The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-07-30
is LABOR
PATRIOTIC?
By GRACE G.. GLASCOTT

EDITORS NOTE - This is the
second of a series of four articles
written by Grace G. Glascott, Cleve-
land, Regional Director of the Wage
and Hour Division, [. S. Department
of Labor.
Military strategists in recent years
have told us, and events of the past
few years have demonstrated, that
modern warfare is vastly different
from what it was as recently as during
World War l. Primarily, the difference
is in the materials of war.
Warfare today is more than ever be-
fore in history dependent upon the pro-
ductive effort of the men and women
behind the lines The ships, tanks,
planes, guns, shells, and other equip |
ment produced by these behind-thC-
lines workers very definitely deter
mines the success or failure of il ma
ton at war.
How efficiently and rapidly these
products of war are manufactured also
| is, of course, most vital in determln-
ing the fate of nation at war. Thls
leads directly to the subject of labors
part in the United States war effort,
and the question rs Labor Patriotic!
The answer is an unequivOcal yes.
Labor is participating in the war effort
in the United States whole-heartedly
and ingeniOusly as only Il nation OF
free men and women can. Labor is
fighting the battle every minute of the
time Sundays and holidays included,
fighting not with guns, but with its
skill and Drawn, at the workbench,
forge, assembly line, wherever war ma
terial can be produced.
1t is true, and labor itself will not
deny it, that there have been strikes.
jurisdictional disputes, and other occur
rences which have interfered with the
smooth operation of our industrial war
machine. But these incidents are Il part
of our industrial system. As long as
, our system permits the gaining of
profits from the manufacture of war
goods, so long will it be only fair that
. labor be entitled to Il just share of the
profit for its efforts.
But with our actual entry into war
labor displayed its patriotism through
its willingness to give up its right to
strike, demonstrating its sincere de
sire to produce unhampered while Gov
: ernment board exists to settle diil-
erences. In addition. labor unions, which
| nd h, nd fnr a
labor standards, are giving up their
: wage scales of double time for Sunday
2 and holiday work for the duration, ac-
g cepting the Wage and Hour Law pro-
: vision of time and One-half for work
+ beyond 40 hours in Il single worIiweek.
And aS far as actual bearing of arms
| is concerned, the record is sure to show
l that labor is at least proppltianately
e represented in all branches of the serv-
ice. The same can be shown to be true
70 with respect to participation in com
. munity organizations, such as service
: ian war work groups.
What labor is doing in the way Of liz
vesting financially in the war effort is
Il matter of almost daily front page
. news. The purchase of War Bonds and
Stamps by working men and women ON
an ever-increaSing scale illustrates per
hapS better than anything else the
vital interest i'm the war effort felt by
> labor The workers of union after
= union and plant after plant are pledg
!, ing the purchase of such securities on
u "A regular basis.
a Admittedly, there is room for i'm
= provement According to Treasury
q Secretary Morganthau, American work
{ erS must increase their purchases from
y the present $50 Il month average t,
$50 Il month to reach the goal of the
!, voluntary payroll savings campaign.
i The Wage and Hour Division, oI
h course, cannot determine how work
= or must spend his earnings, but it is
most encouraging to note that the low
[ paid workers whom the Wage Hour
It Law biSically protects are participat
/ ing in the bond and stamp purchaSin.
= program with great enthusiasm. Thu
Il Division urged workers to consider .;
: plan under which they can allot Their
e overtime pay to be put into Dciens'
: Bonds and Stamps"
: How these low-paid workers rc
sponded is demonstrated by the ac
counts of individual cases which con
stantly pour into the Wage and Hou
Division. The records of this Region
y ,,,l
and Michigan, show that virtual,
y every instance of back wage restitution
the payment to workers of wage
II legally earned but unpaid until the Di
Il vision stepped in to show employer.
j. their Niolations-reSllltS in the pul
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