The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-01-10
ORGANIZATION OF LUMBER
INDUSTRY AID TO ALL WORKERS

( be compelled to be victims of un.
scrupulous employers, some of whom
pay much less than others. And wher-
ever wages were considered insuffi-
cient the men who receive the wages
would have something to say about
determining them. At present, not
acting together, they are powerless.
These are but a few of the advan-
tages that would come directly to the
men in the lumber industry. The
added power that would come to the
other branches of organized labor
staggers the imagination of the aver
age member, who has become accus-
toned to plod along slowly without
making any material progress and
without the consciousness of power
that should be and is felt by members
of a Well-organized body.
Imagine if the cooks and walters
should demand a ten-hour day instead
Of twelve hours as at present? That
would be reasonable enough. An
eight-hour day would be more than
sufficiently long. Or suppose they
should decide to take a day off a
week like other civilized human be-
ings? Should the restaurant proprie-
tors be a little reluctant about grant
ing the demands it would be an easy
mo m rrit c+a 70,
from each of the lumber workers
local unions, pledging their support.
Do you think the owners would be
likely to risk losing the patronage to
grant the demands? If he did he
would probably not do it more than
once.
The same would hold true in the
other trades. Bartenders, BARRIERS,
clerks and all the rest of them would
feel the backing of the powerful or
ganizations of the lumber workers.
The power of the organized build
ing trades would be multiplied mani
fold. No construction can be carried
Ol MlluOuI lQulDCls w uGuGFGI Inc
building trades or any portion of
them would have a grievance against
a building contractor it would need
but a note from the lumber workers
locals, pledging their support to the
aggrieved fellow workers. A contrac-
tor would not hesitate long if he knew
what the support of the lumber work
ers meant. Or if he tasted the power
of these hitherto scorned workers
once he would probably not do it
again.
The fact is that the organization Of
the timber workers would be the most
powerful single factor in the economic
life of the Pacific Northwest, barring
none. With power would come self
respect. Power and self-respect on
the part of these hundreds of thou
sands of toilers would compel the re-
spect of all others, including that of
the employers. For, after all, nothing
is respected as much as POWER.
AO-OpSIdlllIS With ltlt AGob VI bAC
labor movement the lumber workers
would strengthen organized labor to
such an extent that the feeling of tim
idity which now generally prevails in
many labor unions would cease to
exist.
The organization of the lumber
workers would also tend to encourage
the organization of thousands of other
unorganized members of the army of
labor Railroad construction workers,
harvest hands, city laborers and many
others of the so-called migratory
workers, so numerous in the West,
would soon follow the example set
them by the men in the lumber in
dustry
One of the most important phases
of the proposed organization is the
possibility which lies in guiding the
hundreds of thousands of immigrants
that are certain to land on this coast
as soon as the Panama canal is ready
for passage. This subject will be
handled in next weeks article.