The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-05-27

industrial history.
The recovery act provides, as the
price Of permitting employers to
stabilize their industries through
trade agreements, that labor shall
have the right to organize and bar
gain collectively, and that whether
it takes advantage of this right or
not, it shall be paid a decent living
wage for work week short enough
to give every one a chance at job.
Turn to Farm Bill
It proposes to do for the worker
in the cotton mill, the shoe factory,
the steel mill, the cannery, exactly
what the farm bill is to do for the
farmer-in fact, the farm bill and
the industrial recovery bill are con-
sidered by the administration as
twin halves Of a complete program
for bringing back good times.
The farm bill will help the farm
er by raising food prices.
The industrial worker, therefore,
must have more money with which
to pay the increased price for food.
The added money the industrial
worker pays for food increases the
farmers ability to buy factory prod
ucts, and secures the city worker in
his job.
When the thirty-hour week-mini-
mum wage bill was being discussed
before the house labor committee,
stream of employers appeared and
testified that they would simply lay
of men, in some cases would close
down their factories, if labor costs
we're thus increased, even though
like conditions were placed upon
their competitors.
Codes of Fair Competition.
All anticipated that increased use
of machinery would continue the
deadly competition which had been
driving down labor standards for
three years.
The recovery bill permits employ
ers in each industry to enter into
cooperative codes of fair COMPETE
ton agreeing on wage and work
ing hour scales, total production
and prices. These codes are TO be
enforceable by the government just
as laws are.
President Roosevelt has been i'm
pressed deeply with facts showing
that if 10 per cent of an industry
insists on hammering down labor
costs to try to underbid other firms,
the best -intentioned employers in
the world are forced to adopt lower
scales or to close their plants.
Employer agreements, ev e
though they stabilized employment,
would be a serious menace to work
ers if they we're not accompanied
with safeguards. The national re-
covery act goes so far in providing
these safeguards that it actually ad-
vances the position of labor beyond
ANYTHING it has known in the past.
Employees Safeguards
The act provides that: Every code
of fair competition, agreement and
license shall contain the follow
ing conditions:
Il Employees shall have the right
to organize and bargain collectively
through representative of their
own choosing.
- No employe and no one seek
ing employment shall be required as
a condition of employment to join
any organization or refrain from
Joining a labor organization of his
own choosing
80. Employers shall comply with
the maximum hours of labor, mini
mum rates of pay, and other work
ing conditions approved or pre-
scribed by the President
In each industry workers and en-
ployers will be given chance to
reach mutual agreements suitable
for those industries as to working
hours and rates of pay.
Administration Important
If agreements are reached the
President will review them and if
he does not approve the standards
fixed will order them raised or low
cred. If agreements are not reached
the President is authorized to in
vestigate labor conditions in the in
dustries affected, and prescribe
codes of his own, after public hear
ings which shall have the binding
effect of law when made final.
The effectiveness of these pro-
visions in restoring purchasing pow
er will depend, like all others, upon
the quality of administration.
But the act. as 1t is written, gives
broad power to be used in behalf
of workers, and guarantees the
safeguard of collective bargaining if
administration should prove disap-