The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-04-23

D
The eyes Of organized labor of the
United States and Canada are upon
San Francisco. Here is being fought
what labor leaders term "the most
giiantic battle for the preservation
Iof union principle that has
taken place in the United States
since the signing of the armistice. "
The battle is now in it's seventh
month. 1t started October /, when
the metal trades employers of San
Francisco and the adjacent cities
deliberately violated an agreement
into which they had entered with
the Bay Cities Metal Trades Coun-
.cil, the central organization of
more than 10000 metal trades
workers of the bay cities, and with
international officers of the metal
trades department of the American
Federation of Labor.
When the employers refused to
live up to their agreement, the met
al trades workers acted in the only
way open to them to compel the
employers to keep their word. They
struck. TO a man the more than
10000 workers, representing 56
unions, of % crafts, responded to
the strike call on October /.
Not an organization has returned
to work under non-union condi-
tions. The men and their unions
have stood fast with a solidarity
that has won for them the admira-
ton of the entire labor movement.
The agreement violation OF
which by the employers caused the
strike, was signed August 16. 1t
provided for an hour
increase in wages to become effect
i've October /. On the employers
side the agreement was signed by
one representative Of the seven
members of the Puget Sound Divi-
sion of Northwestern Shipbuilders
and by three representatives of the
San Francisco Bay District Build
ers.
The shipbuilders of the Puget
Sound District honored the agree
ment and since October l have been
paying the increase in wages. The
shipbuilders of the Columbia River
District later signed the agreement
and started paying the increase Oc-
tober /. The shipbuilders of the
San Francisco Bay District alone
refused to live up to their word.
James O'Connell, head of the
Metal Trades Department of the A.
F. of L., who was in San Francisco
at the time the agreement was
signed, said the failure of the ship
builders to live up to their agree
ment was zone of the clearest cases
of violation of contract on record.
O'Connell, with eight other in
ternational officers of unions in
volved in the strike, arrived in san
Francisco on March %, 1920, to
try to bring about a settlement
Although the officers had come to
the Pacific Coast in August, 1919,
at the request of the metal trades
EMPLOYERS of the bay cities, these
latter now refused to meet with
them. After two weeks of unsuc-
cessful effort to obtain a meeting
with the employers, the interna-
tional officers left for the East.
THE California Metal Trades
Association Cthe organization OF
employers demanded our uncondi-
tional surrender" O'Connell said.
They refused even to accord us the
courtesy of an audience. The most
they would do was to send us word
that they might meet with us in
two or three months if we called
the strike off and the men imme-
diately returned to work.
If the metal trades workers re-
turn to work under the so-called
American plan, they will be placed
under conditions Of slavery. The
employers propose to deny them the
elementary rights of human be-
ings: The right to organize and
to be represented by men of their
own choosing"
Before leaving San Francisco, the
nine international officers pub
Iished a statement addressed to the
people Of San Francisco, Oakland
and vicinity. The California Metal
Tradaa Association was scored for