Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-18
THE EMPLOYERS SIDE.

THE EMPLOYERS SIDE.
"WASHINGTON, d. c., July II, 1907.
"To the Employers Association OF the
Building Trades of the District of Co
Iumbia. 1888 G Street n. w, Washing
ION. d. C.
"Gentlemen: Absence from the city has
prevented an earlier reply to your letter of
the 9th of June. giving your statement of
the condition of the building industry in
the District of Columbia and requesting my
sympathy and approval of your position.
l have always hesitated to take sides In
controversies between employers OF labor
and ahor unions however much my sympa-
thies NAV have inclined to one side or the
other by reason of special circumstances In
any particular case. believing that the par
ties more directly concerned could, unaided.
work out more satisfactory settlement of
their own disputes. The you describe,
however, presents facts and conditions
which, so far as ] remember. have not &C
Companed any previous disagreement be
tween employers and organized labor in
this District.
Subjects of Disagreement
1T is represented that some important
subjects OF disagreement between the
Plumbers Union and the master plumbers
were submitted to arbitration about q year
ago resulting in a decision by the arbitra
tors sustaining the contention of the master
plumbers that this decision. which recog
nzed the right of the master plumbers to
employ nOn-unon plumbers was not ac-
copied by the Plumbers Union and other
unions in the building trades. Whereupon a
second arbitration was had. and 1t was
again decided that the master plumbers
might employ nOn-uniOn men should they
decide to do so.
If the foregoing correctly states the
points in dispute and the decisions of the
arbitrators IN the matter, the course of the
Dor unions in refusing to abide by the ar
bitraton appears to be without Justification
and should be condemned by all Just men.
The right of workngmen to organize for
the Improvement of their condition. to
cure Just compensation and reasonable hours
is SO generally recognized and its exercise
encouraged by all intelligent people. wheth-
in the ranks of labor or not, that when
ever strike has taken place to secure any
of these objects which was not violation
of an existing contract pr excessive and un
reasonable in its demands the sympathy of
the public, who in the end has borne the in
creased burden of cost. has. almost without
exception, been with the strikers.
This sympathy, so generously given, has
been misinterpreted and misunderstood by
many labor union men, and has encouraged
them to engage in sympathetic strikes
strikes to limit the number of apprentices
In the several trades and against the en-
ployment of non-union men. With such
strikes the general public has had little or
no sympathy. Nor has 1t had any SYM
pathy In the arbitrary rules of the labor
unions which limit the amount of labor the
most capable man may perform to the
standard of the least efficient man. or with
other harsh and unreasonable requirements
which result in largely increased cost of
construction without any substantial bene-
tit to the laborer. ultimately checking the
amount of building and in the end caus
Ing great loss to laborers, employers and
owners.
Abridgment of Rights.
The establishment and enforcement of
any arbitrary rule of conduct which denies
the common right of every American citizen
TO work for whomsoever and at what wage
he pleases, of an employer to exercise
his own Judgment and pleasure in employ
ing such persons as may be willing 70 work
for him. is wrong in principle and can never
receive the approval of right-thinkng men.
IF the labor unions insist upon enforcing
such unjust and intolerable rules with all
their evil consequences. upon the rest of
the people they will lose all the sympathy
and support they have ever had outside of
their own ranks and In the end bring about
their own downfall. The refusal to abide
by the decision of the arbitrator is a d.
rect blow at arbitration, which has been
growing rapidly in public favor in recent
years as means of settling labor disputes.
and Will have strong tendency to impair
public faith In It's practicability for that
purpose. 1t goes without saying that any
party 10 an Arbitration VINO refuses 10 ABIDE
by II Is guilty of highly dshonorable con-
duct. and justly forfeits thereby all claim
upon public sympathy and support The
labor unions are aware of this. and as the
only means of escaping the penalty deny
emphatically that the question of the open
shop was ever submitted to arbitration by
them and they sIOutly maintain that II
never Will be left 10 arbitration. They de-
clare with great earnestness that the open
shop IS the one question that never can be
left to arbitration: that 1t must go. and thai
the unions will stand or fall on that issue,
contracts or no contracts
Time for Careful Thought.
''If. then arbitration can never be sue
cessfully invoked a means of deciding
that important question. 1t Is time for the
general public. who IN the end must bear
the burden TO carefully consider the full
meaning of this declaration. If the open
shop must 20 1t involves in its place an alb
solute monopoly of labor in all branches,
since no non-union man will be able to find
employment. With every avenue TO en-
ployment outside of the union closed
against him. his natural right of selling
his own time and labor TO whomsoever he
chooses and at such price as his skill will
command taken from MIN, he becomes a
subject of an autocratc and irresponsible