Denver labor bulletin., 1915-04-10
Az. OIL. Policy in Fixing Hours
and Wages By Legal Enactment
President Compers Declares Industrial Slauery Workers
Object Sought By Corporations in Having State Legsla-
fues, Through Commissions, Determine Status

the international Typographical Union
undertook such a move. 1t gave EN-.
ployers more than q years notice that
after certain day they would not work
longer than eight hours day. Almost
Immediately a large number of employ
ers acceded to the. request, others re-
fused. The men struck. Covering q
period of more than a year, employees
and individual firms came to agreements
providing for the eight-hour day and its
enforcement, until finally the eight-hour
day has been accomplished, not only for
the printers but generally for all those
employed in the printing trades.
1t did not require any law for the
printers to secure the eight-hour day,
nor for the granite cutters, nor for the
cigarmakers' international, to which l
have the honor to belong. There was no
law establishing the eight-hour day in
the building trades, nor in many other
trades which now enjoy it. The A. F. of
l., at various annual conventions, as
early as 1884, adopted resolutions ap-
proving the movement for an eight-hour
day and co-operated with the various af-
filiated organizations for its attainment.
1t is necessary, however, for the or
ganizations themselves to take the ini-
tiative. For instance. in 1855, when the
A. +. Of L. again took up the movement
to encourage the Inauguration of q short
er workday, the Executive Council was
authorized by the convention to concen-
trate its energies in helping any organ
ization making application to be selected
to conduct a special eight-hour move
mcnt. The carpenters' organization was
among the organizations then making
the application. and was selected by the
Executive Council to make the fight.
The organized labor movement of
Colorado and Utah, represented by the
United Mine Workers and the Western
Federation of Miners, has been very ac-
tive in establishing by legislation n min
imum workday Of eight hours. The Fed
eIaiion has not taken any position in re-
gard 70 this legislation, but / think II
called upon TO approve a course, would
say that those organizations acted with
in their rights. We would not deny
their right TO that line Of action, al
though IT arouscs our apprehensions. The
fact Of the matter Is that some men un-
consciously and with the best of inten-
tons grant others the opportunity to
riyct chains on their wrists.
The A i. Of l. encourages the prac-
ticc of its various affiliated organiza-
tions in endeayoring to secure a shorter
work'iay by means of collective agree
ments with employers in the various
industries, but II opposes reaching the
same result by means of law binding
upon all employers in given state. or
throughout the union II there were
movement and possibility of establish
ing an eight-hour workday and a mini
mum wage by legal enactment through
out TIE land, the Federation would .op.
pose such policies, because It has in a
large measure accomplished the same
purposes and will accomplish them by
the Initiative Of the associations or the
organizations and by the grit and cour-
age of the manhood and womanhood Of
the men and women of the A. r. Of L.
That these. results have been accom-
plished through the initiative and vol
untary association Of the workers
preciudes the question of having legal
enactment for the same purpose. In ad.
dition, the giving Of jurisdiction to gov.
ernmental agencies is always dangerous
when il comes to governing the working
people.