The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1904-05-20
UNION STORE.
st. Louis Retail Clerks
Union.

Nearly every big store in st. Louis
and there are many BIS. stores-show
this pretty little sign prominently III
the front windows. 1t may be seen on
every side, and that the retail clerks
appreciate their strength, and that the
public is benefited, is gidenced by the
fact that nowhere in America are pa
irons treated with more courtesy; no.
where is the service better, and no.
where is stranger Sleeted more
kindly and waited on with more skill.
st. Louis is thoroughly union. The
St. Louis public insists upon unions m
This was discovered by the ST. Louis
Rapid Transit company several months
ago when 1t undertook 10 break up the
Street Railway Employees Union. The
general public refused to patronize the
trolley cars, and the cabmen reaped a
harvest. The street railway people
came to time. The tcamsters struck
for better pay and shorter hours. and
the imported strike breakers found
themselves drawing pay and doing
nothing. Every available horse, mule,
cart dray. wagon and blackboard was
pressed into service by union team
sters. and the bosses saw their profits
fading away. The public insisted on
having union teamsters. aid the team
sters soon won their contention.
The newspaper stories of rioting
during the teamsters and street rail-
way strike were grossly exaggerated
A few hotheads threw some stones
and once or twice concerted attacks
were made on strike br akers, but the
officials of the unions refused to star
by the rioters and lent every assist
ance to the police in preserving order
Tie unions won out by having pubic
sentiment behind them. The editor of
The Wageworker talked to a member
of one of the largest retail firms IN
St Louis-in fact. one OF the largest IN
the country. He freely admitted that
the retail clerks union had been of
mutual benefit. The members of the
union were spurred to better efforts:
the employers could deal directly with
committees representa-" the employees
instead of trying to deal with thou
sand separate individuals.
I'VE opposed the union idea at the
start he said. land even went so far
as to post notices that we would dis
charge any employe who joined. We
were compelled by public sentiment
and by business reasons TO submit
Now we insist that every new employe
shall become member of the union.
1t has been beneficial to our business"
Last Tuesday party of twenty or
thirty Nebraskans were making the
rounds. A big shoe manufacturing
company of st. Louis has complete
plant in operation, showing the entire
process of making shoes. The Ne
braska crowd started with the man
who cut the leather and followed that
particular bit of leather until it came
out in the finished shoe A man went
along explaining each process. When
the shoe was complete the editor of
The Wageworker innocently asked:
where is the machine that puts on
the union label?'
I'VE do not use the label. sir, said
the guide.
u "Good-bye.' said the editor, start
ing away. And the entire Nebraska
delegation followed. leaving the guide
staring into vacancy.
NThere is a too general public un-
eoefstanding that labor unions are CT
ganized merely for the purpose of fore
ing employers to pay higher wages.
Careful investigation OF the facts at
st. Louis disprove this iuea. The car
penters' scale in st. Louis today is no
higher than in the average city of $780,
600 or more. Yet the demand for CAL
penters is enormous and every good
one draws far more than the seal
But the sight of that little card.
neatly framed and appearing in nearly