Evening star., 1927-10-08
INDUSTRIAL PEACE
BESET BY STRIKES
IS, 500, 900 Workers involved
in WaIk0uts in IL Years,
Research Shows.

The industrial peace of America
during the past II years has been
disturbed by more than $4,000 strikes
involving a total of 15.500,00o work
ers. according to statistics compiled
by the Economic Research Bureau
of the American Bond & Mortgage Co,
During months of research the
bureau gathered data from Govern
inent and private sources. whlcn m
dicate that the cost of industrial dis
putes to the workers, employers ana
public in the United States from
1915 to 1926. inclusive. totaled more
than $4,000. 100000.
The general public was shown by
the statistics to be by far the great
est loser in times of strike. its losses
in the 12-ycar period being nearly
five times larger than the aggregate
loss to employers and employees.
Meanwhile labor's losses were largely
offset by a money wage increase OF
about 1lO per cent. which. when con
sldered in relation to the cost Of
living. represented % per cent gain
in buying power. Employers losses
also were somewhat retrieved by
large increases in profits during re-
cent years.
Conditions Show Improvement.
This study revealed" said the
bureaus report. that since 1919, the
greatest strike year in the history
of the country. relations between EN-
nloyers and workers have continued
to improve until today the con-
tinuity of production is being dis.
turbed By relatively few industrial
disputes. 3. Since 1922 reduction
in labor trouble has been most rapid
,nI ,rnpoupca3 and nr0h3 hlN
largely due to improved employment
relationships. high wages and In
creased industrial efficiency.
More than IS per cent of the labor
disputes recorded since 1914 were in
the States north of the Ohio and
east of the Mississippi Rivers: about
: per cent of them in the territory
south of the Ohio and east of the
Mississippi. and the rest in the West.
Thirty-seven per cent OF all the
strikes occurred in the three great
industrial States of New York. Penn
sylvania and Massachusetts, in the
order named.
Building Industries i'm Lead.
"The largest number OF disputes
was in the building industry, which
reported 4,472 strikes. or 1852 per
cent Of all those recorded. The cloth
ing industry was second with 3,o4S.
or IL per cent of all strikes reported.
and the metal trades were third with
a total of 3.437 strikes. or II per
cent Of all strikes
GAS to the causes OF the various
strikes. the study showed that of the
total number S.991. or 81 per cent.
were for increased wages. 2.047. or
z per cent. were against wage cuts,
and 1891, or 6 per cent, were for
union recognition. The other dis.
putes were due to various other
causes, such as non-payment Of
wages, employment of non-union men.
discrimination. etc.
The compilation af the bureau
showed that the public was the great
loser in times of industrial strife. The
available figures indicate that during
the last II years strikes and lock
outs involved the following costs:
To the pubic: ,s1s g az o6s a6e 900 ooo si9.:
TO the employers. 536.171.000 $50
Total. .s14 .Os3. $50. 900 1O0Ofs
Peak Reached i'm 1921.
ain the building industry, strikes
increased steadily in number through
the war and postwar years. reach
ing a peak in 1921. The next year
SdN Il SuuUeH ulop, SlilCc "ueIl tueIe
has been a steady and rapid increase
coinciding with the recent period of
building activity. Though there was
an increase in strikes during the year
1926. it was slight. Over the entire
period the building industry has not
enjoyed the same decrease in strikes
as the other industries, the adverse
trend being particularly serious in
the last four years.
Taking industry as whole, there
have been related improvements
other than the decrease in industrial
disputes. Thus the labor turnover
in nl1fa cf1lf.irer afc