The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-02-04


received through the arbitrary &
Quoted by Mr.. Harris and his en-
SF Getting Wise to Them.
Duluth has never been ''closed
shop" town in the sense that Mr.
Harris claims in his frequent ap-
peals to retail merchants. The heart
Of business is in the wholesale dis
to unionize the wholesale workers,
except, as such concerns might re-
Quire the services; Of skilled workers
from the organized trades. If there
are any workers except skilled trades
men in Duluth wholesale houses
who claim membership. in an labor
organization, it will be found, as It
has been by union labor, that such
workers usually are members Of the
!, I. w. W. ...-.
Never Have Been" "''UniOn.''
The manufacturing enterprises are
not and never have been union plants
Most of the big ones have been
closed to union men entirely. TO
even whisper about unionism at the
steel plant means immediate dis
charge. Workers in that plant now
earn $2.40 a day for eight hours
OF labor. -
The unions have succeeded only
in making union shop agreements
with certain building employers,
printing establishments and in some
OF the miscellaneous trades. So if
Duluth has suffered loss in popu-
lation during the past year it was
not due to the union or closed shop.
but to the wage-slashing campaign
the Citizens alliance has conducted
against the workers. 's----S Is
An "Opcn Shop" Victim.
The other day a man stood before
Judge Cant and pleaded guilty to
poisoning his wife. Before he was
water to spend the remainder of his
days, he told the court that he had
been worried over money matters.
He held a responsible, position with
a certain wholesale. grocery house,
one that is strongly in favor Of the
"open shop" and whose officers are
active in the present campaign
against union labor. His salary was
$50 a month. The same job in any
other city would pay at least $3.50
month. Any union man in Duluth
working steadily, without the re-
sponsibility held by that man in the
wholesale house, would have earned
$3.50 month.
IA. Cheap Worker Is Poor Buyer.
The men and institutions that en-
ploy Mr.. Harris to lead the fight for
the so-called "open shop" would re-
duce the wages Of workingmen so
that they may more easily keep
down the wages and salaries of their
own employees. That is all there is to
this movement of, the. Citizens alli-
ance. 1t is scheme to cut wages,
and reduced wages means less gro
ceries, less meat. less clothing and
less of everything in life. And that
IS why the retail merchants have and
are suffering such a great loss IN
business.
s Kind-hearted Duluth social work.
ers who have been investigating the
extent Of Unemployment in Duluth
have found many under-fed and ILL
nourished children attending the
schools whose fathers were en-
ployed, saying nothing about the
hungry children Of the unemployed.
Inquiry developed the fact that the
wages Of the fathers. We're so low
that they were Obliged to .eke out
an existence on "scanty food, just
sufficient to keep body and soul to.
gether.
#st Many Families Destitute.
According to Rodney ;Paine, chair
man Of the city's Unemployment
committee, there are at Gary 60 des-
titute families ana $50 heads Of
families out Of work: Gary is at the
west gate of the steel plant. These
families are victims Of low wages
and the so-called "open shop" Mr..
Paine. also stated that there arc
$500 destitute families listed at local
charity and welfare offices. We hold
that every one OF such families is
victim OF the wage-cutting "open
shop campaign now being carried on
against the workers in city, state
and nation. ,,
50 we have $500 men, women and
Schtldren in 1900 families in Duluth
I'm actual want Of the necessities Of
life, and their present condition has
been brought about BY cheap wage
organizations sucir1.as' the Duluth
sCitizens' alliance with its hordes of
sprofessional workers.
, Retail merchants, know that there
has been no such fan in prices to
Justify wage cuts to s2ra'day, or even
fft9E$3 q day. A man earning So a day
Duluth. after he ,iahall have paid
/ his rent and fuel has mighty little
3s}Aeft for food. clothing and other ne
scessities. Duluth. :. merchants never
ln1sdes, the monsye. they did when
wages were highland, they will
Iansver again have good business until
(C0ntinued "a on page ~ 80 ~