Demobilization following the First World War saw millions of soldiers return to their home countries from the trenches, and in doing so, they brought with them another wave of the deadliest and far-reaching pandemic of all time. As the H1N1 influenza virus, known as the Spanish Flu, spread across the world and infected between one third and a quarter of the global population, it impacted all areas of society. One such impact was on workers' wages, as the labor shortage drove up the demand for skilled workers, which then increased wages. In the United States, wages had already increased due to the shortage of workers caused by the war, however the trend increased further in the two or three years after the war, despite the return of so many personnel from overseas.

In the first fifteen years of the twentieth century, wages across the shown industries had increased gradually and steadily in line with inflation, with the hourly wage in manufacturing increasing from roughly 15 cents per hour to 21 cents per hour in this period. Between 1915 and 1921 or 1921 however, the hourly rate more than doubled across most of these industries, with the hourly wage in manufacturing increasing from 21 cents per hour in 1915 to 56 cents per hour in 1920. Although manufacturing wages were the lowest among those shown here, the trend was similar across even the highest paying trades, with hourly wages in the building trade increasing from 57 cents per hour in 1915 to one dollar and eight cents in 1921. The averages of almost all these trades decreased again in 1922, before plateauing or increasing at a slower rate throughout the late 1920s. Other factors, such as the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression, make comparing this data with wages in later decades more difficult, but it does give some insight into the economic effects of pandemics in history.

Between 1914 and 1969, weekly wages in manufacturing industries in the United States grew by a factor of 12. In the first half of the century, the most significant periods of increase came during the World Wars, as manufacturing industries were at the core of the war effort. However, wages then fell sharply after both World Wars, due to post-war recessions and oversaturation of the job market as soldiers returned home. Interwar period Wage growth during the interwar period was often stagnant, despite the significant economic growth during the Roarin' 20s, and manufacturing wages remained steady at around 24 dollars from 1923 to 1929. This was, again, due to oversaturation of the job market, as employment in the agricultural sector declined due to mechanization and many rural workers flocked to industrial cities in search of employment. The Great Depression then saw the largest and most prolonged period of decline in manufacturing wages. From September 1929 to March 1933, weekly wages fell from 24 dollars to below 15 dollars, and it would take another four years for them to return to pre-Depression levels. Postwar prosperity After the 1945 Recession, the decades that followed the Second World War then saw consistent growth in manufacturing wages in almost every year, as the U.S. cemented itself as the foremost economic power in the world. This period is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age of Capitalism, and the U.S. strengthened its economic presence in Western Europe and other OECD countries, while expanding its political and military presence across Asia. Manufacturing and exports played a major role in the U.S.' economic growth in this period, and wages grew from roughly 40 dollars per week in 1945 to more than 120 dollars by the late 1960s.

The minimum wage is a basic labour standard that sets the lowest wage rate that an employer can pay to employees who are covered by the legislation. Today, one of its main purposes is to protect non-unionized workers in unskilled jobs, although it can also influence, directly or indirectly, the level of compensation of other employees as well. A minimum wage constitutes a floor above which employees or their unions may negotiate with management for higher remuneration. However, it is rarely static: adjustments are required from time to time to maintain its relevance in changing economic and social conditions.

The study of Jürgen Nautz deals with selected aspects of tariff autonomy and wage development during the years of inflation in the Weimar Republic. First the development of wages will be presented in the context of cost of living. To investigate the question of tariff autonomy in the inflation period it is of special interest to analyze the usage of arbitration instruments by unions, management and the state. Another central subject of this study is the fundamental position concerning the question of the design of important relations. Two themes are in the focus of interest; the ideas of the further refinement of the collective bargaining principle and the arbitration of labor disputes. Especially concerning tariff autonomy legal positions were developed during the inflation years which had an important impact on the discussion about tariff autonomy during the entire period the Weimar Republic.

Data tables in HISTAT: A.1 Development of cost of living: Index of the statistical office of the German Empire (1920-1923) A.2 Index of average real weekly wages per collective agreement Index (1913-1923) A.3 Real weekly and real hourly wages of unskilled and skilled workers (1919-1923) A.4 Strikes and lockouts (1918-1924) A.5 Number of collective agreements (1918-1929)

Der Beitrag von Jürgen Nautz widment sich ausgewählten Aspekten zum Problembereich der Tarifautonomie und der Lohnentwicklung in der Zeit der Inflationsjahre während der Weimarer Republik. Als erstes wird die Entwicklung der Löhne auf dem Hintergrund der Lebenshaltungskosten dargestellt. Für die Frage nach dem Zustand der Tarifautonomie in der Inflationsphase ist die Handhabung des Schlichtungsinstrumentariums durch die Tarifparteien und den Staat von besonderem Interesse. Ein zentraler Gegenstand dieses Beitrages ist auch die Darstellung der grundsätzlichen Positionen in der Frage der Gestaltung der industriellen Beziehungen. Dabei stehen zwei Topoi im Mittelpunkt des Interesses: die Vorstellungen von der weiteren Ausgestaltung des Tarifvertragsprinzips und der Schlichtung von Arbeitsstreitigkeiten. Gerade in der Frage der Tarifautonomie sind in den Inflationsjahren Rechtspositionen entwickelt worden, die prägend waren für die Diskussion der Tarifautonomie während der gesamten Phase der Weimarer Republik. Datentabellen in HISTAT:A.1 Entwicklung der Lebenshaltungskosten: Index des Statistischen Reichsamts (1920-1923)A.2 Index der durchschnittlichen Realwochenlöhne je Tarifvertrag (1913-1923)A.3 Realwochen- und Realstundenlohnsätze ungelernter und gelernter Arbeiter (1919-1923)A.4 Streiks und Aussperrungen (1918-1924)A.5 Zahl der Tarifverträge (1918-1929)

The inflation rate in Germany was 1.35 percent in 2019. The current rate meets the European Central Bank’s target rate, which is “below, but close to, 2 percent.” Many central bankers favor inflation between 2 and 3 percent, but Germans in particular would rather risk deflation than too much inflation.

Causes of inflation

Central bankers like low, stable inflation because this is a sign of a growing economy. When the economy grows, workers become more productive and spend more, and prices slowly rise. Monetary policy can cause inflation, but Germany has given this responsibility to the European Central Bank (ECB). Importantly, inflation expectations affect inflation, making it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The German context

During the eurozone crisis, German politicians were advocating for the ECB to raise interest rates quickly. This would have reduced inflation, possibly causing deflation, but would have presented another hurdle for the struggling Greek economy. This is because of the hyperinflation of the Weimar Republic in the 1920s, when Germans carried their pay home in wheelbarrows because the banknotes had lost so much value. Ever since, Germans often warn that inflation harms pensioners and that personal provisions are necessary in any case. Fortunately for them, this statistic forecasts stable, modest inflation that does not alarm many economists.