The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-06-25
Merit SYSTEM WAGE !. !: .
" SCALE IS proven SUCCESS
Continued from Pogo I.


Continued from Paqe I.
considered apart from production; but
In connection Herewith.
Determining Wages.
II we bear In mind what a. wage
is, then the problem ceases to be ex-
pressed In dollars but ia terms Of
production. II we then get units Of
production and for each unit deter
mine the contribution of labor in
units, we have only to multiply the
labor units by the dollar value which
FOR the time being is agreed upon for
the unit In order to gain tho wage.
The wage rises and falls. accord
ing to the production Of the worker
within certain limits, for we agree
upon an inferior limit below which
In any given case the wage cannot
fall. That limit we call the minimum
wage.
The minimum wage is likewise not
an arbitrary figure. although come
times 1t 1s conceived so to be-, and
most statutory wages are founded
upon the assumption that the cost
of living gives a guide as to the
amount below which a. wage should
not fall. This assumption is not
founded on fact, for the cost Of liv-
ing is determined by production, and
no matter what figure may arbitrar-
lily be set as the minimum amount
upon which existence may be sup
ported, that figures will cease to mean
anything if the food and the goods
are not there to buy. Therefore,
when we consider a minimum in the
discussion of wages under your agree
| ment let us not fall into the error
OF saying that a man should have
this or that amount on which to live,
for We have no means of arriving at
that figure
Figures Are Wrong.
I'VE can only be certain that, what
ever figures may thus be tixed---no
matter what the parade Of statistics
they are wrong. The expression 'liv~
ing wage is reflection of the no.
ton still prevailing among the unin-
formed that there is a. tinge Of char
1ty in the payment Of wages. 1t is
not more feasible to pay living
wage than 1t ia for a farmer to in
sist that his soil return to him a
sufficient amount of goods on which
to live regardless OF whether or not
he tills it,
The engineers further announced
their discovery that fitting the wage
to the work is a practical human
problem in which experience has
taught us to be guided by a certain
set Of 10 general prlnctples." Among
other things these provide that: the
means OF computing wages according
to production should be 80 simple
that either employer or worker could
! readily figure it out tor himself; pro-
vide for warranted increases: sho.Ad
recognize that the mere attendance OF
a worker ready for duty is worth a
wage; the reward must quickly follow
the effort.
Workers Graded.
In the end, the plan as adopted,
provided for division Of tho garment
workers into four grades In the first
grade were those who could turn out
a, maximum number OF garments pc,
week. and would receive q maximum
wage. The remaining three grades
were graduated downward until, in
the fourth. were classed those who
| turned out minimum OF garments
and received a. minimum wage.
The system is based on a. standard
Of 2,640 points in a 44-hour week art
60 points an hour. with money values
-wages-assigned to each point.
Minor details remain to be arranged
| before the system can be called flaw
| less. For instance, there is the mat
| ter Of determining the cost OF living
in varying localities. SO that the pur-
chasing pewer--the relation between
the wage units and the cost of neces-
sities-may be balanced throughout
the industry.
Wages Increased.
The plan, as it has been under test
for Is months. is declared an UNI
| equivocal success by all parties to the
! agreement At first the workers re-
Elected a natural distaste for the
presence Of, timers" who tabulated
the time consumed in various oper-
atoms Mass meetings were held, at
which voHeys Of questions-intelli-
gent ones-were fired at the engt-
neers. In the end the workers., al
ways under the guidance and tute-
lage Of Perlstein, the organizer, lost
their suspicious and enterd> whole.
heartedly into the Cleveland expert
ment."
It might be illuminating to note
that, under the new system. tho ma
jority Of workers drew 4 larger pay
envelope than ever before. And 1t
might also be illuminating to note
that, when the industrial depression
hit the garment industry, the workers
voluntarily voted a rate-reduction of
20 per cent. And there is no dissat-
isfaction-no talk Of strikes in the
| Cleveland garment trade.
In Denmark idle workers are al
lowed on an average Of from $40 to
| 4 y>xv$