Basic HTML Version
AVoice Cries Out:
What'sWrong
with
Organized Labor?
0 CX) O'I .-l
0
QJ
Cl
Has it, after all, contributed to a
permanently better world, or-?
T
HE UNION
worker, as
well as the capitalist,
executive and all of us,
stands todav on the verv
brink of hu�an extinctior{'
Right now we're all in the
,ame boat, facing the :,,./o. l
problem of human survival'
There has to be a CAI ,E for
every ef f ect. What brought civili-
7ation to the chaotic state where
for the tirst time it's possible fur
man to erase mankind from the
earth ')
We're looking. in this series, at six
major facets of man ' s civdizatinn. We
covered modern education tirst, ht>cause
the leaders are what education made
them, and civilization is the product of
the leaders. We've covered the contribu
tions of �overnment, of science and tech
nolog�. of business and industry And
now, organized labor
What has been 11rganized lahor·!'\ part
in the development of tndav·s nviliza
{ inn·
1
�urely. when we look :it the progress
made durin� the 20th century, labor· s
achLevements have heen incredihly
gond'l ;\,to<lern organized labm has produced
the highest livin� standard for the com
mon man--for the na1ion as a " ' hl,le
e\.'er enjoyed in anv countrv since mJn
has inhabited 1his- earth. ti has �hort
ened work hours, increased pay, brought
fabulous benefits compared to labor
cunditinns as 1hey existed previously
and still exist in most countries. One 1,I
the great contributions has been ('hdd
lab<
1
r laws
Hut converseh.', unrealized hy most,
labur has contnhu1ed its share to thi:'
chaotic stcite of the Cfluntn' and of the
world One might not think, until lookin�
more deeply. that organized labor has
contributed its �hare to the present
problems of unemployment, inrtation,
the inrocids lorrign Crltnpt'lition ha.;,
made in 1he,;e area-. anrl no,.., •wt11ng
ln. I he lrn.1,'ering \jl i he American high
living �tandard
Earl\. m rhe 2l)!h centurv Ameri\an
lndw,trv got the jump nn that nf 1,1her
na1i11ns. with ma-;-; machinP a,;semhh.··
lint' product ii,n. made po:--sihlt> hv the
American ma,-; marker fhis _l!reatly
lnwererl. µri1durt1un cost, and as great!\:
expanded pwt1ts. Industrial ownership
hne wuuld hcl
\'t' fc,llnwed the English
cw,tom. in the human-nature pull to
"1;r. - r" rather than ..,hare or ··c, I\E' In
Britain the rich li\.ed in 1he · ·great
house�·· rnaintainin� low-ni!'it labor
Hut the lah1>r union" \.\ient all out l!l
· ·1 ,FT. . all pos-.ihle from lhe enormous
nt'W mass prl1ductt1,n ..,.,..,rem
Labor w;_
ir,; ensut'd Historicallv were
the · ·Herrin massacre·· coal slrike. Herrin.
Ill, Lil which .jt) were kllled..June, 1�2:2: the
Los Angeles T•mes bombing, and other
labor,..._arsofextreme \. iolence
A new ··en·· economic philosophy inti I
trated labor unionism. �o lonf!er was a
single company a ··ream , . .., ,
, here all worked
together against rival competition Even
that had heen based nn the "c;Er·· incen
tive. But nnw capital and management
became the enemy oflabor
It ma1, have heen true that a union
man often was a m11reprntie1ent wnrker
than a nonunion. Hut that was because
uni()nS enlisted the more skilled, nt>t
because unionism encnurnized or taught
tht>m to dimb ! he ladder of . . ;llrct-ss_ Ton
1-tren a uniun leader ,;aid tn an em
pl11yee. 'Slo,.., rluwn. iherr. huddv -or
1,1,e'll all h;t\P f!• w11rk a.;, ('(jfl�nen!H•usl
)
a:-- vou art····
l remember the philn.;,cipher-writer
Elbert Hubbard. whnm I well knew ,
Yr.riting. · ·1 · nionism ch,1in-; the- lahorrr ll>
h1:-. hent·h. · ,ind the the11n, "nnce
a lahorer. alwa\'s a lahorer. ·· wlth no
policy in uninnism to in�pire and help
the workingman to rise Ill higher -.1atus
in life Yet .,..here i:-. i,rganized l.1hor dltferent
than those in 11rher t '
anr.. 1jt ' d bankrupt
and annihilatinn.facing et\.ilizatlon'
1
Are not c.1p1tal and management in 1l,
al-.,o, for what rhey ran ··cFT." 1
fhe wMld fnrgets�ljr did ii ever
knnw
q
-- that pea<·e. happiness, content
mt>nt, ju:,. . .ire spiritual qualitie:-.
1
There
is a ba.-;ir ,
.;.piritual I. rt.\\ in relentless
mntion that �11\erm ,
all life' It �overrn;
not unlv the-;e -..piritual cnnditwns of
1,.1,ell hf'ing, but universal economic pros
pnily ch wpJ\' That hasic
I.""'"
is, .;,imply.
HUttlo,....·ing 1,ou:
1
I :--implir_.. ii hv the
term "{,1\ 1-:·· and its 1ransgrf'ssion the
" ' ay of "(;Er"
'(;n" .;,eems fl) have �ot us all
1
The
"1;1-:T·· lncentiH• ts the r<1ot l'Al'�f. of all
the wnrid ' s tmuhies and enls�
The way of ··c;ng."' roo�rate, serve.
help. share. is the basle spiritual LAW of our
\taker' The world has been tryintt: to beat
that law �and lsbeing beatenby it'
fhe ._..:upremely p•>Wt-rful invisible
"Strong: Hand from Someplace" ven
,;non is going- to intervf'ne d�namically
lll .;.a..e hurnanitv from Ltself--befure
M"� blasts mankind frnm the earth'
This \'nice i:-. cr\·ing out wi1h that
,rnnouncement- the world's on(v and
:->t RF. HOPF.�
Whether helieHd ur not, it is as Sl'RE
as the rising and setting of tumorrow·s
,un�
HERBERT \.\l AR\tSTRONC.
Pastor (;eneral
Worldwide Church nf God
Those who rnre for it may ha.. - e. j(ratis, 14'tlh nu folluw-up. \.1r. ArmstronJit's
hooklet The St ' L't'll Lau s ,4 Sut"Cf.�,; The nation ' s h>p executi\.es have
fo\10111, ·ed the tiri,t six. Also, on request, no -.ubscriptinn price, the full-color
mass circulation ma!{azlne of L ' ND£RSH.Nll
1N(;, The Plain Truth. bringing
you the meaning behind world news. Address Herbert W. Arm�trong,
Pasadena. Calif.. 9112:l, or call toll free Hi()(.)1 423-4444. ln fahfornia call
collect (213) 577-5225.
Page 11