Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-11-25
THE AMERICAN
OPEN SHOP PLAN
OF EMPLOYMENT

ISSUED by the Methodist Federation
for Social Service, ,l50 Fifth Ave
nue.. New York City,
YOU THINK the open shop cam
paign is aimed at the abuses OF the
closed shop.
Is il? The Catholic Welfare Coun-
ell asked all the agencies behind the
campaign whether they would enter
into collective bargaining agree
ments with the unions. Without eN-
ception they replied mo- Some
were frank enough TO admit that the
open shop campaign was aimed at
the destruction of the unions.
The abuse of the closed shop
Every right thinking man wants them
removed. Everybody knows there
are grafters and tyrants In the
unions; everybody also knows there
are grafters and tyrants In big cor
porations. To get rid of them, do we
have to destroy all corporations. and
all unions, and make every business
man and every worker do business as
individuals? The remedy would be
worse than the disease!
Do you want the unions destroyed
or improved
YOU THINK that the open shop
sounds good; that you are for 1t.
How does it work? After 20 years
of operation in the u. S. Steel cor
poration, it means according To the
interchurch Report) that nearly one
half the employees work IL hours a
day; that nearly one-half of these
work seven days a week; that three
fourths of them do not get a wage
adequate for a minimum comfort
standard of living for the American
family.
Is this what you want?
YOU THINK it means freedom for
the non-union man.
Does it? In many places it means
that he must sign a contract never
to Join union; lit means that he Is
continually watched by spies to see
that he never becomes union man;
i'm the Alabama coal mines 1t means
that he must live behind stockade
and get pass every time a member
of his family goes out. In West
Virginia it means that he must be
protected" from talking to union
organizers by gunner and machine
guns; it means that he must sign a
lease, giving the company the right
to come into his house at any time
and throw out any guest, lest union
men should come in.
Is this the kind of freedom the
American flag stands for?
YOU THINK we are talking about
the open shop at it's worst Well,
take it at its best.
1t means the absolute right of the
employer to hire and fire. No dis
elimination. He is to run his bust
ness without dictation. This is in
dividual bargaining" In pioneer
DAYS it worked, but the employers
are now almost entirely organized to
bargain collectively.
We can't go back to the old days.
Some one is trying to fool you! To-
day hiring men as individuals IN the
bic industries means hiring them on
the terms the big corporations offer.
Is the remedy for tyranny in labor
unions the placing of absolute power
in the hands of organized employers?
There is another way out-the es-
tablishment of industrial democracy.
Its foundation is not in the open shop,
but in fair agreements, with both
sides responsible to the public and the
public rights protected. This Is the
way Europe is building. Just now
even her employers are laughing at
us as a back number.
We will build our own house in our
own way. But it is time to start
building-and forget the propaganda
of the open shop campaign