The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-09-23
ORGANIZATION
GOOD FOR BOTH

To those who Think, it Will be |
MAINLY seen that organization Is 10
the worker Just what organization
is To the employer. 1t means
"Better Day" for both, brighter
dav. a happier day, it means that
the worker by reason OF MS or
ganization, has a protectlon lor
his interests and those OF his ram
ilv. He is able to feed, clothe
and educate his children and BRING
them into the responsible station
in life equipped to meet ever IN
creasing necessities brought about
nv the constant process of evolu-
tion. 1t is only the organized
worker who is best able to meet
these life responsibilities. He is
able to do this because Of the back
ing and protection that come from
organization. 1t is the morgan
lied that have to meet the great
est suffering and deprivations, he
has nothing to appeal to-. nothing
to fall back on when trouble over
takes him; if he is fortunate enough
to have a sympathetic boss, he may
get an expression of sympathy, ana
perhaps kind word, but that does
not put bread on the table for his
hungry family. His boss may even
give him a few pennies, but then
he is not giving more than he
earned, and much less than he'd be
getting if he had the protection
of an organization. With an or
ganization, there comes to him a
certain right of protection, and a
respect from the boss that is not
shared by the unorganized. The
unorganized has to take whatever
the boss may decide to pay him, he
has all the say as to what wages
the worker shall receive for his
long days toll, and if he expresses
any discomfort about his wages the
boss will tell him: "Well John,
if you do not like what l am Civ
ing you, you know what you can
do" and poor John has nothing to
say but: yes sir, but" and back
comes the answer: Now John, there
are not Butts about it, that is all
you are going to get" and there
the subject ends, and John goes
home in a very detected state of
Mary, l asked the boss for a
raise today, but he told me he
could not give it," and Mary looks
around to try and find some way
where she may save by buying less
food or cheaper trashy clothes for
the kiddies, and buy none for her.
self, though she is sadly in need
of a small addition to her very
skinny wardrobe.
How different it is when we turn
over and read the page speaking
of the organized worker. He keeps
up his dues, and keeps his union
strong and powerful and it keeps
his wages up because when the
Union speaks it speaks with the
backing of numbers, and when it
speaks for the benefit of its men,
bers, the boss does not say: "There
are no Butts about it, that's all you
are going to get"-he invites the
committee into his office, and lis
tens to what they have to say. He,
of course. very naturally, tries to
get the wage scale down as low as
he can, that is his business, but he
| never forgets the value of organ
| ization, he knows what it has done
for him in his business, and he
knows that if his employees have
sense enough to organize, and keep
organized, they have some business
sense, and he deals with them in
business way, and he knows also
that organized employees have
power behind them-that it is Just
as we'll not to arouse into a fight
| ingc mood, so he sizes up all the
possibilities, weighs them and makes
the best collective bargain he can.
Again when he makes the bargain
he has settled one of the angles in
his cost of production for fixed
time, and he dismisses it from his
mind And the employees have
solved for the same length of time
what return they are to get for
their days labor; there is satisfac-
ton on both sides, the worker by
reason of the protection of his
Union secures enough to keep his
| family decently and bring up his
| children as future good citizens.
There is nothing more potent
and inspiring to good citizenship
than the Trade Union: it lifts the
worker mentally and physically to
higher plane of thought and fits
his body to meet strains of effort in
| our modern methods in the worlds
| industry.
Organize, Educate and Organize.
We're not much of pamhlar