THE NATIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 
ment relations with each other, is an essential part of the individual 
right of contract possessed by each of the parties. 
All men possess the equal right to associate voluntarily for the 
accomplishment of lawful purposes by lawful means. The associa- 
tion of men, whether of employers, employees or others, for collec- 
tive action or dealing, confers no authority over, and must not deny 
any right of, those who do not desire to act or deal with them. 
The public welfare, the protection of the individual, and sound 
employment relations require that associations or combinations of 
employers or employees, or both, must equally be subject to the 
authority of the State and legally responsible to others for their 
conduct and that of their agents. 
To develop, with due regard for the health, safety and well-being 
of the individual, the required output of industry is the common 
social obligation of all engaged therein. The restriction of produc- 
tive effort or of output by either employer or employee for the 
purpose of creating an artificial scarcity of the product or of labor 
is an injury to society. 
The wage of labor must come out of the product of industry and 
must be earned and measured by its contribution thereto. In order 
that the worker, in his own and the general interest, may develop 
his full productive capacity, and may thereby earn at least a wage 
sufficient to sustain him upon a proper standard of living, it is the 
duty of management to cooperate with him to secure continuous 
employment suited to his abilities, to furnish incentive and oppor- 
tunity for improvement, to provide proper safeguards for his health 
and safety and to encourage him in all practicable and reasonable 
ways to increase the value of his productive effect. 
The number of hours in the work day or week in which the 
maximum output, consistent with the health and well-being of the 
individual, can be maintained in a given industry should be ascer- 
tained by careful study and never should be exceeded except in case 
of emergency, and one day of rest in seven, or its equivalent, should 
be provided. The reduction in working hours below such economic 
limit, in order to secure greater leisure for the individual, should be 
made only with full understanding and acceptance of the fact that 
it involves a commensurate loss in the earning power of the workers. 
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