Evening star., 1947-12-08
Telephone Employees Output

NOoEGr.
Telephone Employees Output
To the Editor of The Star:
The overall effect created by David
Lawrence's article of December is harmful
to the welfare Of many thousands Of telephone
workers - switchboard operators, craftsmen,
white collar workers, factory workers, techni-
clans, engineers, etc.
We represent 233 900 Of these workers so we
feel ourselves as having the right to object to
an implication that they are engaged in some
sort of nefarious showdown as implied
I would suggest to Mr.. Lawrence that he
arrange to walk through any telephone ex-
change in America and observe the girls
working at the switchboard. He will see there
Is no showdown there. Let him stop by man
hole sometime where a cable Splicer is work.
ing He will see no showdown there either. The
next opportunity he has, let him watch line
gang in an alley setting pole or putting up
some cable. He will see no showdown there
either. Let him arrange to 60 through one
Of the Western Electric manufacturing plants,
where we also represent the workers. He will
see the production going on and the high
degree of skill and energy displayed by the
workers, but he will see no showdown.
In Mr.. Lawrence's article he talked about
Everybody" wondering why there have been
delays in long distance calls and why tee-
phone service is not as good as 1t was in pre-
war days. Let me answer with the statistics
Of the Federal Communications Commission
regarding speed of handling long distance
phone calls by telephone operators. In 1943
1t took 4.74 minutes on an average to handle
long distance calls; in 1914 1t took 419 minutes;
in 1945 it took $50 minutes; in 1885, 3.4S
minutes and in 1947 285.
Blame Not Put on Showdown"
If there were a showdown in production
among phone workers, wouldn't it seem logical
that the phone companies themselves would
be the first to complain about it? That being
true, why not assume that there is no showdown
and assume that the telephone companies
might even be telling the truth when they say
that calls are more numerous than ever and
shortages Of materials and bottle-necks have
delayed manufacture OF much needed equip
ment?
Why was it necessary for Mr.. Lawrence to
write: Little has been said publicly about the
showdown in service and the general attitude
of many employees? think we have estab-
lished that the showdown in service does not
exist. And just what did Mr.. Lawrence mean
by ''the general attitude of many employees?
He referred to 10 per cent reduction in
output per employe Directly below the table
he quoted in the Labor Departments release
appears this statement: 1.-THE production index
Is based on the weighted aggregate number of
originating local and toll calls On page one
OF the same release the Labor Department also
says ''the indexes do not measure the specific
contribution Of labor or of capital or Of any
other factor of production" Taking these two
quotations into account, how could Mr.. Law
has slipped back to the 1889 level?
At this point let me try to explain one or
two of large number of factors which de-
termine the output per employe. First, re-
member that the index is based on the number
Of phone calls made. We have shown that the
average time for handling toll call has been
reduced tremendously since 1913. That is the
most important factor in connection with those
employees who handle calls directly. But many,
many thousands of other workers are en-
ployed in the phone, industry and there is no
fixed relationship between the number Of
them and the number Of operators.
Coinciding with the end of the war, the re-
turn Of veterans to the telephone industry
materials becoming more readily available and
relaxation of Government restrictions Of allo-
cation of materials in short supply, such as
copper and lead, the phone companies began
much needed construction expansion pro-
gram and hired many thousands Of new en-
ployes. These are the people who will make
available plant facilities for installation of the
millions Of phones, orders for which are now
being held by the companies across the
country They will make available to use,
equipment needed for even better phone serv-
ice than patrons have been receiving in the
past.
Wages and Payroll Costs.
With an expanded construction force there
would be an inevitable effect on tabulations
which are based solely on the one criterion, the
number of phone calls made.
Mr.. Lawrences reference to payroll costs
having gone up 255 per cent over 1889 is like
wise a misleading statement. 1t is even more
misleading when tied to the statement about
output per employe, which Immediately pre-
cedes it. Certainly the companies payroll has
gone up, but only small part of that is. rep
resented by basic increases in wages. far
greater part of 1t is simply because thousands
and Thousands of new employees have been
added to the payroll.
Mr.. Lawrence says there is mo doubt that
effort of the work force and the state of labor
relations have contributed to the decline in
output per employe. What does he use as a
basis and as authority for such statement?
The Labor Department study does not say