"THE OPEN SHOP"

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 90, 13 October 1923, Page 14

"THE OPEN SHOP"

PRINCIPLE SPREADING. IN

AMERICA.

During Hie last decade Capital and labour have been engaged in this country in a bitter struggle over the question of unionism, writes the New York correspondent of the - Melbourne "Argus." On the one hand the industrial entrepreneur has stoutly maintained his right to hire workers regardless of union affiliation and to bargain with them singly ; on the other hand the leaders of Labour have fought endlessly for the right of collective bargaining through the medium of their.unions. This has been known as the "open-shop" war, and it has become more and more serious. Capital has'refused to recognise unions; Labour in many cases has used the strike as a weapon to force Capital to employ only union workers. The issue, simply in its elemental contention, has become complex with time. Certain large employers of labour, such as the Pennsylvaniar Kail-road- System, hava permitted ..their workers to organise their own intramural unions, but have refused to recognise or deal with the-large national trade unions. These" employers contend that differences ' arising', between themselves and their-employees properly comeup for settlement between the parties directly affected. They will not consent to discuss disputes in.their own organisation with the-officials-of a country-wide-union whomTthey do-nol, employ. They call these "outside agitators." .The "New.Work, Herald," in a recent -■survey-of■ the ■ situation in-20-large indus^ trial centres of this country, has come ..to the conclusion, that the "open shop" is growing, that is, more employers are successfully exercising their right to employ workers without union affiliations -The newspaper found that only in the cities of Boston, New York, Albany, Baltimore, either holding its own- or making,large, Atlanta;, and: Wilmington is the closed shop" (as contrasted with the open shop").gains. This is especially true in the.two' large, cities, New York and Boston, where the "open shop is slowly but surely disappearing In the other cities, however, the "open •-^P" movement is becoming more powerful, and threatens virtually to wipe out the larger' unions. The period of unemployment three years ago is held" *--*s?Dnsible for the inroads made into the Tanks of the unions. The worker took what he could get during and immediately following this period, when unionism was not helping him, and he has clung to his employment even after the period of depression had passed. In such industries as steehnaking and meat packing.the unions have not been able to do much in the way of organising the workers, mainly because these workers are for the. larger part unskilled and foreign-born, often ignorant-of the language, and not so readily- amenable to the.influence of the union organiser. In the clothing industry the unions control ■the field absolutely." In the railways, the textile industry, coal-mining, and commercial printing the union employees and non-union employees are about t/enly divided in numbers.