Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1923-01-05
UNION MEN ATHEART
HELP OR HINDRANCE?

(By l. /. Johhson.)
How many times we hear workers
say: mo. l don't belong to the un-
ion. but Pm a union man at heart"
Let us analyze these union men at
heart" and see who they are. what
they are. and whether they are help
or a hindranee to their fellow work
ers. benefit OF a detriment to a la
Dor union. and whether or not they
are really fair to themselves.
Who are these union men at
hearth"
They are the fellows who stay out
of the union and wonders why it does
not accomplish more.
They are the workers who go to the
movies while the real union man goes
, to the union meetings.
They are the workers who will hold
mp the union, but make all manner Of
excuses for not joining.
They are the workers who will go
out on strike. but do nothing to help
win it.
They are like the fellow who will go
up to the bar and drink all that his
friends viii buy for him and then go
and tell what a swell bunch he was
out with.
What are these union men at
hearth"
They are men and women who are
intelligent enough to know that the
workers must organize to better their
conditions. but who are too selfish to
put forth any efforts or to contribute
in any way towards the building up of
the organization.
/ These men who are so-called union
men at heart" are usually fairly well
Uniformed. They believe in unionism,
and will always say the union is
good thing. They know that only by
united effort can the workers progress,
yet they continue to stay out of the
union.
They seem to think that unionism
is only an abstract principle that re-
quires zip service" only and fail to
realize that the real union man not
only believes in unionism. but backs
up his belief with service and cash.
What effect do these men have on a
labor union?
Not only does the union lose this
one as a member, but the effect of this
well informed worker not joining, on
the other workers who work with him
is such that they also stay out of the
union. The we'll informed man is usu-
ally looked up to by his fellow work
ers, and when he does not join they
feel that there must be something
wrong with the union. This holds down
the membership
Yes the union man at heart" says
If there is any trouble he will be the
first one to strike with the union men.
(They think the only purpose of a un-
ion is to strike.) However, just what
Happens when a strike is called? The
''union man at heart goes down to a
couple of meetings in the hall which is
paid for by the real union men. He
does not serve on any committee, be-
cause he is not a member. After the
first few days he don't find time to at
tend meetings, he does no picketing,
and he goes out on other Jobs because
he is not amenable to discipline. Then,
II the union wins and the men are put
back to work, he will say, 1--WE won
the strike" On the other hand If the
strike is lost. he will go to the boss
and say, Yes. went out with the
boys, but was not a member of the
union; l didn't do any picket duty or
help carry on the fight so l ought to
have my job back"
What effect does he have on his fel.
low workers?
He imbues them with the idea that
all that is necessary is to be a union
man at heart" they therefore feel
that they might as well save the dues
which they would have to pay, the
time they would have to spend and the
chances they would have to take If
they were TO be real union men. By
becoming victims Of this idea these
workers are kept in ignorance of the
real worth Of unionism.
All is not gold that glitters, neither
is the man who styles himself "a union
man at heart" real true union man.
He is neither true to himself, his fell
low workers nor the labor union to
which he should belong. The quicker
these so-called union men at heart"
become real true union men, just that
much quicker win the workers and
organized labor come into their own.