The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-05-29
WHAT Ais DULUTH?

WHAT A11.s DULUTH?
In 1907 fight was made against
the union shop in the building indus:
try in Duluth. A "Committee Of One
Hundred "was selected from mong.the
business men and employers Of the city
to wage the contest against organized
labor. The Commercial club, the Real
Estate exchange and the Builders ex-
change participated in the movement,
and as a result the socalled 'open
shop was introduced. IF,
It will be remembered, that there
was 4 small panic. at the, time Money
was tied up in the banks which, were
issuing cashiers checks to the people
in lieu Of United States currency. Busi-
nees was brought to>a standstih;>> an
Aarly winter had set in and the 200
locked-out building workers were UNI:
able TO long hold out against their
opponents, -.
Many and sundrv rea sons were ad-
vanced by the Business interests. for
the fight they were making on organ.
lied labor. It was; :charg ed that the
union or closed shop was impeding tho
growth of the city; that the ">tyrsn.
n.y. of union labor was preventing new
industries from locating here and that
the. United States Steel corporation,
which was then planning to- Build a
steel plant in, Duluth, would not :start
work until and unless the strength Of
organized labor was broken ;. :
That was nearly. Is years ago. For
IL years Of that time the "open shop
prevailed in most Of the industries.
During and since the war, due TO the
rapidly advancing cost Of living and
the new worldwide :. concept by the
workers Of democracy in industry, o.
sanized labor: took on new growth.
There are more union and fewer nom
union wage workers now than form
erl3.>. Indeed in the skilled tades,, 4
non union mech anic. is an oddity. Pro
fessional strikebreakers have practi-
cally ceased to be. Their bands ha We
been broken: up by the closing Of their
rendezvous-the saloon.
The union shop came back in The
building industry, which i. the most
strongly organized, through very nat,
nral causes. The trades: union had
absorbed the larger number of non
union workers and in most instances
the employers found it more profitable
to dcal with their employees collectively,
through the" unions. The 1907 lockout
had proved costly experience to them.
As an instance the master painters
assisted the Real Estate Exchange to
make the fight against the. union shop.
When the struggle WAS over and tho
on-union shop was established build
ing managers, all members of the Real
Estate Exchange; forgot the master
painters and they hired journeymen
painters by the day to do their. work
instead Of having it done through A
regular shop as formerly, resulting in
the loss Of considerable business to the
master painters. -. !;
The master plumbers, too. found that
the "opsn shop had produced new
and menacing situation for them. The
long conflict had forced 4 number of
iourneymen with little or. no capital,
save their skill and experience; to do
work on their own account. Small
"buckeye'' plumbing shops were
opened in all sections of the city. Some
Of the journeymen utilized barns and
sheds as shops, and they, cut into: the
trade right and left, giving the employ
ing master plumber fearful competi-
tion and roobing them-of the cream of
th4 work -. 49,
A similar condition, developed in
every branch Of tho building industry:
Several busy. years followed, but they
were far from profitable to buildin Z
trades employers. A few favored firms
which managed to- get contracts from
II. steel. corporation: did fairly: well,
but the building: industry as 4 whole
suffered tremendously.
During the war the: builder. cam. to
realize. tic folly; Of: working against
tie, unions. Some Of: them longed for
tho old pleasant. relationship and conf:
dsneeN. that once prevailed, between
themselves. and their employees, and
union shop agreements. were !'re-estab-
lshsd." Last year and the year before
it was common TO gee employer. and
employees in" the same hall; the former
the guests Of the latter, enjoying happy
pastimes together. -. ;: =.
We recall one such event. :: The mas
49,, \ I :: :4;;,..,@ =, 4
do A r so. , 1.