LABOR PRESS. PUBLICATIONS ISSUED BY THE A. F. OF L.: The American Federationist (official), monthly-President editor. Gompers, A. F. of L. Weekly News Letter-Contains digest of news of interest to the trade union movement. Furnished to labor press, organizers, and other trade union officials. OFFICIAL JOURNALS OF INTERNATIONAL UNIONS. American Pressman-Rogersville, Tenn. American Flint, The-Ohio Building, Toledo, Ohio. Bakers' Journal-Bush_Temple of Music, Chicago, Ill. Barbers' Journal-222 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, Ind. Bookbinders' International Journal-222 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, Ind. Brauer Zeitung-2347-51 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. Bricklayer and Mason-University Park Building, Indianapolis, Ind. Brick, Tile, and Terra Cotta Workers' Journal-2341 W. 12th Street, Chicago. Bridgemen's Magazine-American Central Life Building, Indianapolis, Ind. Broom Maker-851 King Place, Chicago. Buchdrucker Zeitung-Newton Claypool Building, Indianapolis, Ind. The Carpenter-Carpenters' Bldg., Indianapolis, Ind. Cigarmakers' Journal-Monon Building, Chicago, Ill. Commercial Telegraphers' Journal-Monon Bldg., Chicago, Ill. Coopers' Journal-Bishop Building, Kansas City, Kan. Electrical Worker-Reisch Building, Springfield, Ill. Elevator Constructor-Perry Building, 16th and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, Pa. Garment Workers' United Weekly Bulletin-Bible House, New York, N. Y. Glass Worker-118 E. 28th Street, New York, N. Y. Glove Workers' Monthly Bulletin-Bush Temple of Music, Chicago, Ill. Granite Cutters' Journal-Hancock Building, Quincy, Mass. Harpoon, The-Brotherhood of Railway Postal Clerks P. O. Box 1302, Denver, Col. Horseshoers' Journal-Second National Bank Building, Cincinnati, Ohio. Ladies' Garment Workers' Journal-32 Union Square, New York City. Leather Workers' Journal-Postal Building, Kansas City, Mo. Locomotive Engineers' Journal-B. of L. E. Building, Cleveland, O. Locomotive Firemen's Journal-Traction Terminal Bldg., Indianapolis, Ind. Longshoreman-18 W. 12th Street, Erie, Pa. Machinists' Journal-McGill Building, Washington, D. C. Maintenance of Way Employes' Advance Advocate-27 Putnam Avenue, Detroit, Mich. Marble Worker-406 East 149th Street, New York, N. Y. Master, Mate and Pilot-80 Broad Street, New York, N. Y. Metal Polishers' Journal-Neave Building, Cincinnati, O. Metal Workers' (Amalgamated Sheet) Journal-Nelson Building, Kansas City, Mo. Mine Workers' Journal-Merchants' National Bank Building, Indianapolis, Ind. Miners' Magazine-Denham Building, Denver, Colo. Mixer and Server-Commercial-Tribune Bldg., Cincinnati, O. Motorman and Conductor-601-603 Hodges Block, Detroit, Mich. Paper Makers' Journal-127 N. Pearl Street, Albany, N. Y. Patternmakers' Journal-1008 Second National Bank Building, Cincinnati, Ohio. Paving Cutters' Journal-Lock Box 27, Albion, N. Y. Photo Engraver, The American-6111 Bishop Street, Chicago, Ill. Plate Printer-414 Wash. Loan & Trust Co. Building, Washington, D. C. Potters' Herald-Box 6, East Liverpool, Ohio. Quarry Workers' Journal-Scampini Building, Barre, Vt. Railway Carmen's Journal-507 Hall Building, Kansas City, Mo. Railway Clerk-Kansas City Life Bldg., Kansas City, Mo. Railway Conductor-Kimball Building, Cedar Rapids, Ia. Railroad Trainmen's Journal-1207 American Trust Building, Cleveland, Railroad Freight Handlers' Journal-1123 Wells Street, Chicago, Ill. Retail Clerks International Advocate-Lock Drawer 248, Lafayette, Ind. Seamen's Journal, Coast-84 Embarcadero, San Francisco, Cal. Shingle Weaver-202 Maynard Bldg., Seattle, Wash. Shoe Workers' Journal-246 Summer Street, Boston, Mass. Stationary Firemen's Journal-3615 N. 24th Street, Omaha, Neb. Steam Engineer-6334 Yale Avenue, Chicago, Ill. Steam Shovel and Dredge-105 West Monroe St., Chicago, Ill. Stereotypers and Electrotypers' Journal-309 N. 24th Street, South Omaha, Neb. Stone Cutters' Journal-Central Life Building, Indianapolis, Ind. Stove, Range, and Metal Pattern Workers Journal-1210 Jefferson Ave., E., Detroit, Mich. Switchmen's Journal-326 Brisbane Building, Buffalo, N. Y. The Tailor-1595 East 67th Street, Chicago, Ill. The Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers' Magazine-222 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, Ind. Textile Worker-86-87 Bible House, New York, N. Y. Tile Layers and Helpers' Journal-119 Federal Street, N. S., Pittsburgh, Pa. Tobacco Workers' Journal-American National Bank Building, Louisville, Ky. Travelers' Goods and Novelty Workers' Journal-191 Boyd Street, Oshkosh, Wis. Typographical Journal-Newton Claypool Building, Indianapolis, Ind. TEACHERS' UNIONS. BY BENJAMIN GLASSBERG. The first teachers' union was formed in Chicago in 1902. It came after a five years' struggle on the part of the Chicago Teachers Federation, which had been organized in 1897. Their struggle was for a living wage. Their maximum salary after eleven years of service was $825. Tired of repeated excuses of "no money," the teachers determined to find money for the city. Their search very soon led to the discovery that the great majority of the rich corporations in the city had not been paying a cent into the municipal treasury for years. Then began the heroic fight of the teachers to force these predatory corporations to pay their share of the taxes. There were writs, mandamuses, appeals, and stays. By 1902 five corporations were finally forced to pay $600,000 as their annual taxes. The teachers seemed beaten, when an invitation came from the Chicago Federation of Labor to allow organized labor to help the teachers in their fight for justice. After some hesitation they decided to affiliate themselves with the organized workers of Chicago and together fight the common enemy of the workers. Some of the most important achievements of the Chicago Teachers union are as follows: The maximum salary has been raised from $825 a year to $1,500. They helped in the fight for equal suffrage. They fought the school book trust. They fought the attempts of Big Business to institute a dual system of education, which would put the children of the workers in one class and the children of the rich in another. They fought to have the use of the public school building given to the people for social centers. They worked for better sanitary and educational conditions for children. They actively supported every movement for public ownership of all public utilities. The pressure of economic conditions forced upon the teachers of Cleveland also, the recognition that only through organized efforts could they hope to secure any improvement in their status. In May, 1914, a union was formed, affiliated with the Cleveland Federation of Labor. Although the lower courts upheld the teachers in their right to join a union, the school officials immediately discharged the leaders, who were all teachers of long experience. The Superintendent of Schools was fined for violating a restraining injunction that had been secured. The upper courts however sustained him. The right of the teacher to join a union is not yet disposed of, it being still before the courts. Within the past year (1916) Scranton, New York and Washington, D. C., have witnessed the formation of teachers' unions. In May, 1916, came the organization of a national league of teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers. The charter members are the three unions in Chicago, and the unions in Gary, Ind., Scranton, Pa., Washington and New York. The total membership is about 6,000. The American Teacher, a monthly published in New York City since 1912, in the interests of "Democracy in Education, Education for Democracy" has been adopted as the official organ of the Federation. Teachers Unions mark a new departure in trade union methods and ideals. Teachers place their main reliance upon aroused public opinion instead of the strike. In addition to the need for improvements in salaries and conditions of work which are the important causes of their formation, their objects go beyond the interests of merely their own group, as the work of the Chicago teachers well shows. The Constitution of the Federation emphasizes especially the necessity of democratising education and the schools, and substituting self reliance for subserviency among the teachers, so that they may better equip their pupils to take their place in the industrial, social, and political life of the community. THE JEWISH LABOR MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. By J. B. SALUTSKY. Out of more than 2,000,000 Jewish immigrants residing in the United States at least 400,000 are wage-earners, salespeople, insurance agents, and others. The majority are employed in shops and factories, principally in the "needle industries." Despite the fact that Jews are well represented among the leaders of industry, trade, and finance, the Jewish population is primarily proletarian. The Jewish immigrants who arrived before the eighties of the last century from Germany and other parts of Western Europe had money and education, and were able to enter the front ranks of business enterprise, which at that time was greatly expanding. These German Jews became the "upper class" of the Jewish population, with such prominent leaders as Jacob Schiff, Julius Rosenwald, Louis Marshal, and Louis D. Brandeis. On the other hand the Jewish immigrants who left Russia during the revolutionary period of 1903-1908 form an entirely different class. Many of them had participated in, or sympathised with, the emancipation movement. Of the many who cherished the hope to become "independent" a few penetrated the middle class as contractors, factory-owners, and store-keepers. Those who had been tradespeople or "intellectuals" emerged from the "melting pot" as proletarians. They were compelled to enter factories and shops and become wage earners. None of those who came from Russia and few from Austria knew anything of labor unions or of political parties. Yet these Jewish immigrants have not only developed solid organization, but have also, as they claim, evolved a more advanced type of unionism, more modern and aggressive in methods and tactics than some of the organizations of native labor. Belonging to unions affiliated to the American Feder ation of Labor there are 250,000 Jewish proletarians, sixty per cent of them in New York City. Thus, while the Jews form only slightly more than 2 per cent. of the population of the United States, they constitute over 10 per cent. of those organized under the A. F. of L. The tendency toward Americanization is strong among Jewish unionists. They strive to assimilate whatever they have of revolutionary tradition with the conservative methods worked out by American labor leaders during the last sixty years. This fact is interesting in view of the "foreign" leadership of the Jewish unions. Nearly all the organizers, speakers, and writers are "green" immigrants. The few exceptions are Russian Jews who spent several years in England, where they imbibed the first principles of trade unionism. These leaders are the most conservative and of late have been supplanted by men and women who have risen directly from the ranks of the workers. Judging from available figures supplied by unions, there are nearly 300,000 Jews, male and female, employed in the “needle industries." Others are to be found among the building trades, inside iron works, leather factories, etc. There are 30,000 Jews in locals of the Brotherhood of Carpenters throughout the country. There is probably an equal number in the painting and paperhanging trades. While the Jews form the predominating racial group (the Italians being the next largest), in the "needle industries," in the other trades they are insignificant minorities. The international unions, in some cases, have separate Jewish locals; for instance, the Typographical Union, in which the Jewish printers of New York City, separately organized, have succeeded in getting the highest scale of wages. The first large union of Jewish workers was formed in New York City in 1888 when, with the help of "intellectuals," the United Hebrew Trades was organized. Morris Hillquit, Abraham Cahan, and several other prominent Socialists of today were among the initiators. Until then attempts to organize the men and women employed in the sweat shops had not been very successful. But with the United Hebrew Trades in existence it was possible to get nearly 15,000 of the Jewish tailors to strike for better conditions. "The strikers were unorganized and undisciplined," says Morris Hillquit in his History of Socialism in the United States, "and it is very doubtful whether they would have accomplished anything substantial without the aid of the Socialists. The latter practically assumed entire charge of the contest. They organized the strikers into trade-unions, collected funds for them, directed their battles, and led them to victory. It was, therefore, natural that there should have been at all |