Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-07
Recognition of the Trades Unions
%By Hon. CaronD. Wright United States Commissioner Of Labor, in Golfers weNy+

In nearly all the recent labor disturb
ances the public has heard much Of the de-
mand Of trade unions for their recognition
by employers, but the public understands
one thing by recognition and the u~nionists
another. The popular impression is that
the demand simply relates to the recogni-
ton of the existence Of the union by the
employers; that the employers shall treat,
by argument, reasoning and other methods
with the committees Of the union when the
question OF wages or other conditions OF
labor are involved, and. further, that the
employer shall make no objection to his
employees organizing into a trade union. II
this were all. there would be little or no
difficulty In the demand.
The union, on the other hand, insists that
recognition means a trade agreement with
It. by which the union shall take part in
fixing the conditions. and. to a certain ex-
tenn. shall dictate the terms, under which
labor is employed. AS Mr.. Gompers, the
president of the American Federation Of
Labor, announced during the hearings OF
the Anthracite Coal Strike commission,
recognition Of the trade union means enter
ing into trade agreements with II, and this,
It must be conceded. is practically what
the trade union means by recognition when
1t demands 1t of the employer.
The question arises at once whether this
recognition. as interpreted by the union,
means the welfare of both the wage re-
ceivers and the wage payers. Fortunately,
II is no longer a question of theory or a
proposition for something new, for 1t has
been thoroughly tried, and on the whole,
with great success. Here and there, there
have been some failures, some misunder-
standing of the terms of the agreement,
and in a very few instances their violation,
but, as a rule, trade agreements entered
into between employer and employees have
been religiously adhered to by both parties.
A trade agreement, such as is under con-
sideration, is an agreement of specifications
entered into between a company or other
employer, and the union comprising the
employees of the employer, under which all
the terms OF employment are clearly de-
fined after due and careful consideration
by committees of the union and of the en-
ployer, and this agreement is generally for
a term of years. or, as is generally the
case In this country, for one year.
The inherent difficulty which arises when
trade agreements are suggested, lies in
the fear on the part of employers that the
union is not n can not be responsible
in damages for any violation of the com.
pact. and yet experience shows that with.
out this responsibility the unions have, as
has been said, almost universally adhered
to the terms of the agreements, A notable
instance OF this occurred last year durins
the anthracite coal miners strike, wher
the United Mine Workers of America con,
sidered in their convention at indianapolis
the question of whether they would con.
tinue under the agreement which they haC
already made with the bituminous opera,
tors, and when the vote was unanimou,
that the agreement should be adhered t.
and all its terms carried out.
Another difficulty which arises when sucl
an agreement Is proposed. is the fact tina,
some portion of the employees are not mem