The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-02-06
GOOD union MEN"
Many Reap Benefits Who Have
Not Earned Them.
OVERLOOK THE UNION LABEL,

confession of a Hypocrte" Puts the
Matter In a Clear Light-How Every
Organized Worker Can Help His
Brother Toier Get Increased Wages.
On being asked to write an article on
the use of the union label it occurred
to me that personal confession would
be of more benefit than an essay.
The reason why any one. particularly
union man, should be insistent upon
the label may be stated in a very few
words: | ought to be sure that when |
employ labor | am as fair to my en-
ployees as want my employees to be
to me. When | buy any article which
is the product of labor | employ labor.
The only way can be sure that the
labor which | employ is performed I'M
der the best conditions and paid for at
the best rates which collective bargain
ing has been able to obtain for it is by
seeing the label of the union which
exercises jurisdiction over the produc-
tiom Of that article
And there you are. so if you have
seen the light and become convinced
that it is your duty and your privilege
90 be against the men who are striving
TO better their condition in life you can
spare yourself any further perusa of
Il screed which you may find more or
less tireSOme If not perhaps you can
benefit by the experience of one who
after considerable number of years
as a member of a union and consider
ing himself Il pretty good union man,
has gradually awakened to the knowl
edge that he could qualify as a first
class hypOcrite.
What kind of unionism is it when q
man contents himself with paying his
dues to his union, attending its meet
ings when it is not too much trouble,
never kicking about a necessary as
sessment and obeying the laws of the
union? These things are all right to
do but the union pays us cash for do
ing them, whether we do them or not
If we do these things we do only our
duty If we do them not we are reap
ing where we have not sown.
In all these years during which |
have been calling myself good union
man have looked at things only from
the standpoint of the typographical
union To be sure, my hat has-al-
most-always had a label in it; my
shoes generally and sometimes my col
lars have borne the labels of the crafts
which produce these things. But in
many cases this only happened SO
The unions which control these crafts
had SO developed themselves that in
many cases the merchants sold me the
articles bearing the labels without my
asking for them. In such cases | had
not helped any.
But l did not when l went to buy
bread make sure that the bakers label
was on the loaf could. you know.
but l did not. When | went to the
barber shop did not think to look for
the shop card on the wall. The butch
ers' shop card was a total stranger to
me-and is yet. l am sorry to say, but
| ask for it. That has Il tendency to
help, you know. When l went to buy
a suit of clothes | looked at the quail
ity of the cloth. and | looked at the
price tag. but | never looked just in
side the pockets for what should be
one of the chief requisites in the eyes
of a man who considers himself fair to
those who work for him.
AS for underwear and socks and
neckties with the label on-why,
didn't even know there were such
things. And yet there are such things.
and l can get them by taking little
extra trouble to find them.
And yet l was a good union man."
What do you know about that?
Now, | wonder just how lonesome l
ought to feel in making such confess
sion as this. | am inclined to suspect
that If there were not quite lot Of
union men like me these unions which
are now having so fierce time to es-
tablish conditions and wage scales to
lift them just little way out of their
misery would find their road a good bit
easier to travel
Look the field over for yourself and
see If there Is not some place where
you can help, somewhere you ought to
help some way in which you want to
help.-Charles P. Ingalls, in Organized
Labor.