Evening star., 1943-03-15

mJrOQOCe q So Des"''H
called cure worse David Lawrence.
than the disease. 1t will be con-
tended, of course, that enforcement
could this time be made more eff
fective, but this is a fallacy because
the manpower situation in city
police forces has reached in some
communities already level dam
gerously low.
There is no certainty, moreover.
that excessive drinking during week
ends is the primary cause of absen-
teeism on Mondays in our war
plants. 1t is true that the excuses
given for absence often do list
headache" or Illness" but so also
has illness or some other convenient
alibi been given from time i'm
memorial by the office boy who is
absent the DAY Of the circus or
the opening ball game.
A scientific study of the reasons
for absenteeism would probably
reveal that millions of workers have
moved from their homes to cities
where war plants are located and
that the week end affords the best
opportunity for father or mother
to get home to see the family or
for the unmarried man or woman
to get back for visit with COM
panions and friends Bus lines and
trains are crowded. Night travel is
difficult and many a worker finds
it easier to start back on the three
to f1ve-hour return jaunt on Monday
than on Sunday night.
Many Other Causes.
There are. of course, other rea-
sons. Fatigue, family difficulties,
necessity for time to make pur-
chases or to straighten out house
hold affairs, desire to visit a sick
parent, problems Of gas and food
rationing-ell these could happen
and yet the answer given to the
personnel managers in plant
might be recorded as illness"
Ahsenteeism can be cut down by
better cooperation between work.
ers and management. This is easier
said than done, for today in many
instances labor union politicians
have erected such barriers between
management and employees that the
employers are practically forbidden
to talk to employees except through
bargaining agents." The latter, of
course, are not employees at all but
either paid union officials or work.
ers in other plants with no sense
of loyalty to the employer but
feeling Of partisanship for the fell
low worker.
The old-time responsibility of
workers to their jobs has been in
many cases impaired by new re-
sponsibility to labor union rulers,
The Wagner Labor Relations Law,
which has had the desirable obiec-
tive OF encouraging collective bar
gaining, is enforced In such a way
as to threaten employers who at
tempt to discipline workers for not
staying on the job. To leave such
things in the hands of committees
of union officials or plant commit
tees does not mean the application
of stern measures but a debate and
a possible grievance that can be-
come tangled up in such fashion
as to threaten graver consequences
for the employer than absenteeism
NOT long ago some workers in a
Detroit war plant walked out on a
strike because the MANAGEMENT
tried to discipline a few workers
for violating the no-smoking rule.
Employers Inundated.
Employers have been so intimi-
dated and workers have been so
encouraged to believe they are
immune from discipline that the
employer is often helpless in getting
to the bottom of abSenteeism and
exacting the necessary penalties.
Some reasons for absenteeism are
unavoidable but the major number
could be cured if the employers were
tn recover their courage in respect
to plant discipline and if the gov
ernmental agencies or Congress were
tn back up the employers when thev
olscharge employees who wilfully
absent themselves without a leeiti-
mate excuse. Then If Congress
passed a statute that anybody dis
charged in one war plant could no,
get Job in another If his record
OF aosenteeism were sdjudged by a.
governmental tribunal or board TO
be faulty the word might get around
that absenteeism could not be in
ouleed in with impunity.
No one method but various plans.
VIII cure absenteeism. Thus. for
instance, one company has had a
practice OF telegraphing to a mans
home the day he is absent. This
has cured absences when the wife
Or mother finds out that the man
IN question Is away from the Job,
because quite often the telegram
leads to some embarrassing ques-
tions when the worker, who has
been on JOY ride somewhere with