The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05
OUR GREATEST MONOPOLY
IT rs THE LABOR TRUsT OF WINDOW
GLASS WORkERS.

| facturers from Forming n Trust - Its
| Opposition to the Introduction Of Mn.
| chinery - Its Warfare on Employers.
PrTTsBURa, Pa, Nov. The people OF Pitts
burg know the window Glass Workers Associa-
ton, and consequently there was good deal Of
amusement when this trade union, the Oldest
| ughest and most exclusive trus, and monopoly
in the United States, sought TO prevent the employ
ers OF its members from organizing trust Of their
| own. The attempt was made in Indiana and in
/ Smithpor Pa. the Court having been appealed TO
for an injunction TO restrain certain factories from
entering the window glass manufacturers' COM
bination. The courts decided that employers
! had the same right 10 combine as employees
| Manufacturers who desire TO organize power
| ful monopoly can do no better than to study the
history and the rules Of the Window Glass Work
| crs' Association, known also as District Assembly
800, Knights Of Labor" Surprising for example
that trust were TO be organized on the principles
OF that OF the glass workers, this is. the kind Of
trust II would be: II would absolutely control the
| price OF its manufactures: II would prevent any
kind OF competitions il would dictate, without fear
Of failure, the wages Of all its employees il would
render impossible the importation Of any goods
| that II manufactured itself, unless the foreign
manufacturers first handed over big cash bonus
and then allowed the trust to dictate the price at
| which they might sell the bonused goods.
A study of the glass workers union will show
thati can and docs do the things this Hypothetical
trust might do. and that /. il constantly reaching
| out for more power and is becoming still moro
ntolcrant, at least that il the adjective that would
| be used by union labor leaders TO describe the
actions Of the glass workers, II the glass workers
| organization were "plutocratic octopus" n manu-.
| facturcrs trust
Not only are the window glass workers a trust,
even stronger than the old.time guilds Of Holland.
they actually form caste, handing down from
father 10 son the occupation Of ancestors forbid
ding absolutely that the trade of glass worker be
taught Ia others than near relatives and thus hin.
derlng American boys in general from acquiring
agood rhdc--in reality the best trade in the coun-
| try. The horror that the ancient Egyptian war
rior caste would have felt had one Of It's members
undertaken To initiate q merchant in the arr Of
warfare wouldn't be circumstance TO the DISCUS,
~ the window glass workers were one of their
fellows to hand a bowppc to some young fellow,
kin 10 member Of their trust, and offer 10 teach
| him how to blow window glass Ostracism would
| follow persistence on his part.
No one not window glass worker has access 10
! the apprentice rules - the Union, and II may I've
| denied that there are any rules of the nature
described: yet II Is we'll known that even twenty
| years ago when the union was not nearly 40
pstronR as II II now. there were rules well under
stood. even II not written down. Inning the an.
premiership. one example may serve as a case
IN point In 1878 n young Piilsburger nov a
ranclman out in Montana, found work in the glass
factory which his rreAtErnndfathcr had estab-
| liShed, and his grandfather and father had opcr-
Atcd. The father had failed in business Start
Ing at the bottom, the Young fellow carried roll
ers, the big glass cylinders that are produced by
the blowppr, over 10 The "nat'cning" house where
they are spread out nat ready for the glass cutters
I II was hard and unrcnuncrativc work The bow
applied for permission TO learn the trade NJ blower,
and was informed that II was nrains, either the
principles or the rules Of >hc union TO permit him
to learn the trade, and the fact that his father
grandfather aud great grandfather had given
employment 10 the fathers and rrAndfa'hcrs and
great grandfh,hcrs Of the members of the blowers
union had nothing ~ do with the case
! The history of the window rlass workers cast.
is record 81 big organization. arising from
small beginning. seeking costly concessions from
the manufacturers and changing these concessions
into privileges: constantly wrugug new pri,i.
lrrcs from their employers and NJ last cort,oIIir-
not only the price Of their work hut practicable
managing the business of the factories debating
tn" tim" Of starting Nnd ending the annual blast
md enforcing factory rules and regulations no,
submitted IN NV business men IN any part Of the
world. unless II w. newspaper owners
From tho establishment II thc window gI,ss
industry in the United States until 1850 the filed
workmcn I'm o." factories were the blowers. N,
ilntt"n"rS and the cutters. The blowers formed a
union in 1858, In 1886 when the industrial
revival hat followed the war began II was found
| that III" blowers could turn out more glass thus
heneiittinc themselves and their employers, too.
IN n, nor degree, they had some one 10 gather"
ilir glass mnt Is 10 insctt ih" h9wpIrc in tic
3 pot accumulate hall Of molten glass md start
the asking # the ROLLER" thus allowing the blow.
er TO devote ms ai,"nti. 10 turn ny out perfect
CorlrIei" roller VIM" the gAthcrcr was getting
! another ready. Tn" flowers suggested he ,igc
81 gn'herer and tho, manufacturers acouicscc,l.
7 u'aC'urer and the blower by the cnplnyur.nt ~
,,,i S"th hI orm be , GHuEcd from the tact
month, while The blower. ont ~ his ." "vn
waGcJi pad mn from S?o, To $50 a, month,
,,,,r to Proficiency few years later Ne
a result the hl9wcrs were relieved Of the pay ncnt
Of any pr, Of the gathcrcrs, greatly Increased
| 1874 all four trades united in tho Window Glass
Artsmen : AasociaiiGn, and in 1877 they went
900. the four trades forming one body. Nh",i,
I Two years ago the cutters and hsttnncrs. dissa,.
'' ss,h"ttI iii awnH ;1 lm"n burns Who WIS
formed unions q their own: with charters from
! however; Ms much 81 trust Ms are the blowers
ana EHthGtI's, ana thelr principles are tho same.
~, rh ir,, m,nd%M glass workers ere opposed 10
! other unions have made failure in trying Ia
I sweep back the flood u machinery adyancemcnt,
and although the window glass workers are now,
4 crful their employers hope To br able Ia intro.
, Gucc blowing machine that is now under expcri.
! mCnt, as soon as II has been perfected Tho
, union intcrposrs oil sorts OF obstacles 10 expert.
y mcnting in machinery. rs can tie seen by M fol
! lowing rule, which they have compelled ihrir en-,
/ pluyrrS To sign,
Any manufacturer introducing into his works
i new Inventions or supposed improvements shall
! 81 long as said improvements or inventions con
3 lnuc Ia be an experiment or until il shall have
! been demonstrated that they will not be n loss
/ Ia thr worker, pay u guarantee To all workers
. whose work Is or may be affected by said mainline
, or invention, When the lulIcr improvement
| a layer out or ShONchuv."
tn" manufacturers signed this agreement be
Ing helpless, although IL is ~ drnt even To a cur
sorry observer that the yaGdcnrSS ~ the qua mn
tee requirement would enable the union 10 "tir
up any factory the owner II which might de-
sire 10 experiment with machine. The rule
has been interpreted Ia mean, that no experiment
ma! be conducted until the manufacturer hns
shown that The workers will suffer no loss by the
| successful operation ~ the machine and afrr
! II has been found 10 be successful tho workers
| l. not allow 10 be- used II they think il wiz
| HltIFt ilAtT - ,I. IL.