The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-04-09
ARTICLE INDUSTRIAL ORGAN
IzATION AND THE TRIPLE
ALLIANCE.
- By Felix Morley. -
Staff writer,
The Federated Press

ALLIANCE.
LONDON.-In the framework Of
present industrial organization there
is found one of the few striking paral
lels between the labor movements OF
Great Britain and the United States
Here, as in America, the basis OF
organization is still one of crafts oil
trades, with a vast multiplicity OF
minor unions more or less completely
Independent in policy and action. Here
as in America, the same cross purposes
and antagonisms exist. Strikes fail for
want of concerted action, there are
frequent jurisdietional disputes, and
other evidences Of faulty organization
While the coming of the Triple AL
lance promises to sweep away many OF
these obstacles in England the indu.
strial field still shows a lack of unity
in marked contrast to the general
harmony and cooperation of the Brit.
ish labor movement.
The most recent example is the long.
drawn out strike of the three mould
erS unions. All labor now recognizes
that, had the employees of the whole
engineering industry worked together
IN this struggle half as well as have
the employers fedcrations the strike
would have seen the unions stronger
instead of crippled for long time to
come, and would not have entailed
anything like the loss to the country
that has actually taken place.
For years past the weakness and
dlsunity Of craft Capitalization has
been source of anxiety to the labor
Leaders on this side, and is particularly
so now that labor's political power IS
fast outstripping its industrial develop
ment. The reason is clear if one stops
to consider the result of n socialistic
labor government trying to function
in state where all industry is fast
in the grip of capitalist control. Labor
viii be in control of the government
Of England in few years, but it can
never stay in control until the DO.
litical organization is complemented by
a much more unified industrial powor
y glance at statistics shows that this
critical situation is appreciated and
that much in the way of union co.ordi
Nation and amalgamation has been
ACCOMPLISHED. even though much moro
still remains to he done. In 1899, there
rere in the United Kingdom 1910
seneratc trade unions with a total
membership of 1,S60,913. By the end
Of 1914 the number of sepcrate unions
had shrunk to 1,123, their membership
increased to 1859 .S63. At the present
time the number of distinct unions
is under 1.199, their total membership
close to 5,500000. The figures fail to
reveal the full significance of the
amaglamation tendency. In the first
place it is the big and powerful unions
that are merging and federating, the
weak and unimportant organizations
which maintain a feeble Independence
end swell the total of separate unions
into hundreds. Again the decrease in
number is in net figures. meaning a
decrease in spite of the addition a
rew unions, many of professional work.
ers, created in recent years.
The general trend today is distinctly
IN the direction of industrial unionisr:
with a growing section of executive
leadership and of the rank and file
alike urging along that road. The
reasoning of the English labor leaders
in pushing this doctrine is crystal
clear. In the words of J. II. Thomas,
now president of the Trades Union
Congress, Irrational unionism has be.
come obsolete. Not only must future
organization be on industrial lines, and
its marking of the units of industry
pay some regard to the employer, but
there must be cooperation between the
various industrial unions"
1t is evident that this philosophy is
something far more Fundamental than
anything contemplated by the present
administration of the A. T. of L. Nor
on the other hand, does the British
theory of industrial democracy bear
any but the most superficial resemb.
lance to that of the I. w. w. The idea
of violent social revolution is not seri.
cuslv considered in the DEVELOPMENT nm
this side. Industrial unionism is some.
thing new for England and at present
IS regarded simply as an intesely prac.
tical step to insure greater power
and solidarity for the workers. Not
as q weapon for invoking revolution.
airy general strikes, put as n tool IN
insWe fewer strikes with n mucb
higher percentage of success. To sum.
Marie in the words of prominent
union organizer-"the philosophy of
industrial development seldom con.
Germs our people. 1t is always the next
thing that counts" The phrase IL.
Iustrates the practicality of the entire
British labor movement and Sums nm
the reasons of its remarkable successes
A good deal has been printed in
America about the Triple Alliance, bpt
little has been said about the most
vital result Of its creation.-the len.
dency towards closely.knit and homo.
geneous industrial organization which
1t has brought about. For years past
trades union congresses have advocated
ana furthered the amalgamation of
unions catering for similar occnna.
tions' an" much has also been done in
linking 'p itcal unions N rational r,l
era,l"ns so centralized US t. be vir
tually national unions. Yet the ama,ga.
matnion process has in general been
SLOW and inadequate to meet the moro
rapid and efficient way in which tbe
employers have federated. Il has boon
left for the Triple Alliance .o -.
the way for an invincible organization
oil labor on the industrial field
The Triple Industrial Alliance of
British Miners, Railwaymen and
transport Workers has recast tbe
future of the labor movement in this
country. Still to have its first great
trial Of strength, IL is the belief of
many that the development has assured
the eventful transformation of nm.