The Union Review (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, September 21, 1934 Page: 1 of 4
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Official Organ of the
WE poouRRAET
Endorsed by the Texas State Federation of Labor
Subscription Price $1.50 Per Year.
GALVESTON, TEXAS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1934.
SHHEESSHCHHHHOHGHGHSHGHGEGHGHGHHGHGHKHGHEAGEKHGHHHEAGHKaGHaGEGEASHSHGHEHEHGHGHRGGHGHEHEHHHHH
RETREAT
purpose and en-
RHHHBHBHHHHHHHHHHHHBSIHHHNHHHHIBHHHHHSHNHHHHNHHHHHBBHHHH
of the absolute
EMPLOYER ATTACKS ON TRADE UNIONS
ARE COMPLETELY RIDDLED BY MORRISON
Mr. Woodmansee stated that he will
arrive in San Francisco on September
30 and may be consultetd at the Hotel
Whitcomb.
Dr. McDowell Says Christian Ethics Ban Rise of One Social
Class at Expense of Another; Urges Cooperation Between
Owners and Workers So Fruits of Industry Shall Be
Equitably Divided.
How soft the sunlight plays upon the lawn!
The cedar’s shade invites to calm repose;
I hear no more the throbbing arteries
Of the great city, where the traffic flows.
Not in the mighty rending of the rocks,
Nor in the storm from out the whirlwind’s lair,
Did God’s voice reach the prophet; but it came
In the soft whisper of a gentle air.
A. F. of L. Secretary Disproves Charge That Organized Labor
Levies Enormous Dues from Members; Cites Help Given
Automobile Workers as Example of Constructive Assistance
for New Unions Provided by American Federation of Labor.
Christian Ethics Oppose Dictatorship
“As society advances from barbar-
ism to civilization, men compete less
and co-operate more. The principle of
competition is the law of the survival
of the fittest, but it is not the highest
law of civilized society; another and
higher principle, the principle of good
will, the principle of mutual help, be-
gins at length to operate.
‘'Cooperation converts the industrial
enterprise of employers and employes
into a moral organism in which all the
various talents, services and desires of
the component individuals are fused in-
AMERICAN
FEDERATION
OF LABOR
Galveston Labor
Council and Building
Trades
RUMBLINGS OF
THE LABOR COUNCIL
IR.
Official Organ of Galveston Labor Council, Dock and Marine Council
and Affiliated Unions
PRESBYTERIANS CONDEMN PROFITS
AS MAJOR PURPOSE OF BUSINESS
LOCAL VOICE
OF THE
----------------o---------------- t
Pay Slash Brings Strike
of Maryland Crab Pickers
to a community of
deavor.
“The great truth
increased efficiency in production, en-
hanced equity in distribution, enlarged
participation in management, fuller
satisfaction in work.
“The supreme need of the hour is
cooperation, not conflict—cooperation
rooted in good will and aiming at the
common welfare. It is evident that only
thus can the Kingdom of God delared
by IChrist come.”
VOL. 15, No. 20?
How good it is thus to retire awhile
From the parched restlessness of modern life,
Where hour treads close upon the heels of hour,
Wasting the soul with its incessant strife.
Yes! it is good to pause a few brief days
From strenuous work, with all its hopes and fears,
To look into one’s soul, and read within
Life’s meaning and the message of the years.
By AFL Weekly' News Service.
A complete battery of facts demol-
ishing the charge of anti-union em-
ployers that unions collect unduly
large dues from their members was
made by Frank Morrision, secretary of
the American Federation of Labor, in
his Labor Day speech at Flint, Mich.
After referring to the employers’ in-
tensive campaign in favor of company
unions, following the enactment of the
National Industrial Recovery Act with
its Section 7-A which guaranteed the
right of the workers to organize in
bona fide unions without interference
by employers, and the vicious victim-
ization of employes because of mem-
bership in trade unions, Mr. Morrison
said:
Enormous Trade Union Dues Canard
“As interest in organization devel-
opend among wage workers, news-
paper and magazine articles became
more frequent, spreading propaganda
against the American Federation of
Labor, its officers and the officers and
representatives of the affiliated organ-
izations. One of the charges is, that
organizing campaigns are instituted to
extort enormous sums from workers
in the guise of dues.
“There is a great deal of fictitious
information circulated about supposed
enormous amounts at the command of
the Amreican Federation of Labor and
our affiliated unions.
“According-to their reasoning, these
antagonists find fault because trade
unions are not fly-by-night affairs and
do not adopt haphazardous financial
methods.
“Our national and international or-
ganizations are business institutions,
and, as such, are required, to accumu-
late and maintain funds to enable them
to carry on their activities and to meet
financial obligations created under
benefit features established and ad-
ministered by laws drafted by the
membership of these international
unions.
Regular and Special Dues Cited
“National and international unions
pay one cent per member per month
to the Federation. Local unions, di-
rectly chartered by the Federation,
pay an initiation fee of not less than
$2—$1 of which is forwarded to the
Federation and $1 retained by the local
union. The monthly dues of directly
affiliated unions are $1 per member
per month, 35 cents of which is for-
warded to the Federation and 65 cents
retained by the local union.
“National and international unions
which charge higher initiation fees
than $2 and more than $1 per month
dues, do so because of benefits paid
to-their members; namely, strike bene-
fits, life insurance, sick benefits, death
■benefits and old-age pensions. Their
monthly dues must be sufficient to
pay the numerous benefits authorized
by the membership of the various na-
Labor Editors’ Convention
Opens in Frisco October 1
Springfield, Ill. — (AFL) — R. E.
Woodmansee, secretary-treasurer of
the Labor Press of America and edi-
tor of the Illinois Tradesman, an-
nounced that the annual convention of
labor editors will open in San Fran-
cisco, Calif., Monday evening, October
1, in the Hotel Whitcomb.
All members of the organization are
entitled to a voice and vote in the con-
vention, which will be presided over
by Matthew Woll, president of the
Labor Press of America and editor of
the International Photo-Engraver.
nor the despotism of a labor union,
nor the dictatorship of a governmental
agency.
Common Welfare Is Supreme Aim
“Genuine cooperation will demand
freedom and justice for the wage earn-
er and liberty within the limits of jus-
tice for the employer. It will solve
with an efficacy unknown to any other
factor four great industrial problems:
The Labor Day message by Dr.
John McDowell of New York City,
ex-Moderator of the Presbyterian Gen-
eral Assembly and Secretary of the
Committee on Social and Industrial
relations, denounced profit-making as
the sole purpose of business and holds
that Christianity demands co-operation
between those who own our economic
system and those who do most of the
useful work in order that the fruits
of industry may be more equitably
divided.
When this state of economic society
is reached, Dr. McDowell pointed out,
“profits will become a means of en-
riching life rather than that of mere-
ly increasing fortunes.”
Text of Message
The text of Dr. McDowell’s mes-
sage, issued from the office of the
Presbyterian General Assembly in
Philadelphia, follows:
“It is now evident that the spirit
needed by our American industry is
one of cooperation rather than con-
flict. The age of unlimited competition
has passed. We now see that there
is no peace or progress this way. In
every sphere of life we know we can-
not stand alone. Experience has taught
us the value of team work in play, in
education, in government, and is now
teaching us the need of it in industry,
agriculture, and religion.
Old Philosophy Repudiated.
“Many of our difficulties today are
due to the attempt to make adjust-
ments to this new and growing de-
mand. We are no longer content
with the old philosophy of every man
for himself and the devil take the
hindmost. Men of capital, as well as
of labor, are repudiating this philos-
ophy. ‘More and more,’ says William
Green, president of the American Fed-
eration of Labor, ‘labor is coming to
believe that its best interests are pro-
moted through concord rather than
conflict. It prefers the conference
table to the strike field.’
Labor As An Investor in Industry
“An increasing number of employers
are echoing this sentiment and find-
ing ways to make it work. ’The day is
past,’ says John D. Rockefeller, Jr.,
‘when the conception of industry as
chiefly a revenue-producing process
can be maintained * * * industrial re-
lations are human relations * * * labor,
like capital, is an investor in industry,
but labor’s contribution, like that of
capital, is not detachable from the one
who makes it * * * it is part of the
worker’s strength and life and it is
just as neessary for labor to associate
itself into organized groups for the
advancement of its legitimate interests
as for capital to combine for the same
objects.’
Workers’ Equity Stressed
“It is now obvious that American
industries should be something more
than a profit-making business. They
must be a cooperative undertaking in
which those who invest their lives as
well as their money are represented in
distribution as well as production.
Profits will then become a means of
enriching life rather than merely that
of increasing fortunes.
Co-operation Is Secret of Progress
“History and experience show con-
clusively that cooperation is the secret
of progress. ‘Progress from the begin-
ning of the world,’ said L. K. Corn-
stock, president of The Electric Guild
of North America, ‘has been the result
of cooperation. In industry it cuts out
the ways of strife and competition. Big
business found this out and organized
trusts. Labor found it out and organ-
ized unions. Both need now to find
the mutual advantages of cooperation.’
“It has been proven over and over
again that cooperation multiplies and
hallows the energies of the individual.
But it does even more than this—it
preserves the new energy thus evolved
as a permanent asset to the organiza-
tion served. The cooperative principle
and habit is really the cement of so-
ciety; competition develops individual
powers; cooperation develops social
relations.
September 17, 1934.
Somehow we are at a loss how to
proceed to satisfy all of our readers.
We don’t expect them to all agree with
us, particularly on all of our ideas or
writings. That would be impossible,
but we write as we see it, and if per
chance we are steering wrong, we are
glad to make corrections if our atten-
tion is called to the error. So here we
go again. We are of the opinion that
the Galveston Labor “Council is prog-
ressing—making headway, convales-
cing—if you please. The last meeting
looked so much brighter. The dele-
gates seem to have gotten back to a
realization that they are going to have
to get together if they expect to get
results or get anywhere at all. They
seemed to be willing to divide their
opinion with one another. That in it-
self is an advancement in the propo-
sition. “The plan of I know it all and
you don’t know anything, or if you
don’t play my way I won’t play at all”
is not a very profitable plan. We must
divide our opinions. One man is not
always right, and every delegate has
a right to express his or her opinion.
If delegates would report the con-
ditions of their unions from a stand-
point of membership and working con-
ditions, in an honest way, and not try
to multiply on everything they report,
it would not be long until we would
be advancing in all of our organiza-
tions.
All of our unions are having trouble,
some from within and some from
without. But we are of the opinion
that if the trouble from within was
eliminated our progress would multi-
ply itself, and our strides to recovery
would be much more rapid than we
are at present experiencing. Of course
that is only our opinion. You might
not agree with us and convince us
that we are absolutely steering in the
wrong direction, and we are willing
to divide our opinion. We are not
stand-patters, if we can be shown. We
are with the majority. While we don’t
believe that the majority is always
right, nevertheless we are with the ma-
jority.
That is why we are with Allred. He
received the majority vote of the peo-
ple, and technical reasons to set aside
this majority vote is not sportsman-
like.. Thus with a union or central
body, all matters should receive con-
sideration as a whole and should be
followed in accordance with the ac-
tion taken. Putting something over on
someone contrary to all common de-
cency in an underhand way is not go-
ing to win or progress.
You have a right to organize. The
government promises to protect you
tional and international unions. In-
creased benefits mean higher dues. .
Employes and Communists Join
Hands in Attaching Unions.
“The propaganda against the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor became inten-
sfiied as the tremendous wave of inter-
est in organization spread among the
wage workers of our country, who, for
the first time, under the NIRIA, were
receiving the protection of the United
States Government in their effort to
organize and to secure redress of
grievances growing out of unfair
working conditions of labor.
“It is important that those who are
interested in preserving the free insti-
tutions of our country should realize
that employers, blinded by selfish in-
terests, are establishing a bond be-
tween themselves and the Communists
in their common objective of destroy-
ing faith and confidence of workers in
the bona fide trade union movement.
A. F. of L. Organizes 108 Auto
Workers’ Unions.
“The 108 local unions of automobile
workers, now organized and affiliated
with the A- F. of L., represent the first
successful movement to coordinate ef-
fort” among these workers to approach
and deal intelligently with unfair con-
ditions of employment which work
hardships upon them.
“Automobile manufacturers who
have discharged and discriminated
against employes because of member-
ship in A. F. of L. unions, have
shown no mercy or respect for the
spirit and temperament of workers
who are anxious to deal with their
problems in a constructive manner.
Great credit is due the members of
these unions for the patience and re-
straint they have maintained under the
intolerance of such employers.
Unions Must Develop Solidarity for
Their Protection
“It is not to be expected that the
members of unions will have smooth
sailing, nor is it to be expected that,
by merely joining a union, can they ,
accomplish the laudable purposes for
which they are organized. Nothing will
be accomplished by relying on the
sufferance of the manufacturers.
Workers will have to be alive to their
interests and alert to the need of solid-
itary in their ranks.
Assistance Given by A. F. of L.
“The American Federation of Labor
will devote the facilities at their com-
mand to furnish the members of the
automobile workers’ unions with fac-
tual information they need to enable
them to discuess their problems and
to formulate just demands relative to
standards of labor concerning condi-
tions of employment in the industry.
“In fact, no independent or company
union has given one iota of assistance
in the endeavor to establish a satis-
factory code for the automobile
workers.
“The Federation maintains an effi-
cient Research and Code Department
which has been active in assisting our
affiliated unions in securing codes and
adjusting grievances growing out of
violation of the codes by the em-
ployers.”
in your efforts and collective bargain-
ing. And, no doubt, if you do it hon-
estly they will live up to their promise.
But in our estimation collective bar-
gaining does not mean one-fifth of
the employes ‘employed in a factory
to submit a scale of wages and work-
ing conditions and then have the gov-
ernment to force it over and drive
the other 20 men into the union. We
don’t believe that you are going to
have any such good luck. But, ol
course, we are not all of the same
opinion. We have our doubts about it.
but are willing to divide this opinion
with you, and if we lose we will be
sportsman enough to take the licking,
notwithstanding We might not believe
that it is right.
Objection was raised to our writings
The objection was that the brewery
is on the unfair list of the Council
and not the “We Don’t Patronize”
list as stated in the reader. We wrote
the matter as we understood it. If the
Council sees fit to put the brewery
on its unfair list we will abide by it,
but we don’t feel that make an enemy
of the brewery would profit or help
the “We Don’t Patronize” list. But
nevertheless that is up to the Coun-
cil and we will be governed by their
action.
The Council is gradually coming
back into its own. It has no autonomy
over the affairs of local unions. It will
assist every union in its efforts for
justice to the laboring man if assist-
ance is applied for and it is legitimate
and will not jeopardize the interest of
the Council with the American Fed-
eration of Labor. The Council can-
not make members of your union do
things that your own union cannot
make them do. It has no authority to
fine a member of affiliated unions for
a violation of his obligation, and only
a collective and co-operative effort will
bring about the conditions that we are
seeking.
The Council also has no right to
take any active part in adjusting jur-
isdiction differences. When claims are
awarded by the American Federation
of Labor we are advised of the fact,
but we have no right to step in and
make these adjustments. At least that
is the way I look at it. Section 7 of
the constitution of the A. F. of L. also
provides for unfair list action. I be-
lieve that these provisions should be
lived up to. They are laws of the A.
F. of L. and they should not be ab-
rogated by the Labor Council.
lOome up to the next meeting, it is
going to be interesting and instructive.
September 24th, 1934, is the date.
HENRY W. E. RABE, Sec’y,
Galveston Labor Council.
unity of human interests, which in-
volves the impossibility that any social
class should rise by depressing another
social class, is the cornerstone of
Christian ethics and of a Christian
social order. While certain personal
advantages may be gained by compet-
ing with our fellowmen for the prizes
of life, both history and experience
show that it would be better if we
would cooperate with them for mutual
benefit.
Employes and Employers Are
Partners
“We are witnessing today in Amer-
ica an attempt to build a new type of
collective society based on the belief
that in a nation economically and so-
cially interdependent old ideas of iso-
lation must give way to a realistic
method of industrial consultation and
cooperation.
“To do this we must discover some-
thing better than an industrial system
which involves organized conflict.
Some form of industrial cooperation
between capital and labor is the logical
and natural result of the application of
the Golden Rule to industrial life.
That all producers are brothers is the
logic of human brotherhood.
“Christianity has taught us that the
employer and the employe are not only
brothers, but that they are also part-
ners in industrial life. The law of
Christ is the law of cooperation. We
must therefore steadily travel toward
aft industrial order which will identify
the interests of the employer and the
employe if we are to have permanent
peace ad progress in America.
Industry for Private Gain Condemned
“Apart from the application of the
Golden Rule, vital cooperation is ab-
solutely impossible. Organization, ed-
ucation, legislation are one and all
helpless to produce the cooperative
man apart from the principle of the
Golden IRule. Cooperation is a matter
of spirit, not of system; of motive,
not method; of principle, not program.
“Wise exeutives and effective labor
leaders recognize this fap today and
therefore are more concerned about
the spirit of the parties in industry
than its methods, knowing that a prop-
er spirit’will refuse to regard industry
as other than being a cooperative
agency which exists, not for private
gain but for the public service, for
the meeting of the elementary needs
of the human race.
Justice Must Prevail Over Greed
“There is need of reform in our eco-
nomic theories and industrial systems
and in political machinery, but deeper
is the need of devoted, fraternal and
cooperative souls. It will be of little
avail to reorganize our industries if
we cannot secure a more unselfish
spirit in employers and employes;, co-
operation will avail nothing unless the
love of justice can prevail over the
greed of men. Industrial cooperation
will come to naught where the egoism
of the old regime remains unsubdued;
it will never thrive until the coopera-
tive spirit and habit have found root
in the lives of the men of industry—
the employers and the employes.
Just Distribution Demanded.
“Cooperation will contend that the
fruits of industry be guaranteed in just
and equitable proportion to employer
and employe. It will insist that there
is no place in cooperative industry for
the tyranny of an employers’ combine
Crisfield, Md.-(AFL)-A wage slash
of five cents a gallon for picking crab
meat caused a strike of about 650
crab pickers here. After they had been
at work for half an hour the foreman
announced that they would receive 30
cents a gallon instead of 35 cents
which they had been paid previously
this year.
Che ICnion Meview
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The Union Review (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, September 21, 1934, newspaper, September 21, 1934; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1411070/m1/1/: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rosenberg Library.