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Show UTAH LABOR NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, APRIL 30, 1937, The C. I. O. And Sit-Do- wn COOPERATION IN Slrikefi THE UNITED STATES LEN DE CAUX Among the popular fallacies, lis the idea that the C. I. 0. is some n how the father of strikes be or, vice versa, that Dy sit-dow- sit-dow- ns gat the C. I. 0. Learned men have been tracing the ancestry of They find many instances of them centuries ago. sit-dow- Prof. Don D. Lescohier of thi: University of Wisconsin has uncovered a strike of building workers that occurred in 1485 at Rouen, France. Men employee on the cathedral there sat down on the scaffolding and inside the finsit-do- ished part of the building, while others picketed outside, until they won their demands. The impulse of the strikers then, as in almost all since, was to protect theirjobs from be ing stolen by strikebreakers. Lescohier lists other of bakers, printers and textile workers in the ICth and 18th centuries in the American labor movement can remember many of them decades ago in this country. n is new. Only the name Previously such strikes used to be called "folded - arms strike s, strikes on the job and by other names. The stoppage, during which workers remain on the job but stop working, has long been a common practice in a number of American industries. Who Is Responsible? As to the idea that the C. I. 0. is the child of or their special advocate, as a matter of fact the first experience of C. I. 0. leaders with was in discouraging them. This was in the Akron rubber industry, after the Goodyear strike. C. I. O. representatives cautioned and advised the new unionists on the grounds against that they should use such channels for negotiating grievances as the sit-dow- ns sit-dow- ns Old-time- rs "sit-dow- sit-dow- ns sit-dow- ns sit-dow- ns ELECTRIC RATES Older Co-op- s Examples of older cooperatives towns and cities are the stores n Cloquet, Minn.; Waukegan, 111.; in agreement provided. The attitude of the C. I. 0. to has from the first been consistently that of all responsible union officials to any form of strike. When employers refuse to bargain collectively with the union of heir employes, and threaten, spy upon and repress them in many ways, the workers are driven to protect their rights with such means as are at their disposal. Union leaders worthy of the name and this does not include such as cringe and fawn before the Towns of the rich to wheedle their then lay the blame for avors such industrial conflict as may result, where it belongs, squarely on ;he shoulders of those who provoke it by refusing the workers their rights. But when collective bargaining is ully accepted, union recognition accorded and an agreement reached, C. I. 0. unionists accept full responsibility for carrying out their side of it in a disciplined fashion, or any other and oppose strike action while it is in force. No Doubt About Lewis John L. Lewis, C. I. 0. leader, las never left any doubt as to his stand on the subject. "The C. I. 0. stands for punctilious observance of contracts, he But we are not losing any says. sleep about strikes where employers refuse to recognize the principles of collective bar gaining. "A C. I. O. contract is adequate for any employer protection or any against other kind of strike. Twenty-fiv- e Years of Peace If further assurance is needed of he responsible character of C. I 3. leadership, it is only necessary ;o look at the record of the United Mine Workers and other and successful unions ;hat are the backbone of the sit-dow- ns al sit-dow- ns well-defin- REDUCED i Another cut in domestic lighting rates became effective April 1. Electricity is cheaper than ever! How, Utah Power & Light Co. (Continued from Tage 1) Savings returned to memLers were over $20,000. This is the cooper ative association that found itself paying 30 per cent more than the wages called for in the NR A code for the restaurant trade. Consumers' Cooperative Services was the only employer which appeared before the NRA and asked that the code wage rate be incroas ed. This cooperative, which has paid special attention to the main tenance of wage rates throughout the entire depression, recently adopted a rule that the highest salary paid in the organization should not exceed five times the minimum wage. sit-dow- lie-dow- ns long-establish- C. I. ed ed 0. (Continued on Page 5) DAIIOS LABOR of Pocatello, of the Idaho State Federation of Labor, and Mrs. Rosqvist, were Salt Lake City visitors Saturday. ,He came here to choose a union-mad- e La Faystream-lined automobile of ette, latest model, and of desirable color shade, from .the Ballard Motor Co. He had made the purchase with his own dealer in Pocatello, but the dealer not having Mr. Rosqvists choice of color in his stock rooms made arrangements with the Salt Lake City agency to deliver the car. The editor of the Utah Labor News acknowledges a pleasant call from Mr. Rosqvist to talk over old times and labor activities and labor legislation. August Rosqvist r BEST WISHES TO LABOR The Best In Dairy Products Maid e, 0 Clover Buttermilk, Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Whipping Cream MUTUAL CREAMERY CO. Among the largest milk distributors in Minneapolis, Minn., is the Franklin Cooperative Creamery. It was started by a handful of strik-n- g n drivers in 1918. 5000 consumer over Today it has annual business the and members, to see, said Manager Kirkham of the Utah Consumers Cooperative recently, "we must find some way to make every member think ana talk about the cooperative the way he does about his work, lodge or union, his automobile and other things. This can be brought about by bringing more of the problems direct to the members to get their advice and counsel in local meetings. Let us learn to talk about our cooperative as part owners and proud of it instead of intimidating that the cooperative belongs to the board of directors or the manager. We must build around a principle and not around success than this. The successful cooperative is the one whose members take an intensive, continuous and personal interest in organization affairs. Once members lose interest, or come to feel that they are of no importance to the organization, failure becomes inevitable. Cooperation is es active as its members are active. Next Week In the eighth article in the series of stories on the cooperative movement, appearing in the Utah Labor News, the subject will be: "A Town of Cooperators. It gives a word picture of a typical American men. town of 1500 families, with 975 It would be hard to find a better families being members of general formula for cooperative YOU SHARE IN THE PROFITS We Welcome You as a Customer or a Member UTAH CONSUMERS COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION GROCERIES VEGETABLES FRESH MEATS FRUITS Wasatch 4864 South Main WE DELIVER JUST PHONE 860 milk-wago- exceeds $3,000,000. The Franklin Cooperative owns and operates two large milk plants, a large garage, and repair shops. More than COO men and women are on the payroll. Every person carries a trade union card. Top wages are paid. A minimum wage of $37.50 for is paid today to a milk wagon and truck drivers. This contrasts with the wage of $18 for week prior to the estab-ishinean of the Franklin Cooperative Creamery in 1918. The Franklin led in improving the conditions of the workers. Private employers in the milk industry had to follow if they were to stay in business. As a result, in milk industry, in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, benefited, and are being paid the largest wage scales for this industry in the United States. Co-oIn Minnesota Minnesota is the cooperative Torth Star of the United States. people Among its 2,627,000 more than 4000 cooperative enterThese ventures prises flourish. tally up to, roughly, an eighth of the total in our nation today. Enjoying and maintaining them as members are some 144,000 farmers and 75,000 urban consumers, and a grand total of patrons adding up cm-doy- ed k 40-ho- ur 84-ho- nt ur em-)loy- es ps to 531,000. Hence, it is indeed easy to real ize that the people of Minnesota have awakened to the fact that nomic security for the eco- masses-th- e workers and farmers can and must be attained by a fundamental change in the existing economic system. We can see, too, that only through such a wholesale reorganization can the truest essence of democracy be established and the present inequalities be abolished. Cooperatives are an example of democracy at its best. Every member is a shareholder and therefore Each member has only a boss. one vote, regardless of the number of shares he may own, which determines directly the policies and leadership of the mutual association. Management is employed by an elected board of directors, or by the votes of the entire membership. These employes thus act only under majority rule. Significant also is this: Since 1925 the number of cooperative failures has remained at less than a half on one per cent, and these few failures were due largely to economic pressure of capitalism upon small enterprises generally. The highest example of cooperation in action appears before us in the cooperative movement of Minnesota. Formula for Success "If we are going to build an organization such as we would like ic Mothers Day, Hay 9 Next Week A Days Work, by Dr. Charles Stelzle, ecutive director, Good Neighbor League. ex- j A Town of Cooperators," a timely and story on the fastest growing democratic movement in America. In addition, as usual, stirring editorials, labor and economic progress, spicy and timely comment on the federal court reform. The Best is none too Good for you you get the BEST information in the Utah Labor News when it comes to labor activities, social economics, and a review of current events. Become a regular scriber and ask your friends to do likewise. Only $1.50 a Year... And Worth sub- It! 9 (Say It mill Flowers from Colonial jflotoer $otnse East 9th South Phone Ilyland 8191 870 7 Milk Co-o- p socio-econom- LEADER VISITS S. L. secretary-treasure- Saulte St. Marie, Mich.; Dillon-valOhio; Maynard, Mass., ant Fitchburg, Mass. Each store has been doing a business averaging half a million dollars a year. National Cooperatives was or ganized in 1033 as a purchasing ageneji for existing cooperatives. It retail cooperatives served 891 throughout the 11 wholesales that are federated in the national agency. During 1935 these units carried on a total business of almost $20, 000,000. They handled 51,000 au tomobile tires and tubes, 20,000 cars of motor fuel, 4,851,000 pounds of twine, and large quantities of other products. E. It. Bowen, general secretary of the Cooperative League of the USA, contends that consumer distribution is necessary in an age of automatic pow'er production. Distribution of purchasing power through patronage dividends on purchases will not only produce economic justice but will also permit increasing amounts to be produced and distributed each year. The Utah Labor Mews 24 South Fourth East St. Salt Lake City. |