Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-07-13
WHOLE NUMBER 1901.
THE RAILROAD UNION
ITS ORIGIN AND THE OBJECTS
1T REPRESENTS.

TO Unite all Glasses of LabOr-ys
Open TO all Connected With Rail.
roads, Except Employers and
Their Representatives.
The American Railway Union was
organized at Chicago on June 20,
1893, and it is claimed that it num-
bers $50 900 members at the very out
set. Its aims and methods have been
thus described by one OF its origina-
tors:
There will be one supreme law for
the order, with provisions for all
classes: one roof TO shelter all, each
separate and yet all united when unity
OF action is required. In this is seen
the federation of classes which is
feasible, instead of the federation of
organizations, which has proved to be
utterly impracticable.
The number OF ofemployes now in the
service of railroads in America has
been variously estimated at from 80O,.
600 to 1,OOO,O 900, and the latter figure
is probably more nearly correct.
More than 10000 were organized at
the time of the formation OF the
American Railway Union. The inten-
ton OF the Union is to bring within
the fold the entire million of employees.
Having effected this, the leaders say,
strikes and boycotts will be rendered
impossible.
The union has department OF
education, the main feature of which
are lectures upon subjects relating to
economics, such as wages, expenses,
the relations OF employer and employe,
strikes, their moral and financial as
poets, and allied themes. The declara-
tion of principles OF the union says on
the subject:
There will be department de-
signed to promote legislation in the
interest of labor-that is to say, the
enactment of laws by legislatures and
by Congress having in view well-de-
fined obligations of employers and
employees, such as safety appliances
for trains, hours of labor. the pay.
ment of wages, the rights of employees
to be heard in courts where they have
have claims to be adjudicated. and
numerous otiIrrs in-Rhich partisan
politics will have no part, the COM
mon good being the animating pur-
pose"
The organization is composed OF a
board OF directors of nine members
and local representatives. The direct
ing board is elected every four years,
and has general supervision of the
body. 1t meets like legislature at
stated intervale during each year.
The union has committees of three
members each on literature, mediation,
insurance, employment and finance.
Any person OF good character en-
ployed in the railway service is eligi-
BILE to membership, except general
yard-masters, train-masters, road.
masters, supervisors of bridges and
buildings, general or commercial
agents, superintendents of telegraph,
master-mechanics, division superin-
tendents of transportation and other
officials of similar or higher rank.
The exemptions from membership
cast doubt upon the whole association.
They convey the impression that
there is an antagonism between the
employees and their employers which
it is desirable to perpetuate. We be-
lieve this is a fatal mistake. 1t is
entirely at variance with sound eco
nomic and social principles. The
interests OF the employer and his
employees are really one. We believe
that in the vast majority OF cases they
are recognized as one. The A. r. U.
is calculated to divorce these interests
when its object ought to be to unite
them more firmly than ever.