Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-01-24
What's
New?
By
EdVard Duck

AS long as people are In
business and as long as other
people work for them there
will probably be the question
of how much compensation
the workers should receive,
how much and what kind of
security they are entitled to,
and what is considered a fair
profit.
The industrial workers of
America have come a long
way since they began their
march toward security back in
1888, but by no stretch of the
magination have we sp'
preached our goal.
There have been rumblings
and occasional utterances by
the more intelligent and pro-
gressive of our leaders In the
years between, but until re-
Gently ideas like the guaran-
teed annual living wage, the
profit-sharing plan, the three
week vacation per year, the
paid holidays program, and
OF her advancements were
nothing more than ideas.
The vast majority of the
rank and file union member
ship would have regarded
these thoughts as just so many
radical ideas had they been
promoted back in 1889 or
1897 when we were struggling
with most of the nations in
dustrial employers for the
simple right of recognition
and for decent settlement of
just grievances.
IMPEDIMENT
The war halted quite a few
of our plans, including the 30
hour week at 40 hours pay.
The wage increases since vi
Day will provide an argument
against us for some time to
come, although we are GER
tainly not receiving 40 hours
pay at the present time.
Our people are becoming
educated in more ways than
one. The housewife, who
never understood the union
before the war has learned an
economics lesson the hard
way. When she puts out a
five-dollar bill for less than
an armful of groceries she
doesn't need a lecture to know
that something is very wrong
in the wage-price setup.
However, and this is very
important, a lot of people are
making tragic error in
thinking that the wage-price
relationship is the alpha and
the omega of the wage ques-
ton. Union leaders who for
selfish political reasons refuse
to recognize that not only
wages and prices are TO be
considered, but that the ques-
tlOn of prOfits-meanlng abll.
ity TO pay--must he n factor
In wage negotiations are let
ting their iealously and ambl.
tlOn go too far.
This is not to say that any
group of workers are obligated
to keep their employer in busi-
ness by working for less than
a living wage. 1t does mean
that we may reasonably ex-
pect fair share of the profits,
however, when a corporation
does well.
UNITY
In our area, our top leader
ship has insisted from the very
beginning that If the workers
would unite, instead of bicker-
ing we would see the day
when we would receive a de-
cent share Of our corporations
profits and gain advancements
the workers never dreamed of
a short time back.
Before the worker is eager
TO demand what is coming TO
him he must first know what
he is entitled to demand. Ger
tainly his education in the
public schools did not prepare
him for it, nor did the daily
press, or the the films, or the
newscasters. 1t has been up TO
union to do the job, and
although the merit OF the job
done may be questionable,
there Is no doubt but what
something has been accomp.
liShed.
The task of educating the
rank and file on union affairs
and on economics and political
truth is a huge one. 1t cannot
be done by halfway mea-
sures. II can only be successful
II competent people devote
many hours to the job, and
receive the whole hearted in
cooperative with the leader.
ship In the plants.
There are many plans to be
propagated, ii cluding the
union health and benefit fund,
the union insurance program,
and the all-important promo-