The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-01-24
The UNION LABEL.
Must Be Persistently Advertised
to Bring Success.
why TRADE EMBLEMS FAIL.
Lack of Financial Resources to Keep
Symbol of Fair Dealing Before tho
Public NulIifies Its Potential Power
No Need For Universal Label.

No Need For OniNersal LABEL.
At the annual cony ention of the
union label trades department Of the
American Federation Of Labor at
Rochester thirty eight national and in
ternational unions were represented.
In his annual report President John
L. Tobin dealt largely with the pro-
oosal to establish a universal union
label. He declared against universal
label and made a forcible argument
on the subject. He said in part:
"The organizations having labels
that have been in any way successful
are those that have put behind their
label the necessary financial resources
to keep up continuous and persist
ent campaign of advertising. and ip
proportion to the amount of adyer.
Using and activity behind each sue
cessful label they have become prom
inent and valuable factors in securing
increased wages, promoting the col
lective bargain and preventing reduc-
lions In wages In times of depression.
to the success of any label are the
failure of the organization owning the
label to furnish the necessary financial
resources to keep the label before the
public and the attempt to use the
label as n direct medium of exchange
for bill of wages
ut is my opinion that the adoption
of a label by any organization and
the rendering of the use Of this label
to an employer as an inducement to
secure an increase in wages or more
favorable working conditions will gen
orally meet with failure, while the
organization which adopts label and
provides the necessary financial back
ing to keep 1t prominently before the
public. instead Of selling label in ex
change for bill of wages, reduced
hours or favorable working condi
tons. will meet with success.
IF the label Is used rs means of
securing contract relations with EN-
ployers covering the plant In which the
label Is used and to create q demand
factories, thereby building up market
for the product of the members Of that
particular union and by this means es-
tablishing the label as trade factor it
most surely results In increasing wages,
making the wages permanent and Sc
cure against business depressions and
furnishes the most speedy method Of
building up wages and favorable work
ing conditions. In other words, to at
tempt to barter the label for bill of
wages is to invite failure, while to ex
change the label for trade agreement
Is to invite and deserve success.
"For the reason that there is wide
difference in the methods practiced by
the various organizations having labels
and also a wide difference in the con-
ditions under which a label may be
used 1t Is my opinion that universal
label would be failure, ard to attempt
to introduce 1t might seriously endan-
ger the labels that are now success
fully we'll established"
Thomas F. Tracy, secretary-treas-
urer, stated in his report that at the
close Of the last fiscal year thirty Eight
national and international unions were
affiliated with the department. His re-
port also dealt with work that had
been done by the department in agitat-
ing federation principles among organ
izations of farm laborers, told of the
increase In the distribution of union
label products, the work Of the depart
ment In distributing literature and pro-
noting publicity. work for the passage
Of federal bill dealing with convict
labor which is still pending in sub
committee Of the committee on judi
ciary of the United States senate and
for legislation protecting union labels