Charlevoix county herald., 1918-07-26
u. S. Employ
ment Service
Government To Take Drastic
Action In Labor Matters.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
u. S. Employment Service.

Managing Editor,
Charlevoix County Herald,
East Jordan, Mich.
Dear Sir:
We beg to direct your attention to
the plans of the u. S. Employment Ser
vice, and to the great effect which this
program will have upon the industrial
life of the Nation.
On August 1, the supplying OF war
industries with common labor will be
centralized in the U. S. Employment
Service of the Department of Labor,
and all independent recruiting of COM
mon labor by manufacturers having a
payroll of more than 100 men will be
diverted to the U. S. Employment Ser
vice. This is in accordance with the
decision of the War Labor Policies
Board and approved by the President
on June II. (The War Labor Policies
Board is composed of representatives
of the War, Navy, and Agricultural De-
partments, the Shipping Board and the
Emergency Fleet Corporation, the War
Industries Board, and the Food, Fuel,
and Railroad Administrations. Its
chairman is Felix Frankfurter, Assis-
tant to the Secretary of Labor.)
The above action was found neces-
sary to overcome perilous shortage of
unskilled labor in war industries. This
shortage was aggravated by an almost
universal practice of labor stealing and
poaching.
While the restrictions against the
private employment OF labor apply only
to common labor at the present time,
these restrictions will, as soon as pos
sible, be extended to include skilled
labor. In the meantime, recruiting OF
skilled labor for war production will be
subject to federal regulations now be-
ing prepared.
This drastic change in the Nations
labor program has been found neces-
sary in order to protect the employer
and the employed, to conserve the
labor supply of the communities and to
cut down unnecessary and expensive
labor turnover (which, in some cases,
is as high as 100 per cent a week. and
to increase the production of essentials.
While pon-essential industries will
be drawn upon to supply the neces-
sary labor for war work, the with
drawal will be conducted on an equit-
able basis in order to protect the in
dividual employer as much as possible.
Under the operating methods adopt
ed, the country has been DIVIDED into
thirteen federal districts, each district
in charge OF superintendent of the U.
S. Employment Service. The States
within each district are in turn in
charge of State Director, who has full
control of the service within his State.
In each community there is being
formed local community labor board,
consisting OF representative OF the U.
S. Employment Service, a representa-
tive of employers and representative
of the employed. This board will have
jurisdiction over recruiting and distri-
buting labor in its locality.
A survey of the labor requirements
is being made, and in order that each
community may be fully protected,
rulings have been issued that no labor
shall be transported out of any com.
munity by the U. S. Employment Ser.
vice without the approval of the State
Director; nor shall any labor be remov.
ed by the Service from one state to an.
other without the approval of fhe U. S.
Employment Service at Washington.
Every effort will be made to discourage
any movements from community to
community or state to state by any
other service.
This labor program has the approval
of all producing Departments of the
Government, through the War Labor
Policies Board.
1t must be understood that farm labor
will be protected, for the industrial
program distinctly includes specia
efforts to keep the farmer supplied
with labor.
The requirement that unskilled labor
must be recruited through the SOLE
agency of the u. S. Employment Ser
vice does not at present apply in thu
following five cases:
1. Labor which is not directly or in
directly solicited.
q. Labor for the railroads.
3. Farm labor--to be recruited il
accordance with existing arrangement
with Department Of Agriculture.
4. Labor for non-war work.
5. Labor for establishments who's
MAXIMUM force doee not excaed on