cannot
dwell TOO muCn on tnlS. II OF tne Roon
of the men-for the good of the en-
ployer-and for the general results, /
would admonish those interested to
adhere to the straight eight-hour day"
Ford's Labor Award
The Machinists in this plant, who
did not venture to demand the actual
eight-hour day, are told by Henry
Ford that they had better insist upon
it. He knows, and he thinks they
ought to see, that in the long run the
chief advance the labor movement
makes is not in the number of dollars
it handles, but in the number of hours
of free time it can secure.
Chairman Frank p. Walsh made
this comment on Ford's award:
"Mr. Ford found for the straight
eight-hour day. More and more we
are coming to this The actual eight
hour day and not the basic eight-hour
day is essential. The decision by Mr..
Ford will give impetus to this ten
dency.
Every arbitrator who has been
called by the war labor board has
found for the eight-hour day. These
arbitrators were drawn by lot from a
panel selected by the President. The
first was Otto NJ. Eidlitz, the builder.
Mr.. Ford speaks as one of the largest
employers. Justice Clark, who reached
the same decision, considered the mat
ter from the standpoint of war pro-
duction and business welfare.