The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-02-23
:PR0FlTEERNe CAuSNGL LABOR
UNREST, SAYSCoAAMISSI0N
Federal baos State Amerc an Industry Lacks Healthy Basis
Of Relationship Between Management and Men;
Demands Of Workers Are Reasonable

WASHINGTON, Feb. Ill Profit
.ering by owners of basic industries is
at the bottom of the grave labor I'M
rest now disturbing the governments
war preparations, according to a re-
port of the presidents mediation COM
mission with Secretary Of Labor Will
son at the head.
fields, in the California oil fields, in
the Pacific coast telephone plants, in
the lumber industry of the northwest
and in the Chicago packing plants
were investigated and in practically
every instance the demands of the men
and women were found reasonable
and the position of the employers I'M
reasonable.
The commission wrote in part as
follows:
Distrust Profiteers.
$50 long as profiteering is not COM
prehensively prevented to the full ex-
tent that government action can pre-
vent it, just so long will sense Of in
oduAAASJ uAoIuA " SAO 1uAAVoI UcVOI4Ou VI
labor's contribution to the war.
Broadly speaking, American in
dustry lacks a healthy basis of rela-
tionship between management and
men,
There is widespread lack Of knowl-
edge of capital as to labor's feelings
and needs and on the part of labor as
to problems of management.
Wage increases are asked for
mostly to meet the increased cost of
living, and such demands should be
met.
Progressive dealing with mani
festations of labor unrest is the source
of much bitterness, turns radical labor
leaders into martyrs, and thus in
creases their following and worst of
all, in the minds Of workers tends to
implicate the government as a parti-
san in an economic conflict.
Autocrats Rule Industry.
TOO often there is a glazing in
consistency between our democratic
purposes in this war abroad and the
autocratic conduct of some Of those
guiding industry at home.
Personal bitterness and more in
tense industrial strife inevitably re-
suit when the claim Of loyalty Is false
ly reported to by employers.
'Such agencies Of the public as
the so-called loyalty leagues only
served to intensity bitterness and,
more unfortunately, to the minds Of
the workers in the west, served to as
sociate all loyalty movements with
partisan and antI-union aims"
In the Arizona copper district, doc
trines of internationalism and the
conviction that all wars are capital
istic marked the labor leadership.
Believe War Capitalistic.
'The uncritical opinion Of the men
that all wars are capitalistic and
therefore that ours must be such was
encouraged by the heavy profits of
the copper companies resulting from
into it."
The commission makes the follow
ing recommendations:
~. The elimination to the utmost
practical extent of all profiteering
during the war.
"2. Modern large-scale industry
has effectually destroyed the personal
relation between employer and en-
ploye-the cooperation that comes
from personal contact. It is there
fore no longer possible to conduct in.
dustry by dealing with employees as in
dividuals. Some form of collective
relationship between management
and men Is Indispensable.
8-Hour Day Fundamental.
SO. Law, in business as elsewhere,
depends for its vitality upon steady
enforcement. Instead of waiting for
adjustment after grievances come to
the surface there is needed the estab-
lishment of continuous administrative
machinery for orderly disposition Of
industrial issues.
~. The eight-hour day is an es-
tablished policy Of the country, even
in war times. Provision must, of
course, be made for longer hours in
emergencies.
rs. Unified direction Of the labor
administration of the United States
for the period of the war should be
istration is needed, with full power to
determine and establish the necessary
administrative structure.
Demands On Labor.
IS. When assured of sound labor
conditions and effective means for the
just redress Of grievances that may
arise, labor should, surrender all prac-