Why Everett’s Unions Need a Watchdog

We believe it to be a solemn duty of the labor press to point out the weakness, if there be any apparent, inside the union movement. We believe that a serious mistake is being made by the building trades unions of this city when they dispense with the services of a business agent, particularly at this time. Each city has to contend at all times with a large floating class of skilled as well as unskilled workmen who are a menace to union conditions unless they are union men. The A.Y.P. exposition has brought many workmen to the Sound country, and will bring many more. It is the little jobs that count: the cottage here, a residence there and a repair job yonder. The large contract jobs can be easily watched, but it is the small jobs of work scattered throughout the city that cause the worry and trouble. It is so easy to slip onto a small piece of work and off again, and the temptation to the owner to get his work done a little cheaper than he thinks union men would do it, with a chance of detection reduced to a minimum, is hard to resist. We believe that a business agent is a necessity in a fast growing city like ours.