Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-17
LOCAL FEDERAL
EMPlOYESF0RM
A LABOR UNION
ORGANIZER PEABODY SUCCEEDS TN
LAUNCHING ORGANIZATIONS AT
MEETING HELD LAST MIGHT.
SIXTEEN MEN ANNOUNCE INTENTION
OF JOINING AND NAMED w. L.
, VALE TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN.

A Brownsville local of the Federal En-
ployes' Union was formed Friday night
when sixteen civil service employees met
and organized. The local will affiliate with
the American Federation of Labor.
After the eaiherin had been addressed at
length by r.. T.. Peabody. Of the immirra-
tion service in San Francisco. now travel
ing about TO organize branches oi the union,
sixteen of the twenty-four civil service
men present signed application cards. \
temporary president, William l.. Vale, Gus
toms service. and temporary secretary
treasurer. Perry Craig. immigration SER
wee, were named.
In outlining the purposes and scope Of
the Federal Employees Union. Mr.. Pea
body said in part:
'The right of civil service employees To
organize has been in the statutes since
1912. when Senator LaFollette sponsored
a bill under pressure granting the right 10
form unions 10 the federal employe. but
precluding the right to strike. San Fran
cisco, where labor union sentiment Is
strong. immediately organized a Federal
Employees Union. Within the tour years 10
date strong locals have formed in 81 of
the larger cities. Seven thousand men and
women belong To the Washington local
Mr.. Peabody was sent out by the union
TO organize locals in smaller center~. He
says he finds two-thlrdS Of the civil ~erv-
ice employees ignorant of their right to
organize. and a good part of them afraid
TO take advantage of IT, through fear of
their Jobs. lie assured the Brownsville men
last night that such fear il unwarranted
that such chiefs n the collector of the port
of New York have everywhere openly en-
dorsed the idea. Moreover he remind
ed his hearers that the strength of the
American Federation of Labor. with four
million voters who jealousy guard the
rights of their own members. j. behind the
Federal Employee Union. All locals ar
filiate with the \. +. l..
Mr.. Peabody then explained why the fed
eral employee j. in dire need of better wages
and better working conditions. Salaries in
the older branches of the service are sci ~
schedules in some eases more than a hun
dred years old. An immigrant Inspector.
for example. gets the same salary ~ die
those who examined the immigrant in the
administration of Andrew Jackson. Tn,
dollar this year will purchase a little less
than one-half what it did in the eighteen
thirties, yet though the cost of living ha-
mounted steadily. the salary has mounted
not I all. Again. in the employ Of a cor
poration a man j. expected to display All
the brilliance he has. and To rise. else the
corporation dismi>Se~ him.. Dead-level meI
are no asset To a corporation. But IN the
government service. Mr.. Peabody asserted.
the more a man can efface himself the bet
ter he gets by. This statement brought
laughter and cheers. A a consequenc,
men may work for years on the salary a.
which they entered the service.
The fault, said Inspector Peabody, J.
largely with the employe himself. IIe ia
the right to organize: he should avail him