Evening star., 1920-02-03

ployer at the end or certain period.
The Chairman: Your position Is
that you do not ask for gifts?'
Mr.. Tighe: Yes: that is our position
exactly"
The Chairman: "You ask for justice.
not gifts?"
Mr.. Tighe: YES"
got the point of view Of one Of
the workers at Gary regarding the
stock ownership plan. He himself
held two shares of the stock.
Every share of stock" he said,
has a string attached to it. In or
der to win the bonus we must stay
five years in the employ Of the COM
pany. and even then the bonus is
distributed under the rules only to
those who in the judgment of the
management have shown a proper
interest in the welfare of the COM
pany. II he leaves the employ Of the
company for any reason-say he
strikes-he loses the entire bonus.
You see what towards that tends to
make of men who have a small stake
in the company-and what power it
puts in the hands of the company.
1t tends to make men afraid to or
ganize or protest against abuses. lest
In the same way a pension system
which is regulated according TO the
recommendations of foremen and su-
perintendents Is a way OF shackling
many older employees. Then, a GER
tain number Of men are tied up with
houses they have bought from the
company on long time; for they know
that unless they are loyal and good
they may lose their jobs and have to
sacrifice their property-for in most
mill towns. If a man is discharged, he
must move elsewhere"
committee:
What the workers want is less
charity and better wages and laboring
conditions. The direct purpose of
this welfare work is to ALLEVIATE and
prevent the. workers from thinking
protection and mutual welfare"
Welfare Work AZ Autocracy.
In its essence the criticism of the
workers is that welfare work is an ex-
preston Of benevolent autocracy while
they are struggling for more democracy;
that it breaks up any unity of action,
and while it makes life pleasanter for
the few, it often consfgns the great mass
of workers to the necessity of living
under hard working conditions In the
recent strike many Of the skilled work
ers. the Americans, were thus tied up
to the company by stock ownership, the
purchase of homes and the like, SO that
any group action or organization among
the workers was robbed of its natural
leadership. OF 26S,0OO workers only
$1,000 (and this includes many foremen,
superintendents and other officials) were
stockholders.
What use is most of this welfare
work., one workman asked me passion
ately when we are compelled to work
twelve hours a day and seven days a
week? In the face of the twelve-hour
day, Carnegie libraries, Y. M. c. AS,
Fairgrounds and the like are just jokes"
Another workman put in:
Judge Gary says that welfare work
pays and pays big in dollars and cents
If that is SO. why should he take credit
to himself for doing it? OF course, it
separated from one another, prevents or
ganization and enables the company to
maintain its long work day."
Inus the very argument used by the
employers to prove the value OF the
welfare work. that it helped prevent
LABOR organization and thus broke up
the strike, is the very argument used
against it by the workers.
Another argument frequently heard
among workers is, this:
| Tive us a chance to organize and
decent wages and we will do our own
ocraitc basis,
Some Of the activities of labor
unlonism along these lines in America
are most interesting. Several strong
unions IN Chicago and New York, for
example, have their own educational
directors. with classes, lecture and
concert courses and the like, Some OF
the concerts given by the clothine
workers-and given in union-owned
ha!ls--are Of the very best. Other
unions have extensive benefit and in
surance systems. In his testimony be-
Tore the Senate committee, for ex-
ample, Mr.. Gompers compared the
pension system OF the United States
Steel Corporation with that Of the IN
ternational Typographical Union
showing that the latter was maintain
ing Just twice as many pensioners. in
proportion to it's membership, as the
United States Steel Corporation: and
that these pensions were not Regulated
from above, but were awarded by the
men themselves.
1t was a significant thing at Gary tn
nnd that no work was spoken Of by
both company officials and. workmen
with more sympathy and approval
than the Good-Fellows clubs and the
joint committees for Carrying on
the accident-prevention work. Here
through a tiny crack, had crept in a
| little democratic relationship, a little