The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-03-04
FACING
THE FACTS
With PHILIP PEARL


with us through thick and thin-have
got a new word for it-absenteeism.
And they are now busily using this
word as a whip and scourge on the
backs of the great army of American
production soldiers.
Absenteeism is a grievous fault. We
would be the last to deny it. 1t cuts
into war production, it eats up man
power, it slows down the war effort.
But are the workers who occasional
ly absent themselves from the job
entirely and alone at fault? Is the
absence altogether deliberate and vol
untary? Is it caused by shirl>ing, by
by lack of patriotism
SO the enemies of labor would have
us believe-at least by inference. They
turn the heat on labor exclusively. The
|anti-labor propagandists are trying to
sell the public the idea that war work
ers are making SO much money that
they can't resist the urge to take Il
few days off for a prolonged drunk.
They are trying to create the impress
sion that absenteeism is caused by
mass hangovers.
But what are the facts?
Here They Are?
The facts are that the largest pro-
portion of absenteeism is caused by
|preventable accidents and preventable
illnesses; by unavoidable factors, such
las bliZZards, floods and transportation
|breakdowns; by poor housing, by
fatigue resulting from excessive work
ing hours; by shortages of materials,
|by bad scheduling and planning of
work by management and by required
appearances before Selective Service
Boards and other Government agen-
IcieS
Only a tiny fraction of absenteeism
results from deliberate and irreSpOn-
sible waywardness by individual work
|erS
These facts were brought out by
studies conducted by the ma jor Fed
eral war agencies who are most deep
ly concerned with the problem of
absenteeism. The survey found that
responsibility for absenteeism is shared
by management and by local, State
and Federal Government, as well as by
labor. No attempt was made to hide
the facts or to whitewash them. The
truth was too obvious
The toll of preventabe accidents in
this country since the war began is
greater in deaths and disability than
casualties suffered by American troops
on the field of battle Such accidents
result from lack of proper safeguards
from the speed-up Of war production
and from the greed of profit hungry
employers as well as from individual
carelessness.
Illnesses i'm war factories this winter
have caused excessive absence. Ans
why? Because millions of war workers
were called upon to go to communities
where no proper provision for housing
and heating had been made. Thousands
of them are crowded i'm unsanitary
huts and novels and trailers and room
ing houses. The high cost of living has
contributed its share since adequat,
and proper diet is out of the reach o1
low-paid workers. Under these condi
tions, disease thriveS.
Remove The Causes
When people talk freely and ignor
antly of absenteeism, we'd like to con
front them with workers who come tt
the job day after day only to be tolt
by the foreman that there is no worl
for them because the materials have
mt arrived These workers, who arr
paid on an hourly basis, might indeed
grow bitter about absenteeism-thei
own enforced and unpaid absenteeism
Now, about excessive working hours
This brings to mind an article we rea,
recently in the Saturday Evening Pos
about Il midwest war manufacture
whose practice il is to lure his worker
Into putting 20 or more hours Il weel
lby offering high overtime bonuses. Thi
|employer admits his men are ready t.
drop when they quit work, but he say
they recuperate quickly when they se
their pay envelopes. What he doesn'
realize is that the human body is ;
delicate machine and will break dOwl
, from overwork regardless of high pay
This man and many other employer
like him are contributing to absentee
ism.
We could go on indefinitely witt
olhcr examples of abSenteeism that i
Involuntary on the part of the worker
and for which inefficient management
and poor Government planning are re
sponsibe. But the point is that we &c
-, nowhere by blame and accusations
=. whether these are directed againS
employers, against Government .
against labor.
That isn't the way to reduce absen
teeiSm The way to do it is to remov
its causes. And we feel that If workers
housing and diet were improved, i
3 transportation TO The job were put o
: Il more efficient basis, ii hours of wor
were kept within reasonable limits, i
! materials and tools were on hand whe
the worker reports ON the JOB,
u Amprir1'S war nroiIIctinn soldier