The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1942-11-28
. The Facts In
Our News
LABOR AT THE
CROSS ROADS
BY HORACE A. WHITE

CROSS ROADS }
The Republican victory in the
recent election has brought labor
to a crisis in this war period Once
the reactionaries saw the election
returns. they Immediately started
to hit" at labor Bills were thrown
| into the hopper to the effect that
the 4 hour week should be elm
mated. There were those who felt
also that the National Labor Re-
lations Board should be abolished.
! The first point is worthwhile con-
sidering a little more intensively
Claims are that England has re-
moved its limitations to the num-
Der of hours a person may work
during the week. They argue that
the average work week in England
is 81 hours. and it is further stated
that the average working hours in
the United States is 40 hours in a
war plant. The op onents of the
40 hour week in America say that
because OF England's long expert
ence in the war, England sets the
pattern for the work week in Amer
ice during war TIM Such people, |
however, fail to stick to the facts, |
and OF course, have no desire to |
stick to the facts 1t must be point
ed out that Their, is no penalty put |
on war overtime work in England |
Our present industrial set-up in re-
lationship to government contracts |
puts penalty on our overtime pay.
In addition to that, manufacturers
and management are reluctant 10
extend overtime opportunities to
workers because it is time and a
half. In England. there is no re-
SECTION against overtime pay, for
the government and the manufac-
turers can put it in as legitimate
cost and in fact, en- encouraged cost
in the manufacture of arms.
What the reactionaries in this
country want, OF course. is not what
Is happening in England. They
should like for the work week to
be extended so that the workers can
work longer hours for regular payh
Therefore, since thousands of work
err: want time and a half on all over
their 40 hours, the manufacturer
does not encourage overtime work
II also should t. pointed out that
Engknd's average working time
was 81 hours week. England had
not tried this very long before it
discovered that tl-v really were
not putting out more work for hav-
/. men work such long hours. In
fact, there is point Of diminish
ing returns, in the WORK week. When
workers become tired there is more
waste, there "a more accidents,
there is much more idleness when
the work week too long. So the
English manufacturers asked in the
majority OF cases, that the work
week be cut to an average Of 81
hours.
II seems to US then that labor
has got to begin to get the facts out
to the people that a longer work
week will not produce more arms
and what the manufacturers want
when they talk about longer work
week is a chance to get a greater
production at a lower cost. The
governments penalty on overtime is
an effort to prevent manufacturers
from taking advantage OF the war
emergency to run up the cost and
to change labor standards drasti-
cally-as the manufacturers would
surely do. There, is no question,
however, but that a realistic solu-
ton could be worked out, namely.
overtime could he encouraged with =,
time and a half pay for all over
time. The government could stand
by its 40 hour week program and
insist that manufacturers pay time
and half for overtime on govern
ment contracts. There must be an
adequate Interpretation OF England's
experience in this whole matter.
Labor will have to take the respon-
sibility to see that a clear interpre-
tation is made on the basis OF the
bills now in Congress. The expan-
sion Of the work week will hinder
our production in war time.
The time must never come when