The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-05-21
THE BAY CITIES
METAL TRADES
STRONG FIGHT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 10 -
Made desperate by their inability
to obtain men able to do the work
of shipbuilding, the bay district ship
builders are sending agents over an
California in an attempt to recruit
sufficient mechanics to keep their
wards running. The campaign Tor
men is being carried on mainly IN
the smaller towns and in the coun-
try districts, the shipbuilders hoping
that the mechanics residing in these
places are not aware of the strike
conditions that prevail in the Bay
District yards.
The shipbuilders offer special in
ducements as bait for these mechan-
les to come to the Bay cities. Wages
as high as $500 a day are offered
The men are offered transportation
and in some cases free lodging.
This frantic attempt of the ship
builders has been without success.
The story of the great fight of the
Bay Cities Metal Trades workers,
now in its eighth month, is known
to union labor throughout California,
and there is no disposition on the
part of union men to do anything
that will weaken the position of the
strikers; much less to act as strike
breakers and to take the places Of
men who are fighting for the main
tenance of union rights.
Meanwhile conditions in the I'M
fair shipyards are almost completely
demoralized. Virtually no work is
being done and when occasionally a
piece of work is turned out, it is
usually several months overdue. The
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
of San Francisco has announced that
it will soon launch hull No. 5277,
tanker for the Vacuum Oil Conn
pany. This hull was to have been
launched November IL, and its
launching has been postponed on
five different occasions.
Speaking of conditions in the ship
yards of the Bay District, Frank
C. Miller, secretary of the Bay Cities
Metal Trades Council, said "Produc-
tion is being lessened and efficiency
is being reduced each day because of
the inability of the shipbuilders to
get skilled mechanics.
Cured in the shipyards in regard to
the so-called american Plan" Mr..
Minor Chapman, an alleged efficiency
expert, was hired by the California
Metal Trades Association, the organi-
cation of employers, to devise plan
of organization for the men work
ing in the yards to take the place of
the union organization. He came out
with what he called special type
of organization" which was none
other than the infamous American
Plan"
Mr.. Chipman's scheme demanded
so much from the workers and was
so distracting in its requirement that,
man devoting himself to several
different kinds of work at the same
time, that even the strikebreakers
revolted and refused to work &C.
cording to the plan.
To do the work of mechanics, the
shipbuilders brought in schoolboys,
who had had some training in indus
trial schools. These youthful aspir-
ants were given a rating higher than
that of laborer or helper and were
called improvers. 1t was found
that these boys were complete fail
ures so far as doing any work was
concerned. They were too ineXper-
fenced to do the work of mechanics;
and being young, they had strong
propensity to play, which impulse,
from all accounts, was readily yielded
to; so that they did no work.
A cursory examination of the "Pol-
INV +l1o
California Metal Trades Association
is enough to convince even the most
trusting union man that the Asso-
citation plans to disrupt completely
his organization and to make him an
industrial slave.
In its statement of policy the As
ISOLATION says, eve recognize the
right of the employee to organize, but
will not permit coersive measures
to compel employers to deal
Herewith" 1t will be noticed that
the employers recognize the right of
the employees to organize, but re-
cognize no obligation on their part
to deal with such organization. If
the employers really intended to deal
with the unions, there would be no
HSeu vi tIle part VI Tie ulllOIlo W
use coersive measures.
Another gem from the statement
of policy of the Association is the
following, at is the privilege of the
employee to leave our employ when
he sees fit, and of the employer to
discharge an employee when he sees
fit" That is, the worker has the
freedom" to leave shop where con-
ditions are bad and to work in an
other shop (if he can get work.
where the conditions are equally bad
The employer reserves the right to
discharge any employee he pleases>
That is, if man tries to organize
his fellow workers, if he protests
against bad conditions, if in any way
he asserts his rights in a manner
displeasing to the employer, he can
be discharged, and probably by a
"gentlemen's agreement" among the
EMPLOYERS, be kept from earning