The Connecticut labor press., 1919-05-17
SCIENTISTS WITH
=. ORGANIZED LABOR
biologists, Psychologists, Physiolo-
gists, Botanists, Chemists, Etc,
Affiliated With Federation

Washington, May 16-Five hundred
scientists and technologists met in the
lecture hall of the u. S. National Mu-
scum and voted by large maj ority to
affiliate, through the National Fedora
ton of Federal Employees, With the
American Federation of Labor. The
gathering included botanists, biologists,
Psychologists, pathologists, bacterio1o-
gists, chemists, physicists, and various
other research workers employed in
such branches of the Government as the
Bureaus of Plant Industry, Animal In
dustry, Chemistry, and Entomology, in
ards in the Department of Commerce,
and Patents in the Department of the
Interior They elected as their temper
airy president DR.. Rodney H. True,
psychologist in charge of Plant Physi-
illogical and Fermentation Investiga-
tons of the Bureau of Plant Industry,
and as temporary secretary, DIR. ?. g.
Agnew, physicist in the Bureau of
Standards.
The trade union idea has been acute1y
impressed upon scientists, they state in
their announcement of the meeting, by
the work of the Joint Congressional
Federal Civil Service, which has from
the first declared that it could not deal
with the employees as individuals but
would deal with their organization, the
National Federation of Federal EN-
p1oyees. DR.. E. B. Rosa, of the Bureau
of Standards, and other speakers at the
meeting urged trade union organization
for the scientists, because they stated,
until the Federal Employees Union was
formed, the demands OF, the Govern
ment workers for better pay and i'm
proved working conditions had been
met with all offer from Congress of
longer hours without increase in pay or
Improvement of any condition. On the
other hand, these speakers pointed out,
in the three years of its existence, the
Union has defeated the proposal for
longer hours, has secured salary in
creases which have advanced from five
per cent. the first year to fiat rate of
$40 per year, and has crystal1ized the
hitherto unorganized and futile agita-
ton for Reconsideration into an actual
ity in the form of the work now in
progress by the Joint Congressional
Commission in Reconsideration created
by the last Congress.
! The action of these 500 scientists, it
is pointed out by President Luther c.
Steward of the National Federation of
Federal Employees, emphasizes the
movement which is daily becoming more
evident, namely, that all workers, men
tai and manual alike are rapidly recog-
nlzing that they have a common cause,
for which they have common need
organization. He also estimates that
one in every five persons in the District
of Columbia is now carrying a union
card, with q rate of increase in this
proportion which will shortly put the
National Capital into rank as one OF
the most highly organized communities
in the United States.
The four local unions of federal en-
ployees, who constitute the largest e1e--
ment in the population, number apDroxi-
mately $4,000 members. The trades in
Washington. both in Government and
private employ, are and have been for
years, organized under the American
Federation of Labor, the school teachers
are now so per cent. organized and
affiliated with the American Federation
of Labor, the school janitors and custo-
dams have two unions and the railroad
office workers are organized several
thousand strong under the Brotherhood
Railway Clerks sssa ~