The Shingle Weavers' Wage Cut
Facing a volatile market, the West Coast Shingle Weavers' Union adopts a 15 to 20 percent pay cut to keep mills running.
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.
A special meeting of the Grand Lodge of the West Coast Shingle Weavers' Union was held at Ballard on Saturday, at which a reduced scale of wages was adopted to meet the present condition of the business. There was a full attendance, with delegates from Aberdeen, Chehalis, Tacoma, Ballard, Whatcom, and Snohomish. The old scale, adopted in April and confirmed in August, has been undermined by non-union mills operating at lower rates. This new agreement represents a reduction of 15 to 20 percent on the old scale and takes effect immediately.
“There was a full attendance, delegates being present from Aberdeen, Chehalis, Tacoma, Ballard, Whatcom and Snohomish.”
Wage disputes during economic downturns defined Seattle's early industrial history, much like the modern tension between rising costs of living and stagnant wages for service and manual labor.
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