Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-04-13

The International Unions, Ike a.
organized groups Of people shape
their attitudes, policies and fune-
tons hy growth and experiences.
New and unforeseen conditions may
change athem. 4 change in leader
snip, the spread Of a new idea may
produce a change in policy. What
ever may effect the change. the
American Federation Of Labor Is
without power % interfere or com
mand a change in policy.
While primarily concerned With Al.
phases entering into the employment
relationship, such as wages, hours,
conditions and terms OF employment,
these International unions must deal
also With 4 vast range Of problems
Of internal government. They deti :
| mine conditions and qualifications Ct
admission, the number Of apprentices
20 be allowed, the desirable units II
/ local government, the manner IN
which mandates 10 the officers must
be carried cut; the relations which
are 10 obtain with unions in similar
occupations, etc.
The industrial unions are essen
tally militant organizations because
al sometime or other all are com
/ PEELED 10 engage in tests of strength
with employers. As a consequence
each international Union has devel-
oped its own conception Of industrial
strategy. Thus the railroad unions
use one type of strategy, while the
building trades unions or the metal
or printing trades unions use another.
Federal and Local Unions.
While the American Federation of
Labor is fundamentally and principal
~ a federated body ii is also an or
ganie body insofar as the organized
wage earnefs are concerned when
there are not a sufficient number OF
workers TO be organized into success
full autonomous and stable lnterna-
tional Unions. The American Fed
Grafton of Labor is charged with the
duty of promoting organization
among all wage earners. Necessarily
small groups of workers are first
banded together. Out of these small
groups there develop larger groups.
Ultimately international unions are
formed out of these smaller groups.
The American Federation of La
Dor embraces at this time 5S7 of such
small groups numbering approx
mately "a 900 workers.
These local groups are organized
into two forms of organizations.
Where it is possible to unite these
workers on trade lines, this method is
as local unions" Where 1t is found
expedient or necessary to organize
these workers along lines of industry
or to include mixed trades, they are
formed into federal" unions.
These local and federal unions are
not autonomous. Whatever author
ity they exercise is delegated to them
by the American Federation of Labor
They are subject at all times to meas
ures of regulations and discipline.
All final authority resides in the
American Federation of Labor. They
are required to contribute a tax OF
% cent per member per month to
the American Federation Of Labor.
The American Federation Of Labor IN
turn provides strike and lockout bene-
fits. 1t has power also to approve or
disapprove collective agreements pro-
posed or strikes being considered or
ventured into.
Local Unions of Federated Internal
tional Unions. ;
Federated International Unions are
themselves composed of smaller
groups of workers within the recog-
nized and established trade or call