The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-06-08

LIle hhlOIl IuDDtI WOIkeIS, however,
it is perhaps permissible to raise the
question of whether labor can't be
too smart for its own good, can't
push it's war, boomtime demands to
such point that it will in the long
run work to it's own disadvantage.
From the Washington angles on the
story, this is definitely the prospect
in sight.
You have to recall some of the re-
cent Akron rubber history to get
this one in correct focus.
To relieve depression unemploy-
ment distress in Akron, a share
the work" program was instituted
and at one plant-Goodrich a
maximum 1800-hour work year.
From 1884 to 1887 employment in
the industry was between $1,000 to
$4,000, all working on the basic six
hour day. 1886 and 1887 were pretty
fair years. Carrying out this idea
that labor makes its greatest adj
vances in good times, those were
the years that marked the rise of
the C. I. o. United Rubber Work.
erS' Union and the consolidation Of
the social gains made during the
depression.
EXODUS FROM AKRON
Success of the union had an I'M
usual effect on the industry. Want
ing to insure more continuous flow
of production, not wanting all their
rubber eggs in the Akron basket
where labor disturbances were up
setting the basket too often, some
of the rubber companies began a
decentralization of their industry
and move plants out of town to find
lower wages and better working con-
ditions. There had been some decen-
tralization of the industry in the
1920s, but this second exodus in
1887 left good many of the rubber
workers in a bad way. Employment
dropped to an all-time low of around
$4,000.
But the six-hour day and the five
day week, meaning the 30-hour work
week. hung on. The Goodyear strike
in 1889 was largely caused by fear
that the companies were moving to-
WdIu UllC 1O-liOuA WCCh' ~ Woo AASo
until war demands really took hold
that the industry was able to move
away from the short week.
At Goodrich, it was raised from
80 to SO hours, finally to 40 hours,
but time and half is paid for all
work over 36 hours a week, and the
average work week is still under As
hours. At other plants, the basic
week is 40 hours, overtime begin
ming after the 10th hour, with an
average 48-hour week.
Following the accepted labor dog
ma of making gains while business
is good however, Akron rubber
workers put in their demands for
further increases in basic Wag rates
But take a look at the long range
implications of these demands.
HOW AVERAGE
WAGE INCREASES
The 3-cents- an-hour wage in
crease which the War Labor Board
recently authorized brings the aver
age straight time earnings to be-
tween $1.18 and $1.23 an hour. Ac-
tually, by the setting of new rates
for new operations, the average has
been raised from $1.28 to $1.33 an
hour, though the War Labor Board
does not recognize such increases as
being a factor. Nor does the board
consider as a factor the average
take-home of from $l.55 to $1.60 an
hour, including overtime.
But even the lower figures are
from SOC to $50 an hour higher than
wages paid tire and tube workers
outside the Akron area. Faced by
that added competitive COST rubber
manufacturers arc again beginning
to think about the decentralization
of the industry which took place
after 1887 and to talk openly OF
more of the same.
Everyone would like to see the
rubber workers and everyone else
make lot of money. but the issue
mere is whether it isn't possible to
force too much of gain, spread the
wage dlfferential between Akron and
other cities too much, force more OF
these rubber factories to get out OF
town where the labor is cheaper,
and so put the rubber manufacture
ing capital of the world back into
another period of deSpond.
What the previous depression did
to Akron the inhabitants still re-
member with shudder.