New-York tribune., 1920-04-12
Labor Against
Welfare Work:
Assails Bonuses
A. F. l.. Chiefs See Purpose
to Buy Workers or to Hold
Them in Subjection in
Plans of Some Employers
9-Hour Proposal Opposed
Reply to QUESTIONABLE of
Republican Committee
Attacks Use of Injunction

Its answer to the questionable Of the
Republican National Committee says
1t is against welfare work and also op.
poses profit sharing, bonuses and SINH.
lar schemes, which, in it's judgment
"are usually used as means Of hold
Ing employees in subjection and pre-
venting trade union organization"
The questionnaire was sent by ex-
Senator Ogden L. Mills, chairman OF
the committee on policies and plat
form of the national committee, The
ycply is signed by Samuel Gompers,
Matthew Woll and Frank Morrison az
the platform committee of the national
non-partisan political campaign OF the
federation.
The inquiry ion industrial relations
and the problems of capital and labor
questions thereon likely to be BE- diseuased % ssd
by the platform COMMITTEES Of the Re-.
publican National Committee.
Good Will" Based on Agreements
"How far is good will inside the
plant a valuable economic factor in pro-
duction, and how best can it be Sc
cured ~ Ia answered as follows:
Good will inside the plant not only
is valuable economic factor in pro-
duction, but 1t is an indispensable fac
tor If production is to be maintained at
4 proper rate. Good will Is not some
thing to which the employer has an in
herent right. 1t must be earned. 1t
can best be earned by the establish .
ment Of just conditions in the plant
and BY agreements between employers
and the duly authorized repres entatives
Of the workers in tho industry"
Discussing welfare work and profit
sharing, the Comparatively Morrison
document says:
employers, the tendency or purpose Of
which is to buy the submission of the
workers, is utterly out Of keeping with
the American spirit and has never
proved worth the effort to employers
who sought to utilize the idea. The
points covered under the description of
welfare work in the questionable may
safely be left to the trade unions.
Prefer Wages to Bonuses
"Profit sharing, distribution Of bo-
muses. and similar schemes are usually
used as means of holding employees
union organization. If employers can
afford to pay bonuses then let them do
so IN the form of higher wage and
better conditions rather than In the
form of gratuities. Such schemes are,
at best makeshifts and can by no
means be regarded as panacea for
industrial ills.
Employers are free to pay to en-
ployees as high wages as the services
performed warrant. What the trade
unions insist upon Ia that they shall
pay not less than minimum wage
which is sufficient to maintain the
workers in proper standard of living"
Replying In the negative to the ques-
tton about Incorporating trades unions,
and the further question, "1n the event
Of incorporation should the injunction
power be limited?" the labor leaders
say; ;,Ih ,...
revolutionary measure which substi-
tutes government by judicial discretion
or bias for government by law. It sub
sututes trial by one man, judge, in
his discretion. for trial by jury. This
abuse Of the injunctiye process under
mines and destroys tho very founda-
tions Of our free institutions.
because wa have reverence for law
we must resist the establishment of q
practice that would destroy tho very
spirit of freedom and democracy. Our
protest against the abuse of the writ
Of injunction and its unwarranted ap-
plication to labor in the exercise Of
iabor's normal activities to realize
laudable aspirations is a duty we owe
to ourselves and to posterity."
Concerning the selection of repre-
sentatives in matters of controversy
either within or without the plant, the
labor leaders say:
Neither Side Should Dictate
1.-THE employer has no more right to
dictate to trade. unionists whom thew
shall select as their representative
than the employees have to dictate to
their employers"
"sheuld an impartial board bs es-
tablished to deal with conditions Of
employment ?" is answered at length.
one part of the comment being:
ut is clear that the thought under
lying most of tho proposals for so
called labor boards ana tribunal. nal ' of
national scope for the handling Of in
dustrial disputes is that by such means
the progress of labor will be retarded
There has not yet been suggested a
plan for tribunals Of this character
which is correct in principle.
The experiences of Australia and New
Zealand, and even Of European eoun-
tries, such as Germany, and, moro "a
cently, such "a England, should warn
America to leave these questions 70 the
neld OF which they are native and to
refrain from artificial effort to trans
plant them to the field of politics. The
nation - going through sufficient in
dustrial agony without adding to it bv
experin entation with human lives.
which 10 condemned in ADVANCE