Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-18
a REPORT
The Electrical Workers 25-Hour Week

questioning attitude, developing
their critical faculties, making
them more analytical in their
judgments. =,
Nearly all the class A mem
bers have taken advantage of the
course at least once, some twice.
Each time they go, they receive
$40 to make up for lost wages.
Emphasis on education is al
most an obsession with Mr.. Van
Arsdale, whose own formal school
ing ended after second year high
school. He realized his educational
shortcomings early, set out to i'm
prove them, and now is numbered
among the city's cultural elite. He
is director of the Lincoln Center
for the Performing Arts and q
trustee Of Carnegie Hall. A stand
ing feature in his unions news
paper is titled "a city Of noble
culture" and points out places
for members to visit with their
ANAAAAAASo Ab1 AlS VII IlOuIS.
Il look forward to a new kind
OF eight-hour day." Mr.. Van Ars-
dale has said. -Four hours Of
work, four hours of formal study
in schools or colleges. Today, COM
pulsory schooling ought to go be.
yond IT,"
Random interviews with cleo
tricians on the job and in their
homes showed intense loyalty to
Local 3 almost to a man, and
esteem for Mr.. Van Arsdale Dor.
dering on the generation given a
patron saint. When he was elected
in 1860 to his eighth term as the
unions top paid official the vote
was 19,147 to 1872.
On an hourly basis, Mr.. Van
Arsdale earns far less than his
class-A members. His salary was
frozen five years ago at 5000 q
week plus SIT for using and main
tanning his own car. Normally he
puts in close to 100 hours a week,
Production Challenge
In his first speech to the mem
bership when he was elected busi-
ness manager in 1854, Mr.. Van
ArSdale issued a challenge which
has remained before them to this
day. -.
you produce more" he said,
land I'll get you more"
The response has resulted in the
paradox of the union contribut-
ing to the automation problem it
is pledged to help solve. A wire-
pulling device which does the
work OF seven men is the product
OF Local mans ingenuity; and
three years ago, after winning g
5O-cent pay raise, Mr.. Van Ars-
dale set up a seminar on eff
cheney for his members. The day
the local won its fight for a 25-
hour week, Mr.. Van Arsdale's cleo
tricians were told: "the most i'm
portant thing to remember is
that our job now is to see to it
that in every possible way produce
ton and productivity will in
crease" Significantly, Mr.. Van
Arsdale never speaks of "labor-
saving" Improvements, always
time-saving.
The economic effects of the
shorter work week remain to be
judged.
Contractors still are opposed to
the shorter week, and few are
dlSenchanted with the union
which many had openly admired.
They just went too far this
time" said one general contractor
who preferred not to be identt-
fled. This cost increase is going
to be passed all down the line -
not just in the construction BUSH
ness, but to everybody. Why didn't
Kennedy make Local hold the
line like he did the steel indus
try?" =.
Most observers, however, and
all but handful of the partici-
pants, feel any unpleasantness
between the union and manage
ment is only temporary.
Its like marriage" said key
executive of the city's biggest
contractors association. I'VE have
our spatS, but we can't hate one
another after it's over. One thing
about Harry, it's always better to
deal with bright man than with
dope" ..