The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-02-10
LABOR NOTES OF
WIDE INTEREST

When a nation drills an army il
doesn't bunch" 10000 men in one gi.
gantic mob and teach them how TO keep
step and how to know other things
connected with military life. Instead,
we find small number of recruits placed
in charge of a drill master, and just as
fast as the would be soldiers acquire
enough knowledge, they are attached to
a company; regimental drills find the
increasing numbers ready to form a
brigade; then comes the divisions and
finally the monster army corps.
All through this chain runs the
| thought that the individual must first
be taught to act with few, and the
number increases as they become intelli-
gent and disciplined.
This illustrates the craft system of
unionsm, as favored by the American
1 Federation of Labor and which expert
ence has shown is best adapted to the
needs and life of American working men.
| Under craft unionism, men form small
groups called locals" or unions They
first learn to act and move together,
they acquire their first idea of indie.
pendenee, they find for the first time
in their lives that power gives them
confidence, and they begin lettering
shop conditions.
They interest fellow workers in near
by towns. They spread the thought
throughout the state, and finally a CON
vention is called and a national organ
ization is formed. Slowly, step by step,
and many times uneonsciously, the men
of this craft find themselves drifting
into more friendly relations with their
fellows in other crafts working in the
same industry. This is the logical re-
suit of organization. In time these
crafts get together and form what is |
called department" These organiza-
tions give each craft the right to man |
age their own internal affairs wages,
conditions, ctc.,--but continually urge I
that no contracts be signed unless con-
tracts for all other crafts in the de-
partment are signed. A craft cannot
be stopped from signing contract. for
the American trade union movement de-
nies the right of interference to every
one. A stronger authority, however,
than force is being developed, and that
is the unionism, the fraternity of or
yanized workers, who are stopping this
sut- throat policy through development
,f intelligence and the idea of oneness
hat naturally comes through unity.
So the craft unions are slowly merg-
ng into one body that will act as one
litter the various crafts. the units, have
agreed between themselves as to wage
ates and conditions.
To illustrate the workings OF this sys-
EN-: The metal trades department, for
Instance. says that nAachnists are bet
er equipped to talk wage scales and
conditions for machinists than is the
,oiler maker or pattern maker. But
fter the machinists, the boiler maker
nd the pattern maker settle between
themselves these questions. none should :
ign contract until all do.
In the railroads, in the printing indus
ry, in the building branch and in 9TH
r industries is this plan being worked
ut by men who see their identity of
interests. and who see that only by
ederation can they right wrong. Bur
hey also see that this is no more pos a
ble without numerous mistakes and =
low Developments through various
rades as shown above, than it is to :
Spect an army to act in concert with. !.
ut the preliminary training experience !,
as shown IS absolutely necessary.
Craft unionism is but means to an u
ld-it betters conditions to-day, but g
ore than this, it prepares workers be-
ire they are merged into the industrial
my that takes years TO educate, dis
pline and equip.
In recent issue of Golfers. the fol-
wing is found ON the editorial page,
I'd comment is unnecessary: During
e last few weeks one hundred and
ty thousand men, women and young
rls in the garment industry of New IN
Drk City have left their benches and
achines and have gone out on strike for pa
tier conditions. Prominent among
cir demands is the abolition of tene- ca
ent work, called with pathetic irony
ome" work OF all the blots upon
r industrial civilization, this Sweat
z" system is perhaps the biggest and er
aekest. Home indeed Two rooms,
one, in a crowded, dirty tenement, arr
IS, dark, cluttered beyond belief, with