CHEMISTS, UNIONS & PROFESSIONALISM

CHEMISTS. UNIONS

"The primary task of the

professional employee is to enhance

the welfare of his employer . . . .

The professional employee

contributes to the improvement

of his employer's welfare

by working to increase his

employer's future potential."

78 C & E N M A Y 1, 196 1

EEHB1 feature

Most chemists think their status as

chemists will suffer if they join unions;

others have found union membership

desirable to meet specific needs. Here are

the differences between professional and

nonprofessional employees and what

these differences mean in terms of

union membership

DR. JAY A. YOUNG, King's College, WiiKes-Barre, Pa.

For the past several months the interests of chemists in their professional status, or lack of professional status, have been discussed in the pages of this magazine. If I may summarize the sometimes widely divergent views on this subject, it seems that most members of the American Chemical Society hold the opinion that chemists do practice the profession of chemistry.

However, this more or less unanimous conclusion is based upon divergent premises. Further, it is evident that most chemists think that it would be inimical to their status as chemists (or at least not very beneficial) were they to join a union. On the other hand, some chemists have found that

membership in a union is desirable to obtain proper remuneration or to alter favorably other conditions of their employment. In this article I propose to examine the claim of chemists to professional status and to comment upon the propriety of union membership for chemists.

In the interest of brevity, since most chemists are employees, no detailed discussion of the status of independent professionals, commonly represented by lawyers, physicians, and others, will be considered here. A recent, reasonably widely accepted definition of a professional employee is given in the Taft-Hartley Act. In this act, a professional employee is described in one of two ways:

• l ie is one who is "engaged in work (i) predominantly intellectual and varied in character as opposed to routine mental, mechanical, or physical work; (it) involving the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment in its performance; (Hi) of such a character that the output produced or the result accomplished cannot be standardized in relation to a given period of time; (iv) requiring knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction and study in an institution of higher learning or a hospital, as distinguished from a general academic education or from an apprenticeship or from training in the performance of routine mental, manual, or physical processes." Or:

• He is one who has received the

PROFESSIONALISM

"The primary task of the non

professional employee is to perform

actions already determined by the

employer to he those that will enhance

the employer s welfare The

nonprofessional employee contributes

to the maintenance of his

employer s current existence."

MAY 1, 1961 C&EN 79

specialized intellectual training described above and who, under the supervision of a professional employee, is performing work directly related to that performed by a professional employee to qualify himself to become a professional employee as defined above.

Implicit in this definition are several attributes of a professional, the characteristics by which he is traditionally recognized by others to be a professional. Of these, the most important are:

• A strong sense of individual responsibility, a tendency to answer first to himself for his professional actions and secondly to an employer (or client) .

• A flexibility of approach to a problem, using established rules, techniques, and procedures as guides, rather than as specific, rigid routes to the desired answer.

• A tendency to assume that he has tacit authority to make decisions or perform acts which he deems necessary for the immediate or remote welfare of an employer, without the concurrence of his employer, at least within broad limits.

• An ability to recognize his own need for further knowledge and the necessary ambition to acquire such knowledge.

• An adherence to the tenets of integrity established by his professional predecessors.

In addition to this characteristic of responsible independence, a professional is motivated by a desire to serve as well as to further his own proper self-interests. For good reason, he may not serve all who ask, but the quality of the service given is not related to his personal regard for those to whom the service is given.

Finally, the financial return received by a professional is not the sole measure by which the professional himself determines his degree of success, and even in the popular view his success is not estimated solely by this criterion.

Differences in Employees— Are They Great or Minor?

If there are no differences between a professional employee and a nonprofessional employee, there can be no reason to suggest that a professional employee should not join a labor union. If the differences that exist are

"A strong indi

vidual initiative

is a necessary

quality in

a professional

employee . . ."

minor, there can be no objection to union membership.

Differences do exist, of course, and can be indicated by parallel comparisons. The primary task of the professional employee is to enhance the welfare of his employer. Ordinarily, he accomplishes this by deciding on his own initiative (limited to a degree, perhaps) what actions will be necessary to attain this objective. Additionally, conclusions derived from the results of his actions often indicate the desirability of further actions and require that the professional employee convince his employer of the prudence of such newly indicated actions. The primary task of the nonprofessional employee is to perform actions already determined by the employer to be those that will enhance the employer's welfare.

The professional employee contributes to the improvement of his employer's welfare by working to increase his employer's future potential. The nonprofessional employee contributes to the maintenance of his employer's current existence.

The professional employee is guided by the duties of his function. The nonprofessional employee is guided by the rules of organization promulgated by his employer.

The professional employee tends to see his task as a whole, in its relation to a complete, integrated long range goal. The nonprofessional employee's tasks are simplified, and it is not necessary that the employee understand his part in the whole, desirable though this may be.

The status of the professional employee is earned by the excellence (or lack of it) of the work done. The status of the nonprofessional employee is ascribed to him by the nature of his assigned task and its relation to the tasks assigned to his co-workers.

The professional employee is,

ideally, technically and intellectually competent. The nonprofessional employee need only be manually or mentally skillful.

Leadership among professional employees is achieved by virtue of acknowledged expertness in the field. Leadership among nonprofessional employees is achieved on the basis of personal qualities, unrelated to the skills used in their daily work.

Professionals Seek Better Ways; Nonprofessionals Use Standard Ways

» The professional employee tends to

seek new and better ways of accomplishing his objectives. The nonprofessional employee tends to perform his tasks in standard ways and often resists changes, even though he may acknowledge that they constitute an improvement.

The professional employee recognizes the existence of degrees of competence in other, individual professional employees. The nonprofessional employee tends to view his fellow employees as his equal in all respects.

The professional employee habitually recognizes the close relationship of an individual to his own work. The nonprofessional employee recognizes the relation of individuals to the conditions of employment, emphasizing nonessentials such as seniority.

The individual, competent professional employee cannot be replaced without significant, though temporary, loss. The nonprofessional employee can be replaced by another with little loss.

A strong individual initiative is a necessary quality in a professional employee. No initiative, beyond that needed to perform a routine task each day, is required of a nonprofessional employee.

The professional man seeks to improve his own initiative and does not discourage his fellow professional employees from similar efforts. The nonprofessional employee has, historically, attempted to repress the individual excellence of his fellow nonprofessional employees, so, in his view, the good of the whole body of fellow nonprofessional employees might be promoted.

In the broadest possible sense, the professional employee seeks to eliminate the necessity for his services. The nonprofessional employee is always necessary.

80 C&EN MAY 1, 1961

"The services

of a professional

employee cannot

be adjusted

to fixed periods

of time . . Γ

The work of a professional employee is assigned by the authority of a supervisor and defined by the nature of the task itself. The work of a nonprofessional employee is assigned and defined by the authority of a supervisor.

The final product produced by a professional employee is not a material object. Further, the quality of the product is determined by the intellectual contribution of the professional employee. The final product produced by a nonprofessional employee is either a material object or is directly related to the production of a material object. The quality of the product is predetermined by the technical skill of the employee, by the tools he uses, and by the nature of the supervision he receives.

The knowledge used by a professional employee in his work is characterized by rapid obsolescence or, at least, by continual modification of basic or of corollary concepts. The skills used by a nonprofessional employee change infrequently. Further, these changes are rarely basic; they usually are concerned only with minor additional refinements, superimposed upon the essentials.

The services of a professional employee cannot be adjusted to fixed periods of time, corresponding, for example, to the usual eight hour workday. The work of the nonprofessional employee can be readily adjusted to fixed periods of time. In many cases, the professional employee tends to perform some of his duties outside the usual working hours, whereas the nonprofessional employee resists efforts to alter his work-day schedule.

A professional employee uses the services and facilities provided by his employer to which he adds his own disciplined intellectual imagination and, in addition, draws upon his own prior educational and vocational ex

periences. A nonprofessional employee uses the services and facilities provided by his employer to which he adds his own skills acquired in prior training or on the job itself.

If the preceding distinctions are correct, it is clear that a chemist is a professional employee, at least in most industrial organizations. (Within the context of this discussion, laboratory technicians, though they may hold the title of "chemist" in some laboratories, are not here considered as such. )

Within the past several years the policy of labor union organizations has been to promote the financial welfare and working conditions of their membership without regard to the effect of the end sought upon the welfare of the employer. Since the primary responsibility of the professional employee is the promotion of this very welfare, it appears that a professional employee would contradict his own professional aims by joining a labor union.

Employers of Professionals Recognize Their Duty

In most cases, employers of professional employees recognize their duty to remunerate these employees and to provide other benefits that are at least reasonably commensurate with the services they have received from their professional employees. However, when these conditions do not exist and the professional employee is exploited, the mutual trust between employer and employee no longer exists; and then, for his own protection, a professional employee might reasonably decide to join a union. In rare instances, an employer may fail to utilize the professional abilities of a professional employee. For example, he might issue specific directions concerning the nature of the work assigned to a professional employee. Since he is no longer employed as a professional, a professional employee could then join a labor union without contradicting his status.

It may be that a new kind of collective bargaining group is needed to resolve problems similar to those mentioned above, as well as to adjust other inequities. Clearly, any such group would necessarily recognize from its inception the unique status of the professional employee. This "union" could not restrict itself to efforts to increase the salaries and to improve the conditions of employment of its

members. Obviously, if such a group existed, it would often be forced to make difficult decisions between two objectives, the welfare of its own membership and the unique obligation of its membership to their employers. It is possible that any such group originally founded on principles arising from these two objectives would eventually change its nature and become similar to the organizations now existing. Our present labor unions trace their beginnings from the semiprofes-sional craftsman guilds of medieval times.

Hence, the only practical solution may be to remember that the ideal relationship between employer and professional employee is based upon a mutual recognition of the intellectual nature of the professional employee's work, its direct connection with the welfare of the employer, and the necessity for both employer and employee to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct. All—employers and employees alike—should recognize and act upon the principle that the duty of all professionals is to perform their special functions fully and fairly in the light of the special axioms that govern their duties. Any attempt to interfere with these functions or to fail to meet honorably the obligations consequent upon their performance will be equally inimical both to employers and to their professional employees.

I wish to acknowledge the helpful comments and criticisms of Dr. John K. Taylor, who examined this paper during its preparation.

DR. J A Y A. YOUNG is chairman of the chemistry department at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Fa. Holder of a Ph.D. from Notre Dame, he is a

member of the ACS Division of Chemical Education's Committee on the Teaching of Chemistry. At present, one of his major interests is focused on the use of new teaching machines in chemical education. He has authored a number of publications, mainly on the teaching of undergraduate chemistry. His laboratory manual, "Practice in Thinking" published in 1958, contains a formal statement on the responsibilities of the chemist.

MAY 1, 1 9 6 1 C & E N 8 1

These charts appeared originally on pages 116 and 117 of C&EN for April 17 as part of the feature, "New Product Profile Chart," by John S. Harris of Monsanto Chemical. The two charts at the bottom of this page appeared originally at the top of page 116; those on the facing page appeared originally on page 117 in the same position as they do here. In some issues of C&EN, the red blocks were misplaced in the charts below; they were misplaced in the charts on the facing page in all issues. All five charts are shown here with the red blocks located correctly.

MINUS I PLUS MINUS I PLUS

FINANCIAL ASPECTS

Return on investment (before tax··)

Estimated annual sal · ·

New fixed capital payout tim·

Time to reach est. sales vol.

RESEARCH t DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS

Res. investment payout time

Dev. investment payout t im·

Research know-how

Patent statu·

Market development requirements

Promotional requirements

Product competition

Product advantage

Length of product life

Cyclical & seasonal demand

PRODUCTION fc ENGINEERING ASPECTS

Required corporate size

Raw materials

Equipment

Process familiarity

MARKETING fc PRODUCT ASPECTS

Similarity to present product lines

Effect on present products

Marketability to present customers

Number of potential customers

Suitability of present sales force

Market stability

Market trend

Technical service

FINANCIAL ASPECTS

Return on investment (before taxes)

Estimated annual sales

New fixed capital payout time


RESEARCH fc DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS


Dev. investment payout time

Research know-how

Patent status



Product competition

Product advantage



PRODUCTION fc ENGINEERING ASPECTS


Raw materials

Equipment

Process familiarity

MARKETING fc PRODUCT ASPECTS






Market stability

Market trend

Technical service

EFFECT OF MARKETING ALTERNATIVES. Where alternatives are available, such as in marketing methods, the profile chart provides comparison of which is better. Drilling Additive-R could have been marketed in either of two ways. Case I (left)

shows the effect of direct sales to the many drilling mud companies. Case M shows what happens when the product is sold through a distributor specializing in additives to drilling mud companies. Clearly, marketing is a controlling factor

82 C & E N M A Y 1, 1961

MINUS J FINANCIAL ASPECTS

Return on investment 'before taxes)



Tinv to reach est. sales vol.

RESEARCH 4 DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS

Re; investment payout time


Research know-how

Patent status



Product competition

Product advantage



- 2 - 1

~1η

PLUS

+ 1 4-2

pp

m "•X j m

PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING ASPECTS


Raw materials

Equipment

Process familiarity

MARKETING & PRODUCT ASPECTS

Similarity to present pro

Effect on present protide

Marketatvlit; ti: pre·.·1'·;

Number of pot^ntM:' c <o

Suitabilitv of iueson; sa'

Market s t a b : ! • î y

Market t<o"d

Technical service

FINANCIAL ASPECTS





RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS



Research know-how

Patent status



Product competition

Product advantage



mËà

PRODUCTION t ENfilNEERING ASPECTS


Raw materials

Equipment

Process familiarity

MARKETING & PRODUCT ASPECTS






Market stability

Market trend

Technical service

HISTORY OF A PRODUCT. Plasticizer-D provides an example of how the profile chart of a product can change during its development. At Stage I (above left) it has shown promise in screening tests. Process work hasn't yet been started—thus, neither the process nor economics is known. Several months later, during process research, the chart at Stage II (above right) still rates the product high. Economics look good. An unavoidable byproduct has been found, but it is expected to sell at a profit. But Stage 111 (lower right) shows a much different picture. More work has shown the by-product won't sell. This depresses financial aspects, and necessary pricing lengthens the time to reach volume sales; process research shows the need for new plant. At this point Plasticizer-D was dropped

MINUS PLUS

FINANCIAL ASPECTS 1-2





- 1 + 1

I I

RESEARCH t DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS



Research know-how

Patent status



Product competition

Product advantage



PRODUCTION I ENGINEERING ASPECTS


Raw materials

Equipment

Process familiarity

MARKETING & I PRODUCT ASPECTS






Market stability

Market trend

Technical service

M A Y 1, 1961 C & E N 83

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CHEMISTS, UNIONS & PROFESSIONALISM