Montana labor news., 1936-09-03
LABOR DAY, 1896
By WILLIAM GREEN,
President, American Federation
of Labor

Labor Day, 1886, records year
of new achievements and new prob
lens which progress has developed
During the year unions have in
creased in membership. The trend
toward business recovery is un-
mistakable. The administration of
the Social Security Act is in process
of organization while the Judiciary
threatens to nullify our efforts to
assure workers rights by legislation.
The Social Security Act is a recog-
milton of society's responsibility for
providing security from another
source than property ownership
There are many who have no op-
portunity to acquire sufficient prop
erty to achieve security. For this
large group income for emergencies
must be provided if they are to be
relieved of the burden of insecur-
ity.
The spectre which haunts the
wage Garner through his productive
years is loss of job. This spectre
takes on blacker terrors as the
worker grows older and faces in
ability to secure other jobs. The
Social Security Act attempts to re-
lieve the major emergencies; it
provides:
Federal old age benefits to
which employers and employees
contribute jointly in addition to
Federal subsidies to matching state
old age pensions provisions up to
SIS per person;
Federal financial incentives to
states to enact unemployment com
pensation laws;
Federal plans for public assis-
tance to widows and dependent
children, crippled children, and for
blind persons;
Federal grants to states for pub
lie health work. AS a result, fif-
teen states now have unemployment
compensation acts, thirteen of which
have been approved by the Social
Security Board, and every state has
increased the security provided its
residents, taking advantage of at
least one opportunity afforded by
the Social Security Act. This is a
remarkable achievement for so
short a time. 1t is labor's hope and
ambition to secure legislation to en-
able every state to participate fully
in all types of Federal aid Of
fered by this measure. These con-
structive legislative enactm n S
constitute the beginning of con-
structive plan to assure to every citi-
zen an income to provide the nee
essaries of life under all eventuali-
ties. When there is a measure of eco
nomic security SO that persons are
sure of shelter, food and clothing,
freedom takes on new meaning.
1t would be well if our Labor Day
celebration included plans for a de-
velopment of a fully rounded Sc
curity program in every state eff
GENTLY administered with labor's
cooperation. Labor should take
the initiative in the legislative pro-
gram and then must be ready to fol-
low closely administrative policies
and procedure. Unless this program
is administered as a right of labor
it becomes a mere relief program
which does not make for freedom.
In addition to our opportunity to
advance social security, we face a
responsibility to all unemployed
wage earners. It is obvious that
recovery for business is at hand
but unemployment of the unem-
ployed is not keeping pace with the
increase in business activity or the
recovery of profits. For those who
are employed we must secure
higher wages and shorter hours
The steady rise in business activity
and profits indicates the opportu-
mites of demands for higher stand
ards. The rise in the cost of living
make such demands imperative.
We face, in addition, the serious
problem of extending our provisions
for unemployed SO that there may
be normal opportunities for those
excluded from existing business by
technical progress. There agair
the labor movement must insist
upon equal opportunities for all ir
our new economic environment.
We face another phase of labor'S
age-long struggle for freedom un-
der all conditions Unless the labor
movement does its part the result.
will be serious for our nation, fol
the labor movement is essential tt
balance in both our economic anc
our political progress. We have
seen in other countries that thu
downfall of free labor movements
has always presaged the loss of civi
liberties
We are upon critical period il
world affairs as we'll as in our owr
country SO that our first concern
should be the Strengthening and ad
vancement of our organized labor
movement, that the workers as wei
as all society may be safeguardec
and bettered. Organization is the