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Show NATIONAL LEADERS AND THE HEADQUARTERS OF j AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR AT WASHINGTON ri 4' t t , ' st Amsncsn cfer&ion &jidtf tW- fratnJf I. Sfanrjan Sflltf LIBOR LEADERS IN FRONT RANK OF 'EXECUTIVES In General Ability and the Power for Organization, They Are Recognized as Having Few Superiors in the World of Business. Eighteen thousand dollars a year for a labor leader and a contract for life shows that some unions are paying pay-ing as big salaries to their executives as do the large business interests. Salaries of from $5,000 to $10,000 are by no means infrequent, writes John W. Harrington in the New York Sun. The head of the Dockbuilders' union, for instance, whose compensation is $1,500 a month, is the highest paid labor representative in New York city and probably In the country. At least no leader of the working classes has come forth so far to admit that he is getting more, and a search of the archives of the unions fails to reveal anything like so huge an honorarium. Although this appears to be the top notch in the way of salaries the dock-builders dock-builders In the district from Philadelphia Philadel-phia to Boston, including those of New York city and neighborhood, believe that they are getting the worth of their money, and insisted on his having that amount, although like Caesar, he several times declined the honor. Headquarters Uplifted. Once a labor headquarters was a dark and dingy place, reeking of stale pipes and of staler beer fumes. Its floors were caked with grime and its walls were dirty and dingy. Now the chief officer of the dockbuilders has a bright and airy office and does business busi-ness in an atmosphere of good desks, file cases and high power business efficiency. ef-ficiency. Clerks, stenographers and cashiers are under his eye, and everywhere every-where are all the devices which make for attending to large affairs. If one ware suddenly, translated to his presence pres-ence one would think that he was talking to the manager of one of the I large corporations or a bank president. I He works from 10 to 18 hours a day and says be often works 20. Any one seeing him cheerfully violatit-g the ! eight-hour law nwiy well realize that ! he is worth a good deal of money to : any interest to which he might devote i himself, for he transacts business like ! lightning. Nominally, he is the representative of the Dockbuilders' union, which is i connected with the Brotlierhaod of Carpenters and Joiners, a part of the I American Federation of Labor, and from that organization he draws his I large salary, voted to him unanimously j over his veto. Those who compose i this well-established union ivere getting get-ting $o.20 a day before the war, i. e. in 1013, and now they have '7.50, which is a gain of slightly more than 100 per cent. They are giving, therefore, less than one day's work a year to the salary of their representative. In return for tins he keeps things rjnning smoothly, and sees that work Is as regular and steady as possible and gets what they consider fair wages for them without their having to lose heavily by strikes in getting it. He is as willing to order a strike as a;iy labor leader, hut he regards it u a last resort. Neither X does he believe In stopping work for days and weeks on important jobs while some detail of jurisdiction is being considered. His salary is more than that of Samuel Sam-uel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor, whose stipend is now $10,000 a year. It was for a long period $7,500, 'and before that it had been advanced from $5,000 shortly before the European war. The veteran leader accepted this amount under protest, saying that it was more than he needed to live on, and that the fact It had been raised to so large an amount might be used against organized or-ganized labor. So far nobody has used It very much, for the consensus is that, considering con-sidering the duties, Mr. Gompers earns that much and probably a great deal more. For practically forty consecutive consecu-tive times this veteran leader has been chosen for higli post in the organization organiza-tion agaiust all comers. Now nearing the age of three score and ten he is still considered at the height of his powers as an executive. Gompers' Long Hours. Judged on the basis of the number of hours he works a day Mr. Gompers is the equivalent of several men. He carries a heavy burden at the offices of the federation, which, by the way, owns its building and has on elaborate organization to maintain. As the grand supervisor of the federation he directs its policies and also makes frequent journeys throughout the country. As a speaker on public occasions he is heard often in cities far from Washington.- He is also the editor of the American Federationist, the official organ of the federation, as well as a frequent contributor to magazines. The salary of the organizer of the American Federation of Labor, - who makes bis headquarters in New York city, Is understood to be $4,500 a year and traveling expenses. Warren E. Stone, the head of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, one of the top men on the salary list of American labor, gets $10,000 a year. He is considered one of the ablest of the diplomats of the kingdom of toil and his duties take him to all parts of the country and require close application. applica-tion. The head of the Longshoremen's union is credited with a salary of $7,500 a year. There have been rumors ru-mors that he received a good deal more, but this figure is generally ac- X I cepted in labor circles as the actual amount. As organizer of the dock workers he has done much Important work for his organization and is regarded re-garded as one of the most aggressive of leaders. The head of the International Typographical Typo-graphical union gets a salary of $5,000 a year and traveling expenses. Until a comparatively short time ago his services were requited with only $3,000 a year. Many of the printers thought he was worth considerably more, but it was not until recently that the Increase In-crease was given. He has many activities activ-ities which keep him constantly on the wing. From his headquarters In Indianapolis he makes frequent trips where his services are required in the settlement of strikes or in the making of them. The labor leaders of the new or.ler, who occupy responsible positions, are getting from $4,500 to $10,000 a yeai and have to devote their entire tlnre to their tasks, although the indications indica-tions are that before long there will be more labor leaders who will command com-mand pay as high as that of the head of the dockbuilders' union. Judging the matter of compensation for labor leaders from the point of view of Mr. George E. Holmes, th general manager of the Industrial relations re-lations service, an expert on organization, organiza-tion, their positions are about the equivalent of that of plant employment employ-ment manager and would command on the side of capital from 4,000 to $10,000 a year. "A plant manager who was held responsible re-sponsible for the production made by 3,000 men," continued Mr; Holmes, "would be worth from $15,000 to $25,. 000 a year, according to the result which he obtained. It Is difficult to make exact comparisons, as the labor leader Is not held to such strict accountability ac-countability as is the plant superintendent. superin-tendent. There is no reason why however, the labor leaders who work along constructive lines and have high Ideals should not have every dollar which those who retain them are abl8 to pay. "If it can be shown that an $18,000 man builds up rather than tears down, that he seeks to promote good rela. Hons between employer and employees and that he has large vision and looks to the future, he should certainly be compensated for the value of his services. Worth $100,000. "I should say that, considering the general abilities and the power for organization which Samuel Gompers has, that he would be worth $100,000 a year to large interests which could afford to pay him all that he Is worth. He is worth that to the American laboring la-boring man, for he has the qualities of a statesman and has a wide knowledge of men and affairs. His work has been educational and he has built for the future. "His services cannot be valued merely in terms of dollars and cents, and, for that matter, neither can the work of any man. The principle 19 the vital factor to consider in valuing men. If a labor leader stands for Americanism and seeks to advance the interests of all whom he represents, not merely by getting them mors money, but by making them more useful citizens, he is certainly worth a huge salary and s'ould get it." Tlie authorities who have looked into the question nf wages In recent months have based tlislr estimates of what should be paid oj tlie basis of production, and by the same token they are beginning to estimate the labor leader and hia senices on hhl co'istruct.-. e ability. |
