The Open Shop Battle for the New High School

At the last weekly meeting of the city central body, the hall was filled with delegates from several unions and many visitors. A committee was present from the Building Trades Council to take up the matter of the new high school building. The project has been placed on an 'unfair' list by the Carpenters' union, owing to the determination of the building contractor to construct the building on an open shop basis. It was brought out in the discussion that if this were allowed to continue, it would mean that the town would be filled with unfair workmen from the outside who, in the majority of cases, would be men without families who would contribute nothing to the building up of the town but would take the work away from our own people who build their homes here, pay the city's taxes, educate their children, and make it possible for the city to be live and progressive. It seemed inconceivable to those present that the businessmen of the city, if they properly understood what this means to the business and industrial life of the city, would allow this state of affairs to continue. The Council decided to appoint a committee of five to act in conjunction with a like committee from the Building Trades Council to arrange for a public mass meeting to discuss this question. This joint committee is working on the matter and the result will be a public meeting in the near future in one of the large halls of this city. Competent speakers will be secured and this meeting will be thrown open to every class of people. Businessmen, professional men, laboring men—every citizen and taxpayer of the city of Everett who is interested in its growth and development will be asked to participate.