The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-04-22
ORIGIN AND HISTORY.
!. Of THE UNION LABEL
Adopted in 1868, 1ts Popularity
Has Grown and Now Thou
sands Demand It.
Excludes Inferior Worker and
Goes Before Public With
No Taint to Mar It.

. .
In an article on the future weapons
of organized labor in the International
Bookbinder. Robert Glockling gives
some interesting facts concerning the
origin of the union label. He writes:
mo sign Of a trade union label can be
found by the writer earlier than 1874
1t appears to be wholly of American or
igtn, nor Is any evidence at hand that
unions. except in the United States and
Canada, showed any special interest in
it until 1893. in which year the Trade
Union and Cooperative Congress of
Great Britain gave it attention. Re-
ceiving favorable recognition it was a.
dopted and is now. used by the felt
hatters Of England.
THE chief reason for it's adoption
here Is doubtless in the intenser and
more embarrassing forms of competi-
tion under which labor unions suffer.
Many devices, both good and bad, to
which the american trade union has
been driven, find their. origin in the
exigencies Of a severer competition.
"All a priori theories of liberty and
actual competition of different stand
ards Of living in a. common market.
The Australians were powerful enough
practically to exclude: the yellow race.
The people there. as in England, are
overwhelmingly Of the same race. This
fact makes the competitive struggle re-
latively a simple one. The attempt to
understand the American trade union
is incomparably more perplexing be-
cause of the effects. The constant
pressure through immigration of null
titude Of half skilled laborers, repre-
senting far lower standards Of life and
tagonism, has driven the trade union in
this country to catch at every weapon
| of defence.
Its first appearance was in Califor-
| MIA during the sand lot agitation a.
gainst the Chinese. The Burlingame
!! treaty with China was. concluded on
July %, 1868. 1A.AStiele S both coun-
tries cordially recognize the inherent
right of man to change his home and
allegiance and also the mutual ad-
,vantages Of the free migration and EN-
| igration Of their citizens and sub1scts
lrespectfully from one country to: the .
other 3of
trade OF Of permanent residents.
This hospitable mood was of short
duration. In the same year II ,0S5 Chi
nese landed on the Pacific coast. In
1872 a San Francisco firm Of cigarmak-:
ers took on a. rs,,s s6sE=SE Chinese. The
number which upssto that time came
into direct competition with the work
of any trade union must have been
slight, except perhaps with the cigar
maker, yet, as with the then 'insignifi-
cant product Of prison labor, it aroused
made cigars. The California cigarmak-
ers first struck,vEsbm how should
sympathetic public know which were
coolie made cigars and which the pro-
duet of American labor, with its SUPER
ior standard? To meet this practical
difficulty label was adopted. =.
THE apparent success of the label
among the cigarmakers raised the ques-
ton of it's adoption. with other unions
in 1883, and in 1885 It was adopted
by that powerful organization, the hat
ters. c..
I'm 1868 the label was adopted by
the ready made clothing trade, and
from then on it has, been adopted by
many trades. -. -
1.-THE latest phase ofs,the label craft
is that which presentssa group Of in
dustries, such as the allied printing
trades label, which conveys to the buyer
of the finished article, the guarantee
that not only the printer, but also the
pressman, bookbinder, stereotyper-in
fact, all branches through which the
article has passed in the course Of its
production-have enjoyed fair .condi-
tions. Similar devices are in use by
the woodworkers; also the metal trades.
The last to fall in line, believe, is
the building trades, adopted at the last
convention.
"On its theoretic side the label stands
primarily for better pay and improved
conditions OF labor. 1t practical and
immediate purposes are, of course, to
strengthen the union: The label Is the
chosen symbol of work" done under
union conditions.
THE label brings us to the union
when 1t is in another mood, and we
find it, peace-loving association, bent
upon improving society through tmprov-
ing the condition sof work among its
own members. 1t is an enthusiastic
reformer. None ever fight, with 80 much
fervor as those who fight for ideals.
1.-The label has resulted from that
steady constructive. effort towards Inn
provement which is carried on by wage
earners through the many months or
years when they are not at war It
has great interest for all who love fair
play, self-help and equal chances for
all. It's capacity for affecting trade
seems likely to produce rapid changes.
and consequently the principal labels.
how they are applied. Just what they