The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1918-02-15
Labor Has rlOst At Stake In This
War, And Will Devote It's All
If Treated With Confidence
And Understanding.

there is need for more affirma-
tive education. There has
been too little publicity of an
educative sort in regards to
labor's relations to the war. The
purpose of the government and
the methods by which it is pur-
suing them should be brought
home to the fuller understand
ing of labor. Labor has most at
stake in this war, and it will
eagerly devote its all if only it
be treated with confidence and
understanding, subject neither
to indulgence nor neglect, but
dealt with as a part of the citi-
zenship Of the State.
Real Cause of Labor Unrest
At length the commission re-
cords it's search for the real
cause" of the labor unrest and
comes to these conclusions:
"The conclusion can not be
escaped that the available man
| power of the nation, serving as
the industrial arm of war is not
employed to its full capacity nor
wisely directed to the energies
of war.
The effective conduct of the
war suffers needlessly because
of interruption of work due to
actual or threatened strikes,
purposed decrease in efficiency
thru the strike on the job, de-
crease in efficiency due to labor
unrest, and dislocation of the
labor supply.
These are not new conditions
in American industry, nor are
their causes new. The condi-
tions and their causes have long
been familiar and long uncor-
rected. War has only served to
intensity the old arrangements
by making greater demands up
on industry and by affording
! the occasion for new disturbing
factors.
Among the causes of unrest
familiar to students of industry,
/ the following stand out with
| special signifiance to the indus
trial needs of war.
Better Relationship Needed.
Broadly speaking, American
industry lacks a healthy basis
of relationship between man
agement and men. At bottom
this is due to the insistence by
employers upon individual deal
ings with their men. Direct
dealings with employees organ
izations is still the minority rule
in the United States. In the
majority of instances there is
no joint dealings and in too
many instances employers are
in active opposition to labor or
ganizatiions. This failure to
equalize the parties in adjust
ments of inevitable industrial
contests is the central cause of
our difficulties. There is a
commendable spirit thruout the
country to correct specific evils.
The leaders in industry must
go further; they must help to
correct the state Of mind on the
part of labor; they must aim for
| the release of normal feelings
by enabling labor to take its
place as co-operator in the in
dustrial enterprise. In a word,
a conscious attempt must be
made to generate a new spirit
in industry.
ITO many labor disturbances
are due to the absence of disin-
terested processes to which re-
sort may be had for peaceful
settlement. Force becomes too
ready an outlet. We need con-
tinuous administrative machin-
cry by which grievances newt
able in industry may be easily
and quickly disposed of and not
allowed to reach the pressure
of explosion.
| There is a widespread lack
of knowledge on the part of cap
lital as to labor's feelings and
Eneeds and on the part of labor
| as to problems of management
This is due primarily to a lack
of collective negotiation on the
|part of industry that the so-cal-
lied labor problem demands not
lonly occasional attention but
lcontinuous- and systematic re-
Isponsibility, as much so as the
ltechnical or financial aspects OF
Industry.
| Grievances Are Mentioned.
Certain specific grievances