The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-01-13
WIVES Of UNION
Men Gan ASSIST
How Women Can Aid in the
Cause of Organized
Labor.
They Will Strike at the Root
of Industrial
Slavery. (.


of trades unionists is spent to pro-
mote and perpetuate non unionism,
to foster sweat shop conditions. keep
convicts lashed to toll and feed con-
victs, says C. J. McKerrow in Wood
Workers Journal.
Assuming that the majority OF un-
ion men in their direct purchases
take cognizance OF union labor by
insisting upon label goods, let us see
to what extent most men are pur-
chasers. An occasional suit of cloth
es, collar, shirt, necktie, shoes and
a shave will about conclude the nee
essaries to his personal appearance
of which he is the buyer. Cigars.
tobacco and other aids to sociability
are about all he buys of things not
exactly necessary, though good.
II he is an unmarried man he can
without any great effort spend most
all his wages with the exception of
the price OF his board for the above
named articles. If he is married, he
would like to. but can't. A family
man must manage to pass over the
greater part of his weeks wages to
his wife, to be distributed by her to
the butcher, the baker and candle
stick maker. She is the buyer for
the household, gives orders to the
storekeeper's driver at her door and
is the purchasing representative OF
the home in every department store
in teh land. If she says no, none
other than a union driver can deliver
an article at her home, whether it
be a pound Of meat or ton Of coal;
none but union clerk can serve her
in the store; she can demand and
get union made shoes, clothing, hats,
caps, brooms, bread, furniture and
all household necessities. She can
swell the membership of the Unions
now in existence and create new
ones and will be pleased to do so,
for her children's s sake, when the un-
ion man of the house educates her to
trades union principles.
This great purchasing power has
been and Is now applied with but lit
tie regard to the upbuilding of union
labor.
. To get the most for the dollar in
quality and quantity, with no
thought Of the, conditions. under
which the articles were produced,
has been he chief afIn al this frugal
housewife. BY this procedure she
and her husband are playing at coun-
ter purposes-he sspaying, dues and
assessments to and is> actually en-
gagged in the promotion. Of: unionism,
while she spends his wages to de-
feat this object.
The greater part of the earnings
of trades unionists is spent to hold
back, check and throttle the union in
striking blow at higher wages, the
shorter workday, happier homes and
Independent manhood for which the
union stands and to nourish, build
up and sustain the open shop, low
wages, convict labor, child labor, pov-
erty, ignorance and degradation, for
all of which non unionism stands.
The institution Of labor cannot
progress with the opposition of it.
self. If 1t cannot find friends with
in It's fold, it certainly cannot hope
to find them without We earnestly
urge the women members of our or
ganization to carefully apply them
solves to the work OF extending the
influence of trade unionism, to de-
nand label goods and union clerks
and to take a keener interest in the
affairs of our union. 1t Is suffering
for want of their cooperation and
can never realize It's ambitions with
out their active support.
The men of our organization
should endeavor to, interest their
wives and women folk of their homes
in the cause of organized labor, con-
vince them that to buy label goods
is the best economy, encourage them
to be union, builders, to enlist them
as their colleagues in constructing
an institution for a truer Christian
ity and better humanity.