The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-08-26
A SHORT EXPERIENCE
With Labor Unions and the Business
Mems Association.
Communicated

First, we Wish TO correct state
ment made in the Kalispell Bee dated
August %, which reads that McIn-
tosh agreed to the proposition of
unionizing his shop, and that his plum
Der was imported from Spokane. The
facts are that our own plumber came
here from the east and all we agreed
to was that if the union would furnish
us help satisfactory to ourselves and
the superintendent of the court
house that we would be glad to have
them do so because we were short
of help. We also stated that if we
could get union men that would do
our work satisfactorily in the shop
that we would do so wren we got in
shape to make the change.
We will further state that we join
ed the Business Mems Association in
good faith and thought we were
doing right and tried to live up to
the rules laid down by the associa-
ton. And about seyenty-ive more
business firms signel their names
with the association and agreed to
continue as heretofore to conduct
their several enterprises, without In
reference from the Western Labor
Union or any of its branches. And
that in the event that any kalispell
union or unions resort to the boy
cot to enforce demands on any bust
ness house or firm belonging to the
association, that all members of the
association pledge themselves to sup
port the concern boycotted and do
everything within their power to
break such boycott. We will say that.
the Mcintosh Hardware Company
tried to live up to the rules of the as
sociation and the result was that
about three months ago we were boy
cotted by the several unions in Kal1s-
pell. Now, we can prove that sew
eral of the members and firms be-
longing to the association did not live
up to what they pledged themselves
to do, and at the last meeting that
was held by the association there
was not enough members ATTENDED
it to do business.
At the time the association was
started we had two competent me
chanics in our shops which were capa-
BILE of doing tinsmithing, plumbing and
steamfitting. Both of them were
union men and perfectly willing to
do either timing or plumbing, as the
jobs came along. But at this time
the union fixed up their rules so that
they would not allow our mechanics
to do both timing and plumbing.
Even after we gave them all the wages
they asked, and also allowed the
hours they demanded, the same trou-
BILE came up. Our men preferred to
do the plumbing rather than timing
and neither of them would give in
to do the timing alone. So one of
them decided to quit us and the other
one decided to stay and do our plumb
ing This necessitated us getting an
other timer, which we did, and he
did not belong to the union. AS soon
as he started to work in the shop
our union plumber quit wor'r and we
, were informed by a friend in the
union that the labor union threatened
to blacklist our plumber if he did not
} quit working for us or else have the
: non-union man discharged. And we
were also informed by members in the
labor union that employees of mem
bers of the Business Mems Associa
7 tion in Kalispell were the most active
in the union in trying to drive our
: mechanics away and make trouble
: in the shop.
t Since we joined the Business
e Mems Association there has beer
: several jobs done in the city by bust
2 ness men that they would not allow
D us to even figure on, because we
0 stood by the Business Mems Asso
e citation and were boycotted by the
/ unions. Just short time ago we go
e a job from one of the largest firms il
the city for our shop, and as soon al
the union found out we were doine
S the work they asked the firm that w,
l. had the contract from to stop oul
S man from working on it. They asked
[. us to give it up, which we did. Only
e a few days ago our plumber was work
e ing on the court ohuse job, which
L contract we were awarded by the
+ county commissioners, for the plumb
l. ing, heating, etc. Several of the
p union men at work on the job i'm
t mediately quit work and declared the,
would not work any more on the joI
g unless the Mcintosh Hardware Co