The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-12-15
Dangerous Alliances
Against the Consumer.


States Circuit Court at Pittburg
against the Window Glass Workers
Union, asking an injunction against
the withdrawal of a recent wage
scale and against the expulsion OF
union men for working in the factory
of the Palmer Window Glass Com
pany, raises a most interesting and
Important question.
As is well known, TIE Window Glass
Workers association is one of the
most exclusive trade guilds in Ameri-
ca. 1t has been impossible for a
number of years for any young man
to learn the trade unless he possessed
special influence, such as being a son
or relative of a member.
The organization has gone further
and pooled its interests with the
manufacturers in a close combina'
tion which aimed not merely to con-
tiuue the workmeu's monopoly of the
skilled labor of the industry, but to
give the manufacturers a monopoly
on the manufacture of window glass
by preventing any skilled workmer
from securing employment in CON-
peting plants outside the trust.
This entire policy, as we understand
it, is involved in the Pittsburg suit
If the competing company can es
tablish its case, and there ought tC
be no very serious difficulty in doing
so, the Sherman antitrust law un
doubtedly applies both to the unior
and the manufacturers. In that
event, the combination becomes IL
, legal because in restraint of trade
and the monopoly for the time a
least will be broken.
The Importance of the Pittsburl
case Is not limited to the window
glass industry. 1t aims to establish
an Interpretation of the law which
will be OF the widest interest ant
value to the public.
The success of the window glas
combination between union and man
ufacturers has led to similar method
being introduced in other industries
A meeting will be held this week a
Chicago, the purpose of which is salt
to be close alliance between the BIZ
building contractors of the countr.
and their employees. In Chicag
such an alliance has existed for
year or more between coal companie
and their teamsters, and the cor
sumer has been compelled to pay eS
orbitant prices for fuel as result.
The proposed contractors pool i
to embrace eighty cities and tn
nine leading trade unions of tn
building business, whose aggregat
me m mbership is said to include 5000
men. A national structural trade
alliance has already been formed b
these unions. The contractors wi
form a similar organization, the
the two will regulate the busine;
and keep the price of building up
present levels.
The purpose of every such organ
zation is to destroy competition an
to maintain prices at a high leve
1t is a ''business" solution of th
labor problem which contemplate
higher wages for labor, larger profit
for capital and increased cost to I'll
consumer.
, We cite the Chicago meeting b
} cause it represents the present ev
luton of one of these monopolie
They exist to some measure in 9th,
Industries. Unless the courts step
and enforce the Sherman anti-tru
law against them, they promise
speedily grow into widespread orga
izations covering nearly every indu
try The result will be the crushiT
out of the unprotected and helple
consumer.
: For these reasons, the Pittsbul
suit is of far-reaching importanc
o Moreover, its outcome does not see
5 problematical. If there ever was
: combination in restraint of tra'
|, within the meaning of the anti-tru
laws, these alliances between orga
h lied capital and organized labor
maintain a joint monopoly clear
fill the descriptiOn.-O. S. Journal.