The Factor of Ability in Labor Relations

There is a growing conviction expressed by many persons that the ability of an individual employee is no longer of much significance in determining his status. The policies developed through collective bargaining are attacked on the ground that there is no incentive for a man to use his initiative when he is restricted in advancement by seniority rules and practices, that seniority provisions make it difficult, if not impossible, for the young, ambitious employee to move ahead rapidly on the basis of merit or performance. From these assumptions the further, dark conclusion is drawn that productive efficiency will be impaired and society's material standards will suffer. It is surprising that our researches into the field of labor relations have progressed so far without any systematic and empirical analysis designed to test the validity of these pessimistic views. A review of the literature suggests that there has been too much preoccupation (in research endeavors) with the principle of seniority and far too little attention given to the factor of employee ability. Given our knowledge of the field at this time, to what extent can we make even informed guesses concerning the answers to the following questions: