The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-02
REPUDIATING ITS
OWN AGREEMENT
Open Shop Idea Is Fast
Gaining Ground in
Nation
DUE TO BAD LEADERS
Unions Inviting Disaster by
Frequent Disregard Of
Contracts

The rapid spread OF the upcu shop
idea In the last few weeks gives rise
90 many inquiries ss io how pr this
movement may be expected to go
and what may be- to- couroQucncc"
writes Glenn GrisWold in the chit
cggo Tribune.
II would be SORRY thing for This
country ~ unloulfm Ore phase Of
national lifc and labor unions as n
major factor IN industrial relations
were 20 be destrOyed only the most
ruthless Of industrialists seek the ex-
tinction OF the labor union as an In
stitution.
Yet the unions themselves. or
more exactly their leaders, ARE rush-
Ing 10 destruction Throughout the
country the open shop is growing as
Il has never developed before. The
building trades controversy I'm Chi
caBl is assumed To- point TO open
shop only insofar ns the carpeu-
ter trade and "a few other recalcl-
trant unions are concerned, but II
the labor altitude ls not amended and
the employers held In closc check.
Chicago may awaken some morning
TO find itsel fan open shop town.
san Francisco Case cited.
Such a thing happened In san
Francisco, which had been one OF
the tlghtcst union cities in the coun-
Try There the unions agreed tn ar
bitrate n demand fof "a wage in
crease recently and arbitratorg Of
union choosing were accepted by
both sides. The arbitratOrs. instead
OF allowing an increaso. ordered q
small cut The unions repudiatod
their agreements and their arbtrn-
fara uuH sfFnpl Bnhlig anifltnH
citizens raised n fund and organized
a committee TO enforce the award,
just NJ Is being done In Chicago. The
unions remained rscaIc.iTGnt until
they saw defeat and then offered to
accept an even greater reduction
than was ordered by the arbltrators.
II was too late and san francisco
went open shop.
The railroads may furnish the bat
tie ground for the big open shop
fight n the application Tor a wage
reduction soon TO be made IL not
considered dispasslonatcly ana hon
estly by the unions. Already non
union men are doing millions OF dol
lars worth OF railroad repair work
that might be done by union men
had they had sane leadership.
Paper Industry Turning.
inc napcF INDUSTRY ~ iufnlnE W
open shop because agreements and
contracts have been dcfied. The
clothing industry is approaching an
open shop basis because the unions
refuse either to do n real days work
for the money they have been re.
ceiving or to take less money Tor the
inefficient work they have been per-
forming.
In nearly every case where an
open shop movement is gaining mo-
mentum the break has come over
the refusal of union leaders TO abide
by the findings of courts and nrbi-
traitors. or TO respect their own
agreements. In all cases these move
ments are accomplished by the re-
fusal of labor TO take It's share OF
liquidation that must come In the
value OF all things subject To price.
The weakness OF the labor move
ment at this time is thut the en-
ployer stands on unaasailable
ground. lie offers TO continue TO
pay current wages n labor will do a
full days work or to pay less for the
measure OF work now being deliv-
cred. Labor has no reasonable de-
fense because the records of almost
every industry and craft prove con-
cluslvely that labor Is doing less in
eight hours than 1t did In prewar
times, although there has been some
Improvement recently IN the per
man output In most industries.