Corporate America will see a living wage as a better bargain than the return of unions. 

Corporate Conscience Survey Says Workers Should Come First
By STEPHANIE STROM

Far more American consumers consider the way companies treat their employees a good indicator of their social conscience than their philanthropy, according to a survey by the National Consumers League and Fleishman-Hillard, the public relations company.

Asked to define "corporate social responsibility" in their own words, 27 percent of the 800 adults interviewed for the survey identified it as a demonstrated commitment to the well-being of employees.

Only 3 percent identified charitable donations as the chief determinant of a company's social responsibility.

"It's not that charitable work and philanthropy are not relevant, but relative to other issues, it just doesn't rank as highly," a senior vice president at Fleishman-Hillard, Sue Jolly, said.

Companies typically work hard to promote their philanthropy. The May 18 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, for example, highlights several companies that have made marketing alliances with nonprofit groups, dedicating a percentage of sales of certain products to a specific charity or agreeing to support a specific program or project.

While a third of the respondents to the survey said their purchasing decisions were influenced by such efforts, Linda F. Golodner, president of the consumers' group, said the survey indicated that companies might be better off emphasizing how they treat their employees.