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NEWSLETTER |
Past Newsletters |
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Is there something you want but don’t see in the Local 247 newsletter? |
August meeting report for Carpenters Local 247
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By Bruce Dennis
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General membership Retirees Executive Board International Brotherhood of Carpenters has launched a Web site.
Check it out at |
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Picnic raises $2,800 for Doernbecher
Local 247’s picnic was attended by approximately 1,000 people. We presented pins from five years all the way up to 60 years of union membership. We had lots of good food and plenty of games for both the children and the adults. If you weren’t there … you missed out. Our contractors and suppliers were very generous with their donations for our fundraising raffle for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Jessica Wellner from the fundraising staff of Doernbecher will attend our next meeting, when we will present her with a check for $2,800. Carpenters Local 247 has now exceeded $18,000 in total donations to Doernbecher over the last several years.
Any comments or suggestions sent to the office about the picnic would be appreciated. We try to make improvements every year.
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This picture appeared on the front page of the Daily Journal of Commerce, portraying Carpenters Local 247 member Curtis Sellend hard at work in a downtown office building. |
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High school building trades opportunities
Roosevelt High School is looking for someone to teach in their Shop and Construction Program.Also, the Local has been asked to help Franklin High School in setting up a Building Trades program. If either of these things interest you, please contact Bruce Dennis at 503-289-9632.
Mr. Gore,
I just wanted to extend my family's thanks to you and everyone at Local 247 for the great time we all had at the picnic Aug. 19. We haven't had the opportunity to visit Blue Lake before, and this event made it so special, we will be sure to visit there again. Although we didn't win any raffle prizes, I do know all proceeds went to a great cause, as our daughter was a patient at Doernbecher as an infant, and through modern medical science, when all odds were against her survival, the wonderful professionals there brought her back to us. Thank you for having them be Local 247's recipient of the raffle money. The picnic was great … all the food, all the fun and the pleasure of meeting the gentlemen and families that make up this union.
P.S. I so appreciated the fact you made mention of the wives of these great men! Let me tell you what I told my husband: You fellas may be the "studs" but we wives are "nails" that hold you up!!
Thank you again, Mr. Gore!
—Richard and Carol Kephart and family
Regional Council Scholarship winner
Emily Mauer, daughter of George Mauer: $750 Scholarship
As far back as anyone can remember there have been definite class distinctions in society. During the Middle Ages there was feudalism. Then people like the Rockefellers surfaced and throughout present times, movie stars, Bill Gates and companies like Nike have claimed the big bucks. Everyone has designated place, and it’s the middle class that has traditionally been burdened with low wages, bad working conditions and thus a hard life.
It was during the Market Place Revolution of the 1800s that the middle class made its first appearance. A growing economy brought better living conditions but at the same time widened the gap between the social classes and worsened life for the working class. It was the few people not living in poverty but still unable to afford the expenses of the wealthy that settled into a comfortable yet meek living style known as the middle class. This family structure became ideal for the majority of families of the time.
In the early 19th century, a mass of newly developing factories produced an outcry for fresh workers. Laborers flocked to Northern factories in search of better jobs and higher wages. At first this was ideal for working families trying to support themselves. Unfortunately, around the 1830s, factory owners became greedy and thirsted for large profits. They cut wages, increased production and lengthened working hours. There were no laws to prohibit this, so workers tried to organize unions, but rarely succeeded. The number of new workers seeking jobs vastly outweighed those who were unwilling to work under such horrendous conditions. The situation grew increasingly worse as people flooded to the cities. By 1832, one-third of the working class in New York City was unemployed. Conditions were such that families lived on bread and tea because beans were too expensive and wives did not have time to cook them.
It was also around this time that child labor started. They worked because they had to in order to support their families. It was also taken for granted that children would work in factories because they did so on farms. By 1832, two out every five New England factory workers were children. They often worked through the night and received less pay than anyone else.
Over 60 unions were organized throughout the 1830s to try and gain better working conditions. However, the majority were founded on a local level and thus had little impact. It was not until 1834 that the labor leaders held the first national convention. People began to recognize the importance of a healthy working environment and the danger fatigue can add to an already hazardous workplace. The National Trades Union established a 10-hour work day for certain federal employees in 1840 and workers led more than 100 strikes during this protesting low wages. Despite these efforts, working conditions continued to decline.
By 1890, 75 percent of the nation’s wealth was controlled by 10 percent of the nation’s population. This was while 50 percent of industrial workers lived in poverty. The demand for labor soared but wages were insufficient to support workers. Irish and German immigrants fleeing economic and political oppression in their own country filled many of the jobs. Southern blacks migrated from the South and rural citizens were moving toward the city, all seeking employment in urban factories. The amount of women doubled in the workforce within 20 years, and child labor increased as money was spread thin. Children often worked 12 hours a day for mere pennies. Long hours combined with unsafe conditions resulted in increased injury and more deaths surrounding the workplace. Employers felt no responsibility for these mishaps and did little or nothing to change. People realized something had to be done.
And so in 1886 intense strikes and labor confrontations took place. Responding to massive wage cuts in 1883, 1,500 strikes were organized involving more than 400,000 workers. Labor unions became widespread, and membership researched 700,000 in some organizations. The American Federation of Labor was founded and lobbied for eight-hour workdays, temperance, equal pay for equal work and the end of child labor. The year 1886 also brought discrimination against those who chose to join unions. Workers were blacklisted and could not find work or forced to sign a contract saying they would not join a union. Workers were forced to accept the conditions or go hungry.
During the 1900s workers, and groups such as the Progressives, began to focus more on social reforms than economic changes. They rallied for legislation prohibiting monopolies and encouraging small business. A graduated federal income tax was of particular importance, but the traditional labor issues as well. As a result of their efforts, thirty-nine states passed child labor laws and Massachusetts was the first state to enact a minimum wage for women in children in 1912. Much later in 1938 a minimum wage law was established that applied to everyone. However, enforcement of these new laws was lenient to say the least. Businesses and factory owners claimed they depended on cheap labor to stay open. During the time period, the courts tended to rule in favor of the business. They felt that if they passed laws limiting working hours or setting limits on wages, they would be endangering certain freedoms and liberties of workers. A worker should have complete freedom to choose whether or not to accept a factories working conditions or contracts.
With the onset of World War I, working conditions drastically improved. Once thousands of men left to fight in the war, businesses had no choice but to give into the demands of those left working. Since there were so many strikes, President Wilson set up the National War Labor Board to regulate disputes between workers and employers. The trend shifted and by the middle of the war the board was regularly ruling in favor of workers. Near the end of the decade, 15 percent of non-agricultural workers were members of a union. Women continued to rise in the workforce as they replaced men when they left for the war, and wages increased as well. The labor force was becoming stronger and conditions just kept improving.
A big stepping-stone for labor activists came in 1935 when the Wagner-Connery Act was passed. It assured laborers the right to organize unions and to bargain for better wages and working conditions. People began banding together within their occupations and organizing more effective strikes. Union membership was at an all time high of 9 million. Although the economy was adjusting to a transfer from factory jobs in automation to more retail and management-focused employment, working conditions steadily improved. Strikes began to phase out around the late 1950s and workers began discussing demands with their superiors. Inflation and the cost of living were taken into consideration when calculating annual wages.
In general, workers were more satisfied with their working environment. A healthy, safe and fair workplace led to better production in many occupations and, as a result, the economy boomed.
—By Emily Maurer
Works cited:
Blanc, Paul Le. A Short History of the U.S. Working Class. Humanity Books: New York. 1999.
Boyer, Paul. The American Nation. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.: Austin, 1995.
Goldin, Barbara Diamond. The beginnings of the Labor Movement, Viking Penguin Group: New York. 1992.
