The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-06-17
TEN PER CENT
ASSESSMENT

The June number of the Typo
grahical journal says:
When it became evident that
there was to be strenuous fight
made against the printing trades
unions because of the introduc-
ton of the forty-four- hour work
week in the printing industry on
May /, 1921, the executive coun-
Gil Immediately took steps to ask
| the membership to vote upon the
question of financing the campaign
! it would be necessary to make, ne
matter what or how strenuous
that campaign might be.
With the idea of protecting com
pletely the interests of the Inter
national Typographical Union anc
of illustrating to the public and
| the employers just the metal OF
| which members of the Topographic
cal union are made, the council
asked the membership to vote upon
the levying of 10 per cent as
| sessment upon their earnings for
the purpose of financing the con-
| test.
The result of the vote upon this
10 per cent assessment was most
astounding.
The largest number of votes ever
cast in an International Typo
graphical Union referendum were
cast upon the 10 per cent assess
| ment
The vote resulted in 4O,7O3 being
cast in favor Of the 10 per cent
assessment and only II ,499 against
it.
What does this mean? Simply
that the members of the Interna-
tional Typographical Union realize
that the organization which they
love so dearly is being attacked
from outside the printing industry
in an effort to use it for the de-
struction of all labor organizations
The magnificent majority given in
ment shows that our members are
| not going to succumb in any such
| campaign as this and that they
| will produce the money necessary
| to protect the interests of the or
3anization and its members when
that is required.
AS matter of fact, the people
who are deserving of sympathy
| in this contest are the printing
office employers of the country
who have been so dominated by
the open shop and non-union in
| fluence outside their industry that
they have been compelled to close
| their offices and engage in this
struggle. We know that in few
instances is the fight to the liking
of the printing office employer
The printing trades unions are
fighting not only for the salvation
of their own organizations but also
for the salvation of the printing
| industry as whole.
1t may seem to some of the
members of the printing trade
unions that the 10 per cent assess.
ment upon the earnings of the
| members of the International Ty
geographical Union will produce
more money than is required fol
the purpose of carrying on a bat
tie of this character. Members whC
are inclined to have ideas of thi.
| kind, however, should realize tina
at this time we can not supper
men on strike with the ordinary
strike benefits that have been paiC
| in past contests. 1t is necessary
to pay more to the members sc
that there may be the minimum
amount of suffering in the fami,
| lies involved, and in order that
victory may be assured to the or.
| ganization. After the contest is
over and won, there will be little
complaint from the members of the
union, because they will realize
that the improved conditions will
bring full reward for all money
invested.
While at the present time the
forty-four- hour basis work-week
does not apply to newspapers
which have no book and job of
flee connections, nevertheless tbs
members working at the newspa.
per branch of the industry should
realize that if the open shop advo.
Gates in this country are able to
defeat the Typographical union il
it's contest for the establishment
of the forty-four- hour week in the
book and job branch of the trade
| thelr next step Will De 10 force
fight in the newspapers. The OBJ
iect is, of course, to bring about
a work-week of at least fifty-foul
hours, and if possible ten-hour
day or siXty-hour week. Should
the International be defeated in
this contest it would not have the
resources to make a good contest
should these same influences ever
| undertake to force newspaper pub
fishers to adopt the same tactics
which they have forced the COM
| mercial printer to adopt.
The 10 per cent assessment will
be reduced just as soon as it is
possible to reduce it without ieop-
ardizing in any manner the inter-
ests of the international Typograph-
| ical Union or it's members. The
executive council does not believe
that the members of the organiza-
ton want any halfway business
in connection with the forty-four-
hour difficulty and that they desire
it brought to a close as soon as
possible. The executive council
will continue to work upon this
theory and will reduce the assess