Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, SEPT. 5, 1949 AMERICAN LABOUR DAY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 34, 5 September 1949, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, SEPT. 5, 1949

AMERICAN LABOUR DAY

Today, the first Monday in September, is American Labor Day (pardon, Labor Day). It had its origin in 1882, when a delegate to the Central Labor Union of New York City suggested a United States holiday dedicated to ‘‘the industrial spirit, the great vital force of every nation.” That day now has special significance for organised labour as a time for taking an inventory of past gains and for setting future goals.

There is in the United States today .a growing body of laws, federal and state, for the protection of labor’s economic welfare.

Under these law.-v the American wage earner is guaranteed the basic right to band together with his fellow workers for the improvement of his and their working conditions, to bargain with his emplover on more equal terms as a member of a powerful group rather than as an individual. His employer is prohibited from discriminating against him in any way because of his union membership.

Most workers are assured of a minimum wage rate and a basic week of 40 hours. The employer may pay more but not less than the minimum wage rate, and he is required to pay 50 per cent, in excess of the regular hourly wage rate for hours worked beyond the basic work week.

About 35-'million workers are insured against total loss of income through unemployment due to lack of available work or due to injuries suffered on their job. When they reach the age of 65 these workers become eligible for old age benefits, which, after workers’ deaths, are payable to their families. Today, nearly 16 million American wage earners —more than one out of every four workers—are members of some 60,000 .local unions that function throughout the country, and they are parties to more than 100,000 labour managements pertaining to wages, hours and working conditions. The legal- recognition accorded unions under the law has had a profound effect on the growth of the American Labour movement. In less than a decade and a half, union membership has multiplied almost five fold, without compulsion, and with this growth has come increased economic and political power. Today the 18,000,000 union members and their families represent a major segment of the American population and exercise a vast influence on the life and thinking of their communities.

The proposal to guarantee workers a yearly wage has been frequently advanced in recent years by labor leaders as an approach to industrial peace. For

the employee it would mean greater security and the ability to plan ahead for his family without fear of loss of income due to unexpected work layoffs. For,, the employer it would hold out the prospect of reduced turnover and higher productivity through improved labor relations.