Lotteries v. Absenteeism

A plan dressed in all the gimcrackery of Hollywood was last week mushrooming across the country as an alleged solution for war-plant absenteeism. Workers were being wooed to come to work regularly--and on time--by lotteries. The hook: only workers with perfect attendance records are eligible for the prizes.

> In Consolidated-Vultee's two huge San Diego plants, $10,000 in war bonds and stamps is being tossed out each month in 146 prizes (first prize in each plant is $1,000 in war bonds and stamps); another $5,000 is handed out quarterly, alternating between the plants.

> In New England, war-bond lotteries have spread rapidly to more than 50 plants, are increasing at the rate of six or eight weekly.

But are lotteries the proper cure for absenteeism?

More Bombers. Consolidated announced its $10,000 handout last February after grudging approval of the regional War Labor Board ("Loyalty cannot be bought"). Every Consolidated worker who had not missed a day's work in the month preceding the drawing or had not been tardy (later relaxed to allow one ten-minute tardiness per week) was eligible. At the first drawing (March 15) Consolidated's president, Harry Woodhead, announced that after one month of the plan there had been a drop in absenteeism, enabling the company to push out six and a half more bombers that month.

But successive drawings brought no announcements of lessened absenteeism or production increases. Consolidated is mum on just how much improved attendance it has got for its $70,000 so far.

But it is no secret that Consolidated is still plagued by absenteeism; and recently it has soft-pedaled its lottery to concentrate on social service, to help employes work out domestic problems which keep them from their jobs.

More Results. In one Chicago plant, a lottery slashed absenteeism and tardiness two-thirds. In several others, lotteries were dropped when they produced no improvement in attendance. Another plant found no improvement, but kept the lottery anyway. Said one official: "Maybe we're chumps. While things haven't gotten any better, they could easily get worse if we dropped the lottery, now that it's accepted and expected by employes." Lotteries have substantial limitations.

They have no effect on many basic absenteeism causes--lack of anyone to care for children, sickness, bad transportation, stormy weather or simply need of rest. And chronic absentees balance the long chance of winning a prize against the sure shot of a day of loafing, and take the day. People who always worked regularly still do.

Said one Consolidated worker, as she clutched her $1,000 winnings in her hand: "I went to work to get the war over with. I wasn't thinking about the lottery when I kept up my perfect attendance record. Even if it wasn't there, I'd come to work every day."

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