New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-15
AN EMPLOYERS UNION.

The plan TO form a federation Of employers
for the purpose of protecting the rights and In
terests of It's members against bad faith and
extravaganza demands on the part of labor
unions is an interesting industrial Development
II may not proceed far. but at present the
movement appears 10 have enlisted strong sup
mort from many quarters, and the consequences
NAV be exceedingly important 1t will scarcely
be denied that employers are at liberty to COM
bine for such purpose If they see fit. A merg-
ing of capital in trusts may result in procedures
obnoxious to the law. but such combinations
are not necessarily, or, indeed, presumpuyeiy,
Illegal Similarly it is conceivable that union
Of employers might in the course OF time take
on form and perform acts which would COM
mel an effort to bring It under restraint, but
nothing of that sort is at present contemplated.
The object Of the employers in the building
trades who have initiated the union movement
and of others whose natural sympathies may
lead them to join it is to regain and maintain
control Of their own business. OF late they
have been attempting to carry out contracts
under conditions intolerably precarious- One
Of the organizing committee said yesterday:
Here in New-York we had no sooner satisfied
..the structural iron workers than we had the
striking carpenters on our hands Then came
satbe teamsters with their impossible demands
After them the bricklayers. Where would IL
lend if we met them one by one and tried 10
satisfy themT The matter Of wages is not the
fundamental issue. In some cases it might be
conceded that an increase Of wages was reason
able In most cases employers believe that
wages are at least high enough, If not too high,
the vicissitudes Of industry and the lasting wei
fare of labor being fairly considered. But the
trouble lies deeper than rates Of pay. 1t mainly
consists in the fact that man making con-
! 40 oofh holm
to carry it out except at loss, if at all. There
is no basis on which contingencies can be cal
culated. He may strictly keep every antece-
dent agreement and yet suddenly find the work
held I'D pending his compliance with conditions
unheard of before and arbitrarily created. In
/ deed it has gone so far that his operations may
| be stopped by one union because he is On GOOD
| terms with another, while at the same time the
| former has no complaint TO make against him
| In respect TO hours wages or any other condl-
| ton Of employment II is this modern inVen-
| ton of jealousy and pickering among the labor
unions themselves which as in the case OF the
new Union Club building and the repairs on the
| White House at Washington, has unnaturally
| multiplied the uncertainties Of the trade and
produced extreme evaporation among its limo
| cent victims.
There are labor unions which keep faith, with
| which business can be done. perhaps on hard
| terms yet safely. There are others whose
| agreements are worthless under pressure, and
we fear they are in a majority. Employers
| Justly declare that such state of affairs can
not continue indefinitely; that they must not
| only know where they stand today, but be able
| 10 calculate with some approach TO accuracy
where they viii stand month or three months
| hence. No degree Of prosperity can endure the
strains and dislocations resulting from the
present temper and methods of labor. Indeed,
the essential foundations Of all prosperity are
| threatened when a normally legitimate business
degenerates into process Of gambling on what
wOrkmen may choose TO do. Labor organizes
freely and without reproach. On the whole,
thus far II has served itself well In that way,
and all intelligent aid humane persons rejoice
In the advancement II has achieved. There are
ominous signs at present that It is taking the
wrong road. The formation Of q national fed
Grafton Of employers under the auspices Of the
Building Trades Association testiies to strong
and prevalent belief that such IS the fact. The
next steps in the tentative movement for de-
fence Will be watched with keen interest.