The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-12-17
REASONS WHY N|hkI
:. SHOULD never q :. .sCAB.
Existance Of Unions, Whether
One Is a Member Or Not,
Raises Standard Of
Work.
Certainty Of Regular Employ
ment More Assured BY In
telligent Organization.


ment More Assured BY In
telligent Organization.
That any man possessed of even a
small degree Of reasoning power should
be scab is inexplicable to any one,
and especially must be conundrum
to the man who employs and despises
him. He has only to compare his own
condition, though even that is better
by the existence OF unionism, with the
conditions under which a union man
works for the question to suggest it.
self to them, if self-interest is the
predominant trait Of his life His
wages Or his hours of labor, or both,
are not those of the union man, his
employment is no more regular and
he is an object of contempt in the
minds of all men, whether trade I'M
1onists or not. He is tolerated for the
service he renders, as was the unpro-
testing slave. Of former days, as is the
willing horse, the patient OK, or the
docile dog, occupying no higher place
In the esteem Of his 1naster-not so
high, for there was a right Of owner
ship claimed in the slave, and in his
case, as in the case of the horse, OK
and dog, illtreatment and neglect
meant a depreciation Of property. Be-
sides, in the case Of animals there is
that very human trait, pride of own
ership,'' which causes the owner to
view them with a sense of regard. But
who could take pride in that most ex-
ecrable travesties on manhood-a
scab?
Union Card an Advantage.
The non-unionist may fear that by
joining a union the steadiness Of his
employment may be jeopardized by
strikes. But that is not as probab
as that he will lose his job by the
un1onizing of the shop, in which event
he IS thrown out into the world with
out a certificate Of good character
whfc union card represents, with
out the assistance of friendly hands in
again obtaining employment, and
without the substantial financial re-
lief which all unions provide for their
members The only thing open to him
Is another unfair employer who wish
es to use him to break the power Of
the union until he can obtain con-
cessions, when, as his period of USE
fulness is gone, his services are again
dispensed with; for every employer
prefers union men, because Of their
superior workmanship and general
greater desirability, and few wish to
permanently employ scabs. Except in
very rare instances, the tenure of po-
sltion of the scab is much briefer than
that Of the union man..
Equal Rights in Union Shops.
In all union shops there are rules,
formulated and promulgated by unions
for the enforcement Of fair dealing be-
tween workmen and the respects Of
the rights Of each other which Is de-
manded and conceded between all fair
minded men, by which each has equal
rights and duties@ In scab shops it
is invariably the case that the foreman
has favorites to whom he shows favor,
to the disadvantage of others, by
which he enables scabs to scab the
other sca'bs. He gives the good work
and the easy jobs to his friends, who
usually have to buy his friendship,
while those who do not bask in the
sunshine of his favor get the undesir-
able jobs and the ohtre uncomfortab BILE
conditions which a scab foreman
knows so we'll how to deal out. In
the union shops the foreman is held
down by union rules, if he should have
a. desire to show favoritism, which
curb such tendencies and secure such
treatment of all as near as the i'm
Projections Of human nature can be
kept within bounds.
Union Man and Dues.
1t is true that the union man has
to pay dues to his union; but it is the
best-spent money which passes
through. his hands BY no union are
such dues made onerous-they rarely
equal the amount the average man
spends for tobacco. The scab pays no
union dues, but he is generally mulct-
ed by as ystem Of fines for violations
Of regulations made by the employer
with a view of having them violated
in order that the fines may be with
held from the pay Of the miserable
Wretches who are employed under con-
dlt1ons rendering their imposition pos
slole-and these to an amount much
greater than any union would ever
dream OF levying in the shape Of dues.
The union man goes to his union
and assists in fixing the amount that
he shall pay as dues, thus taxing him.
self. while the scalb must submit to
whatever extortion his employer
chooses to impose upon him.
Union Supports the Needy.
When the union man is out of en-
ployment his union provides him with
the necessaries Of life and assists him
In again obtaining work. When he is
sick there are willing hands to assist
In nursing him back to health and
FUNDS OF the union are used in provid-
ing for him and his family until re-
turning health, or in the event Of his
DEATH in furnishing him with decent
burial and his family with the means
of living until they are able to make
provision for themselves. When the
scao loses his job-which may be at
any time that a meaner scab comes
along and offers to do the work for
less pay-there is no helninr hand A.