United labor bulletin., 1912-11-28

McEIwain Co. VS.. Organized Labor.
The strike at the Bridgewater, Mass,
shoe factory of the w. H. McElwain Co.,
which started March IL, 1912, still con-
tinues.
| For over seven months the strikers
have adhered to the cause for which
they struck, and have been supported
during that time by the strike benefit
provided in the constitution of this
union, besides receiving some financial
support from the local unions in the
nearby union shoe towns.
If only the loyalty of the strikers were
to be considered, the McElwain Co.
would be unable to make shoes in
Bridgewater unless they first settled
with our Bridgewater local, but in the
course of time they have been able to
secure a number of strikebreakers and
to make a semblance of manufacturing
shoes.
Meanwhile this union has paid the
constitutional strike benefit to the strik-
ers, and nearly every man who has come
out on strike has remained loyal to the
cause. In spite of the Establishments of
the company and the extra inducements
offered, the strikers have stood firm.
This organization is able, financially
and otherwise, to continue this strike
indefinitely and expects to do so.
We believe, however, that the time
has arrived when we should inform Or
ganized Labor in general as to the posi-
ton of the McElwain Co., in the shoe
world and as to the attitude of the Nc
Elwain Co. toward Organized Labor.
1t may not be generally known that
the McElwain Co. is, without a doubt
the second largest shoe manufacturing
concern in the world. being exceeded in
size only by the International Shoe Co.
of ST. Louis, the latter being a consolida-
tion of the non-union concerns of Rob-
erts, johnson and Rand Shoe Co. and
The Peters Shoe Co., both of that city.
The reason why the size of the Nc
Elwain would not be likely to be known
by the members and unions of Organized
Labor is that the McElwain Co. have
sold their product to the wholesale shoe
houses and the shoes have then been
shipped to retail dealers under the trade
marks and names of the wholesalers,
thus concealing or covering up the iden-
tity of the McElwain Co. as producers of
the goods.
Apparently for the purpose of making
this avenue of distribution more secure,
the McElwain Co. have in recent years
been acquiring a controlling interest in
a number of wholesale shoe houses, thus
insuring that no goods would be allowed
B.
though each of such houses still con-
tinues an apparently independent busi-
ness existence.
For these reasons the consumer of
shoes does not know the McElwain Co.
at all, though they make more shoes
than any other concern in the world
save one. Up to the present time the
McElwain Co. has practically confined
it's production to shoes for men and
boys, but it is rumored that they will
soon manufacture womens and misses
a report that seems plausible because
of their control of numerous wholesale
houses.
1nasmuch as the volume of their i'm
mense business is done on mems shoes
to retail at from $500 to $4.0O, it is evil
dent that their shoes must be sold ex-
tensively by great many retail shoe
dealers and that they must be worn by
a great many wage earners, and every
time pair of their shoes is purchased
employment is given to non-union shoe
workers and aid and sustenance is given
to a large and wealthy corporation that
is an uncompromising enemy of Union
Labor
The present strike originated in the
refusal of the McElwain Co. to treat
with a representative of the union. the
connany offering to deal with employees
Individually or through a jug-handled To-
cal arbitration scheme in which the COM
panv named the controlling arbitrator in
advance.
The unfairness of the McElwain Co
proposition is proved by the fact that
they refused the proposal of our Bridge
water local union to leave the dispute
TO be decided by the Massachusetts,
State BOARD of Arbitration Our mann.