The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-08-01
FROM
BALLARD STRIKE
NOT AN ABANDONMENT OF
FIGHT FOR UNION CONDI-
TIONS BUT A CHANGE OF
TACTICS BY STRIKERS.
(By G.. J. Folsom.)


} weavers went on strike in Ballard, a
suburb of Seattle, on the 7th day of
I April last, and, with practically un-
broken ranks, remained out on strike
, until July IA, a period of more than
three months.
There are lessons to be learned
} from this struggle that are of first
interest to all wage earners, and more
especially to the men employed in the
} shingle mills, saw mills, and logging
camps of this Northwest They have
exhibited keen interest in this fight
} that's just what it was, a fight-and
it's for their special benefit that
offer this review, giving them the true
) sttaus of the situation
j At the outset it may be said that no
one can make due allowance for the
magnificent fight the Ballard boys
have made, nor fully appreciate the
advantages they have gained without
knowing something about the condi-
tions here preceding the strike.
This is not the first fight pulled off
in Ballard. In 1906 the Ballard weav-
ers hastily organized and went on
strike for the international minimum
1 scale of wages. A four months bat
i tie completely wrecked their forces.
They were whipped to frazzle. Their
1 hastily formed organization was thor
oughly disrupted and bankrupt. Moth
ing stood between them and the
brutal domineering wage hammering
proclivities of the tyrant mill owners.
The bull-pen buzzards were in abso-
lutte control; and believe me, these
buzZards know how to convert every
last bit of the toilers' energy into
profit.
i Unionism is born of oppression. 1t
took several years of brutal oppres-
sion to force Ballard weavers back
into organization. Again they hastily
organized, and again they struck, but
this time with several years of bitter
1 experience as a teacher. But as in
the first fight, so in the second, they
had no money. They had to rely on
much needed financial support from
outside sources. Had they retained
their organization in 1906, and devoted
several years to organized preparation
for this last fight the results would
have been different; there is a likeli-
hood that this last fight would not
bava boop pooocca,.y Tor. If tbo mill
owners were aware that the boys were
well organized and prepared to fight
for several months they would likely
grant their fair and just demands
force of men. Mill owners, like every
one else, are more anxious to fight
when they feel that they have a good
chance to win. I'll not, in my sane
moments, invite a man in the alley
unless I think I can clean him: and
neither will you.
When in 1906 the Ballard manufac-
turers tried to operate their mills with
imported strike-breakers, their losses
were made up, partly at least, by out
side mills combined into an associa-
tion.
In this last fight the Ballard manu-
facturers, to all appearances, were un-
assisted. They appeared to be stand
ing on their own feet and made to
shoulder their own losses. For this
reason we felt this time that we would
be able to force them to terms, be-
cause they were compelled to operate
their mills at a tremendous loss fl
nancially For instance the McDon
nell mill, equipped with fourteen up
right machines, had nearly full
crew. Yet at no time was this mill
able to cut more than half its normal
capacity; competent strike-breakers
could not be had. This means that
it cost, during this strike, nearly twice
what it should to produce shingles.
No further arguments are needed to
convince one of average intelligence
that if the strikers could hold this ad-
vantage long enough they would
eventually force Mcdonnell into bank
ruptcy or compel him to run his mill
fair to organized labor.
But-and this is big BUT, too
could the strikers hold this advantage
over Mcdonnell long enough?
Up until July IL I was convinced
they could But on that day some
thing happened that changed my
mind On that day we learned that
several mill owners, including Nc
Donnell, owner of the mill just re-
ferred to- combined and purchased the
Inconsistencies mill to prevent its
/ owners from starting up fair