Marysville Shingle Weavers Launch Their Own Co-op
Twenty-four workers pool their savings to lease and operate a local shingle mill after being laid off or seeking steady work.
Several shingle weavers of Marysville have concluded a ten-month lease on a mill owned by Senator Smith. The plant contains seven upright machines and will furnish work to twenty-four men, all of whom are financially interested in the operation. The Home Shingle Co. starts with a paid-up capital of $8,500. Each man receives the union scale of wages, but should there be a deficit in any month's business, the wages are assessed to bring the reserve fund back to $8,500. Dan Noonan, president; George Morrison, secretary; and Henry Hadenfeldt, treasurer, head the company. They intend to operate the mill steadily throughout the year and hope to declare dividends. Mr. Smith, the owner, has agreed to give them first chance to purchase the plant at the expiration of the lease.
“The main thing with us is getting steady work every day in the year, although we hope to declare good dividends, too.”
This 1909 experiment in worker-ownership reflects the historic tension in the Pacific Northwest timber industry between labor and capital. Today, while most mills are massive corporate entities, the cooperative model persists in various niche sectors of the regional economy seeking to democratize production.
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