The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-07-23
THINK IT OVER,
MIR. L.L.L.L. MAN
(By Ray r. Canterbury, Interna-
tiona1 Nica- President II IT \

VINO VIII be the next president !
is heard on every hand, when the
vital question confronting these same
men who are so interested in the
next executive head of the Nation
should be "What will be the next
move of the Lumber Barrons to
destroy the hour day in the North
west?"
Never at any time is it so easy
for the employing interests to be-
fog the issues confronting the work
ers as during a political campaign.
True the political side of the ques-
tion is of great moment to the wage
workers, but should never at any
time be permitted to draw his, at
tention away from the economic nee
essity of protecting his hours and
wages.
And now, as at no other time, is
the very foundation of the labor
organizations endangered thru laxity
Of the workers themselves who as
sumo the attitude that their con-
ditions are good enough and can
never be lowered. These are the
men to whom the loss of conditions
Will be due. These are the men who
ire willing to let their fellow work.
/ en- carry the load of maintaining the
conditions while he plays safe, or
worse, does the bidding of the en-
ploying interests even to the extent
of signing all his constitutional
rights away in an organization such
as the A Is.
Little do the workers in the lum-
Der industry realize the dangers
confronting the 8 hour day, or they
would take immediate action to pro-
tect themselves. For in fact the
gains made by Organized Labor in
the past SO years are threatened by
the combined efforts of the various
big interests of this State and of
the entire Nation These interests
are surely shattering the automobile
manufacture thru the retention of
Of the nations oil supply. They
have practically put the lumber bus
mess on the rocks by shutting down
most of the plants in the North
west for 30 days, openly stating
that the men would be glad to re-
turn to their jobs at reduction and
some operators state on a 10 hours
day. To substantiate this assertion
they have in several cases attempted
to break down the hour day but as
enc stated 1--WE are not looking for
trouble JUST YET.
They are further stating that
when lumber prices reach normal
they can not run on an hour day
here while the East and South work
10 hours per day. Yet in the face
Of these facts these same operators
are fighting against the 8 hour day
in the Great Lakes section and claim
they will never give in to the Tim
berworkers' Unions demands there.
Eut these are not the only signs
f danger confronting the eight
hours. The California country is prac-
,ically all running ten hours, except
where Timeberworkers' Locals are
controlling. In those sections wages
are much lower for 10 hours than are
paid here for eight, and yet the
thoughtess man is saying that the
establishing of the ten hours will
never happen here.
And that is the very thing the Tim
berworkers' Union is determined to
prevent, but unaided by the COM
bined force Of the workers in the
lumber industry it will surely occur.
Then it is up to every worker in the
mills Of Everett to do his part and
do it at once. That part is very
easily accomplished and very import
ant to him, when to neglect it means
the loss of all we have gained in the
past three years. To fail to do his
pant will surely mean the return to
the old $3.50 and 10-hour day. 1t
will mean scarcity of work at even
these wages as all extra work will be
absorbed by the same men working
the two extra hours and will throw
many idle men on the market to
CO.. pete for the jobs.
Iou may think that you managed
to stand those conditions once and
can stand them again but you must
cor siGer that the prices of many
necessities of life are now controlled
by big interests over whom no one
has control and they will refuse to
cstore prices to normal as they have
refused in the past at the behest over
the National government. You will
then have confronting you peon con-
dItions and will have only your
StINCS VI DldilS SHUuIu you MAKE nO
effort to organize for your own
protection.
You are saying that you will never
consent to a return to the old con-
ditions, yet some of you did even
worse than that. At the behest of
the employers you signed up. with
the Ais, well knowing that you were
signing all your rights away and
making Of yourself tool for the
en- ployer to use against your own
interests. You did join an organiza-
tion of which you are ashamed and
are paying the boss for the privilege
and yet you have the temerity to
state that YOU will never consent to
return to the ten hours. If you
do net change from that attitude
you will consent to anything that the
employer offers.
OF course we understand that you
had to join to hold your job. but
now is the time to show that all the
time you were man and were
merely bowling to the force of cir
cumstances. Now is the time for
you to show that you are willing to
pay the price for liberty by a little
of the old fashioned vigilence That
you are determined to have small
share at least of the democracy for
which we fought and won the great
war. That you will no longer sub
NIT to the tyranny of anyone who
foraac Won ta haanpno a r,aeA of -