Denver labor bulletin., 1917-09-01
long to me-" 1t was at about this
time that President White of the Unit

representation on the coal production
committee they would feel compelled
to withdraw from the industrial truce.
His protest was needed, but without
establishing a precedent for other or
ganized industries. Last week Mr..
Gompers and the executive council of
the American Federation addressed a
letter to the council of national de-
fense in which they demanded direct
representation by workers, co-equal
with all other interests, upon all
agencies, boards, committees and COM
missions entrusted with war work" If
America was England this demand
would receive serious consideration.
There the government has entered into
an open collective agreement with the
trade unions, the unions are officially
recognized" and they expect repre-
sentation on all war work affecting the
standard of labor as a matter of
course. But the English labor move
ment has its own political party; 1t
has its own representatives IN par
Lament; it has become an integral
part of the industrial and political
structure of the nation. 1t remains to
be seen whether the business men of
America and the administration at
Washington will so deal with labor as
to compel the organized labor move
ment to resort to independent political
action to protect its proper dignity and
its Just interests.
But Mr.. Gompers and his associates
on the executive council of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor must have
learned by this time that mere repre-
sentation of the workers on the various
boards and committees of the advisory
commission will be insufficient either
to protect the interests of the workers
or to make the experience and ma
chinery of their organizations effective
as instruments for the speeding up of
production and the prevention of
strikes. The time has come when the
government should lay aside its
euuivocal attitude toward organized
labor and openly give preference IN
the placing of contracts to industries
where the men are organized and es-
pecially to those in which collective
agreements exist. The effect of such
a policy would be to restore the in
iured prestige of Mr.. Gompers and
his committee on labor and to put
fresh faith and enthusiasm into the
millions Of organized workers who are
the backbone Of American industry.
Moreover, il would Immediately put
at the governments disposal a ma
chine for the prompt adjustment OF
grievances such as years Of trial and
experience are generally required to
develop.
Take the situation in the mems
clothing industry. The government
has gone into the market for tens of
thousands of uniforms. The contracts
for these uniforms are let thru the
uuartermaster's department in Phil
adelphia. For some unknown reason
the duartermaster's department has
followed the practice of placing most
of these contracts with unorganized
factories where the cheapest labor is
employed and with factories so i'll
equipped to do the work that their
owners have resorted TO sub-contrac-
ton which in turn has spilled over into
the tenements. Since the beginning
of the war there has been a conspicu-
Gus recrudescence of the old sweat
shop conditions which the best manu-
facturers and the unions have strug-
gled for years TO abolish. The quar-
termaster's department has taken the
position that the government is not
concerned whether or not union labor
is employed. Most of the clothing on
government account rs manufactured
in New York. Philadelphia and Balti-
more, and it happens that in these
cities approximately So per cent OF
the industry operates under protocol
agreements which provide not only
for the maintenance of decent labor
standards in the establishment of
which the manufacturers. the workers
and representatives of the outside pub
lie have had a voice, but which also
provide a highly developed and effec-
tive machinery for the modification of
standards in times of emergency and
the adjustment of industrial disputes.
With few exceptions, the factories
4. nl n,,tSiIa tho
of collective agreements operate under
sub-standard conditions of wages and
hours. give the workers no voice in
the control of the shop and provide no
machinery for the correction of griev-
ances Yet il is such factories that
appear to be getting most of the
government contracts today with the
result that unrest and resentment is
rapidly spreading thruout the industry.
Would not the government be fol-
lowing n wiser course if it called into
consultation the representatives of the
manufacturers association and the un-
ion which control S5 per cent of the
industry. made preferential arrange
ments with them for the execution of
government work and made them
Jointly responsible for the mainten-
ance of uninterrupted production?
Why should not the same thing be
done in all other industries operating
under collective agreements -? And
where unions exist but are mot rec
ognzed." why should not the govern
ment lend its influence to the creation
of collective agreements in the inter-
est of industrial peace and efficiency?
Until something of this sort has been
done, the recognition which has been
accorded to organized labor by the ap
pointmcnt of Mr.. Gompers to the ad-
co,,,,isSinp will rpnnaip mn