Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-24
EMPLOYER AND nmPLoYp.
A DispassionRte Review Of the situa-
tiOn NJ Omaha at Long Range.

scribers, a MANUFACTURED OF WOODEN goooa
and clothing. He says:
We have long been subscribers and read
interested A your editorials on the labor
the president Of the Omaha Central Labor
the Omaha Business Mems association, The
principal point we would call your atten-
ton 70 Is MT Bells statement that orgen,,
has taken that employers shall employ
only union men" To US this strikes at
been through. considerable labor trouble in
our business here, and demands were made
n 1Pian Us ss that we we T ascgnsd S .n employ Ply only
were able to maintain our position and TO
MI the places left vacant BY the strikers,
about l25, who went out and left us. Our
total number of employees is about $50.
NAV We w VII t,n this IL letter. iodI. II r h 6SspT .b nat yoT
as an idea for an editorial on this particu.
lar point. which we believe employers will
never yield to, except under pressure, and
then only so long as they are oblige to.
Undoubtedly the labor advocate referred
to by our correspondent is correct In hold
ing that the demand usually insisted upon
most strenuously by labor unions is that
OF exclusive employment OF union mem
bers, The hostility toward the nonunionist
and the "scab'' is so strong In this country
that It became q matter of surprise TO
the British labor delegates of the Mosely
Industrial commission during their recent
visit. The comparative equanimity with
which unionists In Great Britain look upon
nonunionists is partly explained by the
older and stronger position OF the unions,
and partly by the absence Of immigration.
But in America, where the unions are
mainly in the formative stage and where
race barriers Interfere with united action.
the nonunionist or ''scab'' Is an object Of
dread and enmity to the struggling union
lists.
The constitutions. the laws, the courts,
the employers, the press and indeed the
whole spirit Of American institutions are
undoubtedly opposed to the Discrimination
against nonunionists in securing and hold
ing employment. In the face Of this pre-
vailing sentiment the persistence Of the
unions in their a%ntagonism to nonunionists
must be explained by new economic con-
ditions which have arisen since the time
when the American sentiment of individual
liberty had become thus crystallized. For
1t cannot be explained by reference to a
spirit Of malice and jealousy-it must be
explained as a measure OF self-protection.
The objects OF a union are a minimum
wage, maximum hours and favorable rules
Of discipline. The conditions under which
these are secured require nrst Of all, that
they be assentcd to by all workmen in the
same competitive field. The employer who
pays lower wages than his competitors
under similar conditions will shortly force
them to his level of wages, or drive them
out of business. Consequently the union
must set the standard for practically every
employer in the same business, II 1t is ma
terialIy to raiee wages and shorten hours
~. ~-.-g.-A. H. -HAwrn that Af IL Aff
hcult and usually impossible TO set the
standard for each employer unless all OF
the men in his employment are members
of the union-i. e., unless the shop is q
union shop. Even one n%onunionist Is a
menace to the standard, since, II the en-
ployer is free to hire one he may hire two
or three, and may gradually displace the
union members. Concerted action OF the
workmen is prevented, since the %nonunion'
ist seeks favor with the foreman or en-
ployer, and cannot be disciplined by the
union for accepting less than the standarc
scale OF wages. The modern corporation,
with its hundreds of stockholders, acts al
one man through the manager. and only
when its thousands Of employees act as one
man through their business agent are tho
two parties on an equal footing. The mi
nority stockholders are compelled to aci
Win INC mdJcllIy Wy ~ ShoA "a
poration, and the minority workmen arr
compelled to do the same by the union
Just as the corporation could not affair
its ends II individual stockholders were al
lowed to sell It's product at prices less thar
those charged by the manager, so a unior
cannot maintain It's position II individua
workmen are allowed to sell their labor a.
wages less than those established by th'
union. In the one case corporation Law
secures uniformity, in the other case th'
trade union.
The experience of unions has taught then
that employers take every possible advan'
take TO break down the standards which
they struggle to maintain. Even where al
employer has their entire confidence the
know that employers and managers pas
away and that a successor may come II
to take advantage of any weakness in theii
armament. The policies Of unions canno
be understood unless account be taken o
this experience with employers. The weake
and younger the union the fresher is thei
bitter experience. 1t Is this state OF hos
tility that explains the insistence OF unions
on the exclusive employment Of unionists
and only when the time shall come tina
employer and employe shall have, perfec
b faith In each other will the union abandon
( this and other weapons OF the militan
/ stage.
A curious feature Of this problem 10 tn
large number Of employers who, after beinI
compelled t. u~nionize their shops, discov
cred that the labor question gave then
much less trouble than when they insisteI
on the open" shop. One employer VIII
won a six months strike in order to re
|, tain a few ~nonunion men was chagrlnel
, when they Joined the union n gave hin
! such trouble that he was compelled to dis
, charge them. Where the union is con
hdeht that the employer will not take ad
I, vantage OF them, as Is the case in a "unio.
shop" h join with him in disciplinin.
the unruly and inefficient workmen; bu
where they are continually hghting him
as in an open shop" they protect all o
their members whether efficient or not
! II they know that dismiss OF a unto
: man means only the employing OF anothe
! union man. they do not inquire into tn
+, reasons for dismissal. as they DO Whe
. It means the possible employment OF a non
unionist. When the employer has reache
the point where he recognizes the unto
E by dealing with It's agents, he usually hno
smoother sailing by going on TO the mex
point, where he instructs his foreman {
employ only union men. Very few en-
ployers would formally agree with a unio
to this, since II seems an infraction upo
, a --4..4,Vaa 81 Aunarfran HhaFfW hnt a