United labor bulletin., 1911-03-23
RAILWAY CLERKS
TO BE ORGANIZED
A. F. of L. Making Fight Against
Government.

Secretary Frank Morrison of the A.
F. of L. is sending out the following COM
munication to railway mail clerks. The
federation is making strenuous efforts
to organize the clerks and is being op-
posed by the postal department The
communication follows:
The officers Of the American Fedora
tion of Labor have issued a number of
charters to local unions of railway postal
clerks within the past four weeks, and
instructed organizers, at the various
terminal points, to form local unions of
your craft.
When a sufficient number of local
unions have been formed President Com
pers of the Federation will request them
to elect delegates to attend q convention
tor the purpose of forming a national or
ganization.
Since the first local union of railway
postal clerks was formed number OF
false and misleading statements have
been circulated, presumably for the pur-
pose of preventing the clerks joining
union with a Federation charter. shall
take up a few of the false and absurd
statements that have been circulated and
number them 1, 2, 3, and follow each
with an explanation and statement of
facts:
Statement No. l. If you join a union
affiliated to the American Federation of
Labor. you will be compelled to go on
strike to assist members of other unions
during the time they are on strike
Statement No. I is untrue The Fed
Grafton has no power to order strike
a national organization has complete
autonomys sover the conduct of its own
business. Such statement should not,
for a moment, be considered by rail
way postal clerk Why? Because aftili-
alton with the Federation will not re-
quire you to do anything that you would
not do if you were member of an indie
pendent union; because there are now
affiliated to the Federation the following
national organizations. whose members
are employed by the United States gov
eminent:
International Typographical union.
International Printing Pressmen's
union.
Stereotypers' and Electrotypers' union.
International Brotherhood OF Book
binders.
International Association of Machinists
Patternmakers league.
International Molders' union
International Brotherhood of Black
smiths.
brotherhood of Boilermakers.
Plate Printers union.
Steel Plate Transferrers' association.
Plate Engravers-
Postoffice Clerks.
In all the years the above organiza-
tions have been affiliated there has not
been strike of the members who work
for the government. Why? Because the
employees of the government, to bring
about a change in their conditions, must
do it by securing the enactment of new
legislation or more liberal administra-
ton: hence, the statement is a bugaboo
and used for the sole purpose of alarm
ing the railway postal clerks to the ex-
tent that they will not join union that
will be of benefit to them
Statement No. 2. The postoffice de-
partment is opposed to the clerks form
ing union with a charter from the
American Federation of Labor.
There is no foundation for this state
ment. The postoffice department has
never issued an order that the railway
postal clerks, or any other employees of
the government should not organize, and
become a part of the American Fedora
ton of Labor. II the statement was
true the postoffice clerks would not have
been permitted to form national or
ganization affiliated to the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor. The government OF the
United States recognizes the right of all
wage-workers to organize to secure i'm
proved COlultlOuS anu OeuSutS iuT tucltl-
selves. The fact that President Roose-
welt issued an order that employees of
the government should not petition SEN
ators and representatives to aid in en-
acting legislation that affected them
selves, and that such order has heen re-
affirmed by President Taft, does not
mean that the employees have not the
right to organize 1t simply means that
the employees of the government must
not bring to bear their personal influ-
ence upon the senators and representa-
tives to secure favorable legislation The
order of the president must be recog-
nized by government employees until such
time as the order is rescinded or a law
enacted granting to government en-
ployes the same rights enjoyed by other
citizens, the right to petition congress
for the enactment of laws that will rem
edy the conditions complained about. II
il is claimed that the railway postal
clerks are debarred from securing i'm
proved conditions by their own concerted
action. 1t can be readily seen that the
prohibition would be more effective in
an isolated body than IL the r. p C. had
a national organization AFFILIATED with all
organized labor of our country to the
American Federation of Labor
Statement No. 5. II you become a
member of union holding a charter
from the Federation. 1t will cost you $25.
or more. per year. and you will not be
able to secure any benefit
Statement No. 10 untrue. II you Join