Labor Events Yearbook: 1915

The strike of Easter Railway and Lumber Company workers in Centralia garnered much attention from the Seattle Union Record in the early part of the year. Though the strike began in April the year before, the paper continued to cover it until it came to an end in March. The coverage of the strike was consistently positive. Unsurprisingly, support of strikers and their cause was symptomatic of the Seattle Union Record’s coverage of strikes. Many of the articles about the Centralia strike mentioned donations of money, gifts, food and supplies by various trade unions and groups to support the demonstrators. The character of the workers was also emphasized in reporting by using language that exalted the men and women suffering for their cause. For example, in a January 9^th article, a writer for the Seattle Union Record proclaimed, “I have had to do with many strikers in the last thirty years and have seen many groups of workers ‘under fire’ but for whole-hearted, sincere and cool-headed class solidarity the Centralia strikers are the ‘limit’.” [2] Solidarity was a big word in the labor movement and this author was paying the Centralia strikers a major compliment.

The second major event of 1915 covered by the paper was the eastern Ohio Coal strike, which also commenced in April the year before. Again, the coverage of the strike emphasized the strikers’ stoicism and often called for support and shows of solidarity. As in the Centralia strike at home, support for the strikers in eastern Ohio was called for by articles in the paper, regardless of Ohio’s distant geographic location from the Pacific Northwest. In the April 3^rd issue, a letter from Ohio asked local unions for financial aid. [3] By running the letter, the Seattle Union Record urged its readers to assist the struggling eastern Ohio coal miners. The ideal of solidarity was particularly emphasized in one article where the reporter enjoined his readers that “They [the coal workers] are fighting your [italics mine] battle as well as their own.” [4] Even though the strike was taking place across the county, the writer emphasized a connection with local, Washington readers. The Seattle Union Record often reported on national strikes and protests during 1915, emphasizing a connection between all labor unions and drawing on the idea of a national membership base.

The timber workers strike in Everett was the subject of major coverage from March until June. This strike and the coverage by the paper marked the lead up to the important shingle workers strike that culminated in the Everett Massacre of 1916. In the shingle workers’ strike, as in the Centralia strike, other unions generously provided the strikers with aid and support. Notably, the women’s Card and Label League provided major assistance, an indication of the vital role women played in the labor movement. When the Everett strikers announced their plan to run the shingle mill as a co-op in May, the Seattle Union Record declared the strike a success, boldly running the headline, “Shingle Workers Find a Way Out.” [5] The Seattle Union Record prematurely celebrated the Everett strike, but it makes sense that the paper wanted to publish more stories about unions winning strikes than about unions in the grip of a stalemate, or worse yet, unions losing their strike. The Seattle Union Record understandably put an emphasis on victory.

Late in the year the biggest news story was the Seattle Union Record’s protest of working conditions and pay for the laborers of King County roads. Long, front-page articles chronicled the struggle for better pay and working conditions for a short five-week span. Interestingly, the paper claimed responsibility for the success of the strike in early May with a bold, front-page headline proclaiming, “Seattle Union Record Wins for Road Slaves”. [6] The paper again demonstrated its drive for labor movement success.

Many other small-scale strikes and protests were reported over the year. Strikes occurred frequentlin the early months, especially January, February, and March. As the year wore on, strikes seemed much more sporadic. Articles about strikes and protests were sparsest in August, September, and October. Activity picked up again in November and December. Among the strikes recorded during the year were were the Issaquah mine workers strike and Matzen lock out in January, a strike by Arizona miners and Port Angeles (Washington) timber workers in February, the barbers’ union’s protest for shorter work days and the longshoremen lock out in March, the Springfield street car strike in April, Colorado mine workers’ trials of strikers in May, a telegrapher’s strike in St. Louis in June, the striking of Welsh miners unhappy with the Great War raging in Europe and how the legislature was threatening the eight-hour law in July, a Seattle bakers’ strike in August, an anti-picketing injunction given in October, the Chicago garment workers’ strike in November, and, finally, a protest on the Fox company and the Seattle construction workers’ protests in December. The list demonstrates the breadth and variety of strike and protest coverage of non-major events by the Seattle Union Record. Clearly, the paper dealt with local, national, and even global labor events.

One major theme throughout the Seattle Union Record’s reporting was contempt for state authority both in the legislature and the police. According to Berner and Dorpat, the Washington state legislature in 1915 was filled with businessmen who strove to “render the labor movement ineffective.” [7] Outrage over the legislators was certainly reflected in the paper’s reporting during 1915. In one editorial entitled, “Write Your Representatives”, the author explained to readers that, “A great deal of the labor legislation enacted into law…is in danger of crippling amendment or repeal by the reactionary legislation that the people were hoodwinked into electing last year.” [8] Undoubtedly, the paper and those who supported labor unions were dissatisfied with their lawmakers.

Equally apparent was a wariness of policemen and police authority. Because they were often used as strikebreakers, the police was distrusted. Instances of police brutality were often reported in the paper, perpetuating distrust. In an article on the Centralia strike, police violence towards the strikers was reported. The article described one policeman as a “big brute,” [9] an adequate portrayal of the Union Record’s feelings towards the police. In one seemingly contradictory editorial published in February, a reporter for the Seattle Union Record advocated for the police, saying that they could be great allies for the unions much like the police force in Europe. Importantly, though, he described the current sentiment towards the police: “The behavior of policemen … in labor troubles has, to a certain extent, justified the hostility we continue to harbor towards them.” [10] The paper and the unions did not place much stock in governmental authorities during 1915.

Another theme continually discussed by the Seattle Union Record was a loathing of “scabs”: Workers who labored for companies while unionized men and women were on strike. When scabs were mentioned in Seattle Union Record articles of 1915, it was usually negative. One article in March, “The Scab,” was dedicated to outlining the reasons to deplore such workers. According to the first lines of the article, scabs originated “After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad and vampire, he had some awful ‘substance’ left with which he made a scab.” [11] The description was not flattering, and neither were the unfortunate scabs’ other mentions in the paper. In one article reporting on a worker lock out in January, scab workers were blamed for, “take[ ing] the bread and butter out of the mouths of the members of six large families.” [12] During the reporting on the Centralia strike, scabs were called “traitors to their class.” [13] One of the regular columns of the paper, “Coal Dust”, explained that unsuccessful strikes were “due to the ignorance and cupidity of the working class. If capital were unable to recruit strikebreakers [scabs] from the ranks of labor, no strike would ever be lost.” [14] Scabs were an unsurprising and convenient scapegoat often used by the paper.

In comparison to scabs, the Seattle Union Record glorified strikers and their protests throughout 1915. Though harsh conditions were certainly not minimized, the stoicism of the strikers was played up. In an article proclaiming the Washington State Federation of Labor’s support for the Centralia strike, the paper described the strike as a “gallant fight to establish the fundamental principal of unionism.” [15] This sort of language and the emphasis on the remarkable endurance of union members created a positive image of the labor movement and encouraged support from the readership.

In the same vein, the harsh conditions strikers faced was often dwelled upon in Seattle Union Record articles about strikes in 1915. Many articles appealed to unions to donate money or goods, and many articles reported such donations aimed at getting strikers through tough economic periods. In addition, homelessness and starvation were concerns that were often brought up. The Seattle Union Record included reports of strikers who were often threatened with bodily harm, such as the incident where someone set a firecracker on a union man picketing a Seattle theater. [16] Because the Seattle Union Record emphasized the danger and hardships involved in striking, unions enjoyed even more feel-good glory when they won strikes.

Through the various themes in the Seattle Union Record’s reporting of strikes and protests in 1915, we can surmise certain things about economic and social relationships in Washington state and the city of Seattle. The common themes from 1915 were stoicism of strikers, disapproval of the state business-run legislature and the state’s authority conduit of the police force, and the scapegoating of scab workers. From the arguments made in the Seattle Union Record, we are able to perceive the unequal balance between labor and state power that encouraged the paper’s views. The major events of the year––and the coverage of them emphasizing solidarity and support––provide a further base to draw larger conclusions about the place of the labor movement in 1915 Seattle. The events that received the most coverage during the year included the Centralia mine workers strike, the Everett timber workers strike, the King County road workers protests, and the eastern Ohio coal workers strike. The impression given by the Seattle Union Record’s coverage of these major events suggests that strikes were usually effective and unions held some, if not impressive, power with employers and big companies. In the end, the big-business focused Washington state government won out in 1915, though the labor movement remained alive at the commencement of 1916.

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