The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-03-24
DICTATES OF
THE OPEN SHOP
Robs the Workers of Their Freedom
to do Anything But Slaves For
Masters.

We are perfectly willing that those
of our workers who so desire shall be-
long to the union,'' say seemingly gen.
erous employers, but we will not deal
with the union leaders nor discriminate
against workers who do not Join the un-
ION. We do not wish to be dictated to
by the union, and we sympathize with the
liberty loving employe who has the same
feeling. We will employ workers with
out regard to their religious, economic or
industrial affiliations
This subtle appeal to the American love
of fair play and independence is apt to
make converts among those who have not
studied the practical working out Of the
tehory of the "open shop
The worker who joins the trade union
does os i'll order that he or she may not
be absolutely 'dictated to- about wag-
cs, hours of labor, sanitary conditions,
etc., but may be able to arrange through
proper representatives fair business
agreement, made secure by signed con-
tract legally binding to both employer
and employed.
The worker who does not join the uni
on, on the other hand, signifies his will
lingncss to be "dictated to'' by the en-
pfoyers 30 tef1ns of 1abor---ter1rs sub
Ject to changes over night with no legal
redress for overtime, bad sanitary condi-
tions, low wages and unfair and rude
treatment.
Is it not plain to the most casual OBJ
server that in shop where the non union
worker is willing to leave all questions
regarding terms of work to the final au-
tnority of the firm, and the union work
er is unilling to do so, the non union
worker will be favored, and the unionist
must either yield to non-union terms or
else be supplanted by another non union
worker who will accept then7 The much
talked of liberty of the individual
worker - in the open shop is thus shown
to be the liberty to work under terms
which are decided upon by the employers
alone and 'dictated to- the employed.
The hero or heroine who is union
ist on principle, fighting for the right of
en- shop, is harder to find than the pro-
verbal needle in the haystack. The real
on-unionist is the ignorant, cowardly or
desperate worker who does not dare to
join the ranks of the social-spirited work
ers who are struggling to elevate the whole
of society by abolishing child labor,
sweatshops, tuberculosis tenemcnts and
the other fundamental evils of our pres
cnt so-called civilization. The only free
dom the non union worker enjoys is the
freedom to break down the good condi-
tions which have been secured by trade
unionists through generations of self-sac-
riicing effort--the only right in which he
is secure is the right to trust his own well
fare and that of his fellow workers abso-
lutely to the mercy of his employers.
The closed shop is the only shop whera
reasonable business terms can be agreed
upon byN proper representatives of both
capital and labor. 1t has been happily
named by Miss Jane Adams 'tThe Con-
tract Shop. This issue of the ''closed' -
or ''contract shop is the issue which
manufacturers refuse to arbitrate. Sure
ly, public opinion must continue to sup
port those workers who are standing for
the right of the workers to secure fair
conditions through trade agreement in
'fcontract shop.