The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-07-20
Fully 10000 Men Are Out Of
: Work Because of Oomplete Tie
Up on Two Main Ore Docks in
Duluth and Two Harbors. :.
Strikers are Unorganized- Rail
road Officials Claim They Made
Agreement on Wage Scale at
Opening of Season. n:
Had Such Contract Been Made
With a Trade Union It Would
Have Been Sacredly Adhe::: :.
to. Lesson in the strike. j'>---

TO- Lesson In the strike,
'nere Is a strike on at the ore docks
of the Duluth. Missabe and Northern
railway at Duluth, and the Duluth and
Iron Range railway at Two Harbors
which Is attracting the attention of all
Head of the Lakes people because Of
Its probable serious effect upon the
business Of the community. r. >
The ore handlers of Duluth inauRur-
ated the strike for an increase OF OK
cents a day in wages. It was quickly
followed by the ore handlers OF Two
Harbors. There is no trade union Or
ganization among either band of strik-
ers.
The interest of the Labor World in
the controversy amounts to more than
passing notice OF the strike It is true
that the men engaged are not members
of labor organization, but as they
have thus far conducted themselves so
orderly and law-abiding, their. cause Is
entitled to some consideration by all
people interested in the welfare Of the
city.
According to officials Of the railroad
scale of wages was agreed to at the
beginning o. the season with a COM
mlttee supposed to represent the men.
No contract was signed, but both par
ties appear to have acqulesced in the
wage scale paid by the company thus
far this season.
The men on strike deny any knowl-
edge OF such an understanding. They
claim that the hazardness Of their
work; its character, and the shortness
OF the season warrant the position thew
nave assumed. They cannot under
stand why they should be paid at the
rate OF 25 cents an hour, while men
engaged in loading lumber boats re-
ce1Ve 62h cents an hour, and men
working on package freight boats re-
ceive from 80 to 40 cents an hour.
They hold that theirs is by far the
hardest work, -.
Naturally a labor paper sympathizes
with all honorable efforts Of laborine-
men to better their &condi ition: -: ws
ant-to see-evar ing man tnE Dua
1uth receive the full share. Of the. pros.
perity Of the times. The big United
States steel corporation, which con
trolls the railroad companies involved
In the present trouble, is not doing
business close to the bread 1ine," Its
stockholders are not worrying over q
surplus earnings to care for them dur
ing the winter. They are not satisfied
with nominal profit upon their ac-
tual investment. The big corporation,
with Its multitude of interests, cannot
declare too large dividends to suit
them. So when workingmen ask this
corporation to divy up on Its big earn
ings, the poor fellows oughtn't to be
censured too severely, even il their
action does have some effect upon your
business.
After all isn't it a question of selfish
ness all around? The managers Of the
big corporation here want to make as
good showing as possible for their
stockholders. The merchants want to
protect their business, and 1t is much
easier to blame the strikers than it is
the corporation for the strike The
workin gman wants more money so
that he can live better and he cares
little for the welfare of the other
fellows, who he believes, care less for
him =: i
So. most union workingmen will
sympathize with the effort Of the strik-
ing ore handlers to get more wages,
while they might deplore the fact that
they are violating an implied contract.
This latter opens 9 new question, and
is another among many vindications ,of
the wisdom of doing things in confor-
nifty with recognized standards of
right and ORDER . -
The striking ore handlers are not
trade unionist-, and have no regularly
constituted organization. If they were
affiliated with the International trade
union IN which they are eligible, they
would not have beer allowed to pre-
cipitate a STRIFE, had they made an
agreement at the beginning Of the
season.
We are going to believe that the Of
ficials of the Duluth, Missabi and
Northern railway did make an agree
ment with certain persons. designating
themselves as representatives of the
employees on the ore docks, and We be-,
lieye too that such an agreement was
entered into in good faith by all par
ties at the conference, but tor whom
could the assumed representatives. Of
the men speak in the abssnce of an
organization to hold them together? = =
The representatives Of tho company
must now realize the futility of enter
ing into contract relations with an
irresponsible aggregation Of individ-s
uals. with no one bound in honor, or
in law. to etfsct specific performance
of such contracts. ~. ..=5. i y s,,ss
As it now stands. the company and
every industrial interest tributary
thereto, suffer from the suspension OF
work on the part Of these men. The,
public too suffer. Strikes are always.
far-reacning In their consequences.
The men themselves, suffer most Of All
in the deprivation Of wages. and con-
seqnent effect upon their earnings.
their Wives and their children. 1n this
day ana generation, no healthy labor
inx man can afford-a reckless expendi-.
sture cf his time in idleness and inac-' e
ton The entire body politic y In.