Every local union affiliated directly or indirectly ith an international union is expected and entitled affiliate with the Central Labor Union, chartered by e American Federation, in the city in which it is cated. These city organizations exist to look after atters of local concern to all the local unions afated with them.

The city organization is not supposed to interfere a trade situation where local trade organization ex5, except at the invitation of the local union of the de, and it is not expected to organize in a trade ally unorganized, except under the direction or in operation with the national union which holds juristional rights over the trade. A city central may t coöperate with a local union if the national union ers objections. If it does so, it may suffer the alty of losing its own A. F. of L. charter. As s noted above, certain city central unions have ded the international unions in backing up a rebellious al without losing their connection with the Fedtion, but such defiance is based on exceptional ength and unusual local vitality.

Many city central unions have taken part in local litics, usually unofficially, and have given important pport to a political measure or political candidate r office. They undertake to secure the employment union labor in city contracts and the passage of y ordinances of interest to organized labor. The thirty-two State Branches are chartered by

the Federation, primarily to secure the enactment of laws for the protection and advancement of labor in the state through the state legislatures.

These branches are made up from the local unions and the city central organizations within the state, chartered by the Federation. The branches usually hold annual or biennial conventions, when legislative programs are drawn up, and a campaign is organized for the coming session of the state legislature. The bulk of the laws for the protection of labor have been secured through these agencies. (See Chapter on Legislation.)

There is no means of measuring the value or the extent of the educational work of the American Federation. For thirty-three years it has been teaching the lessons of collective action and organization to labor in every state in the country. The 2,000,000 men and women who are members are only a small fraction of the workers who have learned through the Federation the futility of competing against others for a wage. The membership represents workers

who have gained a sufficient foothold in a trade or industry to make it possible for them to declare their allegiance to their union without paying the penalty of losing their jobs.

Through association, the union men and women have learned to guard jealously respect for workers as a class; they resent the position of ignominy and degradation to which their class is assigned.

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It would be difficult to measure the economic gains hich the trade organizations have secured, or realize hat labor's position would be to-day without them. each union reported the wage gains directly conded the union, the real gain could not be determined ithout fixing in terms equally exact the proportional crease in cost of living which fell to organized orkers, if not to labor in general. Even were such mputations possible, a still more important factor ould need to be determined, namely, the effect on e general wage rate in the whole labor market which e potentiality of labor organization exerts. The report of the Secretary of the Federation for 13 showed that forty-five international unions had de 3,190 settlements for improved conditions witht striking. These figures give no idea of existing reements, as unions in several cases reported that great number" or "many " settlements were made ring the year, and no union reported the still greater mber of contracts or agreements which were operae either through an unexpired term, or which were eterminate, or the still greater gains which thouds of union workers were enjoying by tacit lerstanding without resorting to formal con

ct.

The same report shows that 974 strikes in 67 interional unions occurred during the year. This ret, together with the foregoing, gives some idea of policy of the Federation, and its determination to

establish by methods of peace, rather than war, labor's part in fixing conditions of work.

If the Federation is tenacious in relation to methods; if it hesitates to change old forms for new, it is because its unions have made present and heavy sacrifices for future gains. When revolutionary unionists demand that trade unions withdraw all restrictions it is in many cases equivalent to a demand on men who own more tangible forms of private property that they surrender the keys. It is important to keep clearly in mind the purposes of conservative and revolutionary unionism to realize the integrity of each.

NOTE.-Before a recent hearing of the Commission on Industrial Relations, the President of the A. F. of L. seemed to deny the Socialist position that the A. F. of L. acknowledged the mutual obligations and interests of capital and labor. But his statement that he did not consider the interests of the two classes harmonious" was not a refutation of the Socialist criticism nor an endorsement of the Socialist position that there is no basis for agreement. (See p. 12.)

66

CHAPTER III

THE RAILROAD BROTHERHOODS

servatism-Common characteristics of the four organizations -Mutual insurance associations-" Protective policy "Arbitration as a substitute for strikes-The Erdman ActDevelopment of "protective policy "-Territorial divisions and concerted movements-Standardization-Federation

Repudiation of coercive methods.

ERE are unions of railroad workers which are a t of the American Federation of Labor, such as car builders, shop and road builders and repairers, graphers, machinists, and, in a limited district, tchmen. But the most important unions of railroad -kers are independent of the American Federation, represent a distinct type of labor organization. ese unions are: The Brotherhood of Locomotive gineers, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen Enginemen, the Brotherhood of Railway Train1, which includes conductors, baggagemen, brake1, flagmen, switchmen in yard and train service, I the Order of Railway Conductors.

These four organizations with their common chareristics and their independence of the general union vement, are often briefly characterized as conservaby labor union men whose own organizations are conservative in purpose and in administration as