The daily worker., 1924-02-15
AMALGAMATION
BRINGS new HOPE
TO SHOE WORKERS
Recent Merger Held
Aid to Organization
By A. L. CARPENTER

Observation-Disclosures have been
under way for some time, which, IL
successful, will result in making for
the shoe workers of the United States
an organization equal in strength to
the Amalgamated Clothing Workers
of America. Already agreements
have been reached whereby the
United Shoe Workers Of America Will
be absorbed by the Shoe Workers
Protective union. The former is a
union having branches thruout the
eastern part of the country and the
latter is the strongest union IN New
England. The final draft whereby
this will become an accomplished fact
will be decided by the unions within a
short time.
Ryan Optimistic.
William ]. Ryan, secretary-treas-
urer, Shoe Workers Protective union
describes the situation clearly. He
saws, II can see no reason why this
should not be accomplished soon. The
situation in the shoe industry is sucn
that the workers seem to have no
choice in the matter. The workers
who have been organized in the Boot
and Shoe Workers. union have ieIt
that union with alarming rapldlty
and have gone into various otner
organizations. The Amalgamated
Shoe Workers of America have an
estimated membership Of 10000; the
Brockton District Shoe Workers.
union, an estimated membership OF
500O. the United Shoe Workers Of
America, an estimated membership
of 5000. There are various other
smaller organizations. Our own
union is an outgrowth of the condl-
tions existing, in the past, IN the boot
and Shoe Workers union and wniie
we enjoy, as whole, the best condl-
tions in the industry, still we can see
the fallacy of unions in the same IN
dustrv being formed as they are at
the present time. Two large shoe
factories, the Endicott-Johnson Co. OF
Johnstown, N. Y, and the Inter
national Shoe Mfg. Co. of st. Louis
make approximately one-ffth OF all
of the shoes made in this country.
They make practically all OF the
staple shoes and what are known as
fancy shoes are left to the smaller
shops. These two large factories are
not organized. Thus they stand out
as a menace to the organized shops"
Basis of Monopoly.
The two large factories mentioned
by Ryan are in a position eventually
to form themselves into monopoly
They have installed the most modern
machinery which is so perfect that
nearly all of the skill of the mechanic
has gone into the machine. The
smaller factories find 1t almost I'M
possible to compete with them. Near
lv all> of the smaller factories are
now organized into some union. Thls
means they are paying higher wages.
In the larger factories is found a
social welfare system, whereby the
workers are forced into a condition
of benevolent feudalism. The COM
pany builds houses upon company
property, then sells them to the work
ers and takes so much each month or
week out Of the pay envelope. The
land is never sold. The string to the
contract is that it is impossible for
the workers to go out on strike. IL
they do, they are Immediately dis
charged and the property reverts
back thru a system OF red tape to the
company.
The Amalgamated Shoe Workers Of
America, with offices in Lynn, Mass,
is a new organization which was
formed by local people. 1t is second
in size in the shoe industry, and COM
posed Of workers in every branch OF
the industry. 1t is a militant body OF
class conscious workers. They see
the necessity for amalgamation, and
have been working toward this end.
Employers Force Unity.
The strongest argument advanced
for an organization of all the workers
in the industry into one national or
ganization comes from the manufac-
f, turers themselves. Almost daily they
are notifying the unions Of their in
tention to move to some more favor
able city where wages are lower. A
manufacturer in Lynn closed his shop
and notified his employees that he was
going to Cambridge if they would not
accept a $3.50 wage reduction. He
meant to say he was moving out of
the jurisdiction of the union. With
the present plan of organization this
is possible.
This brings us back to the problem
to be solved regarding the two large
firms mentioned in the early part of
this article. This problem will never
be solved by the workers if the in
dustry remains divided. There seems
to be choice between three things
amalgamation, benevolent feudalism
and total destruction.