Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-28
GREEN SEES CHECK
in UNEMPL OYMENT
A. F. of L. President Scores
Employers Who Reduce
Workers Wages.

While noting that the rapid increase
of unemployment among trade union
lists was apparently in check" during
this month, William Green, president
of the American Federation of Labor,
in public statement today, warned
that less hopeful conditions in employ
ment are to be expected in March and
April and voiced vigorous criticism OF
recently reported cuts In wages.
Reports on wages and employment
In January and February give both
note of encouragement and a signal OF
danger" Mr.. Green declared.
"Our reports from trade unions show
that the rapid increase of unemploy-
ment was apparently checked in Feb
ruary. but at the same time comes
report from the Department of Labor
that wage cuts in January were nearly
three times as numerous and affected
nearly twice as many employees as in
any month since the depression began.
Wage Cuts Reported.
SIN January 335 of the firms report
ing to the Department of Labor re-
dlIced wages and the cuts affected AZ
600 employees: the largest number of
firms reducing (wages) in any previous
month was 1873 in August, affecting "a
729 employees.
This movement to reduce wages at
the very moment when business depreS-
sion appears to be reaching bottom Is
most untimely. Wage reductions did
not cure business depression in 1921.
Depression lasted IL months after the
liquidation of labor A prominent in
dustrial executive says. A general re-
duction of wages would set back the
impending recovery by at least two
years
Wage reductions are not like price
cuts. for the workers are human beings.
Reduce their incomes and you cut away
the market for industry's product. More
than this-you undermine social stand
ards and eventually degrade human
life. Already workers have borne the
brunt of the depression with losses from
short-time work and unemployment
with hunger, worry, illness, physical
and mental degeneration.
Workers incomes today are 81 per
cent below the level II factories and 81
per cent below on railroads. Wage cuts
project these losses into the future and
lower living standards and buying
power for long time to come. Have
the warnings been in vain? If wage
cuts continue, we will limit our ability
70 pull up quickly from this depres-
sion.
A. F. Of L. Sees Turn.
1.-THE federation unemployment re-
port this month adds weight to the evil
dence that we have reached the bottom
of depression. Reports from 2,192
unions with 803 900 members show a
decrease in unemployment affecting Z
Of per cent of the membership in the
first half of February. Our weighted
figure for the per cent out of work in
January was 1913 in the first half of
February 1911. This is the first check
in the rapid rise of unemployment since
October Now, with this first sugges-
ton of improvement, is no time to cut
wages. Workers buying power will be
an important factor in developing the
Spring seasonal advance into sustained
recovery
Although our figures show a check
IN the rise of unemployment there has
been no significant imp ovement as yet.
Betterment Is not likely to come for
several months Last year March and
April we're the months of highest relief
needs, when more families we're depend
ent on charity than in the earlier VIM
ter months.
"Our estimate of the number out of
work. based on reports from unions and
on Government figures, is $4,000 in
January (revised figure) and 5,770, 900
in February. This figure does not in
clude ONCE workers or farm labor and
therefore does not account for the thou
sands of farm workers who have been
fiocking to the cities and will be de-
pendent on city relief for some time. '