The Nome nugget., 1950-02-06


 ASENsIBLE LABOR POLICY
 (By George s, Benson, President Harding College) A great labor organization got down to earth the other day with some real thinking resolution for the new year An Associated Press story from Washing dated December 26 said "The American Federation of Labor today proposed that management and labor get together in 1850 to cut production costs and that a bor get wage increase its share of the result in sav ing. That's talking real turkey!
 Labor is right in suggesting that employees deserve share of what is saved when production costs duced believe that workers ought to have higher wages, when they produce more goods without in creasing costs in other ways Actually, there IS no sound way to increase wages-except greater produc- tivy Our production per day has jumped 500 per cent during the past 100 years That explains todays good wages.
 Throughout the industrial history of America, most industries have paid about all they could afford to pay in wages There have been exceptions. But in gen eral, productivity increased wages climber higher. Because of modern methods and good tools productiv ty per day has doubled during he past B years The reward for great output and efficiency has been very high level of wages -.' |'> '" ,-'' ..' ' But what's been happening lately? In the past five years wages have been pushed upward by artificial means Heavy pressure from both unions and govern men has showed them upward faster than productivity has increased Naturally these methods create dsloca tons and encourage inflaon believe we have reached the point where any further steps in that direction would bring unemployment and encourage depression Now, this A. F. of L. plea that labor join with agenent to bring down production costs for the pur pose of obtaining higher wages is real ray of hope It makes exceeding good sense For example, am told that in the housing industry the cost of laying brick could be brought way down, with the right kind of CO., operation of employees and management. Here is dition that has hurt construction progress and slowed the building of homes thruoghout the nation.
 understand that good brcklayer can lay 800 to 1,200 bricks day without much difficulty. However good many builders have told that the union will a low their brickayers put cup only $50 to 400 per day If this industry represents fair example of what could be done with full cooperation of labor and management surely there great strides be made in the years ahead toward achieving higher living standards for the people of America
 Experts tell us that Americas living standards have advanced in direct proportion to productivity per man day This simply means that increased production will bring about increases in living standards. My convic on'is that good labor-management cooperation could increase productivity per man day another 100 per cent within the next B years This would bring 100 per cent increase in living standards.
 This miracle will happen again, only if labor and management pull together If they solve industrial problems in intelligent way America will reach higher and higher levels of output Not only will this cooperation insure plenty of jobs and the goods we need It will do much to the trend owrad stat ism which threatens to reduce every Americans stand