Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/177

 THE UNION LABEL.

"THE union label is organized labor's most powerful weapon today." This remark was made to the writer by a prominent manufacturer, employing some twelve hundred union men. The object of this article is to examine the actual workings of this label, and to determine, if possible, its real significance.

What is the actual demand for goods bearing the union label? What can be said of the label's effect on quality and price of goods ? These are obviously the important questions to answer. I will answer these for one city, and let the reader draw what conclusions he will for other cities.

The city investigated was Milwaukee, one of the principal manufacturing centers of the Great Lakes. The following important facts must be borne in mind : Of a population of 300,000, some 90,000 are foreign born, the chief nationalities being represented, first, by the Germans (54,000); second, by the Poles (17,000); and the remainder distributed among over twenty other nationalities. There are sixty-eight labor unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, representing twelve thousand workingmen with their families. An official report states that by these men "all union labels are pushed." Hence we clearly see the potential demand for union-label goods.

A thorough investigation was made in all parts of the city, and of all sorts of stores, in order to determine precisely the truth about the union label as the merchants see it.

In all two hundred and five establishments were visited, of the following kinds :

Department stores - - 5

Clothing stores - 27

Hat stores - i

Shoe stores - 21

Cigar and tobacco stores - - 34

Bakery and confection shops 10

Saloons - 36

Grocery stores - 71

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