United labor bulletin., 1911-06-22
UNORGANIzED CARMEN
Is LABOR'S FAILURE
LENGTH-0F-SERvIcE STAR is THE
SCARLET LETTER OF LABOR
MOVEMENT.


The street car men are unorganized.
These hundreds of men are morgan
lied because the representatives of labor
have failed in their undertaking..
They failed because it was the desire
of the company that failure should be
the result
And the failure was we'll paid for.
The Tramway company not only spent
thousands of dollars in placing detectives
among their men, but leaders in the labor
movement were dealt with-and failure
was the only possible result with such
organizers in charge.
After spending these thousands of dol
lars in the direction stated and the COM
pany had broken the backbone of the or
ganization scheme through purchase and
intimidation by the use of gunner who
threatened those leaders among the
Tramway boys that were true to their
undertaking and were called into the
company's office and were discharged, the
company voluntarily raised the wages of
the men and thereby forestalled their or
ganization.
But slight raise in wages is not all
that is desired by liberty-loving men in
America. Conditions have more to do
with making for happiness than all high
salaries.
Security in employment has more to
do with the peace of mind of the indi-
vidual than increase of wages that is OBJ
tanned merely to forestall organization.
The Tramway employees are kept NOV
ing-except for a few trusted ones that
have been rewarded for their betrayal of
their fellows in refusing to join their or
ganization when it was possible to effect
a substantial organization that would
give the men protection against the hired
spoilers that daily haunt the Tramway
crlr,a and >, rhnr
may occur in the intricate system of rules
laid down by the company.
That reward is STAR.
Every man you see on the Tramway
line with a star on his coat is a man who
refused to join the union or offered yalu-
able Information to the company in re-
gard to their fellow workers in connec-
tion with the organization.
The STAR to the company denotes
| loyalty; to the union man who believes
in freedom, in protection, in advance
ment, it means what the SCARLET LET
TER meant in the days of the Puritan.
But the men in the employ of the
Tramway company should not be
Stunned for this. They are intelligent
on an average with men employed on any
steel car line in the company.
Their faces show intelligence; but
their movements betray their enslavery
| by the company rules
What is needed is education to the
principles of unionism.
Recently slight work has been done
among the men to organize them, but
| this move is premature. campaign of
education should be started by an eff
cient organizer-that can be trusted; and
The Bulletin takes this opportunity to
remark that in n. R. Tustison organized
labor has such man
| After this campaign has been waged
sufficiently, the Tramway men should be
taken into the organization and should
be given numbers instead of using their
| names. BY pursuing this course greater
protection can be insured them against
detection and discharge by the company.
The course is proving successful in other
parts of the country where labor organ
izations are being fought
The charter of the old organization
still remains in Denver with a few mem
bers. and all that is needed is TO start
the campaign as outlined above
The Bulletin hopes that the organizer
will take cognizance of this great oppor-
tunity to better the labor movement.
To those men in the employ of the
Tramway company who wear the STAR
and who fight organization, and as food
for thought for those younger in the en-
ploy of the company. we call attention to
the following report of President Mahon
of the street car men as to what the or
sanization has done for its membership
since the first of April and up to the
sixth of June-a little over two months:
President Mahon reports that charters
have been issued at Abba. Iowa; Sara
toga Springs, n. Y, and Springfield. Mo-
Increases in wages and better working
conditions have been established as fol-
lows:
Shreveport. La. new local. secured in
crease of to cents per hour. minimum
run nine hours.
Butler. Pa. increase from l to cents
per hour, union shop, no tripper work
less than five hours; nine-hour day.
Salt Lake City, Utah. increase L cent
per hour all around, with same proper
tional increase for. track. shop and shed
men; time and one-half for track, shop
and shed men for overtime and Sunday
work. and two-year agreement.
Holyoke. Mass. renewal of contract
with general improved conditions: time
and half for overtime.
Cumberland. Md. increase of 10 cents
per day all around.
Winnipeg. Man. renewed agreement
with an increase of cents per hour for
coming year.
Meadville. Pa, received an increase OF
/ cent per hour all around
Peoria, Ill. increase OF from 1ie to
cents per hour and three-year agree
ment
Rochester. n. ". secured three-year
agreement and an increase of cent per