The Shingle Men’s Strike: How Local Manufacturers Tried to Crush a Union Before It Began
In May 1898, Seattle’s shingle mill owners gathered in the Chamber of Commerce to unanimously vote for a two-week shutdown and set fixed prices, effectively declaring war on labor organization.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
SHINGLE MEN ANOTHER ORGANIZE!
At a conference of the shingle manufacturers in the chamber of commerce yesterday afternoon, it was voted to close all mills of the state for two weeks beginning May 30.
Nearly all the owners were represented at the meeting. The action was taken unanimously, and provisions in the constitution that a committee composed of three members from each organization should have the power to hold meetings, set prices, establish rules for grading, and regulate the output according to their judgment.
It was resolved that manufacturers work in harmony with the dealers' association, and refuse to sell to any mill legitimate dealers and to those who cut prices.
It was decided to maintain the following price for fair shingles on lots at mills: To wholesalers: 2½¢ per M; 3-4 Warps, 1.05¢ per M. To retailers: 2½¢, 11.99¢ per M; dealers, $1.41.
The standard weights of the association were adopted as follows: No. 1, 18 lbs. per M; No. 2, 16 lbs.; Eureka, 100; and Defiance, 10.5 lbs.
No underweight will be allowed the dealers.
The following officers of the Washington Shingle Association were elected: President W. J. McVeeley, of Seattle; Vice-president, Michael Earles, of Whatcom county; secretary, Francis Jantch, of Mason county; treasurer, Louis McCoy, of Ballard.
This 1898 attempt by Seattle's shingle barons to preemptively shut down mills and fix prices mirrors modern debates over corporate collusion and the erosion of labor power. Just as these mill owners used their collective weight in the Chamber of Commerce to dictate terms, today’s gig economy platforms and housing developers often use market dominance to suppress wages and affordability, showing that the struggle between concentrated capital and worker survival is a recurring Seattle theme.
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