Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1923-07-06
ADVERTISE AIMS OF
ORGANIZED LABOR

To win back to union labor the sup
port Of public opinion, in part alien
ated in the last few years through the
open shop movement and the public
ity given to the sO-called american
plan" Of operation of industry, John
W. Hays Of indianapolis, Ind, presi-
dent of the label trades division of
the American Federation of Labor,
and secretary-treasurer of the Inter-
national Typographical union, urged
the Texas Federation of Labor to
support a plan for 3 national adver-
ing campaign in behalf Of trades un-
ionism.
Such a plan as he proposed, said
Mr.. Hays, would involve the expen-
diture Of about 100000 8 year in
newspapers and magazines, but
would be "cheap in the end and far
more economical than strikes and
disturbances in industry, largely at
tributable to misunderstanding Of the
real objections of the unions" To
spend 100000 year in placing the
cause of unionism before the public
would require but cents a month
from each member of the American
Federation, Mr.. Hays said, and con-
tinued:
Supported by Public.
Labor has won many victories in
the past because the public has sup
ported its claim. In recent years
new movement has grown up, or,
rather, two movements, that have
alienated from US some measure of
the public good will. One of these
is the open shop idea, and the other
the necessity that secretaries and
managers of associations Of COM
merce and manufacturers associa-
tions should hold their jobs. The So
called American plan" has been fos-
tered through the widest and most
effective publicity, with advertising
agencies handling great sums in its
promotion. It has misstated the
cause of organized labor, and through
such misstatement has effected pub
lie opinion so that we no longer have
the potent degree of sympathy that
we once had.
''The truth must be gotten to that
100,000,000 of people who are in be-
tween the two groups represented by
100000 workers in the unions, and,
to be generous in the estimate, an
other 100000 employers or workers
who are opposed to US. We do not
need to tell them anything but the
truth, for when they know it we shall
have their support, and with that we
can get what we want and reasonably
can demand from industry"
Mr.. Hays then made a vigorous
appeal for the larger utilization of
the union label. He declared that il
all the men and women who earned
their wages under union conditions
would buy nothing but union made
goods there shortly would be none
but that sort of goods, for, he as
serted, Eve have a spending power
of SOS, 100000 a day, and that much
money diverted toward a single OBJ
jective would force upon all manu-
facturers the necessity of fair treat
ment to labor and the employment of
the union label" Speaking of open
shop employers, Mr.. Hays said:
ain many cases, and particularly
in my own branch of industry, |
know for a fact that employers do
not approve the open shop system,
but they have been compelled to re-
fuse to sign contracts with the unions
by threats of boycotts by groups of
manufacturers, bankers, associa-
tions and what not. They would pre-
fer to employ competent union men
if they had their way about it."