The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-08-27
WHAT THE
TRUSTSLIKE
They Desire Employees
to Bid Against Each
Other For Work

the American Sheet and Tin Plate Com
pany, a subsidiary company of the
United States Steel Corporation.
That company has declared its in
tention to operate all its sheet and tin
mills non union, and at the same time
has posted new schedule of wages at
material reduction from the union
scale
The men in all the union plants, ex-
cept one, have refused to accept the
conditions and are now idle.
What the Trust Wants.
to attempt to operate its mills non
union the trust was actuated by the
one motive that prompts it's every
policy. 1t hopes to do this by making
itself the absolute dictator as to the
wages paid and the conditions that pre-
vail in all its plants. To do this it must
create condition that will prevent its
employees from having anything to say
as to what their wages shall be or what
conditions the work shall be performed
under. To create such condition
unionism must first be destroyed, hence
its "open shop (non-union) notice was
posted And for fear that you might
not understand the real purpose of it
the trust accompanied it with wage
reduction But the trust does not want
to have to force wage reductions be
cause both trusts and wage reductions
are unpopular with the people of this
trust ridden nation.
The trust has large number of sheet
and tin mills in excess of those needed
to fill its orders under normal business
conditions, hence some of them are ne
cessarily idle at all times.
The trust does not believe in or want
competition in its own business. 1t
prefers very much to have a monopoly
if it could. because monopoly is the goal
of all trusts. But the trust is a firm
believer in competition between its EN-
ploves. The trust has more mills than
it needs, hence it cannot give all its
employees in the sheet and tin mills
steady work. 1t has therefore decided
to have them compete for such work as
it has to be done. The competition
will be sharp and the lowest bidders.
will get the work That is they will
get the work so long as they remain
the lowest bidders. Under the trusts
program they will not remain the low
est bidders for a very long time. The
trust believes that starvation is great
incentive to the kind of competition it
likes. 1t will see to it, therefore, that
a number of its plants are idle for
long enough periods to sharpen com
petition for work
And who will profit by this system?
The trust, and nobody else
The trust cannot, and will not
guarantee any one steadier work. 1t
follows of necessity that the mills
will work no greater number of days
per week. 1t must then further follow
that the net yearly earnings OF the
men will be less and the trust will have
the difference in its pocket. By such a
policy of cut throat competition the
trust hopes to escape the public odium
attendant upon wage reductions by hav-
ing its idle, intimidated employees petit
ton for an opportunity to work at the
trusts terms, and at the same time
have uniformed business communities
credit to philanthropy, acts that were
prompted by greed.
False Promises.
With glittering promises OF STEADY
employment and better jobs the trusts
hirelings are endeavoring to get men
to operate its sheet and tin mills. Try
ing to get men to volunteer to serve
the trust in the capacity of clubs to
beat down their fellow -workmen and
themselves The trust is trying to sub
sidize, and to bribe men to assist 1t IN
its efforts to reduce more of its em-
ployes to serfdom or peonage. Too
many men have eaten of the dead sea
fruit that the trust has given for like
services in the past, and are failing to
respond. The trusts bribes are being
spurned by all except incompetents and
professional strike breakers.
The trust has only one hope left. The
men in non union mills.
With an over weaning confidence in
it's ability to deceive and dupe them
once more the. trust now depends on
the men in the non union mills to assist
il in forging the shackles of industrial
slavery on those who are struggling
to be free.
This Is the Non -Unionist's Struggle
This is the most important eontro
Al sha.4 apl lin worker