Labor should be recognized as entitled to consult with

Hear, O children of toil and builders of empires, the words of Charles M. Schwab, master of steel and titan of industry, who declared: “Labor should be recognized as entitled to consult with management in the mutual interest. Labor cannot be driven, and business cannot be successful unless the men employed in it are enthusiastic and loyal. That loyalty cannot be obtained with a big stick; it must be based upon fair dealing and sympathy.” In this proclamation is not only the wisdom of a leader of men, but the eternal law of human endeavor: that no enterprise thrives through fear, but only through justice and mutual respect.

The meaning is thus: labor is not a machine to be whipped into speed, nor a beast to be driven by blows. Labor is human—breathing, thinking, desiring respect and dignity. When management rules only with the big stick of coercion, the worker’s spirit recoils, and loyalty withers. Yet when labor is met with fair dealing and sympathy, when its voice is heard and its worth acknowledged, then men labor not as slaves but as partners. And from such partnership is born not only loyalty but the fire of enthusiasm that carries enterprises to greatness.

The ancients themselves knew this truth. Consider the builders of the Pyramids, often thought to be slaves, but in truth many were laborers who served with pride, fed and honored for their work, carving eternity from stone. Had they been driven only by the whip, such monuments would not have endured, for resentment corrodes stone as surely as time. Schwab echoes this timeless principle: lasting works demand the willing spirit of labor, not its reluctant submission.

History offers another witness in the rise of Henry Ford, who shocked his peers by offering workers a living wage of five dollars a day. Many scorned him, but Ford understood what Schwab also taught: that workers who are treated with fairness and dignity return that treatment with loyalty and dedication. The result was not only greater productivity but a workforce whose pride built an empire. The big stick breaks men; fair dealing builds nations.

At the heart of Schwab’s teaching lies the recognition of mutual interest. For business and labor are not enemies but allies, bound together in the same ship. If the worker despairs, the business falters; if the business collapses, the worker suffers. Thus, to consult together, to recognize each other’s worth, is not indulgence but necessity. Sympathy is not weakness, but the strongest cement of loyalty, binding men’s hearts to their work.

The lesson, then, is clear: treat those who labor with you as human beings, not as tools. Whether you lead a company, a household, or any group of souls, remember that fear may gain obedience, but only justice and respect will earn loyalty. Enthusiasm, that most precious of human qualities, cannot be commanded; it must be invited by fairness and awakened by sympathy. To ignore this truth is to doom any enterprise, no matter how vast its resources.

What, then, should you do? If you lead, listen to those who follow you. Consult with them, honor their insight, and reward their faith with fairness. If you labor, offer your strength with loyalty, but also demand dignity in return, for this is your birthright. In all dealings, remember that men are not gears, but souls, and that the greatness of any endeavor is measured not only by wealth, but by the spirit in which it was achieved.

Thus let the words of Charles M. Schwab endure: “Loyalty cannot be obtained with a big stick; it must be based upon fair dealing and sympathy.” For this is the eternal law of labor and leadership alike—that fear weakens, but justice strengthens; that sympathy binds, but cruelty divides. And those who remember this shall build enterprises, friendships, and nations that endure like steel: strong, resilient, and shining with the fire of human dignity.