The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1932-09-30
Purposes Of Unemployment Insurance
BY MARJORIE MCFARLAND
Secretary the Ohio Committee Unemployment

hill; it would enable the unemployed
to continue buying and keep other
men employed; and even more i'm
portant, it would prevent buyers
panic" which comes when one man is
laid off and ten other men stop spend
ing for fear their turn might come
next.
Unemployment insurance is in
principle just like any other kind of
insurance. That is, it protects large
number of people at the small lest
cost for each one, much smaller than
if each one saved separately. The
idea is the same whether that cost
is paid by employers, employees, or
the government, or any combination
of them. 1t is a. way of setting money
aside in good times to take care of
the bad times that are certain to
come later.
There are certain principles which
must be maintained in any sound sys-
tenn, and though they seem very SIM
pie and obvious, they are SO often
disregarded in talking about unem-
ployment insurance that | want to
state them briefly. You cannot take
more out of an insurance fund than
has been put in, so if you want large
benefits you have to pay large
premiums. Benefits cannot be paid
out to any one person for an indefi-
mite period. The time may be long
or short, but it must have a fixed
limit. Insurance must be carefully
safeguarded to prevent it from be-
coming dole to those who don't
want to work, by provisions that a
man must accept reasonable job
that is offered him, that insurance
be less than full wages, etc.
Organized labor in this country has
been slow to support unemployment
insurance for fear it might weaken
union strength. The most practical
answer to those fears is that if there
were much foundation for them the
anti-union organizations would all be
working for the unemp, oyment insur-
ance instead of fighting it vigorously
as they actually are.
The two chief arguments are that
by registering the unemployed, in
surance would help employers to
blacklist active union members; and
that union men would be forced into
non-union jobs. A union leader is
well enough known to the employers
in his industry and locality, so that
if they wish to blacklist him and the
union is not strong enough to pro-
tect him, they do so now without
waiting for unemployment insurance
(the records of which would be con-
fidential anyhow. The other objec,
standing of the administration of un-
employment insurance. There are
practically always provisions that q
man cannot be forced to scab nor tc
take work for which he is not suited
nor under substantially different
conditions" of wages and hours. There
might be cases where a non-union Jot
would be under as good conditions as
union job in the same trade, but
they would certainly not be vary
numerous, and in practice would be
offered to non-union workers who
would be glad to have them.
1t is hard to see where any pos
sible dangers in insurance could be
as great as the weakening of unions
due to unemployment without insur'
ance. We all know how members
have dropped out by the thousands
during the past two or three years
not from lack of loyalty, but from
inability to pay dues. Far more Sc
rious is the temptation to the weak
brethren who are found in any grour
of human beings to betray theil
unions by underwriting on the job
yielding to the tricks of unscrupulous
employers while trying to maintain
the benefits of union membership
Union men will do we'll to work fol
unemployment insurance not only fol