 During the buildup to World War I , the FVdG denounced the SPD 's anti @-@ war rhetoric as " complete humbug " . With the start of war , the SPD and the mainstream labor movement entered into the Burgfrieden ( or civil truce ) with the German state . Under this agreement , the unions ' structures remained intact and the government did not cut wages during the war . For their part , the unions did not support new strikes , ended current ones , and mobilized support for the war effort . The 1916 Auxiliary War Service Law established further cooperation between employers , unions , and the state by creating workers ' committees in the factories and joint management @-@ union arbitration courts . 
