Evening star., 1914-11-27
RIGHTS Of TEACHERS
TO UN|0N|zE UPHELD
Gompers Defends Organizing by
Pedagogues to Obtain
Higher Pay.

Rights of teachers to organize in
unions and the need OF higher salaries
Tor the instructors Of youth are two
points discussed at length by Samuel
Gompers, president of the America n
Federation of Labor, in the American
Federationist, just issued. The edi-
torial follows the recent court de-
clsion In Cleveland upholding the right
of teachers to "unionize."
PRESIDENT Gompers says, in part:
reaching fs'a great calling. In their
hands lie human lives. The influence
OF teachers over plastic minds remains
ihueloly part of the personalities
nodded. The value of the great teach
er is 1nestimable. There are many great
teachers in the United States But we
40 not give teachers much honor or
great reWard-to some we paw $40 a
month; to some less and to others more.
mink OF 1t-S40 d month for perhaps
nine or ten months out of the twelve
Less than unskilled laborers receive for
dlselng bitches (not that the laborers
should receive less, but the teachers
should receive more), yet these teach
ers have in their hands the power to
make or mar our children.
because the Cleveland school board
haa refused requests for higher wages
because no other method remained The
Cleveland grade teachers organizd a
union A union secures results in nro
portion to the power it can WELD
therefore. the teachers considered af
Labor 'ioh VI
the school board declared that no
union teacheTs. could teach in Cleve-
iand schools. The teachers secured an
,hJunction M from Judge Neff forbidding
Il
ertheless, supt. Frederick refused to re-
appoint teachers who were union lead.
ers. September Judge Neff cited the
superintendent to appear before him
guilty uu hiih
Teachers throughout the country
are reaching the conviction that they
must help themselves if they wish bet
!er tnings; and that better things are
directly dependent upon purchasing
power.
Hampered by False Standards.
Teachers have been prevented from
adopting practical methods because of
false standards and so-called senti-
mental motives. They have been told
that teachers receive higher pay than
mere wages. They have tried to keep
the atmosphere and traditions of a pro-
fession' lest they lose caste with in
fiuentiar citizens. What has it profted
them? Their real friends are the mass
es of the people-the people whose chill
dren constitute at least 80 per cent of
those attending public schools
Others may idealize and exalt the
teachers mission, but the common peo-
pie will help them to get higher pay.
In a town of the middle west teach
er had served for many years and re-
ceived 1850 a year. On this she support
ed herself and her father. During the
Christmas season she secured employ
ment at night as clerk in order to
earn Christmas money. The womens
club of the town, an association of
public-spirited philanthropists and up
lifters. requested the school board to
instruct the teacher that such employ
ment was below the dignity of her pro-
fession. The teacher was constrained
to give up her Christmas money. The
school board did not so much as con-
slider raising the $40 salary. and the
women's club gave the incident no fur
ther concern. The illustration is typ
ical.
Teachers must help themselves. They
must organize. The school system be-
longs to the people and must be adapt
ed to their needs. If the teachers or
sanize in order to occupy the place in
that system that is theirs by right of
service, they will infuse into it the
spirit and practice of democracy