The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-01-21
TRUTH " ABOUT THE open :.
SHOP IS CROPPING OUT
AS a Matter of Fact There Is
No Such Thing as q Closed
w.: Shop.
The Trade Union Shop Is the
: Most Securely Of the Open
Shops.

If those justice-loving citizens who
are not direct employers Of labor, but
who think they sympathize with. the
Parryites and others of his class in
their demand for the "open shop"
would study the question for five min
utes, they would withdraw their SYM
pathy, says the New York Journal
The question is a simple one, and not
hard to ana1yze if one approaches it
from the proper side.
In the first place, it is agreed by all
fair-mineded persons that the work.
ingmen have the right, legally and up
the CLOSED shop" is only another name
for the union shop. AS matter Of
fact there is no such thing as CLOSED
shop" All union shops are open to
workmen who subscribe to union prin-
ciples.
If unions have the right to exist they
have the right to prescribe conditions
under which they will work collective
~, just as the members have the right
to do individually. Where one Of the
conditions prescribed is that only men,
admit non-union men to such employ
ment would not only be compromising
with union principles and policies, but
would be detrimental to the cOntinu-
ance OF success Of unionism.
So realyy the so-called "open shop"
Is shop in which the union is not
recognized by the employer, and the
union might just as we'll not exist at
all, in so far as that shop is concerned.
When you have fully absorbed that
that thought you will have taken a
strong draught of "the milk in the CO.
coanut;" you will realize that the Par
ryites do not want what you, reader.
believe is an open shop" but an out
and-out non-uniOn shop. They want to
drive out and destroy unionism be-
cause it is the one thing that makes
the greedy boss treat his employees
fairly and decently.
But" you say, chose bosses are
| willing to employ union men as we'll
as non-union men; they object only to
| being compelled to employ union men
exclusively"
That sounds we'll, when taken alone;
| but it doesn't harmonic with what
you have already recognized as truth.
Remember labor has the right to Or
ganize; it has the right to do collect
| lively what each Individual member has
! the right to do. Remember that after
| half a century of hard struggling,
sition, and that the conditions of Ia
Dor have been intellectually benefited
! by the sacrifices and hardships en-
| dured by the pioneers Of unionism
Remember that wages are kept up and
the hours Of labor kept down by the
unions, and that the non-unionists are
greatly benefited thereby, though they
pay nothing in service or money, TIC
support these improved conditions.
Union men are allowed to work only
under wage and other conditions as
| prescribed by their respective unions
| IT., non-union men are receiving the
same they are receiving those things
to which they have no right. # they
are working under conditions. less fav.
orable than their union shop-mates
they must certainly, in time, under
mine the latter. Therefore, how cal
union men, in justice to themselves
approaching what the union. has done
for them, consent to work with me1
who allow themselves to be used as {
club to destroy unionism?