The Boycott of the Tacoma Ledger
A committee of women organizers visits merchants to enforce a labor boycott against a non-union newspaper.
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.
Tacoma, May 9 — A committee of seven ladies of the Trades Council Auxiliary today visited merchants in the interest of the boycott which was recently placed upon the Ledger because it employed non-union printers. The auxiliary was organized to show the patrons of the boycotted paper that the wives and sisters of the members of organized labor would withdraw their support if the merchants who are advertising in the objectionable publication did not withdraw their patronage. Some of the merchants visited were non-committal. They desire the trade of all people and feel that they cannot afford to offend one class to placate another. Others seem to think that the trade of the sympathizers with organized labor is no better than that of those who do not sympathize with organized labor. Tomorrow the auxiliary will hold another meeting and devise plans for further agitation.
“The auxiliary was organized to show the patrons of the boycotted paper that the wives and sisters of the members of organized labor would withdraw their support.”
This 1894 standoff highlights the long history of organized labor in Tacoma and the use of consumer boycotts as a tactical tool. The tension between local businesses trying to maintain neutrality and organized labor groups remains a recognizable friction point in modern civic discourse.
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