New-York tribune., 1920-11-21

Gritty 10 WnIcn we ali look forward
dustries have not como about merely
because employees desired them.
Preference for Closed Shop
In the newspaper printing industry
and in tho building industry In city
like New York, where land Is priced
BY tho square inch, there are vital
considerations which cause employers,
A. well 40 employees, to prefer the
closed shop under proper safeguards
Tho most important Of these considcra-
tions Is that it Is essential in these
industries to the Interest of the en-
ploye1 that the industry be continued
} without interruption. The publisher of
daily paper must. before everything
! eises get out tho paper every day. The
contractor who agrees to erect build
Ing IN New York, with heavy penalties
Tor failure to complete ii on time, must
nave the work progress steadily and
rapidly toward completion after build
ing operations have once begun. Actual
experience has shown that the surest
way to secure the continued prosecu-
tion OF industry in newspaper publish
lnE and In building, where the workers
despite any desire on the part of the
employer are strongly organized, is to
enter into agreements which make
some parent organization-in the case
of newspapers. for example, the Inter
national Typographical Union-respon-
s'ble for seeing to 1t thay the employees
Immediately engaged on the work con-
t'nue on duty and submit to adjust
nent. through the regularly constituted
authoritlcs mutually agreed upon by
ooth sides, any issues that arise. rather
than to strike. Under its agreement
with the newspaper publishers the in
iernational unions in the printing trade
, are bound to fill the places of en-
: ployees who go on strike at the same
pioyeee for breach of the agreement.
; A similar obligation rests on the unions
, IN the building trades. The arrange
ment has many incidental dsadvan-
tages. but think the opinion expressed
by leading New York builder, that
from 1908 to 1914 tho building bust
ness was conducted In New York CITY
'uhocr what was virtually a closed
saop agreement between the organized
tuItdlng contractors on the one side
and the organized wage earners in the
e'nerent branches of the building trade
on the othcr) IN manner that was
lalrfy satisfactory to both sides, rep
J, resented the view of NEST experienced
employers in that business.
But there was vital defect in this
arrangement which goes far to explain
. the outrageous abuses which, under
, the pressure Of the war emergency. be-
gan to develop after 1914. If organized
employers do enter into closed shop
arrangements with organized EMPLOYEES =
I they immediately come to have a vital
interest IN the regulations Of the labor
organizations with reference to the
admission and discharge of members.
IL should be a principal provision of
Y such agreements that tho emploversl
associations and the trade unions con. IN
cerned mutually undertake to admit
on fair and reasonable terms to mem
y oership in the organization and thus
to participation in the industry all
competent applicants, and this provi-
4 sion should not be allowed to become
- - a dead letter but should be coupled
: with requirements that should enable
: employees to assure themselves at any
and all times that the unions are
. freely open to competent workers, and
. employees on their side to assure them.
> selves that the employers associations
are kept open to competent contractors
'. II was because of the absence of an,
such limitations that some of the trade
= unions in the New York building trades
. have been able to develop the tyran.
:. nous practices Of which they have beer
= guilty and that officers of these unions
!. have been able, apparently, to lev,
J., toll on both sides, requiring the en-
ployer to pay for the privilege Of hav
ing the work done without interruption
y ard, on the other hand, requiring the
- members OF tho union to pay tribut,
=, for the privilege of doing the work.
= Public Interest
8 The public interest in this aspect O.
It the situation is so great that | hop,
e that enc result OF the present move
ment for the open shop Will be legis
n lntion which shall discriminate be
It tween organizations both of employers
n and employees which pursue fair ant
e reasonable policies with reference t,
y vantages Of the organization. and thos.
o which pursue close and monopolisti,
D. policies. Tho law already condemn.
combinations in restraint Of trade
"a Clearly, in connection with industrin
n relations, no test Of restraint of'trad,
; Is more pertinent than the policy will
l. reference to the admission of member
l. to combinations, whether organized O,
n the employers side or the employees
g. side.
My misgiving about the present opcl
d shop campaign is that the propaganda
A so far AS II has come to my attention
; is legsilstic and negative. 1t call
A attention to abuses that have develope,
l.; in connection with the closed shop
- which is right and proper. 1t purpose
t 70 remedy these abuses. which is wise
n but purposes to do so by sweeping ava.
It tho arrangements for collective bar
It gaining that have been laboriousl.
70 built up through tho efforts Of EN-
o ploycrs and employees to hit upon som
n system that would be mutually satis
% factory for the improvement OF thei
>. industrial relations and /. offers moth
h ing in their place.
l. As result OF many years OF stud
- Of the labor problem. have come t
the conviction that the best result
Is hre W be obtained not by strong labo
T. organizations negotiating with wea
it and hatassed employers, nor by stron
20 ployers organizations neRotiatin
'e with weak and unorHanlzcd employees
a. The best rssults follow when strongl