Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-28
Strike Against Efficiency
From The Philadelphia Ledger.

Mr.. Gompers needs to hurry home to advise
the executives of the unions of iron and steel
workers against the folly of ordering 4 general
strike in the interest OF twelve basic demands,
many of which are direct and an indirect
attack on industrial efficiency, while others
merely ask for conditions of work which the
employing companies have set up for years in
their plan of operation and which looked I'd
paying more than the union rates to all en-
ployes, but not at the expense OF production or
of technical experiences. Indeed, the steel cor
poration might well point out that in its en-
couragement to the men to invest their earn
ings in the companies and in Its support OF
various movements started by men like Mr..
Sehwab and others to promote community
of interest, that the steel trust had done more
than. the extreme doctrinaire unionists to i'm
prove the condition of labor and to give it a
standing by the side of capital than could now
be secured by the twelve demands. of Secretary
Foster and his friends.
Since in great issues of this kind the public
has deep concern, it would seem that the
steel corporation unionists can hardly claim
that they will have public approval of their
intention to throw the whole steel and iron
production out of joint. For any examination
of the wages paid employees of the steel cor
poration will show an amazing advance far
above any increase in the cost of living, and,
after the railroad men, makes the steel men
the best protected labor of the country. The
average annual wage of the steel corporation
men in 1908 was $728, as compared with $72l
for the raroaders. But in 1919 the steel men
were getting $3.50 and the railroaders 81 sos;
an increase of 100 per cent for the steel work
ers and 10 per cent for the railroaders. Not
only has the cost of living not increased at a
rate to overcome these advances, but these
advances have been made at the expense of
the poorly paid teaching and clerical forces OF
the country and also at the expense OF the small
business man who has experienced no such
increase in returns, while for him, IS we'll as
salaried workers generally, the advance in the
cost of living has been formidable in every
sense of the word. For the unionists among
the steel corporation employees to ask for fur
Their increases" and at the same time to suggest
curtament in the hours of work with pro-
visions which would prevent the companies
from advancing or taking on those physically
and mentally best fitted to give results is to
of exploded industrial dogmas, since high wages
with shorter hours under the conditions the
union demands set out would lower production,
increase prices and set up vicious circle
which would menace the public as we'll as hit
at our industrial supremacy.
The uncompromisng character OF the pro-
posals of the twenty-four steel workers unions
is not so evident on its face as was the recent
proposal of the railroad brotherhoods for the
appropriation of the railroads under a triple
management and naturalization; but there are
in the steel union proposals direct threat to
the employees and to the public that the more
level heads in the American Federation OF
Labor may we'll ponder over before they ell
courage Mr.. Foster to deliver an ultimatum
to the steel corporation The railroad brother
hood heard from the public and has changed
its line of attack, and Mr. Foster might well
take this hint before setting out to start an
industrial war on unsound premises.