Montana labor news., 1936-12-17
RACINE WORKERS
BUILD A COOP
WILLIAM LLOYD
Chairman Study and Planning Divi-

operative, Inc.
In 1888 Racine, Wisconsin, like
most other American cities, was a
cooperative desert" At least two
previous attempts to establish a CO.
operative store had failed and the
bursting of Harrison Parker's mil
lion-dollar so-called cooperative"
bubble had shattered the faith of
many Racine residents whose en-
thusiasm for cooperative ideal was
not matched by working knowl-
edge of Rochdale principles
It would not be an exaggeration
to say that Racine is very nearly
dominated by citizens of Danish
birth or parentage; yet these Danish
Americans somehow lacked the in
terest or ability to apply the heritage
of their fatherland to this country
in the same measure as the Finnish
American settlements had done in
Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota
at Waukegan, ILL.,, and other places.
Economic Distress
But Racine, city of $1,000 per-
sons, depends for its existence chief
ly on the farm equipment industry
and the production of capital goods.
AS a result, the depression hit Ra-
cine perhaps as hard as any other
city in America.
Faced with drastic lay-offs and
wage cuts, Racine workers turned
enthusiastically to unionism the mo-
ment that the principles of collective
bargaining embodied in the NRA
were announced. More than a dozen
new unions sprang up and won their
right to existence through strikes.
At present there are five locals of
one international alone which were
born in that organizing wave.
Meanwhile the unemployed were
demanding a just consideration for
their right to live. One of their
most effective speakers and leaders
was a man who was not unemployed
himself, but was making a success
of his own small business. Aroused
to the necessity of finding some way
out for society, this leader received
the inspiration which rekindled the
cooperative movement in Racine
when he stopped in at cooperative
gasoline station in Wausau, Wiscon-
sin, in June, 1884.
The idea looked good to union
leaders with whom he conferred on
his return, and it was only month
befeore Lynn Matteson, fieldman for
the Midland Cooperative Wholesale,
was brought in to explain the possi-
bilities of a cooperative and to lay
definite plans.
Organized Labor Takes Hand
Only about seven enthusiasts for
the cooperative cause were present
at that first meeting. Included in
this group were members of the
Painters, Tool and Die Makers,
Plasterers and Machinists Unions.
In the subsequent months of organ
izational work they proved their
ability in successfully spreading the
message of cooperation among Ra-
cine's union organizations
This voluntary committee distrib-
uted literature and gave talks at
labor picnics throughout the sum-
mer of 1884. At Racine's Labor Day
picnic that year twenty-six $1,000
shares were sold. During the cam
paign the committee held meetings
every two weeks and in addition
called educational meetings for new
shareholders, at which leading CO.
Operators from other cities spoke.
Members of the committee appeared
before every one of the So Racine
unions during this period and at
least so per cent of the shares were
subscribed by union men. On Octo-
ber "a, 1894, the Racine Consumers
Cooperative, Inc, was formally set
up. Three hundred shares of $1,000
each were pledged, and the member
ship proceeded to the election of Of
ficers.
Profit Business Objects