The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1912-11-15
WEAYERS TO
BRANCH OUT
sHINGLE WEAVERs WILL RE
QUEST A. F. OF L. FOR AN
EXTENSION OF JURTSDIC-
TI0N TO EMBRACE ENTIRE
TIMBER INDUSTRY.


If the American Federation of Labor
now in convention in the city of
Rochester N. Y, grants the request
of the International Shingleweavers'
Union Of America for an extension of
jurisdiction, the first step will be
taken towards an organization cam
paign unparalleled in the history Of
the labor movement of the Northwest.
President Brown of the Shingleweav-
ers will ask the executive council of
the A. F. of L. to grant to his organi-
zation the right to take in every
branch of the lumber and shingle in
dustry from the logger in the woods
to the man who last handles the fin
ished product as it is ready for ship
ment to the worlds markets. If the
A. F. of L. grants this right-and it
is believed that it Wilt will be
asked to assist in the organization of
the hundreds of thousands of unor-
ganized workers in the camps and
mills of the Northwest.
The plan proposed is in line with
the modern trend of unionism, i. e.,
the combination of the different
branches of an entire industry under
one central head. 1t does not mean
heterogeneous mass of workmen in
one union exactly The plan of Or
'ganization would very probably be
along the same lines as that of the
culinary crafts. These allied crafts
have one international head known as
the Hotel and Restaurant Employees
International Alliance and Bartenders
International League of America.
Under this international head are the
walters locals, Mattresses locals,
cooks locals and bartenders' locals.
These different branches of the in
dustry make their own bylaws, have
self-government, but always work in
harmony with each other and are sub
ject to the laws and directions of their
In towns where there
are not enough of one branch to main
tain a separate local, joint local is
established. In Everett the cooks,
walters and mattresses are in a mixed
local while in Seattle they have sep
arate locals
The logging and lumber industry
will naturally divide into several
branches. The loggers for instance
will have their own branch, the saw
mill workers theirs and the shingle
weavers theirs. All will come under
one international head with an eXecu-
tive board composed of representa-
tives of all branches of the industry.
Local autonomy will prevail on all
matters pertaining to the whole indus
try. In the matter Of agreements COW
ering wages, hours and general work
ing conditions, each branch will ne
gotiate with employer with the view
of protecting and meeting it's own
Darticular conditions. But there Will
he no conflicting agreements signed.
All agreements signed up by any or
all branches of the industry will be
made to expire on a given date. In
that last sentence lies the very kernel
of the whole agreement proposition
IF agreements are drawn to expire SIM
ulataneously, it can be readily seen
that there can be no such disgraceful
scene as has been so often witnessed
in the labor movement, i. e., one
branch of an industry on strike while
another branch of the same industry
helps to break the strike by continu-
ing at work.
In the event that the necessary con-
sent to enlarge jurisdiction is given
to the shingle weavers by the A, F. OF
L.. the matter will first go before the
annual convention of the weavers to
he held in Portland, Ore, next Janu'
ary. and if approved there, to the gen
eral membership for approval by rel
erendum.
IT is estimated that in Oregon
Washington and British Columbia
there are 100000 men engaged in the
lumber and shingle industry in all It's
branches. The merest handful of that
body of men have the protection OF
an organization today. What an or
ganization of this great industry
would mean to the labor movement OF
this country and to labor conditions
we leave for future articles to deal
with. Sufficient to say at the present
that the possibilities potent in sucn
an organization startle the magma
ton.