Evening star., 1901-10-14
UNIONS OF WORkMEN
Comprehensive Report From the In
dustriaI Commission.
ORGANIZATIONS WELL GOVERNED
Walking Delegates Powers Are
Largely Curtailed
OCKOU rs NOT FAV ED

A report of timely and general interest
was issued Saturday afternoon by the sec
retary of the Industrial commission. 1t Is
a comprehensive review of the present con-
ditions and historical development of trade
and labor organizations and with a similar
report on labor disputes and arbitration
was prepared jointly by Charles E. Edger-
ton and E. Dana Durand. Many Of the de-
tails presented have never before been
made public, but independent of that inter-
tention as the most comprehensive state
ment of national trade and labor condi-
tions accessible to American students Of
economics and sociology.
In brief the report asserts: That Amer
lean labor organizations. excluding the
Knights of Labor, have an aggregate MEM
bership of about ], 400. 900: that the Fedora
ton of Labor alone employs over 800 gen
eral organizers" that the jealous watch
fulness of the laborers themselves operates
more effectively than any other reasonable
agency to control the business agent or
walking delegate; that the common rate OF
pay for national officers of labor unions is
between $500 and $1,000 annually; that the
Cigar Makers Union has over $5OO,OUo ap-
plicable to strikes to any other purposes
and that other unions have assets nearly
as large; that the standard rate of the Ia
wage: that sentiment prevails to revive
the old apprentice system; that the question
of strikes is left as a rule to the local
unions; and that probably no union man
doubts the legitimacy OF the boycott as a
weapon of labor"
PREDATORY explanation is made that the
information concerning American labor Or
ganizations has been obtained almost en-
tirely through schedules Of questions sent
to all national labor organizations and
very considerable number Of local organi'
cations. at Is believed" therefore, that,
since the statements of fact contained IN
wholly from official sources, they may be
considered thoroughly authentic"
The report then reads in part as follows:
Scheme of Organization.
Among American trade unionists three
types of trade union are formally recog-
nized-the local. the national and the inter-
national. The typical local union includes
only members who live and work In one
town, and it's business Is done by vote Of
all the members. meeting in one place.
Sometimes there are subordinate organlza-
tions, more or less formal, composed or
members employed in single establishments.
Such are the .chapels' of the printers which
long antedate any more formal organization
of the craft, and the shop meetings OF
many other trades. 1t often happens that
workers in a place where no local union
of their trade exists attach themselves to
the nearest, though they may not be able
to take part in it's ordinary deliberations.
1.-The great majority of the national trade
unions are bound together in the great fed
eraI organization, the American Federation
of Labor. In one or two instances there are
alliances for certain purposes among small
numbers of national unions in related
trades. The International Typographical
Union, the pressmen and the bookb1nders
have for some years maintained "tripar-
tite agreement" Efforts have for some time
been making to establish an alliance of the
national unions in the metal trades
Estimated Membership.
1.-THE following table gives a rough esti-
mate of the aggregate membership of the
labor organizations of the United States
on July 1, 1901: Unions affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor, $4,000;
Custom Clothing Makers, $500: Litho-
graphers, 2,1OO; Bricklayers, $4,000; Plas-
terers, 1000; Stonecutters, 10000; Box Max
ers, $500; Piano Workers, 100; Engineers,
marine, 5000; Engineers, locomotive, 81
900; F'iremen, locomotive, $4,000; Conduc-
tors, railway, 25,SG0; Trainmen, railroad,
$4,000; Switchmen, 10000; Letter Carriers,
$1,000; Knights of Labor and unenumerated
organizations, say, 191 900. Total, 400 600.
'"The printers have perhaps the oldest ma
tional labor organization existing in the
United States The convention out of which
the International Typographical Union has
grown was held on December 2, 1850. The
national association of the stonecutters
may possibly, however, be as old or older.
1t had an established position and regu-
larly published official journal by 1857, but
the date of it's origin is not known. The
United Sons of Vulcan, one of the predeces-
sors of the Amalgamated Association Of
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, was formed
in 1858, the Iron Molders' Union of North
America in 1859 and the National Cigar
makers Union in 1864.
Local unions had preceded the national
by nearly half century. The New York
Society Of Journeymen Shipwrights Is said
to have been incorporated on April 30, 1903.
and the house carpenters of New York ciey
in 1906 1t is not known, however, how
far the purposes and methods of these So
cieties coincided with those Of modern trade
unions. A union of tailors is said to have
been formed in 1906. and one Of hatters in
1919. The Baltimore union of printers
claims to have existed since 1881; the
Newark union of stonecutters since 1884
General Organizers" without Pay.
Though the local union is historically
the primary phenomenon. and the national
union is secondary, very large proportion
Of the local unions which exist today, and
a larger proportion Of those which from
day to day come into existence, are, in
fact, the offspring of national organiza-
tions. The Federation has over 800 gen
eral organizers bearing It's commission in
all parts of the country, and constantly
active in the neighborhood of their homes
In organizing not the workmen of their own
trades only. but those of all trades These
men and women work without payment,
except the commissions, ranging from
So to $50, which most national unions offer
for the organization of new locals Until
recently the Federation had no money for
organizing, except sporadicalIy, by any
other means The great increase of its
membership during the last two or three
years has changed that. The income has
doubled and trebled. The salaries of It's
officers have not been materially increased,
and while there has been an increase of
necessary administrative expenses 1t has
borne no comparison to the Increase of re-
ceipts. There has remained therefore, a
surplus OF many thousand dollars a year
applicable to missionary labors During
1900 the Federation kept in the field upon
the average some eight special organ
izers" under salary. During 1901 the aver
age number may reach twenty-five Some
or the time of these men Is devoted to the
settlement of disputes the supervision of
strikes and other work of maintenance and
conservation Their energies are chiefly
directed, however. to bringing the unor-
ganized into the union ranks, and especial
ly to the establishment of new local unions
where there has been no organization of
the crafts concerned.
The Walking Delegate.
Each local union even when subordinate