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PERSONAL FROM
What IsWrong
with Organized
Labor
T.
UN ION
worker, as well as
the capitalist, the executive and a ll of us,
stands today on the very brink of human
extinction!
Right now we're a11 in the same boat, facing the
number one problem of human survival!
There has to be a CAUSE for every effect. What
brought civilization to the chaotic state where for the
first time it's possible for man to erase humanity from
the earth?
We've covered in recent Personals the major facets
of man's civilization. We've covered the contributions
of government, of science and technology, of business
and industry. And now, organized labor.
What has been organized labor's part in the
development of today's civilization?
Surely, when we look at the progress made during
the 20th century, labor 's achievements have been
incredibly good?
Modern organized labor has produced the highest
living standard for t he common man- for the nat ion as
a whole- ever enjoyed in any country since man has
inhabited this earth. It has shortened work hours,
increased pay, brought fabulous benefits compared to
labor conditions as they existed previously- and still
exist in many non-Western countries. One of the great
contributions has been child labor laws.
But conversely, unrealized by most, organ ized labor
has contr ibuted its share to t he chaotic state of the
world.
Aprll 1985
One might not think, until looking more deeply,
that organized labor has contributed its share to the
problems of unemployment, inAation and the inroads
foreign competition has made in thesc areas.
Early in the 20th century, American industry got
the jump on that of most othcr nations, with mass
machine assembly- line production, made possible by
the American mass market. This greatly lowered
production cost, and as grcatly expanded profits.
Industrial ownership in the United States would have
followed the British custom, in thc human-nature pull
to "GET" rather than sharc or "GIVE." In Britain the
rich lived in the "great houses'' while employing
low-cost labor.
But the labor unions went all out to "GET" all
possible from the enormous new mass-production
system. A new "GET" economic phi losophy infiltrated
labor unionism. No longcr was a single company a
"team" where all worked together against rival
competition.
E
ven that had been based on the "e ET"
incentive. But now capital and management became
the enemy of labor.
Jt
may have been true that a union man often was a
more proficient worker than a nonunion. But that was
because unions enlisted the more skilled, not because
unionism encou raged or taught them to climb the
ladder of success. T oo often a un ion leader said toan
employee, "Slow down, there, buddy-or we'll all
have to work as conscientiously as you are!"
Yet where is organized labor different from those in
other facets of a bankrupt and annihilation- facing
civilization? Are not capital and management in it ,
also, for what they can "GET"?
The world forgets-or did it ever know?- that
peace, happiness, contentment, joy, are spiritual
qualities! T here is a basic spiritual LA
w
in relentless
motion t hat governs all life! lt governs not only t hese
spiritual condi t ions of well-bei ng, but universal
economic prosperity as well ! T hat basic LA
w
is,
simply, Outflowing LOVE! [ Si mplify it by the term
"GIVE" and its transgression t he way of "GET."
"GET" seems to have
got
us all! T he "GET"
incentive is the root CAUSE of all the world 's troubles
and evils! T he way of "GIVE," cooperate, serve, help,
share, is the basic spiritual LA
w
of our Maker! T he
wor ld has been trying to beat that law-and is being
beaten by it! o