Labor Council Takes on the Elks
A standoff emerges after the local Elks lodge hires a contractor known for violating union standards.
All our readers are aware that the local lodge of B.P.O.E. some weeks ago let the contract for the construction of their new building to Peter Sampson, an unfair contractor of this city. Sampson was the lowest bidder, but he has three separate times violated union regulations and each time been placed on the unfair list. The Building Trades Council has sent a formal protest to the Elks, stating that letting the contract to Sampson without guaranteeing union labor shows a hostile spirit toward organized labor. The council is requesting a meeting to settle the differences and avoid placing the new building or the fraternity on the official unfair list.
“It is not the desire of this body to place your popular fraternity on the unfair list or to place your new building on the unfair list and forbid union men to patronize it.”
This 1909 dispute highlights the enduring tension between the goal of low-cost development and the ethical standards of the local labor movement. Today's Everett faces similar debates over prevailing wage requirements and the social cost of construction choices in a rapidly growing city.
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