Lets Face It, Part 2 (1952)

la it's been a wonderful evening we've had a great time oh well thanks FR I think I talked to oh I wanted to know well I think anybody can understand the five cost easily enough Fred come on we've got to go home yeah I know okay what I was saying I think anybody can understand the five cost just trying to do something about them that's where it really gets well good night we got to good night honey hope you get you baby buggy oh I'll get it all right night good night night friend night it's people isn't it what is what we're talking about it's Fred and Jean and you and me and everybody we all want the same things yeah I suppose so pretty much that's where the trouble comes in you can see it when you get around you know on all different sides remember how we were talking down stairs about you being management and Union and stockholder yeah sure well hey now don't you go to sleep on me I've got an idea that's what I was afraid of say you started this company and there you are as management looking at your buggy that's to compete with a little giant and there I am talking for all of people who might want to buy a buggy like that this is it our new buggy it's a better design and has a a lot of improvements over the Little Giant it's the best buggy ever made and I want to sell it to you do you like it oh it's got everything only better it's just what I want I love it good then we're in business no it costs too much it even costs more than a little giant well if you like it that much maybe you'll buy it anyway no no I won't you said you were trying to get the price down and you haven't and if you can't well I I guess I'll just have to go someplace else and buy a cheaper one what can I do about it that's what I want to know go ahead try well it has to be one of two things either we have to spend less or produce more in other words make the cost per buggy less than it is now well how can you make more buggies without spending more well tools for one thing it could mean retooling more and better tools or a better use of tools or both that's a quick way to say it wait a minute Mike remember me I'm a stockholder where are you going to get the money for the new tools maybe borrow it that'll run up your cost you'll have to pay for the use of that money all right so I pile back some out of profits then you'll cut down my dividends every dollar you put into new tools is a dollar I don't get that's your story what about that better use of tools he mentioned making more buggies that's where I come in if you're going to improve production that way you're not going to forget about me I want more take-home pay increased benefits and security I want to know I've got some job security that's all right up to a point but don't forget those tools belong to me I want some dividend security I want aure dividends and if we're going to improve our earnings I want a hunk of those profits now look you guys wait a minute you're trying to grab a piece of pie before there is any pie I want security myself I want a steady-going business I want I guess maybe you've got something it does get down to people that's what I said I'm people I want to I'm your customer if you can get the price down so what can you do I think something could be done if we could get together I suppose as management that's part of my job but we're all in the same boat oh that's one way of getting at it how do you mean the way you feel about each other just what you expect from each other you mean as management as worker and as stockholder yes it doesn't make any difference where you start go ahead well I never thought much about it this way before why is man management I'd be responsible for the research and so on whatever it takes to design the right product whatever it takes to produce and sell it it's up to me to put all the elements together now as for what I expect from the stockholders I have to expect them to go along with whatever it takes to keep us competitive you mean like setting aside money to replace tools as they wear out and plowing back some of the profits into new and better tools sure because if we don't Mary won't buy and we'll be out of business now as far as the workers are concerned it's the same kind of thing we can set up the best production lines in the world the best tools the best methods but it takes people to make them work it's all part of being competitive maybe we'd be more competitive if management wasn't always trying to get larger profits there won't be any profit or anything else unless we produce something marry will buy we don't have anything we don't take in from our customers then we have to pay our costs the same costs we've been talking about after that when we see where we stand we can start to think about increased wages and benefits or start to think about increased dividends for stockholders or increase productive power through new and better tools these are all things we want to do they all have to come out of the profits as long as we're talking talking about what we expect from each other I'd like to say that we expect management to see that everybody gets what's coming to them now look let's get this straight I'm only trying to make a living that's all but the boys aren't going to work up a sweat just to make more money for the company I'm not talking about making more money for the company after all who is the company didn't we agree just a few minutes ago we're all in the same boat we three are the company I'm not arguing that I'm I'm just saying we're entitled to our share and we're going to get it okay okay now all I have to work with is what I take in from our customers but we've been all over that any Improvement for any of us has to come from profit yeah but you're talking about money I'd otherwise getting dividends what do you want tell me that I want to know there's something in it for me that's what I want aren't you interested in improvements sure if it's an improvement in what I get out of it you'd better be interested and I'll tell you why cuz if we're not competitive we're out of business and you've lost your investment oh now wait a minute Mike this is a free country I can always pull out and don't think I won't pull out if things start to fall apart yeah but if we are competitive then your Dividends are assured and you'll get your share which keeps getting smaller all the time now look there has to be some give and take in things like this the same thing applies to all employees including me all I said is I want a fair share I want what I'm entitled to but say we do go along what's in it for me you tell me the same thing that's always been in it for you more jobs better jobs more benefits more security but you can't continue to improve these things unless the company is healthy and growing don't forget about me I'm the customer we all know where it comes from from people like Mary I was just going to say you keep talking about yourselves what you want you forget all about me and you want to know something I think you forget about a lot of other people too what other people you remember I said it's people yeah sure well think for a minute think how many people are interested in this what do you suppose they think about it how about the grocery store who's going to pay the salaries of the police department taxes local state federal taxes who's going to pay for government I'm a toolmaker and I'll build you better tool if you'll buy them how about transportation we need school buses how about the fire department how about research the drug store the dime store Andy service station I sell automobile washing machines the neighborhood movies clothing hey wait a minute hold everything will you you where do you come in on this which mic are you talking to all of you I'm a school teacher the taxes your company pays the tax you pay in turn pay my salary but it goes beyond that your children come to me of course I'm interested guess maybe we should be more interested in him go ahead I'd like to say a word about education and not the kind you get in schools let me put it this way I think any teacher knows how often problems resolve themselves when people get all the facts and begin to understand each other I think we understand each other all right I wonder if you do I wonder if you do think enough about the problem as a whole you see this isn't the first time problems like this have come up I teach history the whole story of this country is a series of attempts by people to improve what they had it hasn't been easy but it's the greatest success story of its kind why go clear back to the Revolutionary War we didn't just fight England we fought amongst ourselves we had a lot of economic problems too there were lots of conflicting interests people haven't change so much but we've gotten this far I think because despite all our differences there was always one thing we could agree on we all wanted to improve what we had and people were willing to do something about it that's where you start oh I think we're all trying to do something about it if history's taught us anything Mike it's taught us that an improvement any Improvement to be worthwhile and Lasting it has to be good all the way around good for everybody in the company in the community in the whole country that's what I mean well thank you very much would you tell us how you feel about this there is something to say from a moral point of view perhaps you haven't thought enough about the relationship between the spiritual values and the material things well maybe not why' you've been talking I was thinking that we have the authority of the Bible to tell us that man is entitled to the fruit of his labors nothing is said about taking the fruit of another man's labors no I guess that's right I only know two ways to get the material things of life you can earn them create them for yourself or you can take them away from somebody else some of you who've come here from the old country or who have relatives there you know what I'm talking about over here here as American citizens we start with the great gift of Freedom we believe in human dignity and your importance as an individual how you use your freedoms is a personal matter nobody can tell you that but in the religious sense it seems to me there can be only one answer but after all your choice your decision is entirely up to you that is your privilege and it is also your responsibility I see what you mean and it is a responsibility all right thank you are you interested in this I'm interested in several ways I work in a bank a bank holds the mortgage on Mike's home helps him Finance his car he has a deposit in a bank when the company needs a short-term loan to meet a payroll for instance a bank will lend the money yes but tell me something something how can we produce a buggy at the price that Mario pay there's only one thing you people can do and that is to try to produce more buggies at the same total expense so each buggy can cost less that's easy to say I didn't say it was easy but that's what we've done in this country for a long time that's what it takes to survive to grow we do grow you know on the average we up our real income between 2 and 3% each year when you say real income do you mean in dollars no I mean what income we'll buy a ton of Steel a pound of butter real goods and services yeah but what can I do about that I'd like to hear the answer to that one so would I well let's face it isn't that your problem it's everybody's problem listen Mike we're all in the same boat we've got families we pay taxes we've got homes jobs we all want to have more why not like you we want to improve what we have we want the fruits of our labor we can agree that any Improvement has to be good all the way around good for everybody but can we get together maybe we should kind of step back and look at the problem as a whole can we produce more can we build up our real income it's our privilege to speak up to vote to decide for ourselves it's our own personal responsibility to face this great problem so why not let's face it yeah why not it does kind of come down to just one guy me yeah it's something to think about and talk about maybe that's the way to get at it let's ask the people out there how about you how do you feel about this yeah let's face it right now