Labor Productivity

Report Outline
Production to Safeguard Against Inflation
Productivity in Peace and War
Sharing the Gains of Enhanced Productivity

Production to Safeguard Against Inflation

New Trade Union Concern with Productivity

Voices have been raised in important sections of the American labor movement—between paralyzing strikes since the close of the war—with a call for increased labor productivity. Although trade union members have long opposed “the speedup,” and looked with suspicion upon all plans for “cooperation with employers,” top labor leaders now appear to recognize that, in the long run, standards of living for wage-earners can be further improved only by producing more goods at lower costs.

First substantial evidence of an acceptance by labor officials of economic doctrines long advocated by employers appeared in the January issue of Labor's Monthly Survey, an official publication of the A.F.L. The Survey urged trade unionists to “work to improve production per manhour” and commended the following program to A.F.L. unions for the year 1946:

Have an understanding with the company that workers are to share the increased income they produce and get higher wages. Work out a plan for union-management cooperation. Let your employer know that your union is a strong and responsible organization, that you want to see the business succeed, that you expect to act as a partner in developing it and to share in the returns as a partner should.