Fundamentally, the basis of all modern progress is the efficiency of labor. And the only sure road to restored prosperity is through the thrift and hard work of our people as a whole.
There is nothing a worker resents more than to see some man taking his job. A factory can be closed down, its chimneys smokeless, waiting for the worker to come back to his job, and all will be peaceful. But the moment workers are imported, and the striker sees his own place usurped, there is bound to be trouble.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Workers deeply value their jobs and can feel threatened if their positions are taken by others.
This quote highlights the emotional turmoil that workers experience when they perceive their jobs are being threatened or taken away from them. It illustrates the importance of job security and the feelings of resentment and unrest that can arise when new workers are brought in, particularly during strikes or labor disputes. The message underscores the significance of respect and value for the labor force, emphasizing that a peaceful workplace can quickly become volatile when workers feel their roles and contributions are disregarded.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a labor rights seminar, this quote can emphasize the importance of job security among workers.
More from Charles M. Schwab
All quotes βTo my mind, the best investment a young man starting out in business can possibly make is to give all his time, all his energies, to work - just plain, hard work.
We hear much of Bolshevism, much of labor unrest; at times, we hear the word 'revolution.' But these are but contagious diseases in the body of civilization, and I believe that the antitoxins of good cheer, mutual confidence, fairness and justice will ultimately cure these ills and make the world healthy and strong again.
Lead the life that will make you kindly and friendly to everyone about you, and you will be surprised what a happy life you will lead.
A man to carry on a successful business must have imagination. He must see things as in a vision, a dream of the whole thing.
When a man has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what he can do.
Similar quotes
The union miner cannot agree to the acceptance of a wage principle which will permit his annual earnings and his living standards to be determined by the hungriest unfortunates whom the non-union operators can employ.
The important role of union organizations must be admitted: their object is the representation of the various categories of workers, their lawful collaboration in the economic advance of society, and the development of the sense of their responsibility for the realization of the common good.
Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection from forced labor, and freedom from harassment and discrimination - these must become standard global operating conditions.
Speaking of myself, I was made to realize long ago that the old trade union was utterly incompetent to deal successfully with the exploiting corporations in this struggle. I was made to see that in craft unionism the capitalist class have it within their power to keep the workers divided, to use one part of them to conquer and crush another part of them. Indeed, I was made to see that the old form of unionism separates the workers and keeps them helpless at the mercy of their masters.
Why should the railroad employees be parceled out among a score of different organizations? They are all employed in the same service. Their interests are mutual. They ought to be able to act together as one. But they divide according to craft and calling, and if you were to propose today to unite them that they might actually do something to advance their collective and individual interests as workers, you would be opposed by every grand officer of these organizations.
Workers do not strike every day, they cannot do that the way they function in the capitalist economy. The way they have to live by selling their labor power makes that impossible.