The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-05-31
STRUGGLES OF LABOR UNIONS.
Notes of Progress Among the Various
Trades Organizations.

Notes of Progress Among the Various
Trades Organizations.
The executive council of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor has issued
an address to organized labor con-
tanning the following suggestions:
1--WE recommend to all organized
workers in national, state, central
and local unions that at their public
celebration on July 4 and September
1 Iabor day. they concentrate their
attention to a discussion of the aboli-
ton of the injunctions in labor dis
putes and the passage of resolutions
demanding at the hands of congress
and the legislatures of their respec-
tive states the enactment of laws
conforming to that purpose. 1t is
urged that at the convention of the
national unions, the state declarations
as we'll as at stated meetings of the
central labor unions and local trade
and federal unions, emphatic action
be taken thereon, and the result OF
that action promptly communicated
to the United States senators and
members of congress from your re-
spective states and to the members
of the legislature of your respective
districts"
Recognition of the union so often
spoken of in strikes does not mean,
as sometimes supposed, that the en-
ployers agree to employ only mem
bers of the union, to the exclusion of
other citizens, who do not think as
union men do. What recognition of
the union does mean is that the en-
ployers agree to the principle of col
lective bargaining, so that a commit
tee of employees may bargain for the
entire number, whether members of
the union or not Were it left with
each employee individually to make
the conditions of employment, eXper-
fence has demonstrated that excess
sive competition forces the more pro-
ficient workmen down to the level
of the inefficient, so that the union
instead of being a leveler, as is often
contended by those opposed to it,
has an exactly opposite tendency It
crowded to the wall and sets mini
mum wage sufficient for them to earn
at least a decent livelihood. 1t never
sets a maximum wage scale, so that
the proficient workman may rise as
high as his abilities warrant, but he
must not do SO by trampling on the
men less fortunate than himself
physically or mentally
A movement is on foot ancng
members of the Western Federation
of Miners for the organization of Z
company inside the federation, with
the object of building and oDe~atir g
a smelter. The proposition will Prob
ably be brought before the annual
convention of the federation but
what disposition will be made Of it
can only be conjectured. The project
was first preached two years ago, but
members were not at that time in q
condition Of mind to take up the mat
ter seriously. Owing TO the exan-
lions of the smelter trust and the
advantages of operating r,ines and
smelter under the same general head
it is believed by a number of non'-
bers of the federation that thu time
has come for a distinct advance.
Men employed by Chicago res
companies struck because of the dis
missal of members of committee
who asked permission to organize a
union. A second committee was
then sent and the fate of this dele
cation was the same as the first. No
further committees waited on the
employers, but in open meeting it
was announced that unless the dis
cha~oe" rnen We're reinstated and the
right of the laborers to organize rec
ognized q general strike would fol
low.
D. R. Caldwell, president of the
board of. trade at Auckland, New Zea-
land who has been travelling in this