Business--A Profession

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE EMPLOYER AND TRADES UNIONS1 Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: ? I Am glad to be with you. A reunion of veterans is enjoyable, particularly so if the war has been successful ? properly so if the right has triumphed, as in the recent struggle in which we were engaged. Let me review the facts: ? Prior to...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE EMPLOYER AND TRADES UNIONS1 Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: ? I Am glad to be with you. A reunion of veterans is enjoyable, particularly so if the war has been successful ? properly so if the right has triumphed, as in the recent struggle in which we were engaged. Let me review the facts: ? Prior to February 1, 1901, the minimum wage of compositors in Boston was $15 per week. A three years' agreement then entered into between your association and the Boston Typographical Union No. 13 fixed the minimum weekly wage at $16 for the first year, and $16.50 for the two succeeding years. Shortly before February 1, 1904, the Union demanded that the minimum wage be further increased to $18. You offered an increase to $17 for the first year, and $18 thereafter. The Union rejected your offer, and ordered a general strike. On February 1, 1904, the compositors went out. No principle of trade unionism was involved, nor the question of increased wages for an indefinite period in the future. It was at most a matter of $1 a week for one year ? the equivalent of what would be lost by each man in wages if the strike lasted just three weeks. To strike for such a stake was shockingly bad business. It was followed quickly by acts which also shocked the conscience. 1 An address delivered at the annual banquet of the Boston Typo- thets, April 21, 1904, for whom Mr. Brandeis had acted as counsel in a memorable struggle with the Typographical Union. The United Typothetae had made a four years' contract with the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union. This contract provided for arbitration of grievances, provided expressly against sympathetic strikes, and recognized expressly the open shop. In defiance of this agreement and in the face of the protest of Martin P. Higgins, ..