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40
mountains of garbage were piled on
London's sidewalks. Millions
of
gallons
of partially treated sewage poured into
British rivers.
No country seems to be immune. Of
all industrial nations, only Japan could
be said to be free of costly strikes.
Why have the basic grievances
between Management and Labor re–
mained unsolved? Is there no better way
to settle labor-management disputes than
by heated arguments, strikes, and lock–
outs? What are the
eames
which have
produced such suspicion betweeo worker
and manager?
When Labor Strife Began
Strikes, of course, never occurred
when nations were made up of small
commuoities composed of family farms
and family businesses. But about 150
years ago the Industrial Revolution
began. Workers were recruited by droves
f
rom the farms to work
10
the
new city factories. Working condi–
tions became horrible and the work
both tedious and laborious. Even women
and children had to work long hours
The
PLAIN TRUTH
January
1971
Above
-
8ettmon
Archives,
Righf -
Wida World Photo
Child-labor in nineteenth century "sweatshops" (left) versus union militancy
in twentieth century (right). Mankind has not yet found the middle ground
of mutual respect, consideration and service.
m the factories. In sorne cases, both
worked up to
sixteen hours
per day in
sweltering conditions unfit for human
beings!
Periods of unemployment and high
prices made life unbearable. Many
employers just did not concern them–
selves with tbe needs of employees.
This concern would be expensive,
employers reasoned.
Crusading editors in the industrial
cities said this "industrial slavery" was
worse than the Negro slavery of the
Southern United States. Health of indi–
viduals was frec¡uently broken before
the age of fifty. There were no disability
or retirement payments.
Many workers felt their only recourse
was to organize themselves into unions
to improve their working conditions. It
became a moral issue in its day, based
on religious standards of compassion
and eguality.
But the labor-management haggling
today is not over points of morality.
Labor's Day
The "sweatshops" of the 1800's
showed the cruel fruits of manage–
ment's upper hand. The closed union
shops of the middle 1900's have demon–
strated the other ditch in the economic
road - labor in control.
It's labor's day today. They call the
tunes and management is forced to pay
the piper ( or pipefitter, as the case
may be). Wages per man-hour have
increased 80 percent since 1958 in the
United States, while
orttp¡¡t
by the same
men in the same hours has increased
less than half of that. The cost of living
increased only 35 percent, by com–
parison.
In recent years, the comparison has
been even more striking. In 1967, wage
settlements increased 5 percent; in 1968,
6 percent; in 1969, 7 percent; and in
1970,
8
pet·cent.
In 1969, output actually
stagnated while wages skyrocketed.
All these wage-increase cates have
been faster than the inllation increase,