| Show LOOKING AHEAD Il By Uy George S. S S 5 Benson on Searcy Arkansas President Harding College TilE THE EXPLOITERS S s There is a widely accepted be belief belief lief lid that American workers have been exploited by employers ers This popular conception holds that the increases in labors labor's wages and wel wd welfare rt- rt fare are only the direct result of 1 pressure on these thele em cm- p Meaning leaning pressure in the form of banding together into un unions unions ions and armed with strikes and walkouts To a degree these means have ha bettered the lot Jot of American workers i ces cps have ha forced paths of action In some cases inconsiderate em enl employers ha e worked hardships upon employees In all fields oi of endeavor there are persons and groups oblivious ious of anything save their own interests Often these few must be budged from their J positions It would be folly to say sa v that workers' workers rights never ne need protection But likewise foolish to draw a hard and fast dividing dinding line Jille representing employers as exploit exploiters ers and unions as benefactors Wage Paradox Jaradox One fact which forms the th Key klY Keystone stone of the exploitation thought trend is the huge increases in wag wages es Cs of labor during the tile past 25 years Union groups point to this as the won hard booty of a contim con tin I bus war with a greedy employer I army True wages during this period have skyrocketed to levels of in 1919 But sur sur- surprisingly sura a enough there has been no it increase in labors labor's share from the income of If industry during this per per- peri I 7 i iod d r Actually the share of labor out 1 x of the income of industry has not risen or falen Palen measurably during that time It ll has been steady re regardless ardless of the ups tips and downs ot of unions In 1909 among manufacturing manufacturing industries 9 D per cent of em employees employees were wre unionized In 1945 1949 the total was 45 per pel cent How However However ever during this period the wage earners' earners portion of the gross value of manufactured products remain remained remained ed almost stationary about 16 tier ber cent |
