The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-05-02
Practical Survey
Continued From Page One)

hearings by the Department of Labor
for federal and District of Columbia
construction. These wages were set
on the basis of our own collective bar
gaining agreements which were based
on living costs in the District. Con-
tractors who do work for the chains
and representatives of our Building
Trades Council had their opportunity
to introduce this evidence when wages
were predetermined under the Davis
Bacon Act. The prevailing wage scale
then determined was the union wage
scale. The chain store building job
pays that scale. So do all other chain
store building jobs here.
Across the street from this job is
another building going up for an in
dependent competitor of the chain
grocery firm. 1t is not a union job.
1t will probably not be unionized be-
fore it is completed. Our conferences
with the contractor and owner have
simply led to nothing. If we use our
economis strength to compel fair
wages what will we win? They may
never build again. Work goes on at
wages lower than prevailing scale.
Now, since the Department of Labor
set the prevailing scale according to
living costs in the District, the work
men on the independent building are
certainly not earning enough to live
up to standards, which organized labor
through it's collective bargaining
agreements feels are necessary to
maintain a decent standard of living
here in this locality.
The store operator is trying to gain
competitive selling advantage by
cutting his store-space cost down to
rock bottom. He does it by accepting
inferior workmanship and forcing his
men to work for less than decent liv-
ing wages. Those workmen are able
to buy less from other merchants.
They can not save for rainy day,
nor get ready for sickness or the
definite uncertainty of building work.
Too often they have to depend upon
public assistance which is, in a case
like this, really another form of sub
sidy to the chiseling small employer
My point here is that when our
unions have found such tactics being
employed by or for the larger employ
ers we have in late years been able
to straighten most of them out by re-
lating the facts to the home office OF
the company. Usually we found the
circumstances were not known there
| If tho narnnf nnIjoN not
cooperative we have been able to use
our economic strength effectively and
bring wage rates up to the fair stand
ard. Large employers usually see
pretty definite profits in each new To-
cation and know that wage costs are
very small item in the long-run
earnings. We not only help the work
men involved Immediately but also
produce more purchasing power, which
flows to the other stores that have al
ways been fair with us. Union mer
patronize friendly stores.
AS a useful contribution to youl
record, Gentlemen, can say l fee
privileged to file with you today the
results of this study made in Wash
ington. SO far as | know it is the
first practical, down-to-earth and com
pletely de-bunked survey of the hours
and wages of retail food store EN-
ployees made here in the District; per
haps it is the first of it's kind made
by labor unions anywhere in the
country.
Local officials of the two unions
concerned with retail store employees
) planned and supervised the work Be
cause we had complete information OF
tracts and membership records, th'
men who carried out the work agreed
with me they should take every pre-
caution to be more than fair to th'
Independent retail grocers. These mei
have worked for years in the grocer!
field here; they know the relative i'm
portance of every neighborhood il
town; they know scores of the inde
pendent stores Intimately; they ant
their union members know PERSONAL.
dozens of the clerks who work in inde
pendent stores. In many ways the!
have cross-checked their findings. Car,
was taken to route their field can
vassers so as to secure a real typica
cross section of the whole industr,
here. Reports were obtained from 2S;
Independent stores. | believe the jol
is fair and impartial.
| submit the results of the surve!
not at all with the claim that they
are accurate to the utmost of perfec
ton, but with the simple statemen
that these are the facts as gathered
here in Washington and summarized
by level-headed union men determined
to be fair.
Permit me to read a short summar!
from this report:
A Survey OF Wages, Hours And
Employment In Retail Grocery Stores
Washington, ID. {.
Facts about current wages, hours
and volume of full-time employment
in the retail grocery trade are pre-
sented here in such form that compar
isons between unionized and non
| A n,