The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-07-25

paid OF, ~ usual, for their weeks work. Moth
ing was said to them by their employers indi-
eating any proposed change. But when the
men went to work the next day, to their sur
prise, they found the doors Of the Office locked
against them and they we're told that they
were not wanted any longer; that the Office
had let out it's type-setting on contract, and no
trade union men could be employed. This
proceeding is not the first, nor the second, Of
the same sort lately. A number OF establish
the plan of letting out their labor to the lowest
responsible bidder, on contract, which bidder
is generally non-union man, who employs
non-unlon men, boys, women, or whomsoever
he can get to work at the rates which will yield
the contractor the most profit. He is checked,
OF course, by his contract, with security to do
good and accurate work, and do it regularly
and on time, without Interruptions by strikes
or other avoidable causes.
The success OF this expedent is believed to
indicate the development OF new and for
as the device Is not confined to the Graf. typo
graphical, but has been successfully resorted
| to In various trades. Trades unions have
welded so much power heretofore largely be-
cause the workmen have been directly employed
by the capitalists engaged in prosecuting
business. AS such employers have their entire
attention devoted to conducting their business,
they never have time nor opportunity to in
tuence or organize the labor market, which is
thus left almost entirely to the control OF the
trades unions. But when labor is let out on
created and a new influence is set at work.
The contractor assumes totally new interest
and business. He becomes a dealer in labor.
1t is his interest and his business to find, or
organize aud employ, cheap labor. He has
nothing else to distract his attention or employ
his time. He becomes the active, interested,
and tireless enemy OF trades unionism. II is
his interest to encourage the largest increase
OF apprentices, to encourage rafting and to
encourage the training and employment OF
women and boys. At the same time, it is not
his interest to deteriorate the quality OF the
workingpen; for his obtaining contracts will
depend largely upon his doing good work as
we'll as cheap work. AS soon as there are
number OF such dealers in labor in different
places, naturally they will support and aid each
other. Whoever ID out OF employment and
willing to work will naturally drift to them, and
be sent on demand wherever his labor is needed.
This system threatens to produce on the
other hand, corresponding change in trades
unions. In order to retain their influence, or
their existence, trades unions must compete
with the labor dealers wherever the labor con
tract system obtains fair start. To do this,
the trade union is itself tempted to contract
to do work at rates as low as those offered by
the labor contractors, or lower. In New York
city, for instance, 1t is stated that trade union
has taken a contract 10 do the composition on
the Star at a lower rate than is paid by any Of
the non-union officers. Such competition as
this must, in the nature of the case, if il be-
comes common, presently change the character
OF trades unions, and make them really CO.
operative associations for the sale OF labor,
competing against labor dealers, and saving to
tie workingmen the profits otherwise pocketed
10y the contractor But, in order to compete
work at or below contractors prices, and open
Their doors to more apprentices aud to women
otherwise the contractors may beat them by
employing apprentices and women. Still it
will be the interest Of such unions to keep
wages up to fair living point; and such COM
petition will be good thing.
II this system extends to all trades, it will
have tendency to put stop to various strikes
which are now most mischievous. For instance.
recently a few hundred puddlers IN the iron
works OF the Plttsburg district struck, and 80
threw thirty or forty thousand other sorts of
workmen out OF work. Now if ever the con-
tract labor system gets fairly established, and
trades unions compete against labor brokers,
the workmen engaged in other departments.
ahu WIZ dio uuucE COutracL TO 90 Otner work.
Will not permit few workmen in one particular
item to break down their contracts in this way.
IL the forty thousand other workmen were
employed under contracts made with either
labor brokers or their unions, they would not
permit the few pudders to break up their bust
ness, but it would be their interest IN such
case to either compel the puddlers to keep at
work, or else to supply the place OF the striking
puddlers. Cooperative trades UNIONS, under
contracts to supply labor, instead of combining,
as now, to aid strike by any one branch, would
be interested in combining to prevent or sup
press strike by any one branch which would
injure the rest.
Miss Anna Z. o. Eastman, a graduate of the
homeopathic department OF the university, last
month, has located at Denver, Colorado. to