T
H
W E
E
S
T
The P ri me 'acts
I
.
II
.
Re asons for the
Ofici al
Rep
U N I
E R N
and
A ti
c
on
St p
e
s
Ta k e n
Tak en
War Labor Board
P
ostmaster
Rep ort
S howi ng atti tude of P ost Office
'
What has bee n done
N
3- 10
1 1- 18
'
ort of
E xtracts from
the
O
'en eral
t
1 9 - 27
.
’
s
t'
D e p a r me n
by the Com pany
A N D
The P rim e 'acts and
the S t eps T ak en
pamphlet is issu ed i n order that those
interested may have available the essential
d ata as to the labor policy of the Western
Union Telegraph C ompany
Thi s
.
Th e
Pr i m e
'acts
prime facts in this situation to be
n oted are the f ollowin g :
T he
Th e re has b een and i s at resent no
disp ute be tween the com p any and its em
1
.
pl oyees
.
tinuity or the quality of i ts
servi ce h as a t no ti me b ee n thre atene d by
any ac ti on of the e mp loye es of the comp any
2
.
T he
con
.
In p rotec ti on of the p ublic the p oli cy
of the comp any has been to re fuse to h ave
dealings with any l ab or organiz ation which
3
.
3
Prope rty of
MA
RTIN P CA THERWO OD LIBR
.
N
EWVBR
KSIMEStflflfll
ll llllSIR
lAl M
ill '
ABM llElkl llll
Cornell University
T
H
W E S
E
l
U N I
E R N
T
O
N
A N D
trike for i ts own en ds or in
sy m p a thy with othe rs th e co m p a ny s p oli cy
i n this b e ing p re ci se ly the same as th at of the
Post Office D ep artment to wh ose se rvi ce
th at of this c omp any i s i n m any ways so
cl ose ly an al agous
em p oys
the
s
’
,
,
.
It h as for ove r ten ye ars ma de it a
conditi on tha t it wou ld not e mp loy p e rsons
who we re m em b e rs of such o rganiz a tio ns or
re tain i n i ts e mp loy those who b ecame me m
b ers Its p oli cy i n this regard was so well
known tha t it wa s unde rstood th at those who
accep te d e m p loym e n t we re con side re d to h ave
agree d th e re to
4
.
.
.
i
involved in this
m atte r h as no m e m be rship wh a teve r am on g
this comp any s e mp loyees but i s an o rgani z a
tion carry in g on a p rop agan da to in duce our
e m p loyee s to b ecome m e mb e rs
5
The
.
l a b or
un on
’
,
.
which in voke d the
in te rference of the National War Labor
Board sou ght to se cure an inte rp retation
of the B oa rd s p ri nc ip le s th a t wou ld i n e ffec t
bec om e a m anda te of the B oa rd i n supp ort
6
The
.
la b o r
uni on
’
sta
i ol a t e
to v
7
m p any by in duc in g th em
the conditi ons of th e ir e m p loym e nt
fi of
the
.
L ab o r
the
co
.
The p roce dur e of the Na tion al War
Board as e m b odie d i n i ts statem ent
T
W A R
H E
R
O
B
A R D
O
into force by the Presi
dent s p roclam ation requires th at i n case s wh e re
it i s unable to bring ab out a settlement
b etwe en p arties or i n cases whe rein the
“
m e m b e rs of the B oard
sh all be una ble to
un an i m ou sly
a gree
up on
decision
an
ump ire sh a ll
be app ointe d to decide the
controve rsy
of
p rinc ip les
L A B
a nd
p ut
’
,
,
'
,
.
the re was no unanim ous
de cision by the Na tional War Lab or B oard
a n d no u m p ire was a pp oi nt e d
B y a m ajority
vote it dec ide d to m a ke n o fin di n g
8
In
.
this
c a se
.
.
be lie f Of the com p any i s th a t the
te le grap h be ing nation wi de and e ssential
for p u bli c u se m ust be uni n te rrup te d h ence
9
The
.
-
,
workin g the Wire s ca nnot be subje c t to a strike
t or sym p a
ord e r e ith e r for th e ir own b e nefi
th e ti cally for the be nefit Of othe rs nor can
the re be orga nizati on h arm ony or facility i n
the h a n dl i n g of 'ove rnm ent and p ublic busi
ness if gr oup s Of the essenti a l force owe alle
gi ance to diffe re nt an d dive rge nt i nte rests
,
,
,
.
belief th at i ts
lon g stan ding p olicy was i n the inte rest of
th e pu b li c i n V i e w of the c irc umstances of the
time s and to up hold the authority of the
Nati onal War L abor B oard i n every p ossibl e
respect the com p any Off e re d to sub m it the
10
.
Notwi thstandi ng i ts firm
,
,
5
T
H
W E S
E
m atte r
T
E R N
U N I
O
A N D
N
ll g d wi sh es of i ts e mp loye es
to a secre t re fe ren d um to be h e ld u n de r the
di rec tion and contro l of the War Labor
Board
No conside ra ti on wha te ve r was
given to this fair and r easonabl e p rop osal
of
the
a e e
.
.
m ai ntains that the condi
tions sur rounding i ts se rvice are of a ch arac ter
to justify th e p u blic sup p ort of i ts p ositi on,
esp ec i a lly i n V ie w of i ts e nti re wi lli ngness to
11
.
T he
comp any
leave to th e self de te rm ination of the m ajority
question wh ethe r it
of i ts e m p loyee s the
should w ai ve a con di ti on of e mp l oym ent of
long standi ng and adop te d wholly as a
m easure of p ro tection to the p u bli c se rvice
the com p any i s exp w ted to render
.
Western Union has no quarrel
wi th the p ri ncip le of un ioni sm T here are
associ a te d with the com p any many e mp loyees
who are m emb ers of various unions T o sur
rende r control oi the dire ction of its b usiness
and of th e esse nti al e mp l oyee s to a n out side
organiz a ti on a ni mate d i n i ts p olici es by con
side ra tions h avi ng nothi n g to do with p ro
moti ng the servi ce of the comp an y as a
great p ublic utility would be sub versive of
the ve ry p ri ncip les up on which the comp any
re ga rds i ts p ublic obli gati o ns to re st
12
.
The
.
.
,
.
T
W A R
H E
L A B
B
R
O
O
A R D
T h e S t ep s
Tak e n
I Un de r da te of M arch 2 9 1918 the War
Lab or C on fe re nce B oard rep resenting e m
reco m m ende d the
p l oy ers and e m p loyees
a pp oi n tm e nt of a War La b or B o a rd
to brin g
a b ou t a se ttle m e n t of m e di a ti o n an d c o nc ili a
tion of e ve ry controve rsy arising be twe e n
e m p loye rs a n d wo rk e rs i n th e fi
e ld of p r oduc
tion n ece ssary for the effec tive con duct of
.
,
,
,
,
“
the wa r
'
.
While the re
th at date and
th e re i s not now any controve rsy b e tween
th e We ste rn Uni o n T e le g r ap h C o m p a ny and
i ts e m p l oyee s the re wa s an org aniz ati on of
whic h none Of this comp any s e mp loyees we re
m e m be rs whi ch had for m any years b ee n
see ki n g to i n d u ce our e mp l oy ees to ally th em
Th ou gh the re are som e
se lves with i t
M orse Op e ra tors i n the Uni te d S t ates and
C a n a d a onl y
Oi th e m are m em b e rs of
II
.
was
n ot on
,
,
,
’
,
.
-
,
di an s
.
III Im m e diately the p rojec t of formi ng a
War Lab or Boa rd was unde r way this organi
.
,
M ee ti n gs we re h e ld
direc tion
of
the
o
on
A p ril
rgani z ation
28 th
un
de r
i n va ri ous
c
the
ities
T
H
E S
W
E
U N I
E R N
T
N
O
throughou t the cou ntry and a bout
of ou r e m p loyee s we re i n vite d to atte n d
IV
A N D
.
Notwith st an din g the p rom i ses Of hi ghe r
.
wage s b e tte r wo rking conditions and guar
a n tee s a g ai n st l oss o f p ositi o n m a de by the
organiz e r s of th e se p eop l e on ly 140 We ste rn
,
,
,
T h is s m a l l
num
t h a t th e
ri
th s p a t cu l a
m ak
in g
We st e
i
t on
r organ i za ti on
i
b
f tl y w ll
d v rti d p l i y
m m b r h ip i n
e s t oo d
e
l o n g - e s ta
s e ,
el l - a
com p a n y w as o p p os e d t o
of t h e
i
b r und r
bl i h d w
p er
e
ec
e
se
c
o
e s
e
were
a n d t h a t th ey
wi th th e
rn Un i on a n d m em be r h i p i n th i organ iza
a ch o c e
e tw e e n e
m p l oy m e n t
s
s
.
rea son s
i
i
i
g t h s p ol c y of t h e
c o m p a n y h a ve
ee n l o n g a n d t h orou ghl y con
T h ey a re i n k ee p n g w th th e p ol cy
si d e re d
os t omce D e p a r t m e n t , wh c h , i n ord e r
of th e
The
a c tu a t n
b
i
.
P
ma
to
i n t in
i ts
a
bj
wh i
terr u p t e d , h as o
a
d
la
ir
b r
i
ec tl y
ra p h
T h e te l e g
s
i m il r
i m p rt
o
an t
se
f
i m p ir
a
i
i
ed
th e
wi
an d
br
t ik
i ts m e m
m p l oys
jo
e s
s r
i
in i ng
i th r
un n
e
e
r
e
th oth e
s tr i k es .
p a th y
e s p ec ts ver y
v ce i s i n m an y
ri
r
ri
i
p ost al s e v c e a n d t h e v tal l y
e a t u e of i t i s , of cou se , i t s p om p t
th e
to
a
e
sym
in
or
un
ec te d t o
ch
u n on
o
ri
s e v ce
i
r
r
i i
r
n e s s a n d con t n u ty .
i y f th P t Offi D p rtm n t
tm
t r ' n r l
w
t f rt h fu l l y b y P
Bu rl n i n h i r p rt f 1917 wh r in h t t
r t i n l b r rg n i ti n h v
p l i i t l y th t
p ol
Th e
as
se
c
o
a
c
t ak e n
te m p t
e
ce
a d va n ta ge
wi th
th e
or
o
a
of
a
th e
P ost
o
w ar
f
O fice
8
e
o
a
za
e a
e s a es
e e
,
e
a
as e
os
s
e
ce
os
o
e so
ex
e
o
s
a
e
m e r ge n c y to a t
D e p artm en t p re
e
T
H E
W
A R
L A B
O
B
R
A R D
O
wh a t i n th i s case h as b een a ttem p t ed b y
t h i s p a r t i c u l ar orga n i z a t i on a ga i n st th e te l e
S
n
28
t ts f m
gr ap h se vi ce
'
p g
ci se l y
r
p ort
th e
re
ee
.
f
o
a
o
P o s tm as te r
th e
e x ra c
e
'e n e r a l
ro
th i s
on
'
s u b e c t.
j
Imm e di ately afte r this issue had b een
c rea te d
th ese form er e m p loyees of the
Western Union app eal e d to the ne wly c reate d
War Lab or B oard heade d by H onorabl e
William H Taft an d H onorable 'rank P
Walsh The War L ab or B oard imme di ately
as k e d th e c omp a ny to a gree not to t a ke a ny
ac ti on a gai nst th e em p loyees who h ad a lli e d
th em se lves with this organi zation
V
.
,
,
.
.
.
.
C onvince d h oweve r th at the whole
cam p a ign of thi s org a ni z ation h a d b een b ase d
up on m i sle a di ng p r om i se s and guar ant ees the
com p any was c lea r th at to sac rifice i ts own
p rincip le s i n thi s m atter e ve n te mp o rarily
would onl y result i n the furthe r m isleading of
i ts e mp loye es and ge ne r al de m or aliz ati on of
the se r vi ce the c om p any wa s un de r obliga tion
to re nde r to the p ubli c and the War L ab or
Board was so a dvise d
V I
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
V II
.
Mr C arlton shortly afterward appeare d
.
b e fore the War Lab or Board at Washington
and p re sent e d a st ate m e n t of th e comp any s
p ositi on whi ch i n sub stance i s rep ri nte d
h e re i n
’
,
.
,
,
T
H
W
E
E S
T
U N I
E R N
N
O
A N D
III In a te le gram to the War Labor
see
Board dated M ay 2 2 '
the
p a ge
We ste rn Uni on Te le grap h C om p any offe re d
to su b mi t to a se c re t b a ll o t o f i ts e m p loyees
th e q u estion and i n case the m ajority of i ts
e m p l oyees so v ote d
to agree to p e rm it i ts
e m p loyees to b ecom e m e m b e rs of the C om
m erci al T e legr ap he rs Uni on
V
.
,
,
.
l
r d to c o op e rate
with th e War La bor Boa rd i n the develop
m ent of an organiz ation to be confine d to the
Western Uni on em p loyees thus givin g the
for co lle ctive
O p p ortuniti es
e mp loyee s
all
b arga inin g and agreeing to sub m it all differ
e nces b e twee n the com p any a n d thi s o rgani
zati on to arbitr ation by the
National War
Lab or B oard
I'
.
The
com p a ny a so Off e e
-
,
,
.
these p ropositions appe ar to
h ave re ce i ve d consideration by the War
Lab or Board but the Com pa ny has subse
quently undertake n on i ts own account to
invite its em p loye e s to a confe rence looking
to the de ve lo p me nt of such an organiz ation
S ee p age 35
2 f or acti on of
as th a t i ndi cate d
'
B oard of D i rectors Western Uni on Telegraph
Comp a ny on thi s su bject '
'
Neith e r of
.
,
.
,
.
,
b se quent p roceedings are indi
c a te d i n the re p ort h e re i n p ubli sh e d i n ful l as
issue d by the War Lab or B oard on p a ge 19
'I
.
T he
su
.
10
T
W A R
H E
L A B
O
R
B
O
A R D
II
R easons for the
Co m p any s P osi ti on
’
'ollowi ng the
Carlton,
P
ment of the War Labor B oard, Newcomb
Western Uni on, i ssu ed the followi ng state
ann ou nce
f the
resi dent o
ment to the press :
“
The tele graph company un derstan ds that
its em ployees have made n o complai n ts to the
Nation al W ar Lab o r B oard respec ti n g h ours
rates Of pay or g en eral wo rkin g
of lab o r
con diti on s
“
The compan y d oes un derstan d that the
o r g an izatio n
known as the
Of a n
O ffi cials
C ommercial Telegraphers Un ion of A merica
,
,
.
,
who se m e mbe rship i s m ade up of a sm all
conti n gen t of te le grap h e rs not i n th e e m p l oy
te le grap h comp a ny about 25 00 i n
o f the
n u m b e r a n d p ri nc i p a lly resid e n t i n C ana d a
,
,
d esire
to enlarge their membership am on g
approx imately
Western Un ion em
,
11
T
H
W E S
E
p l o ye e s
T
E R N
of
U N I
O
N
A N D
wh om ab ou t one half are directly
enga g ed i n workin g the wires
“
In rec og nition of the fa Ct that the first
obli g ation of the tele graph system is to m ain
tain un in terrupted service for the p ublic and
the 'overnm en t the settled an d we ll adver
ti se d p olicy of the c ompany has always been
to opp o se any o rgan ization Of Operators that
employs the strike
,
-
.
.
,
.
Po s t Office D ep ar tm e n t aga i n st
u n i on i z i n g M a i l S ervi c e
“
Our p olicy i n this respect is based up on
the sam e reasoni n g as that of the P ost Offi ce
D epartmen t wh o se p olicy with respect to the
u ni on izi n g O f P o st Offi ce e m pl oyees is set forth
i n the last report Of the P o stmaster 'eneral
,
.
Th e
P
os
tm a s te r
'e n e r a l
sa i d :
t ide organiz ati on h as during the p ast
se ve ra l y e a rs a ttemp te d to uni oni z e 'ove rn
m e nt e mp l oyees i nc ludin g th ose i n the Postal
S e r vi ce and a la rge nu m be r of p ostal e m
p l oyees are n ow a ffili a te d with it and o th e rs
n otwith st a n di n g the f ac t th a t
soon will be
lia tion i s b elie ve d to be contra ry to
such affi
1 9 12
th e A ct of A u gust 24
A
n ou s
,
,
,
,
,
12
.
T
H E
W
T he
a
A R
L A B
dvi sability
of
B
R
O
p e rm itti ng
O
A R D
'overnm ent
mp loyee s to afili ate with an outside
tion and use the strike and b oycott
rganiza
a s a last
resort to enforce the ir de m ands i s se riously
q ue stione d by th ose inte rested i n the p ublic
we lfare
P Ostal e m p l oyees h ave bec om e b old because
of thi s affili a ti o n a n d h a ve withi n rece nt years
threate ne d to strike and i n one case ac tually
did so by te nde rin g the ir resignations and
l eavin g the se rvice i n a b ody In this case
they we re p romp tly indicte d an d p rosecute d
i n the 'e de ral cou rts
While strikes in the Postal S ervice m ay
be ave rte d for the ti m e b e in g yet th ey will
ine vitably come an d the p ub lic will then be
brought face to face with a m ost se rious
situ ati on
on e whi ch will be a m en a ce to our
'ove rnm ent
' m p ort f th P tm st ' n
e
o
.
,
.
.
,
‘
,
'
.
'
ro
re
o
'urther
e
extracts
os
a
on
er
p ages
e
eral,
28-31 .
E m p l oyees u n d ers tan d
p oli cy of C om p an y
“
policy is so well
und
erstood by em
n
n
that
the
c
o
mpa
y
feels
that
there
is
a
l
o
e
e
s
y
p
O bligation upon them n o t to ally themselves
with the C ommerci al Telegraphers Union of
A merica
“
I t is well to bear in mi nd that there are
two n ation al systems of communication
This
.
.
13
T
H
W E S
E
T
E R N
U N I
O
N
A N D
iversal in character and Open to the p ublic
at low cost
“
The United S tates M ail and the telegraph
syste m
“
E ach m ust main tai n an uni n terrupted
effi cien t service if confu si on and disorder are
n ot to take the place of well ordered n ati onal
proced ure
un
.
,
-
.
D i sastrou s
eff ec ts of
i n terru p ti on
to S e
rvi ce
It
would be imp o ssible to estimate the loss
a n d damage to the 'overn men t an d the p ublic
were either of these two great mean s of com
muni cati on to be interr upted
.
“
A t th i s h ou r , wh e n th e d esti n y
n a t i on s
d e p en d s
u p on
c a ti on , th ere s h ou l d
“
am
be
in
qu i ck
c
of
om m un i
n o exp eri m e n ts.
close tou ch with thou sands of our
employees and I am satisfi ed from m y personal
acqu aintan ce with them that fully 99 per
cent are givi n g their best en ergies i n helping to
wi n the war by mai n taini n g an effi cien t tele
I
1 4.
T
W A R
H E
L A B
O
R
B
O
A R D
graph a nd cable service and that they do n ot
re quire the ai d of an o utside organ ization to
secure the completest reco gn ition of their
rights on the part of the co mpan y an d do not
desire the i n terferen ce Of su ch o rgan ization
i n the a dju stmen t Of their relati on s with the
c ompany
“
The telegraph c ompany un derst an ds that
i n organ izin g the Nati onal W ar Labor B oar d
it was in ten de d that organization s that were
uni on ized sh o uld re m a i n so an d those p u rs u i n g
the policy Of an open shop shoul d n ot be
chan ged
,
,
.
'
.
Non - u n i on
th e
“
rgan i z a t i on s a n d
p o l i cy an n ou n ce d by th e Pre si d en t
o
i nferen ce it is e qu ally clear that organ i
shou ld also
za ti on s n on u nio n i n character
p urs ue that p olicy duri n g the perio d of the
war
“
I t appears clear that the boar d sho ul d act
as mediator i n disp utes that arise between
employers and employees un d er the labor
relation ship an d policies that ex isted prior to
By
-
.
15
T
H
E
W
E S
T
E R N
U N I
O
N
A N D
the war ; that the prin ciples formulated by the
W ar Lab or C onferen ce B oard and recom
men ded to the P residen t had as their funda
mental basis the conti nuan ce Of the relations
affectin g the organization of employees ex isti ng
at the openin g of the war and that is the
telegraph co mpany s un derstan din g of the
eff ect of the P resident s proclamation app rov
i n g an d adoptin g su ch principles
,
’
’
.
Or are th e h an d s of
th e e m p l oyer s ti e d '
“
If
this is n ot tru e an d if these pri n ciples
are i nterpreted as compellin g this company
a n d others i n like situ ation to aban d on their
settled p olicies an d leavi n g outside organiza
tion s free to work as they may see fit among
their employers then the hands of the em
p l oyers are tied an d the prin ciples of the War
Lab or B o ard furnish a cloak behi n d which a
propa g and a for the un i onizi n g of lab or i n
every in du stry may be carried on without let
or hin dran ce
“
S urely there was n o such th ought i n the
,
,
.
16
T
H
E
W E
T
S
E
R
U N I
N
O
N
“
A N D
The W estern Un ion employs less than
twen ty per cent of the total telegraphers in
the United S tates
“
The company says i n effect to its empl oyees :
I f you desire to join the C T U A
then we
must part
“
S O l on g as you retain y our position with
the company you will have every protecti on
a n d a fu ll right of appeal but we c ann ot agree
that you shall joi n any organ ization which
imperils the con tinu ity of the telegraph ser
vice which this company is expected to pro
vide for the 'overn men t and p ublic of the
United S tates
.
.
.
,
'
.
18
.
.
.
,
H E
T
W A R
L A B
O
B
R
O
A R D
III
W ar L abor B o ard Report
The Nati onal
1 91 8 ,
War
authori zed
Labor B oard
on
S unday, 'une 2 ,
f ollowi ng :
the
tive session of the National War Lab or
B oard at the H ote l B e lm ont New York City 'une 1 a
sec ti on of the b o a rd c onsi sti ng of th e joi n t ch air m en
Messrs Willi am H T aft an d 'ran k P Walsh sub
mi tted th e followi n g rep ort of the fin di ngs of the
secti on
i n the con trove rsy b e tween the West e r n
Uni on T e le gr ap h Co mp any and the ir e mp loyees :
A t
a n ex ec u
,
,
,
,
.
,
.
.
,
.
Re p or t
to th e B o ar d
'
War La bor B oard :
In the m atte r of the comp l ai nt sof fo rm e r emp loyees
a gai nst the W e ste rn Uni on T e le grap h C omp any on
the groun d th at th ey we re di sch arge d by the comp any
for b e longin g to a uni on calle d the C omm erci al T ele g
raph e rs Un i on of A m e ri ca th e m e m b e rs of the b oa rd
To the Nati on al
,
'
S ub-he adi ngs
the
B
are
in serte d
'
th ey
oard .
19
are not i n
the
ori gi nal re p ort
by
T
H
E
W
E
S
E R N
T
U N
I O N
A N D
are advised of the general situation by the full opp or
tun i ty given to the employees on one side and the
president of the Western Union Telegraph Company
on the other to state the facts in respect to the contro
versy as th ey respectively viewed th em
Before a section consisting of the joint chairmen
was appointed to attempt mediation and conciliation
the members of the board had a vigorous discussion as
to the meaning of the principles recommended for
approval to the P resident and approved by him to
guide this board The discussion had been so full
before the section received the matter that it did not
seem necessary to do other than submi t propositions
of compromise to the one and to the o the r of the
parties with a V iew of adjustment
,
.
“
.
.
P rop osa l to th e
W e stern Un i on
“
Accordi ngly Mr Taft at the suggestion of Mr
,
.
,
.
Walsh submitted to Mr Carlton and Mr Wiggin the
chairman of the executive board of the Western
Uni on directors a proposal that the Western Uni on
receive back the m en whom it had di scharged upon
these condi tions :
1 That the Western Uni on woul d rec eive a
committe e of its own m en onl y who desi red indi vidual ly
or i n a group composed of the employe es to p resent
reques ts for better condi tion s of labor as to hour s
compensatio n and otherwi se and that if an agreement
could not be reached the matter should be re ferre d to
this board and the question disposed of in accordance
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
,
20
T H E
L A B O R
W A R
B O A R D
wi th the procedu re provided for the bo ard under the
rules guidi ng it
“
2 T hat the Western U nion should not be required
in any way to deal with the u nion or to recogni ze it
3 T h at the Comme rc ial Telegr aphers Union should
a gree wi th the Nationa l Wa r L abor Board a nd guar an
tee to it that i n any effort by i ts members to secure
better co ndi tions of labor it wo uld not itself initi ate and
it would not its elf permi t i ts members to use the strike
but th at it would submit their grievances to the
National War L abor Board a nd abide the d ec ision
e
under its pro cedur
“
4 Th at if any employee of the Western Union
T elegraph C ompany a member of the telegraphe rs
union should fail to co nform with this agreement and
to abide by the rules and principles of the bo ard the
Western Uni on T elegraph Company might disch arge
such employee and that the National War Bo ard
would sustain such di scharge
.
.
.
.
,
.
.
,
,
,
'
.
Th e Cou n ter P rop osal
of th e Com p an y
“
Mr C arlton decli ned
.
tendered
a
counte r one
ccept this pro position but
by telegram as follows :
H on
“
.
W H TA'T
.
.
Natio nal
War
,
w
YORK
,
M ay 22
,
1 91 8
.
,
La bor B oard
Washi ngton , D 0
,
.
“
a
,
“
“
to
.
Western Union Telegraph C omp any holds that
its first obligation i s to the Govern ment and public i n
a n un in te rrupte d a nd competen t telegraph se rvice
The company h as reached the co nclusion th at this
The
.
“
21
T
H
W E S T E R N
E
U N
I O N
A N D
end can not be achieved if its telegraph operators are
members of the C T U A E mployees now have a
basic eight hour day premium for overtime vacations
with pay semi annual premiums sickness benefits at
full pay for varying periods pensions life insurance
and many o th e r advantageous conditions of labor
The company desires however that its employees
shall have whatever benefi ts there may be in collective
bargaini ng It is satisfied that these benefi ts can not be
obtained through the medium of the C T U A
'urthermore the company is of the opi ni on that a
majority of its telegraph operators do not desire to
join the C T U A but it is wi lling to submit that
question to a referendum of such employees having a
reasonable length of service and in the following
manner :
-
.
.
.
.
,
,
-
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
.
.
.
.
,
.
.
.
.
,
O ffer of
T h e W e stern U n i on
The National War Labor Board shall undertake
under a program to be agreed between us to organize
and carry out the machinery for the taking of a secret
ballot the question to be proposed simultaneously in
general terms as follows :
1 A re you desirous of becoming a member of the
C T U A or
2
Are you in favor of an organization to be con
fined to Western Uni on employees such organizations
to have th e right of collective bargaining but not to
employ the strike or affiliate with any organization that
employs the strike either for itself or for others ; the
officers of the association to be employees of the com
pany elected by the employees and the association to
be controlled and managed by them ; diff erences be
tween the company and the association or its members
to be arbitrated before the National War Labor Board '
In th e eve nt that a majority of our telegraph operators
Th e
“
,
,
,
“
.
.
.
.
.
,
“
.
,
,
,
“
22
T
H
E
W A R
L
A
B
R
O
B
A R D
O
vote affirmatively on question 1 the company will with
draw its objections to that union and membership
therein will no lo nger be cause for dismissal but we
specify that the company shall not be called upo n to
recognize that union nor shall it be required to deal
with officers of that uni on as such whether employees
or otherwise
“
If however a majority vote no on question 1
then the present policy of the company respectin g
membership of its employees i n the C T U A sh all
be maintained
If a majority are i n favo r of questio n 2 then the
machinery for such an association shall be set up by
joint agreement between your board and this company
and turned ove r to the employees
I have not dealt with the scope Of an association as
outlined in question 2 It would be our idea that such
an organization would be voted upo n by all employees of
reasonable le ngth of service and to i nclude all employees
of the compa ny who desired to become members
This agreement to cover the period of the war
NE W C OM B CAR L TO N
,
,
,
.
‘
’
,
,
,
.
.
.
.
.
“
,
.
“
.
.
“
.
“
.
M r T af t
.
’
s
Rep ly
To thi s telegram M r Taft sent the foll owing
answer :
“
C
H I CA'O M ay 2 7 1 91 8
“
NE W CO M B C ARLTO N P resi dent
Western Uni on Telegraph
New Yark
Your teleg ram received
I am sorry you find it
inconvenient to come to Chicago because I hoped to
have a talk with you befo re our sectio n repo rted the
case to the board at Chicago I must therefo re trust
to the wi re to tell you my i n dividual opi nion about the
“
.
,
.
,
,
.
“
.
,
.
23
,
,
T
H
W E S T E R N
E
U N I O N
A N D
case and your attitude I have not told Walsh or
Osborne or the others but I must do so in my report as
one of the sections
I do not think our principles include the closed
non union shOp i n the status quo to be maintained
I do not think our principles requi re us to ignore or
invite a breach of existing co ntracts of employment i n
which the men affirmatively agree not to join union
I do not think you have such contracts with your
men A mere understanding that men wi ll be dis
charged who join the union does not constitute such a
contract on their part not to join uni ons
I think the mak ing of such contracts after the pro
clamation of the P resident is not in accordance with our
principles of action by him approved though the mak
ing of them would be legal I think the plan upon
which our board acts co ntemplates a waiver by em
p l oye rs of such a right just as it contemplates a waiver
by employees of the legal right to strike as a method of
securing industrial peace
With these views I think that your last proposal
does not square with the principles on which our board
must act if the issue is made by th e employees part of
our board
.
,
.
“
-
.
“
.
“
.
.
“
,
.
,
,
.
“
,
’
.
D oes
n ot
R ecogn i ze Un i on
deny to a majority of your employees a right
to join a labor uni on O n the other hand I think the
proposal made by Walsh and presented by me to you at
P hiladelphia is one which you should accept in the
interest of industrial peace By it you do not recognize
the union or deal with it
You deal only with com
m i ttees of your employees You take back yo u r men
discharged for joining a union which under our prin
c i p l es an employer shoul d not prevent their doing
The uni on woul d agree with the board not to orde r or
“
You
.
,
.
.
.
,
.
T
U N I
W E S T E R N
E
H
N
O
A N D
mended except the publication of this repo rt of the
sectio n and the vote of this board upon the report
WM H TA'I
'RANK P WALS H
.
“
’
.
‘
.
,
“
.
,
“
S
ecti on
'
.
eport was taken up for consideration by the
board and the following actions ens ued :
Motion Mr Walsh I move as one O f the makers of
the rep ort that it be adopted which was seconded
T he n an amendment by Mr S avage
I move that
the following be added after the words as therein
stated :
It is the refore recommended that the attitude of the
Western Union Telegraph Company i n this c ase be
brought to the attentio n of the P resident of the United
S tates and a copy of this entire re p ort is given to the
press and that the fo llowing words be stricken out of the
report of the sectio n : It declines however to do so or
to submit to the jurisdiction of this board and no fur
the r action of the board is therefore recommended
except the publication of this report of the section and
th e vote of this board upo n the report
Wh ich motion was voted down by the employers and
the two chairmen
A motion by Mr Michael as follows : I move that
the rep ort be received and fi led and fu rther actio n de
ferred until the Western Union Telegraph Company
can be heard as to the existence of employment con
tracts with th e ir employees and that the board further
consider the proposal of settlement of the controversy
o ff ered by the president of the Western Uni on Telegraph
Company which was voted down by the workers and
the two chairmen
M r O sborne then off ered the following amendment
to M r Walsh s motion to adopt the report : I move
that with the statement to the public th at this rep ort
T he
r
.
,
,
'
.
,
“
.
,
’
‘
,
,
'
.
.
“
.
,
'
,
.
.
“
’
.
26
H
T
L A B O R
W A R
E
B O A R D
has been adopted that it be shown who voted for and
against it which amendment was c arried un animously
'
.
,
Th e V o t e
on th e R e p ort
Then recurring to the original motion to approve the
report the motion was carried by a vote of the wo rkers
all of the employers votin g
and the two chai rme n
against it
'or the report : Mess rs William H Taft and 'rank
P Walsh joint chairmen ; V ictor A O lander rep rese n
tati ve Intern atio nal S eam e n s U nion ; T M Gue rin
representative U nited B rotherhood of Carpenters and
'oiners ; A dam Wilkinson representative United Mi ne
workers ; Thomas ' S avage representative I nterna
ti onal A ssociation of M achi nists ; T A R ickert rep re
sentati ve U nited Garment Workers
Opposed to the report : L oyall A O sborn e vice
president Westinghouse E lectric a nd Manufactu ring
Co ; ' C H ood p resident of the H ood R ubber C o ;
C E dwin Michael president of the V irgini a Bridge and
Iron C o ; W H V andervoort president of the Root
V andervoort E n gineeri ng C o ; B L Worden p resident
of the L ackawann a B ridge Co
,
.
,
.
.
.
.
.
,
,
’
.
.
,
,
.
,
.
.
,
.
.
.
.
.
,
.
,
.
,
.
.
.
,
.
.
.
27
.
,
T
H
E
W E S T E R N U N I O N A N D
IV
T he A tti t u de of th e P ost O ffice
D epartm ent on th e S am e P robl em
o
E xtracts f r m A
f the P ostmaster 'eneral of the
Uni ted S tates f or 1 91 7
nnu al
Rep
ot
r
o
Through the efforts of Government employees a p ro
vision was included i n the A ct of August 24 1 9 12
which permits them to become members of associations
or organizations and affi liate wi th outside organi zations
so long as they do not impose an obligation or duty
upon them to engage i n any strike or propose to assist
the m i n any strike against the United S tates
,
,
.
report submitted some time since covering an
in vestigation at an ofice where the department was
experiencing much di fficulty it was sta ted that the
whole trouble was due to too much un ionism of the
employees and that because of their affili ation they
were inclined to resen t any eff orts on the part of the
postmaster to enforce di scipli ne
T he departmen t in sists that all employee s shall be
treated i n a fair just and equi table manner and to
secure such treatment it is not necessary that they
In
a
,
,
,
.
,
,
,
28
T H E
L A B O R
W A R
B
A R D
O
belong to any organization because th e employees
who do not are entitled to the same just and fair
treatment as those who do
,
.
While the employees should a t all times be jealous of
their own rights and protection yet they should ever
be mindf ul of their obligations to th e public and devote
their talents and energy to the betterment of the
service to the people in which they are engaged This
they could do by c o operating and assisting i n solving
the postal problems that are constantly arising
The need for this co operatio n was never greater
than at the present time when the Nation is engaged
i n a world war to mai ntain the right of liberty and
self government
,
.
-
.
-
,
-
.
a:
kinds of business and of labor will be severely
taxed and each must make its own sacrifi ces It will
be necessary for the Nation to furnish its quota of
m en and for capital and labor to produce and to
produce quickly the funds material and services neces
sary for the successful co n duct of the war Great sac
rifi
ces will be requi red not only of those who go to th e
front but of capital and of labor as well and necessarily
the interests of the individual must for the time being
be subordinated to those of our country Normal work
ing conditio ns cannot prevail and the war cannot
be won n or the world rebuilt under normal co nditio ns
Notwithstanding this fact and at the critical period
in our Nation s histo ry it is regrettable to state
A ll
.
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
,
’
,
‘
29
T
U N I O N
W E S T E R N
E
H
A N D
th at the organize d postal employees are m aking m any
selfi sh demands and insisting that they shall not be
requi red or pe rmitted to work i n excess of the usual
number of hours ; also th at their salaries be permane ntly
increased although they are justly compens ated
receiving m ore than thre e times as much as those
fighti ng i n the trenches who must of necessity suff er
the hardships of warfar e and sacrifi ce their all if
nec essary
,
,
,
.
outside organi zation h as during the past several
years attempted to uni onize Governme nt employees
including those in the P ostal S ervice and a large num
ber of postal employees are now affiliated with it and
others soo n will be notwithstanding the fac t th a t such
afil ia ti on is believed to be contrary to the A ct of
A ugust 24 191 2 The advisability of permitting Gov
liate with an outside organiza
ernment employees to affi
tion and use the strike and boycott as a last resort to
enf orce their demands is seriously questioned by th ose
interested i n the public welfare
P ostal employees h ave b e come bold beca use of thi s
affil iation and have withi n recent years threa tened to
strike and in one case actually did so by tenderi ng
their resignations and leaving the service i n a body
In this case they were promptly indicted and prosecu ted
i n the 'ederal courts
While strikes i n the P ostal
S ervice may be averted for the time bei ng yet they will
inevitably come an d the public wi ll then be brought
face to face with a most serious situatio n one which
will be a menace to our Government
A
n
,
,
,
,
,
.
.
,
.
.
,
,
'
.
=0
3
30
24, 191 2 ,
eferred to be repealed
r
,
81
.
T
H
U N I O N
W E S T E R N
E
A
N
D
V
W h at
H as B ee n D o n e
by th e Com pan y
The
Western
f or many
the
Un i on Telegraph Com p a ny has
years p ast gi ven
p romoti on
i tself
an
The
f
o
a
mi cable
d i ts emp loyees
mp any
co
the f act that i ts
f avora ble
matter of
sp eci a l
f eels
rel a ti on s
f
ecti ve
to
between
.
that n o
wi ll qu esti on
on e
mp loyees today enjoy u n u su a lly
e
worki ng
p u bli c
condi ti ons .
record a nd
These
k nowledge
Recogni zi ng the desi ra bi li ty
e
a ttenti on
are
.
p erf ecti ng
f
o
a
method whereby the m an agement
an
a n d.
mp loyees mi ght conf er con cerni ng thei r
mu tu a l i nterests the comp a ny has f or som e ti me
the
e
,
p ast been stu dyi ng the most su ccessf u l
i n both E ngl a nd
The
resu lt
a nd
was
A meri ca
ex p ressed
a l ong
f
the
f 'u ne 1 3
eveni ng o
32
,
these li nes
i n the
noti ce a ddressed to a ll emp loyees o
on
ex p eri ence
1 91 8 :
the
.
f ollowi ng
com p a ny
T
H
U N I O N
W E S T E R N
E
A N D
d ance wi th the foregoi ng i t i s
re c om m en d e d th a t e m p l oy ees p rocee d t o e l ect
d e l egates as hereafte r p r ovid e d to meet i n
c on v enti on an d a u th or i ze d to d e al wi th sub
je cts of a com m on i n terest esp eci ally the
foll owing whi ch are tentativel y suggested :
In
a ccor
,
,
,
P r op osi ti on th e E m p l oyee s
wi l l C on si d er
better utilization of the p ractical
knowledge and experience of the employees
1
.
The
.
M eans
securing to the employees a
greater share in and responsibility for the
determination and observance of the con
d i ti ons un der which thei r work is c arried on
2
.
for
.
The settlemen t of the general pri nciples
governi ng the condition s of employment, i n
3
.
cludi ng methods of fi xin g payin g and read
justing wages having regard to the n eed for
securing to the employee s a sh are i n the in
creased prosperity of th e industry
,
,
,
.
The establishment of regular methods of
negoti atio n for issues aris i ng between the
company and the employe es with a view both
to the prevention of differences and to their
better adjustment should they appe ar
4
.
,
,
.
34
T H E
5
L A B O R
W A R
.
B O A R D
Means of insuri ng to the employees the
greatest possible security of earnings an d
employment without u ndue restriction upo n
change of occupation or employer
,
.
M ethods
djustin g earn
ings piecework prices etc and of dealing
with the many questions which arise with re
gard to the method and amount of payment
apart from the fixi ng of general standard rate s
which are already covered by paragraph 3
6
.
of
fixin g
,
,
an d a
.
,
,
.
has b een suggeste d that the p roce d ure in
the sel ecti on and el ec ti on of d e l egates should
be as foll ows :
It
P roce d ure i n
E l ect i n g Re p r esen ta ti ves
The m an ager at e a ch i n d ep e n dent office at
a state d ti m e will c a ll toge th er all e m p l oyee s
aged 1 8 ye ars or m ore i n cl u di n g co mm e rci a l
pl ant tra ffi c an d a ccounti ng who h ave b een
i n the servi c e for si x m onths an d supp ly the m
with bl ank b all ots for the p urp ose of se l e cti ng
by secre t b all ot fr om the i r own n um b e r on e
e l ector
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
35
T
H
U N I O N
W E S T E R N
E
A
N D
v ote d the m anager i n the
h
u
n
t
m
e
s
s
a
c
o
l
o
ll
the vote
o
e
n
f
r
es
ce
o
t
w
e
p
y
p
an d post the resul t the reof i n a con sp i cuou s
p l ace i n the office
The e mp l oye e rece iving the h ighe st num b er
of v ote s so ca st sh a ll b e d ecl are d the e l ector
Wh en
all
have
,
,
,
.
for the
fice
of
.
E i ther m en
or
wom e n m ay be
l
se e cte
d for
l
e ectors .
The
e e ctor sh a
l
mp l oyees i n th e
ll
c ast
th e
i
e nt r e
v ote of the
fic e he rep resents for two
del egates to be chosen from the emp l oyees of
the com p any divi si on i n whi ch the e l ector re
sid e s to rep re sent th e e m p l oy ee s of th at divi
si on a t a conv enti o n a t wh i ch a n i n dustri al
consti tuti on an d by l a ws sh a ll be a d op te d
The e l ectors above re ferre d to will m ail
the i r vote s for d e l e ga tes i n se al e d e n v e l op es
a dd resse d to th e D ivi si on 'e ner a l M ana er
g
at divi si on h e a d qu arter s th e b all ot to b e e u
cl ose d th ere i n i n a p l a i n se a l e d e nv e l op e un
m ark e d ex cep t for a c e r ti fic ate of th e M anag e r
on th e b ack of th e e n v e l op e stati n
g th e num
be r of quali fi e d votors r ep re sente d by the
e
of
,
-
.
,
86
T
H
E
W A R
L A B O R
B O A R D
v otes to b e i n the hand s of the D ivi si on
'enera l M an age rs n ot l ater th an 'u l y 1 n ex t
The D ivi si on 'enera l M an agers sha ll Op e n
these ball ots at an app oi nted p l ace an d h our
i n the p re sen ce of the l oca l e l ector
The two person s rece ivin g th e h igh e st n um
ber of votes will be certi fi e d by th e D ivi si on
'enera l M an ager an d th e e l ector as h a ving
b een duly e l e cte d an d th i s certi ficate shall
be de l egates auth ori ty to tak e part i n the
C ons tituti on a l C onv e n ti on
It i s the com p any s earn est h op e th a t the
acti on ta k e n by the
e m p l oyees m ay tr u ly
rep rese nt the wi sh e s of a ll the w ork e r s
NO em p l oyee authori ze d to emp l oy or di s
ch arge sh all e i th e r v ote or se r v e a s a n e l ec tor
or as a d el egate
The comp any will p ay the necessary ex
p en ses of the c on v e nti on incl u din g the sal ary
an d ex pe n ses O f d el egates
NE W C OM B C ARL T ON
l
e e ctor ,
.
.
’
.
’
.
.
,
.
P resid ent
37
T
H
W E S T E R
E
N
U N I O N
A N D
R e c a p i t u l at i o n
The Western Uni on T e l e grap h C om p any i s
a b ov e
a ll
e l se
eager th at th e r e l ati on sh i p
be twe e n i tself i ts e m p l oy e e s an d th e p ubli c
sh all b e su c h th a t i ts servi ce m ay b e of the
hi gh est p ossib l e e ff e ctiv en ess i n h e l p in g to
Th i s i s th e sp i ri t gu i d in g i ts
wi n th e war
p oli cy
The c om p any i s lik e wi se frank l y e ag er to
e n joy p u b li c supp ort of a p oli cy t ow ar d i ts
e m p l oyee s wh i ch sh all b e ju sti fi ab l y re gard e d
as ge n erou s a n d en ligh te n e d
The proposed organ i zati on of e m p l oyee s
truly re p rese n ta tiv e of th e rank an d fil e of the
m e n an d wom e n i n th i s com p any s se r vi ce
will giv e the whol e of i ts fifty Odd thou san d
e m p l oy ees a n e ff ec tiv e v oi ce i n the c on si d e r a
ti on of th e term s an d con d iti on s un d er wh i ch
th e i r w ork i s carr i e d o n
Un der the prop o sed p l an the vi e w s of the
ch ose n re p re se ntative s
a n d th r ough th e m of
,
.
.
.
,
’
,
.
'
38
T
H
E
W A R
L A B O R
B O A R D
the em p l oye es of the W estern Un i on will
be consi d ere d i n conf eren ce wi th the m an age
m ent an d i n case di ff ere n c es d e v e l op a n
e qui tab l e p l an of arb i tra ti o n will b e a gre e d
un der wh i ch if n eed b e th e go o d Offi ce s of th e
Nati on al War Labor B oar d m ay be i n v ok e d
A schem e will be w ork e d ou t for co op era
ti on am on g th ose i n ter e ste d sol e ly i n p ro
m oti n g thi s c om p any s servi ce to the p ub li c
a n d n ot i n servin g u l teri or en ds or p ro m o ti n g
the p rop agand a of an other organ i zati on
Th e good f aith of th i s wh ol e p l an will
becom e qui ck l y app aren t
If i t d oe s n ot
work we ll i t will break d own
all
'
,
,
,
,
,
.
-
’
.
.
.
The
p l oyees
com p any
of
on
i ts d esi re
p l an to give
i ts p art
th at they
them the
utm ost
an d e
a ssures
re g ard
a ll
th i s
em
as a
free d om
the i r rel a
p ossibl e
ffectiv en ess of exp ressi on i n
tion s with the m an age m e nt
The al ternative to the foregoi ng p l an
would be for the c om p any to w aiv e i ts
Ob je cti on s to i ts employees oi n in
j
g an outsi de
un i on an d aga i n st i ts b e tter ud m en t a n d
j g
exp eri ence
op e n i ts d oors and sub e ct i ts
j
.
,
,
,
39
H D 6 508
The
C orne ll Uni ve rs ity Lib rary
.
W39
We ste rn uni o n and
the
War lab o r b o ar
3 19 2 4
40