COMPULSORY UNIONISM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1210, 19 August 1911, Page 4

COMPULSORY UNIONISM.

MEETING OF WAREHOUSEMEN, Every soft goods warehouse was repro scnled at a meeting of warehousemen held last evening to discuss matters in connection with the Union of Merchant Assistants, which has intimated its intention of asking for an award which will inehido all warehousemen in tho city. The position, it was pointed out, was quite Gilbertinn. Here was a union to which none of them belonged and hail not the slightest intention of joining, ashing for an award which covered each one present and every warehouse worker in tho city. A wan, a 'perfect' outsider, had got together a few juniors Mill packers, formed a uhion, and imagined that by playing a bold stroke he was going to upset everything in connection, with a class which was quite content to bo left alone. Ono speaker pointed out that eoine boys and juniors had been coerced into joining by the alluring list of wages set' out in (lie demands, they being under* tho impression that they would immediately become law. That was, of course, highly improbable, but still i\ had acted as a lure to some of the young men in tho Irado. For instance, it was set out that for tho first six mouths boys were to receive 12s. fid. per week; second,' 155.; third, M; fourth, £1 55.; 'find so on, but it did not point out that at Hid end of eighteen months or two years boys who did not prove worth the'next increase in pay would bo dismissed, and other boys put. in their places at the lower wages. Half a day off was not infrequently granted to warehousemen without loss of pay, and time spent at home on sick leave was not, as a mloj deducted, but that would not be the case under an award. ' Another speaker pointed out that it wag proposed t'o place all warehousemen on 8 level—the indifferent salesmen were to bo placed on a level with a brilliant salesman, and tho poor with the indifferent How could such a principle be applied in the soft goods trade? It would mean that the poor salesman would have to go out of tho business altogether. At present they were decidedly against the union, and its demands, and forth, with will make a big effort to show that tho union was not asked for and not wanted.