Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1943-03-18

New. Assault On TIL,
Rights Of Labor
In Senator Robert M. La Fol-
lette, Jr., men and women in the
production lines find a worthy
champion to defend them against
the reactionary enemies of labor
launching new attack under the
catchword of "absenteeism."
The following forceful article
by La Toilette, against the smear
campaign, is from the March Is
issue of The Progressive:
The reactionary enemies of labo
are regrouping for a new assault OF
the rights of the men and womer
on the production front who are max.
ing the guns, tanks, ships and air.
planes needed to fight this wal
through to victorious conclusion.
"Absenteeism" is the catchword
for the new attack. Under the guise
of efforts to increase war production
these reactionary forces in Congress
and throughout the nation are out
to emasculate the rights of labor,
cripple forever the democratic pro-
cess of collective bargaining in in
dustrial relations and intimidate the
entire labor movement.
With the growing pinch in our
labor supply, it is quite natural that
attention should be focused on the
problem of reducing the amount of
time lost because of workers tenn
pory absences from his job. It may
be because of sickness, either of the
worker himself, or sickness in his
family. He may take the morning
off to fix the roof on his house, 60
down town to buy some badly needed
clothes when the stores are open, or
see about getting loan to tide the
family over an emergency. What
ever the cause, his absence from
work, even for an hour or two, is
Jumped under the term, absentee
ism" and is now subject of vital
concern to the war effort. 81.
Various estimates have been made
of the total amount of time lost to
war production through these mis-
cellaneous absences. The fact of the
matter is that no one really knows.
There have been efforts to gather
fairly comprehensive statistics in the
shipbuilding and aircraft industries,
but beyond those two industries it is
almost entirely a matter of guess
work.
Smearing Organized Labor.
Nevertheless practically everyone
who has made study of the prob
lem comedies that whatever the total
number of man hours lost, it con-
stitutes serious leakage of war
production effort. Inasmuch as our
supply of manpower is now critically
limited, it is absolutely essential that
the manpower we have in our war
industries be utilized to the fullest
extent.
The question is, how to do it, The
enemies of labor have been quick
to seize what appeared to them to
be an opportunity. They have
jumped into the limelight denounc-
ing absenteeism as though it were
the cardinal sin of every man and
woman engaged in war industry. At
least by implication they have re-
Elected upon the loyalty and devo-
ton of these millions of American
workers. They have sought to smear
the name and cause of organized
labor!
Anti-labor elements in the country
tried to gain their ends through SIM
liar campaigns launched in the name
of stopping strikes, and later, extend
ing the work week.
Strikes All But Eliminated.
In both of those attempts they
failed because the general public, as
well as their representatives in Con-
gress, knew enough about the way
American labor has come through
in this crisis to see the difference
between the genuine side of the prob
lem and the phony campaign con-
cocted by reactionary forces to sell
the country bill of goods.
To labor itself must 60 most of
the credit for the virtual elimina-
ton of strikes in war production.
The man-days lost from war pro-
duction by strikes now amounts to
only 3/1OO of one per cent Of the
total man-days worked.
The work week has been extended
as production requirements have de-
manded in each individual industry
Many war plants were working their
employees more than 48 hours per
week long before the government
48-hour week decree last month
Right now the average work week