Montana labor news., 1932-12-01
Shorter Work Week and
Work Day Are Necessary
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ment gathered figures showing ac-
tual man hours worked in $4,000
firms, covering 103 industries" the
council said.
"The actual hours of work done
by the average employed worker was
ALL per week. This figure covers
2,440,000 workers, or slightly over
one-tenth of all industrial wage and
salaried workers at work in May
in the United States.
Not Even 30 Hours Work for All.
Assuming that the Labor Depart
ment survey represents the situa-
tion in industry generally, clearly
the actual amount Of work to be
done in the United States will not
furnish employment for all who want
work at even 30 hours week.
"In May, 1882, there were roughly
100000 unemployed and 23,000,-
600 wage and salaried workers at
work outside of agriculture.
"An average week of Al hours
worked by 23,00O,OO0 persons repre-
sents a total of 943,000,000 man
hours work to be done per week.
28 Hours Is Limit.
eff this work is to furnish EN-
ployment for all, the 34,0O0,000 who
want work will have less than %
hours each per week. These are
rough figures, but they indicate the
problem we have to face.
"When this is the situation, is it
wise to run our industries on even a
41-hour schedule and keep 100000
without work and without income?
"In some industries, hours still
average over so a week-oil pro-
ducing and hotels-and hundreds of
individual plants employing thou
sands are working a 60-hour week
and more in other industries.
"To reduce these extremes would
create employment for thousands,
and this should be a first move. But
the 48 and even the 44-hour week
are outgrown schedules now, and we
must recognize that change is es-
sential."
Employers Refuse Shorter Hours.
Definitely placing the responsibility
for large portion of our unemploy-
ment squarely on those who own and
control industry by their refusal to
reduce the length Of the work day
and work week in accordance with
the increased output of the workers
under the revolutionary amount of
labor displacing machinery intro
duced since 1919, the council de-
clared:
Large Increase in Output.
"In the period from 1919 to 1929
labor saving machinery and devices
made sweeping reductions in human
labor needed in industry, but work
hours were not adjusted. Factories
turned out AZ per cent more product
with 241,000 fewer workers; railroads
carried more freight, but dropped
100000 workers; coal mines laid off
10000; agriculture, 100000.
"With industry operating at peak
activity in 1929, 100000 were un-
employed. In factories, work-time
needed for the same work was re-
duced from 81 to 81 hours a week
by technical improvements in this
decade, but the actual work week
declined only from So to so hours.
'The average work week in all
industry was about 40 hours. If the
unemployed had been put to work
there would not have been over 45
hours week for each worker.
Union Hour Standards.
"Trade union standards averaged
44.8 hours a week at that time.
Since 1929, depression has forced
still greater use of labor saving de-
vices. The return of normal times
could not provide even Al hours
work week for all now.
"The five-day, 40-hour week and
the six-hour day with a 36-hour
week represent standards applicable
to normal times at present. But in
the emergency of this fall and win
ter, hours must be reduced even
below this standard to provide work
for the unemployed and prevent star
yation."