Franklin High School - Molecule Yearbook (Franklin, VT)

Page 19 text:

THE GUARANTEED ANNUAL WAGE The Guaranteed Annual Wage is the most recent major accomplishment of Walter Reuther and the C I 0 5n the Auto Industry. First they won it from the Ford Motor Ooppany and then from General Motors . Since then they have been working on the smaller independents. First of all, what is the Grarant.eed Annual Wage ? This is a guarantee to every employee of the company, from the president to the floor sweeper, that he shall receive pay for fifty-two weeks' labor whether he works six months or twelve months, hoes this make sense? I don't think soj Why pay a man for six months labor that he doesn't even do? If the employee knows that he will be paid fifty-two weeks a year anyway, he isn't going to take as much interest in his work as if he had to do good work to avoid being laid off. Of course, a men likes to have: security and if he wants it badly enough he can got it by working for it. But who will try when the union guarantees employees fifty- two weeks' pay o yesr anyway? You might say, Well, why do you care? It doesn't affoct you, Maybe I'm not working under the Guaranteed Annual Wage, but when I go out to buy a car it affects me, because the prices are sky high on account of the G. A. W. The manufacturers have to raise the prices to pay el] of their employees fifth-two weeks a year. A Guaranteed Annuel Wage might be all right in the clothing industry or something along that line that functions steadily all year long, hut in the auto industry which is so seasonable that it doesn't need the same amount of employees all year long, especially at the time for a new model, it just doesn't make sense. Thomas Magnont Arrcto, Dorcas and Suzanne;.-.working' on,-economics .in-the offi Mr. Trainor conducting a class in an adjoining room: Suzanne: Mr. Tranor is going to come in here and give us the dickens in o minute. Dorcas: Why9 We aren't doing anything. Arreta and Suzanne: That's just i;: t Miss Gatos: It gives me gleet pleasure to give you this bonus of 10 ; ointf. Why not make it ?0 and really have fun? Jackie: