The Union Review (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 48, Ed. 1 Friday, April 13, 1928 Page: 1 of 4
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Local Voice of the
PLACE YOUR MONEY wna THE
AMERICAN
FEDERATION
OF LABOR
VOL. 9. No. 48.—Price 5c.
GALVESTON, TEXAS, FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1928.
/
Subscription Price $1.50 Per Year
es for them, but don’t cut the liy-
ing conditions down with 'the indus-
“(Rather inconsistant I should say, and it generally puts the matter over
5 % on Amounts under $500.00
6% on Amounts of $500.00
“Into each life some rain must fall.”
If this were all—oh! if this were all,
That into each life some rain must fall,
There were fewer sobs in the poet's rhmye,
There were fewer wrecks on the shores of time.
Ohe ICnion Review
Official Organ of Galveston Labor Council, Dock and Marine Council
and Affiliated Untons
Endorsed by the Texas State Federation of Labor.
The shores of time with wrecks are strewn,
Unto the ear comes ever a moan—
Wrecks of hope that set sail with glee,
Wrecks of love sinking silently.
Be strong, be strong, to my heart I cry,
The pearl in the wounded shell doth lie;
Days of sunshine are given to all,
Though "unto each life some rain must fall.”
- .
“Into each life some rain must fall.”
If this were all—oh! if this were all;
Yet there’s a refuge from storm and blast—
Gloria Patri—we’ll reach at last.
Guaranty Building &
Loan Co.
■
1
W
RAIN IN THE HEART. ,
business establishments which we now
have, and seriously handicap us in
getting new manufacturing and in-
dustrial organizations.
(“Innumeral obstacles seem to be
the cause of industries leaving the
North and East, and-yet they are will-
ing to take a chance at the same con-
ditions in the South. Our friend, op-
portunities are just about as good in
the South as they were in the North
and East. Organized Labor has come
to stay. We would like to quote him
__
just so the Miners get it, because they
need it. The Secretary was instructed
to send each Union a letter of thanks,
and incorporate the respective Unions
donating in his report to Unions.
Inquiry was made by the American
Federation of Labor as to what had be-
come of the Retail Clerks and their In-
ternational Secretary was very anxious
to get some information on the subject.
The matter was referred to the organi-
zation committee. I do not know how
many of the Clerks are going to read
this; announcement, but if they will get-
in touch with the secretary he will be
glad to meet them. They owe this to
their employer. Just why we say this
we can explain at some future date; our
space won’t allow us this time.
A bran spanking new treasurer was
elected, and that without opposition. He
is a fine fellow, and while we were very
sorry to lose Brother Denton, there is not
a question of a doubt but that the Coun-
cil has made a good selection when they
elected Bro. Alex Yurash of the East
Gulf Coast Saifors for this position. To
get acquainted with Bro. Yurash is to
like him and he is a union man, every
inch of him, and he is not afraid to
work. We were anxious to print his
picture, but he wants to wait until he
can grow whiskers. Come up to the
Council and meet him.
A communication was presented regis-
tering a complaint about the Termini
Durg Store and the addition thereto be-
ing constructed by non-union Carpenters.
Painters and Bricklayers, at the intersec-
tion of 39th and Avenue N, advising that
these crafts had placed the outfit on the
unfair list, and that the building would
be occupied by the Atlantic and Pacific
in the South. Did he try to eliminate
these objectional conditions in the
North and East, and does he think
he is going to have easier going in
the South, and that he will be able
to put it over when he failed in.the
North and East?
Well, if he thinks so we certainly
don’t.”)
They want to get located where
the owner can run his own business,
where he can deal with his employes.
(“Well, I don’t know, or have never
heard of a case where a man could
not run his own business. I have been
in the labor movement for several
years, but have never - heard of the
Union running a man’s business. The
Union sets a price on its labor, just
the same as the Manufacturer sets a
price on his product. No one could
hardly construe that running a man’s
business.”)
They want to get away from con-
ditions where, some labor Union agi-
tator can call their employes out on
strike and cause other forms of dis
turbance within their plants.
(“In other words they want to pay
labor as they see fit and work them
as many hours as they see fit, if such
conditions can be brought about it
will be Ideal for the Manufacturer,
and that is the object of the organ-
ization our friend, Mr. Haseltine, is
trying to bring about. Well, we have
this to say regarding that matter. He
is wasting a lot of valuable time. The
conditions he is trying to bring about
in Texas already exist in China. All
he has got to do is to trot his man-
ufacturers that are looking for these
kind of conditions over and it will be
why should manufacturers want to
come South when the very conditions,
our friend says they are leaving the
North and East for are predominant
that is a number of years ago, it still
holds good. We never heard of Or-
ganized Labor decreasing efficiency,
what our friend calls efficiency is to
get labor to work for 12 and 14 hours
for a measly sum of possibly $1.50 a
day. If he had a horse or owned a
horse he would not try to over-work
it for fear of losing it, but men can
kick if they want to, there is always
another to replace him. A five-day
week or a seven-day hour does not
decrease efficiency, it simply assures
a living possibility for the working
men, a plant can work as many hours
as it wants but it cannot work the
same crew. Even machinery would
play out being worked continuously
without stopping them. Why want to
play machinery against men?
Galveston is considered the best
Union town in the state and yet Bab-
son says it has a lead of all others
for employment and construction
work. Does our friend think for one
moment that if starvation conditions-
were prevailent in Galveston that Bab-
son would have said what he did?
Forget it, my dear open shopper, you
are on the wrong road and are advo-
cating something that is detrimental
to any community, Ship your indus-.
Many are hid from the human eye;
Only God knoweth how deep they lie;
Only God heard when arose the prayer,
“Help me to bear—oh, help me to bear.”
discussion in these matters, in every
place they have been inaugerated they
have sprouted Labor organizations,
these are sound facts, notwithstanding
it might be difficult to convince our
Open Shopper friend.”)
There is another thing the tax payer
is faced with in Texas, and that is
that when some particular group
wants to make a raid on the treasury
and wants some special form of tax-
ation for that purpose, they usually
have a well-organized machine avail-
able to put the matter over.
(“Our friend certainly quotes the
truth. Yes, it certainly is a machine
brothers for overlooking that bet and
send the finance up to the Labor
Council and we will use it for the
best interest of Labor.
It was decided that work should be-
'gin on the Labor Day celebration
and it was decided that two delegates
represent your Union for this festival,
and every meeting of the Labor Coun-
cil will be a committee meeting for
the Labor Day Celebration. You won’t
have to come down Sunday morning.
■ Thus far no committees have been
appointed. The Secretary will write
for some information on a booster
button, and it was also decided that
the Council would co-operate with the
Union Review on its special edition, a
program will also be arranged, and
the chances are that some of this
stuff is going to be very nifty. Some
of the delegates thought that the B.
U. I. L. D. was going to take some-
thing away from them, we never knew
that B. U. I. L. D. spelled taking any-
thing away from anyone, and let me
say again to some of these good broth-
ers, that if they ever got into a good
thing, they oght to get into the B.
U. I. L. D. It’s Union 100 Per Cent,
and political 100 per cent. Brother
Jett says he isn’t afraid of the Open
Shopper and that he will go to the
bat with any of them. Why doesn’t
he just get nerve enough and take a
membership in this thing if for no
other reason than to just find out
what it is? It takes a paid-up union
card and a poll tax receipt, now Broth-
er Jett if you don’t come across pretty
soon we are going to begin to think
that you haven’t got that little poll
tax receipt.
The new system of roll call was
inaugurated last night and the insti-
gator of it was not present. We are
sure that he had a yard of business
to tend to. We were told all about it,
and we believe it, we are only too
Take a chance, come up and see; it
might be an open shop association and
if you found that -out, look how much
good you would be doing.
GEORGE DeOBSTRUENT.
----------o----------
B. U. I. L. D.
There is a marked trend of indus-
try away from the North and East
toward the Southwest. Manufacturers
and other business institutions are anx-
ious to come South to get away from
the domination and control of labor
unions, which for years have made
the operation of plants in these sec-
tions very expensive.
glad that this important business only
takes a few of them away at a time;
but we have got to give it to this
brother, he has it well arranged with
his co-delegates they work alternately.
He misses one meeting and then his
colleague misses the other, they never
get there together. The secretary only
sends reports to those Unions that
have attendance and his Union gets
a report each meeting under the pres-
ent arrangements. This would be a
fine scheme for the Carpenters. The
secretary would only have to attend
every fifth meeting, where would the
Council get to if that sort of an ar-
rangement? Let’s all get there to-
gether and then pull together, and
watch the Council grow.
The next meeting of the Labor
Council takes place April 23rd. Let’s
see if you can’t get busy and get a
full representation present. Come up
and make some suggestions for Labor
Day. If you can’t we will and you
can iron them out.
There is so much that took place
at the meeting that we could comment
upon, and it is really good stuff, but
we are going to thin it down because
for the want of space. The comment
on the open shop letter takes up so
much space that we are doubtful if
this will all be covered.
Now just let’s see who did not
come at all. Just read and see how
your Union is stacking up at the
meetings.
The Absentees—
2 Bookbinders.
2 Electricians.
2 Machinists.
2 Meat Cutters
3 Typographical Union.
1 Woman’s Label League.
Organizations represented by one
or more delegates, with absentees.
1 Stage Employees.
1 Printing Pressmen.
2 Painters.
1 Iron Workers.
1 Hotel and Restaurant Employes.
1 Engineers.
1 Carpenters.
2 Barbers.
1 Metal Workers
1 Musicians.
1 Sailors.
100 Per Cent Attendance:
Automobile Mechanic.
Picture Operators.
Plumbers.
To you, of course, -this doesn’t look
like there could have been much at
the meeting. Well, there were just
twenty-two delegates present and
fourteen Unions were represented, and
123 labels were on the garments.
The committee appointed to solicit
funds and clothing for the Miners re-
port that they were quite successful
and something like $200.00 had been
collected. Some collections were still
outstanding and some Unions wanted
to send their own donations. Well,
it doesn’t make so much difference
■ ■" - - --
Regular,Meeting of the
Galveston Labor,Council
in spit of all the Unions do to stop
it. If our friend wants to, we can
call him a few instances where it
was put over, and it wasn’t the Unions
either as he is trying to make it ap-
pear.”)
Did you ever consider when our
appropriation -bills are before theleg-
islature and when matter of expendi-
ture of public funds are before the va
rious city councils, there is no one
organization whose business it is to
get all the facts and keep the tax
payers thoroughly informed as to what
chain store concern. This, matter was
referred to the Grievance Committee.
It seems that a lot of unions and un-
ion carpenters are patronizing this scab
drug store, he also has another drug
store at 29th and Avenue M. Now, Mr.
Carpenter, we have some one watching
and when you go in and make a pur-
chase we will know it and it won't look
so nice. At present we are not going to
say any more about it, only that you be
careful.
We are going way beyond our limited
space so we are going to stop.
B.U.I.L.D meets Monday nights. A
union card paid up, not in arrears, and
a poll tax receipt, if you have got them.
tries, it’s no good and won’t hold
water.
The worst thing about allowing
closed shop labor unions to gain con-
trol of a State is they always seek to
impose as many useless- rules and reg-
ulations which limit production and
increase cost. Why should a brick-
layer who could lay 2000 bricks in a
day, be allowed to lay only 700 or
800? Why should a painter be required
to us’e a brush 3 inches wide, when
he can do a third more work with a
brush 5 inches wide? Why should a
merchant be boycotted because he
does not have the Union Label on his
advertising literature? Why should
pickets try to destroy a man’s busi-
ness just because the man sees fit to
run his plant in his own way, rather
than to turn its operation over to the
Union? Why should it be necessary
for an honest and competent mechanic
to join the Union before he is allowed
to work' at his trade? What right has
a man to go on strike and quite a
job, and then get a gang together and
beat up an employee who is willing
to take the job on the terms the own-
er offers. These are the vital ques-
tions, they effect the whole life of the
community. They effect the growth
and development of the community
and the state, and they are problems
which you and I and every other cit-
izen are vitally interested in.
(“It is certainly encouraging to
know that labor unions control the
state. But I am sure just as soon as
we wake up it won’t be as our friend
represents it to us. It will be just as
he puts the bricklayer up to us, and
the painter with the three-inch brush.
We do not know of any legislation
that has been past and is on the sta-
tute books that compell a painter to
use a three-inch brush or a bricklayer
to lay 800 bricks. This gink evidently
saw a painter tracing a sash with a
three-inch brush and he didn’t, know
any better but that he painted the
entire house with it. He should have
seen the brickies laying brick on the
Laffite Hotel and he would have
thought they were laying 4,000 a day.
He wants to know why should a mer-
chant be boycotted and why should
pickets destroy a man’s business; why
should an honest man join the Union,
and what right has a man to go on
strike, etc.? Well, we don’t just want
to take the time to explain all of these
things why they are done, but there
are some very good reasons and some
better reasons, and our friend is right,
every citizen is vitally interested.
Every citizen should make it his busi-
ness to support the Labor Unions if
he wants prosperity in his community,
where Labor Unions are strongest you
will always find the most prosperous
conditions. (That’s what Babson said,
and Babson is authority on what he
says.”)
• Texas has its State Bankers Asso-
ciation its State Manufacturers Asso-
ciation its organization of wholesale
Merchants, retail merchants and so on
down the line. Each of these organi-
zations deal especially with the prob-
lems of that particular industry,
(“Same way with the Labor Unions.”)
Of course they are doing important
work. (“That’s what he said about the
Labor Unions just above when he
said .they were allowed to gain con-
trol of the State, if that isn’t import-
ant, what is it?”) They are doing the.
work which must always be done in
the manner they are doing it. (“Just
as important as anything you ever
saw and it is being done in the same
manner we always do it. He just
said so.”) But here is my though,
(“Now this thought is what fixes it
if we don’t unfix it on the question
of maintaining sound independent la-
bor conditions, on the question of
avoiding laws which unnecessarily
burden business and industry and load
on the tax payer, taxes which serve
no useful purposes, here you have mat-
ters in which every industry has a
common interest. (“Can you beat it?”)
They do not have any organized plan
whereby collectively they may work
to protect this interest. (“It seems to
be getting worse.”) Now it seems to
me that if we had a State Association
of some kind, (“He seems to be easily
pleased,”) and could bring into this
Association the banker, the farmer, the
lawyer, the doctor, the manufacturer,
in fact the leading citizens of the
state from every walk of life we could
exert a powerful influence to protect
the future of this state insofar as our
own lines of business are concerned
at this time, and maintain a condition
Cont. on Page 3 Col. 6
Now, if we had an organization that
could make an accurate study of all
such proposed legislation and then
give the facts about it wide publicity,
it would keep the tax payers informed,
and in the event it was a measure
they didn’t like, it would give them an
opportunity to take it up with their
representative and enter a protest, but
as it is now, the tax payer is usually
at home, at work, and the law is
probably passed and on the statute
books before he knows anything about
it or has an opportunity to offer any
protest whatever. I don’t -think any
state organization would be capable
of saying that any certain tax ought
to be passed or ought not to be passed,
but I do think that if a bill were in
the legislature the purpose of which
was to create some commission or
board and levy some special tax on the
people, it would be well to get the
facts as to what this commission or
board was going to cost, what it was
going to do and give the information
right at the time the bill is pending,
to the public, then if the public did
not see fit to offer any protest, it
would be their problem; but as it is
now, frequently ' the damage is done
before the man who has to pay the
But tempests of woe dash over the soul—
Since winds of anguish we cannot control;
And shock after shock are well called to bear.
Till the lips are white with the heart’s despair.
Ge,,,------------------------------------------------
bill knows anything about it." 7 ,ogries China, and let them ship’their
( Io our sorrow we have certa Y4)s ds to where they can get good
noticed the very thing our friend is ° - *- • ' • ’ '
trying to put us wise to, that is why
and $1.50. Come up and get into it. any reason why we should go into any
fixed, pronto. If it is necessary to
bring about the conditions existing in
China to bring industries and business
institutions into the State of Texas,
then I say let them stay out of it.”)
Now, it naturally follows if Texas
is to attract these industries to this
state, we must maintain independent
labor conditions here.
(“He calls it independent Labor
Conditions. If there is any factory or
manufacturing concern in the world
such as our Friend is referring to that
has independent Labor Conditions, I
would like to have him lead us to it.
In 99 cases out of a 100 the cases
are hardly dependent, there is hardly
is going on from their standpoint, what Potter Palmer said about it, and
we are doing our best trying to . in-
form the public and tax payer of these
irregularities when they come up, and
that is what they call interfering with
the Manufacturers’ Business, but thus
far we have not had much luck, the
Manufacturer' and Business Interest
has beat us to it most of the time.
Yes, an organization as our friend
suggests would be a good thing and
we also realize to our sorrow, that as
it is now it is most times put over
before we can stop it, and before we
can acquaint the public and taxpayer
with it, but we are afraid that if an
organization as .suggested by our
friend were put into operation it
would be detrimental to a large num-
ber of his Manufacturing friends and
if he wasn’t right careful it might get
his mother’s monkey into trouble, and
the interference would be greater than
the Unions ever dared to be.
Nearly every day furnishes fresh ad-
vises of some Senator, Business Man-
ager of Manufacturer, Mayor or other
high up getting into a jam, we don’t
know if our friend ever noticed these
things, but we did.”)
High taxation in the North and East
is one of the things which is caus-
ing industry to want to get out of
these sections. High taxes will de-
stroy the prosperity of business estab-
lishments which we now have in Texas
and an abnormal high tax rate will
certainly prevent other industries from
coming here.
("It seems, to be a cheap proposi-
tion throughout. Labor Unions must
be put out of commission. Cheap La-
bor must be imported. The tax collec-
tor must be assassinated, and indus-
tries and manufacturers relieved of
taxation. China seems to be the only
ideal location, why all the conglomer-
ation? Why not just deport the whole
caboodle over to China? Babson says
Galveston is the most prosperous city
in the state, and we have no manufac-
turers, only in a small way. For
heaven’s sake let’s not get any of this
cheap skate manufacturing business lo-
cated here and go into a starvation
proposition. Let’s keep our prosper-
ity; pay our high taxes and wages
live happy and grow old. No, Mr
Haseltine we are not interested in
your starvation proposition.”)
There is another factor which is
causing industrial unrest in the North
and East at this time, and that is that
many laws have been passed through
the influence of Organized Labor the
effect of which is to decrease efficiency
of plant operation. When a state al-
lows laws to get on its statute books,
demanding the five-day week, the
seven-hour day, laws which limit the
use of labor-saving machinery, laws
creating innumerable boards and com-
missions to be paid for by the tax
payer, then you have permitted a con-
dition to grow up which is going to
prevent the successful operation of ,
1 he meeting was called to order
promptly at 8 o’clock, President Criss
in the chair.
1 he attendance was just a little
short of what it was the meeting be-
fore. There was, however,, more speed
than in former meetings, and adjourn-
ment was not had until after 11
o’clock.
There were no objections to the
minutes and, of course, they were
adopted as read.
A bunch of communications were
disposed of.
On reports of Committees, the
Grievance Committee was the first to
make a report, and they undertook to
advise that with exception of a little
hitch, the De Luxe Restaurant was
fair, and Union men recommended to
eat there. This is very handy even
in a big rain you could easily slip in
and get a snack. Martin will fix up the
little difference today so you can just
begin eating right now.
The delegate from the Hotel and
Restaurant Employes said that he
took exception to the little reader in
the Union Review, calling their’s a
one man Union. He was assured that
it was not intended to cast any re-
flection upon the Union. We realize
that the Hotel and Restaurant Em-
ployes’ Union is not a small union by
any means, and we do not mean to
say that they cannot do any busi-.
We are for them, first, last and all
• the time, but we do object to them
letting one man do all the work of
the Union. There are a number of
good men in this Union. The Labor
•• ’ Council wants three delegates; that is
. the quota of the Hotel and Restaurant
Employes, and we want three men.
• There are a hundred members in this
union and we want two of this hundred
hundred to take part in the Labor
. Council with Martin. Martin is a good,
wiling worker; that is no reason he
should be worked to death. If you
want to protect your interest you must
come to the meeting.
We also had a little letter from the
> Typographical Union enclosing two
credentials, but not a living being
showed up, the regular delegate got
tied up in some work that he could
not get away from and the result was
that the Typographical Union had
nothing present representing it. Of
Course you might say that it doesn’t
make much difference, but we can’t
agree with you on it. We figure that
it makes quite a lot of difference.
Some of the Unions get miffed, one
of the delegates said they were thin
skinned unions,-but we are not so par-
ticular, if they will just get busy and
get their delegates lined up. Now, Mr.
Printer, just hang a fine on these
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The Union Review (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 48, Ed. 1 Friday, April 13, 1928, newspaper, April 13, 1928; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1426214/m1/1/: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rosenberg Library.