Evening star., 1923-11-18
AS A UNION MAN SEES 1T

related to the problem of health and
social relaxation. In practice. how
ever. these penal rates have proved
an Incentive to overtime work by the
employe and thus tend to defeat any
desire to promote his health or in
! crease his leisure. Therefore, these
rates. though ostensibly penalty on
the employer, are in reality pre-
MUM TO the employe. So far as such
an incentive induces the worker to
work longer day than is justified
on the grounds of health. II is clearly
warranted only by unusual emer-
gency. In such cases overtime Is
physically undesirable. and overtime
rates mean extra compensation for
diminished productivity"
Economic Ignorance
without question It is true that
many employees do not realize the
value Of the shorter workday. or are
tempted by the Increased total wage
that overtime gives. 1t Is the asser-
tion Of trait Of human nature that
those who admire II term thrift, and
those who oppose 1t call blind hog
gishness. Then again, 1t may result
from the collusion Of the employer
who cannot accustom himself to idle
machinery with the employe. who
places no value on health. recreation
and education and prefers. as a sub
stitute, long hours Of employment.
Both are economically ignorant.
The straight eight-hour day. with
overtime as an emergency, and then
at a sharply advanced rate of pay. is
enforced as to their members by a
number of the international unions,
and at least one of these unions re-
quires the employment of substitute
worker whenever in a certain period
of time the overtime work equals the
eight hour day, or less where the con-
tract provides for fewer hours.
Percentages Compared.
The Monthly Labor Review Of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
United States Department of Labor
for August. 1922. commenting on a
| tabular compilation of the regular
| featuring industries of the United
States for 1909, 1914 and 1919, says:
''As regards the number Of employees
| working each specified number OF
| hours per week in 1919. it will be
| Of the total Of 9.096,372 employees
worked 48 hours per week or less. OF
| this number, the census report shows
that 1,111,107. or 12.2 per cent OF the
total employees. worked A hours per
| week or less. and 346,179, or 3.S per
cent worked over A and under 4s
hours per week while 1851, ,407, or 32.6
per cent worked 48 hours per week.
In comparing the percentages OF en-
ployes working 48 hours per week
and under in the three years. 1t will
/, be observed that the percentage OF
such workers was over four times as
great In 1919 as in 1914, and over six
/ times as great In 1919 as in 1909.
Then in association with the fore
going we have the statement of the
president of the Colorado Fuel and
Iron Company. in approval OF the the
! eight-hour day, which embraces this
! terest is the fact that. with almost
! capacity operation at our steel plant
during he last few months and en-
ploying over 5000 men, we have ex-
, perienced no shortage OF labor. Our
| operating officials have frequently ex-
pressed the belief that this condition
| Is due. in large part at least, to the
adoption of the eight-hour shift;
| The forty-four-hour week, hve days
| of eight hours each and four on Satur-
| day, is the rule In the building industry
The eight-hour day on the Ameri-
can continent falls into three classi-
| f1cations: The straight eight-hour day
with overtime prohibited except tr
| emergencies; the division OF the
| twenty-four hours into three shifts
and in some Industries extending over
| seven days in the week, and the basic
| eight-hour day under which overtime
Is permitted at varying wage rates.
Tho eight-hour, day has with Us
! about the same history as that Of the
: English movement. IT has been ac-