The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-02-19
LETTERS FROM !.
+ A WORK NGMAN

Why shouldn't workingman have
as much right as anybody else to
have a minimum rate of wages? The
doctors get together and decide what
shall be the least amount for which
they will make a call. The coal deal
ers agree on uniform price. The
same thing is true of practically
every business in the country. Even
some preachers organizations will
not install a minister unless the con-
gregation promises to pay him their
union rate of wages. Why doesn't
somebody set up howl on some of
these folks? Why does everybody
Jump on the labor union when it SIM
ply follows the examples of those who
are supposed to know better?
Same thing with limiting the out
put" How often do we get slammed
on this, question. Why doesn't the
country lump on the coal operators
who deliberately decide at the begin
ming of the season just how much
coal is to be mined, SO that they may
regulate the price? What about the
owners of steel plants and other great
corporations who do just as they
choose about such matters? Nobody
seems to care very muck about what
these people do, but the whole crowd
will throw it into the workingnlan
when he tries to make fight for a
decent living. The corporations do
these things so that they may get a
bigger profit. The workingman seeks
to regulate his craft so that he can
make both ends meet.
They call us trust. How can an
organization be trust when we are
all the time after new members, try
Ing to get every man in the craft to
join us, and sometimes lowering or
cutting our initiation fee altogether in
order to make it easier for him to do
so? A trust is exclusive. It's a close
corporation. Our union is wide
open institution, whose doors are
closed only to incompetent, immoral
and disreputable characters.
Then they say that we are insisting
on a. "closed' shop. There's quite a
difference between a closed shop and
union shop. AS matter of fact,
when the average employer runs a
so-called "open" shop, 1t is actually a
CLOSED" shop to the trades unionist
because the boss will not employ a
union man. One Of the questions that
is asked every man who applies for a
job in most big shops is this: Are
you a member of labor union?" If
he Is, he steps down and out.
The day of individual bargaining
has gone by for most workingmen.
We prefer to do all our bargaining
collectively through chosen repre-
sentative who knows all about the
game, because he is specialist on
that sort of DEAL He knows the
tricks that are commonly practiced
on workingmen, so that he can prop
erly represent our interests. He goes
to the boss and makes him propO-
sition that the union which he rep
resents will furnish him with compe-
tent men. These men are to work so
many hours per day, and all other de-
tails are to be settled by mutual
agreement. Our business agent can
control the men in his organization.
They will abide by the contract which
he has made. We cannot control the
men who are outside our organiZa-
ton, so that we ask the employer to
employ only our men, in order to have
perfect harmony. If these outside
men will agree to make the same
contract that we have made with the
boss, they come in on the same terms
We ask no more Of them than we are
willing to do ourselves.
I'll admit that it isn't square deal
to force man into the union if he
feels that he doesn't want to join. But
II he will not come in then he has no
right to the benefits which come as
the result of our fighting and sacri
fees. Many workingman who says
that he has conscientious scruples'
against joining the union simply
means that he is against paying dues
and assessments for thing which he
believes he will get anyway, because
the other fellows will do the fighting
for him. l call that a snide game.
It's all nonsense to say that the
bosses would have advanced us WIN.
out the help of the union. They don't
do things that way. Some of lnem
would, if they could, but unless the
bosses as a class were compelled to
do so the better type of employers
would find it hard to compete with
the fellows who declined to advance
wages and other privileges. AS it is
under the union rules; they are all
On a common footing, and they know
just what every other employer is
compelled to pay his men, unless
there are special reasons why he may
pay more or less, but in such a case
the thing is balanced up in some other
way, so that they are still in the same
class. Our plan really protects the
man who wants to do the square
thing by us.
But about this whole business oil
Judging labor unions-why does
everybody gauge us by our worst
points, whereas they themselves ex
pect to be judged by their best;
Folks don't treat any organization as
they do ours, in this respect. It's
hardly square dear When the av
erage man thinks of the labor union
his mind runs at once to the last
union smuggling" story reported by g
sensational newspaper, which, in al
probability, was greatly exaggerated
and for which organized labor does
not at all stand